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Why would I want a "Boiler Plate"


Bobby Buggs

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I have not been paying attention lately so forgive my foolish question, but the question still remains...:confused:

So that you can keep up with the rest of us, because the plate users will leave you staring at their trenches!!

Seriously now. Pay attention!

I made my own plates and rode them in New Zealand in Aug Sept this year on some new snow, packed snow and hard pack/ice. There are threads where I describe design/construction & experiences. I am not trying to sell you anything.

I am not talking about Vist/Hangl/S-Flex plates. They do not have this design principle.

Advantages:

1/ Fatigue reduction. The design reduces the work your knees & quads need to do so you can carve for longer, both runs on any given day and days in a row.

2/ Bump smoothing. You can carve for longer because you can carve in a wider range of conditions. The plate reduces the transmission of bumps to the rider.

3/ Carve better & faster while retaining control. You can feel your edge very well in the carve, but the bumps don't throw you off balance nearly as much.

4/ They transform your old snowboard's performance. I compared a 1997 167cm Avalanche "Chris Saunders" all mountain board equipped with a plate of my design, with a 2003 171cm Coiler AM. The Coiler lost out in cut up afternoon snow.

"Criticisms"

Weight: Depends upon design. My plate added just under 2kg for all components, to board & bindings. Rapidly, you do not notice it on chairlifts, or in falls.

Slow speed feel/control: How slow do you want to go? In my experience, once the board is carving at any speed then a plate equipped board is under control. Like anything, it takes a little while to get used to a different "feel".

Smiling muscle fatigue: It feels so good you smile like a maniac.

Overall, for carving snowboarding any snow that is not powder I would prefer a plate equipped board.

SunSurfer

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You're going to find there is a very nice range of price points in this seasons offerings. The primary driving force in cost will be stack height and weight. I think the Donek, Boiler, and Apex work on the same principle. It's a matter of whether the weight and stack are really valuable to you.

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great video Sean!!!

I'm glad to see Bomber and Sean offering plate set ups that are truely state of the art.

For those who are naysaying the advantages of plates and think that they are only good for racers please go back a 4 years and read the threads about metal board construction and look at what people are riding and prefering now.

Plate systems are a huge leap forward and now you can get them here in the US easy by simply calling Sean or Fin.

Good job guys.

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