Sebastian Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 First post here and it seems this is definitely the best source for knowledge on carving these days. I sort of had a clue about it back in the mid 90’s while working/riding over in Japan, but today I’m more or less a complete n00b in the sport. I recently pulled some boxes out of storage and came across my old gear. Thinking about getting back into it, and I was hoping maybe you guys could bring me up to date. A few questions for starters: - What’s preferred by most gear wise today (sizes, materials, new technology?) - Is new equipment as scarce as I think it is (like maybe 2% of the market?) - For a new novice setup (board, bindings, boots), what would be a typical price range? - Is performance really that much better than running well maintained “old school” gear? - What are the key characteristics one looks for in a quality carving board, new or old? <O:p</O:p<O:p</O:p This is my present setup (after 16yrs in storage): <O:p</O:p Nitro Scorpion deck, 155 Nitro bindings, NB823NN (Fritschi system) Nordica SBH’s <O:p</O:p So… should I sport the mountain retro style, break the bank and modernize, or just sell everything and focus on slightly less extreme endeavors? Thanks in advance for any feedback, really appreciate it. Sebastian <O:p</O:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 I liked the Scorpion - the first of the noo school race boards, over here at least. I have a couple of the 163 (or was it 162?) models in the garage, one with a broken nose. My first one had no inserts, but fixed mounted Fritschi bindings - not sure what the number was but they matched the board graphics pretty well. I don't think new gear is that much different. You'll hear a lot of talk here about it of course, but broadly it's the same deal. Board: they tweaked the shapes a bit and some have more esoteric materials, but sym slalom boards are still pretty much the same. Bindings: inserted now and with intec step-in heels. Boots: well they'e probably changed less than anything else. You'll see the various brands sold here. Is performance better? I'm not sure. My old boards are beaten up and I'd not trust the bindings and the boots probably smell bad. So I've not done an A:B comparison. Maybe my riding's better. I'd be surprised if the new stuff wasn't a fair bit better, but it all works. I think you can buy what you would want here, the prices are posted on this site. European prices are cheaper if you're in Europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZetaTre Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Welcome to the bunch!!! I'm gonna go up to Big Bear this Saturday, probably alone: wanna car pool? http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=336188 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Seems most boards for carving are in the 170+ range. Most have titanal alloy in the top sheet, variable sidecut radius, and decambered nose/tail. Basically makes boards easier to ride I believe and have better overall performance. Smooths out the ride and has better edge hold. Probably takes confidence level up a notch. Will find out soon as I bought a metal Coiler. Yes, there are only a few producers of carving gear now days. Only 1 board maker in the US Donek. 2 in Canada. A lot more to choose from in Europe. For a complete new setup, you're talking about $1500-2000 for boot, bindings, and board. You can find a lot of newer gear for sale for a lot less though. This is where I would start. Most any bindings in good shape will work, no matter how old. Lots of older boards are still plenty good. I just picked up an Oxygen Apex 165 with Blax bindings that I'm riding as a rock board. It is from the late 90's. Is still plenty of fun. Most any of the newer style hardboots will work great. Raichle, Head, Oxygen, UPZ etc. Any boot that is newer than the old vibram soled ones should be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex1230 Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 -ahem- There are more board producers than you think... US: Donek (the easiest to get) Tinkler (if you can get one and if you can afford it) Coda (He's still making boards, right?) Canada: Coiler (long waiting list, but worth it) Prior (easier to get the non-custom ones) Europe: (most of these are readily available through Bomber, Hardbooter, and others) F2 Nidecker Kessler ($$$) Virus ($$$$$$$$) Tomohawk Swoard etc...... There are a few retailers - none that I know of in California, but Bomber store is an excellent resource and they carry several of the european boards. also Hardbooter.com out of Utah, and Exotic Boards (I think They arre out of California, not sure though) - and allboardsports in Colorado (Bola here runs the place and can get some really exotic stuff) All of the US based retailers, online and brick and mortar, (with the exception of Catek) have excellent rep for customer service and will help you with whatever you need. My advice, depending on your budget, is that you get used equipment out of the classifieds here and leave the Nitro for old school day or wall hanging. Modern boards, boots, and bindings are exponentially better than what you have. (Not saying it's junk - ride it and see how it feels!) Again, if it's in your budget, the first thing you want to spend money on is boots. The plastics and liners in your old boots will have degraded over the years. They may still fit and it they are still comfortable, great...but new boots with proper fitting make feet happy, and happy feet make for full days of riding. Depending on your size, you can get a decent board nd bindings of a near modern design for a couple of hundred bucks. For a lighter rider, F2, Burton, or snowpro bindings can be had for about $100 or so, TD2 or Cateks for maybe $200 for a heavier guy. There are plenty of decent used boards for $150 and up...just pick a size and look through the classifieds or ebay. I started riding a modern board that I demoed at Startingate in Vermont and ended up buying for $450 - Donek Axis 172 with Catek OS bindings. The big differences you will find from old boards to modern ones- -Stance: I think my old lib tech had a 17' stance width. PJs were around 17.5" Most people ride much wider now - my stance is 20" ( 6' tall) -Materials: carbon fiber, Metal, Zylon, Unobtainium...whatever they are using, the new boards are generally damper and smoother rides than old school glass and foam or wood boards. -Variable sidecut: several new sidecut shapes were introduced in the last few years- they help initiate turns easier and have more forgiving tails. Whatever you decide, welcome back. take out that scorpion and rip it up, then try out a new deck if you can. Above all, have fun! (oh, and read Jack's articles on "the Norm" and other modern techniques. It's worth it.) Ok...I haven't had enough alcohol to keep going. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Thanks Tex. Forgot about the Coda and Tinkler boards. Yes, Bomber has a good selection of boards, AllBoardSports, Exotic, and Hardbooter. Have bought boards from Bola and RJ at Exotic. Both easy to deal with. Same goes with Bomber. Haven't got a board from them but bought bindings and boot parts from them in the past. Donek is easy to work with and he will build you a custom based on what you are looking for. Sean knows his stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 While it's true that boot design hasn't progressed at a huge rate, the newer boots will definitely be better than those old SBHs, particularly when you get the heat-moldable liners. As others have pointed out the newer boards tend to be longer but they are also wider for the most part, the current thinking is towards less highly-angled stances. The metal boards are softer and easier to carve while still remaining stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donek Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Board technology has changed dramatically in just the last few years. Variable sidecuts, and decambering can all be obtained in the older fiberglass constructions, but will make your ride smoother and way more dynamic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Posted February 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Wow… thanks much to all for the info and recommendations. Seems there are more resources and advances in technology than I thought! I was surprised by the average board length too. I thought 155 would still be about right for me (short dude towering at 5’5”, 145lbs), but going a little longer makes sense. If I get a new carver, it’ll be very late this season or early next. To offset the cost I’ll attempt selling my old gear on Craig’s list and maybe eBay for a local sale here in SoCal (not too crazy about having to pack and ship). The material condition of my Scorpion would make a collector very happy. And thanks Zeta Tre for the ride invite. Wish I could but I’m still healing from some recent skateboard stupidity. Hope to get up there soon though, so I’ll check the ride board before heading up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loc Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Wow… thanks much to all for the info and recommendations. Seems there are more resources and advances in technology than I thought! I was surprised by the average board length too. I thought 155 would still be about right for me (short dude towering at 5’5”, 145lbs), but going a little longer makes sense. If I get a new carver, it’ll be very late this season or early next. To offset the cost I’ll attempt selling my old gear on Craig’s list and maybe eBay for a local sale here in SoCal (not too crazy about having to pack and ship). The material condition of my Scorpion would make a collector very happy.And thanks Zeta Tre for the ride invite. Wish I could but I’m still healing from some recent skateboard stupidity. Hope to get up there soon though, so I’ll check the ride board before heading up. Woohoo, another SoCaler Do everything you can to make it to SNES in March. You can demo all the latest board tech to your hearts content. I'm close to your physical description at 5'6" and ~155lbs. My Coiler VSR 168 is the perfect length for carving around the mountain. It was quite popular at SNES last year. I usually go to June and Mammoth so watch the SoCal forum and hopefully we can meetup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohouck Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 -ahem-Coda (He's still making boards, right?) Yes we are still making boards and trying new shapes/technologies and new toys all the time. In fact, we just sent a board made for SES to Fin for demo and then raffle. I come down to Big Bear from time to time to ride and up to mammoth all the time. We will be at June in March with demos as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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