slopetool Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I'll bet there have been times where you had no choice, all you had brought was the race board. And theres a foot of fresh. Or maybe more. Its happened to me a Bachelor. But damn, sometimes its got to be done. I would love to hear some stories. I was watching Hear No Evil today. Remember that video? yes, its sparked my interest. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirror70 Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 well, if you consider cart-wheeling or endo-ing down 2100 vertical feet "riding," then my answer would have to be waist deep fluffy stuff at Stowe two seasons ago, all I had was my FP164. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I used to only have one board. A factory prime 178. I rode that all over the place. On powder days I'd move the bindings toward the tail and just ride it. It works fine. The deepest pow day I rode though was on my Donek 184 Race. I moved the bindings back and it worked great. I remember dropping a cornice that was about a 10 foot drop. This was two seasons ago. Oh, I didn't make the drop very well. I got another 2 turns and then nosed over the front. It was still fun. I rode some decent powder last spring at Bachelor on my 210. That worked pretty well actually (it helped that it was wind blown and firm). You can ride powder on a race board no problem. Especially west coast pow. Utah powder would be harder, but it would still work. I love having lots of boards to play with and fool around on, but if you have to, you can get by on one board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Todd Stewart Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I did some knee deep pow in the trees on my burton ultra prime a few years back. Took a 15 foot cliff on the same run too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvCanada Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 "waist deep fluffy stuff at Stowe " I love Vermont :) When I ordered my Coiler 186 I figured I'd use it on the groomer days, and during fresh days I'd take out my old Salomon. Well I destroyed that Salomon, so the Coiler comes out on pow days now (at least till I can afford an Incline) The Coiler 186 on heavy pow days at Tremblant/Vermont are great! I'd bet that longer GS sticks are way better for deep soft snow than freecarvers. (slaloms I'd assume would be really terrible) In pow I dont ride as aggressive as normal, with slow transitions and no forward weight shift, and I actually have so much fun! It never feels like the nose is going to fold, and so much fluffy white gets fired out the side as you dig deep. It's also pretty cool to get bursts of pow fly all over you when you're in a really low carve. Once it gets tracked a bit, it's pretty bumpy, but with knees bent a lot I find that all that happens is your line gets tighter and looser as you bump through the pow, your legs don't get pounded at all. Of course, when the pow is really light, you don't have any floatation at all while straightlining, and your carves are completely subterranean with fluff flying everywhere! As long as the snow's not really deep, light and dry, try it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I rode Gala Yuzawa with 3 feet of not quite dry fluffy on a 163 Asym slalom board...even shifted fully back I pearled a dozen times at least...I'm actually looking forward to powder on the RC175 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 I spent a fun day at Mike Wiegele's on a Slalom board (Nitro Scorpion 163 to be precise). It was the end of a long heli-session so I thought I'd try something different. Otherwise I've ridden a GS board in the same conditions many times. The GS board is ok but the stiffness doesn't really help you in the turns or in the jumps. Balance is a challenge. The Slalom board was of course pretty damned usless - balance was very hard, flats were a nightmare (not enough surface area), and it was probably the hardest workout I've had for a long time (and I do know how to ride heli-terrain). Trust me: this is not a good idea. For normal resort powder, which has a solid base, it's a different story, and race boards are much more useful. Given enough powder and / or the choice I'd still use a Fish there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffV Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 in Montana at Red Lodge on an F2 Speedster 164. It was the first time I was looking for double black diamonds all day long. Had to set my bindings all the way back. I know I would have floated better on a wider board, but I still had a blast on the Pow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Originally posted by swt Blizzard of 1993 :: East Coast The day the state of emergency lifted: 39 inches on a 160 F2 Beamer World Cup at the local ski hill. Next day: 39 inches, backcountry trees on a Burton Backhill. Nice! How did the backhill work out? Did you have bindings?? I've often mused about taking my old Elite 150 out on a powder day to see how that big surfboard nose and notched tail worked. Oh yeah - during the blizzard of 93 I was with the UNH rowing team in Virginia "training". We thought we'd have nice weather in VA. Nope - 6" of snow. We drove all that way just to do the same crap we'd been doing all winter. I was absolutely dying to be snowboarding then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outsider Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 8 inches- the most powed ive ever ridden in wisconsin on my race board 8 inches- the most powder ive ridden in wisconsin 12 inches- the most powder ive ridden on my race board both instances were on my burton Amp 160, a wide board with lots of float in the white stuff (not exactly a race board) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oldsnwbrdr Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Hmm, I was hoping to hear some stories about powder riding on a carving board that's built to handle this stuff... a Donek Axis or a Coiler All-Mountain. I'm going to buy either an Axis or a Freecarve next month and I was hoping this thread would help me make up my mind!!! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Originally posted by Oldsnwbrdr Hmm, I was hoping to hear some stories about powder riding on a carving board that's built to handle this stuff... a Donek Axis or a Coiler All-Mountain. I'm going to buy either an Axis or a Freecarve next month and I was hoping this thread would help me make up my mind!!! ;) Axis 172 - I've ridden it in 2+ feet of light powder exactly one morning. It was the first time I had ridden in hard boots off-piste. The only problems came up when it started to warm up and the snow started to consolidate, I wasn't used to turning through heavy tracked snow in hard boots at forward angles (somwhere in the 50's) and ate it quite a few times. Since that time I've had numerous days in say 6 - 10" of heavier fresh snow and it's been a blast. Toeside turns in hard boots on soft snow took some getting used to.... I had an uerge to look downhill which was getting me crossed up.... but now I look forward to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirror70 Posted November 23, 2004 Report Share Posted November 23, 2004 Hey Ken, are you going to be working at Wachusett again this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvCanada Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Jay Peak really gets quite a bit of snow! I don't like the mountain at all for carving though. Nice glades, no nice groomers that aren't flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopetool Posted November 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Wow! those are some great responses. I knew it had to have happened to someone else. In the early nineties, my Hooger Booger 175 GS used to see lots of powder. its all I had at the time. I've shown up at Bachelor with all but my Option 165 freecarve and rode trees and glades all day. There was about a foot of fresh and it dumped all day. I have tested my MLY 183 in about 8 inches over near the Rainbow lift at Bachelor. man, that board is soft and loved it. Its so subtle when one rides powder with hard boots, then the sensation of the sidecut of an alpine/race board. its awesome! just don't let the nose dive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dragon fly jones Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Man at Loveland several years ago riding a Highlander total white out, around 10-12 inches way set back and plowing through with buddies riding a Wild Duck Knifer and a couple of guys on Hot Logicals it was comedy but fun none the less. The one bad thing I broke both of the Sims bindings on my board at the time - walked right out of them, had to get a ride down and get the Blast out, that was even more fun since it was so skinny at the waist. Wow what a day, thanks for the walk down memory lane. Oh one post script - the highlander was core shotted to death by a friend and fellow rider a week later and with the same conditions - RIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C5 Golfer Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Never felt bottom with my 6'3" frame so I do not know, It was very deep -- I got caught in a wooded off mainstream lighted runs one night on New Years Eve - it was so friggen deep and soft I had to take my 173 Volkl RT off and actually swim down hill thru the trees using my board as a float. Glad this old guy has a good heart cuz it was beating so friggen fast and hard as I thought 'how in the hell am I going to get out of here.' My girlfriend was supposed to be waiting for me at the bottom but I was not there in the allotted time. I found out later she was quite upset and pyssed at me for not bringing our radios that night. It took quite a bit of time for me to get out of the deep stuff and wondered many times if this was going to be my burial site. I did not let her or the lighted runs out of my sight the rest of the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 Its so subtle when one rides powder with hard boots, [...] Slightly OT, but that's the main thing for me generally - I just don't want slop in my systems, even in over-the-head powder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 waist deep. 10 foot drop off a cliff with will-garrow custom rossi 184. it was -not- fun esp the fact the burton bindings went kaput after the drop. i enjoy the challenge though. on a freestyle/freeride lib tech emma peel, its alot more fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvCanada Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 10 foot drop! When it dumps, I stay on the wide green/blues with my alpine board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipstar Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 When I lived in Mammoth in the early 90s, I used to ride off the top almost every day no matter what the conditions on my then nitro epic 164? - the last series of asyms before they switched totally to the scorpion (which I also rode off the top). MOstly mammoth doesn't get so deep, since by the time it opens often it was a bit wind packed, but among the trees on the backside, and around chair 9? I think it was, cuaght it thigh deep several times. The heel side felt fine, but without changing my bindings, the toe side turn was a bit dodgy sometimes ;-) The key seemed to be to stay up to speed and not try to turn too sharp. THe scorpion 155 wasn't too much better ;-) but in windpacked powder, both these boards ripped on the steep windpack. If riding hardshells, my suggestion would be to get a much softer pair of boots and wide board; the set up for groomed might be a bit stiff for powder IMHO. Kip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AlpentalRider Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 I've done 8-12 inches of pow on my Burton Speed and it was pretty fun. But if there's a big pow day, i'm slappin on my Salamon Malamutes with either my Burton Johan 163 or my OSin 4807 178 and heading for the BC! Sorry, but I prefer softies over hardboots for pow, a much better feeling IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARCrider Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 just have to find the balance and rythym that work had a few people that day asking why I wasn't in softies. switching boards would have taken too long. only so much snow you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopetool Posted November 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Those Volant skis that McConkey designed and skis on - the Spatula - sure is the reverse theory that we have. If you haven't seen them they are fat, wider sidecut in the waist and have reverse camber. and have a piece of melting butter on the topsheet design. kind of cool. those skis are the opposite side of the scale compared to a race board in powder. another toy for someone to try out. Would we dare even try them and step outside the box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarvCanada Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 No! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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