Softboot carvers: Binding recommendations?

[icebiker]

I've decided based on advice on this forum that a move to hardbooting is best done when board/boots/bindings are well suited to each other. I can't drop the coin on a full set up now, so for the time being - seeing as I'm VERY happy with my current board (Ride Yukon 172 Wide), I'm looking to replace my soft boot/binding set up. My two criteria are:

1) stiff as possible

2) easy entry bindings

I currently wear Airwalk "freeride" boots, circa 1996, that are very soft by today's standards, and am considering a Burton Ruler boot.

As for bindings, I currently ride Burton 3 strap Torques, but figure if I bought a stiffer softboot, the third strap becomes less necessary. But would like a binding that is easy to enter (less time strapping in) yet stiff enough to prevent too much flex. Heard good things about the Flow "The Five"?

Thoughts on boots and bindings appreciated.

[bobdea]

forget the ruler, you have a bunch of great options. go with a high end boot, if it's from last year and marked down if you have to. for burton boots I like the ion and driver.

for bindings I like high end burton, catek, high end Ride, nidecker and a few others all have pros and cons. Union or Ride probably make the best bang for the buck for what I like. I have cateks and they are great but they are not for everyone and they also are really expensive.

the yukon is a pretty nice board, if I had to live in a world without the tanker 177 I'd go back to a yukon.

[Bora20]

I used GNU Mutant bindings which are pretty stiff and easy to get into. I hate sitting on the snow, but my boots are the stiffest part of the package.

I have the Deeluxe softboot carving boots from Hardbooter.com, but they are just a little too small for me so I will be looking for a MP26.5 pair of stiff softboots. Preferably with the hard plastic ribs for support. Basically any BX boot should do as long as it is the stiffest one you can find. The Deeluxe ones I have carve really hard with minimal pressure. No issues in powder with flex either, but I weight 215lbs and can force almost anything.

[TLN]

I got Ride CAD's with Salomon Malamutes.

[leeho730]

[Snowest]

K2 Formula's were the stiffest I could find for under $200

[jtslalom]

icebiker,

I posted the other day that I have Burton Driver boots, I don't. I have Burton Ruler boots from about 6 years ago. I don't know much about boot comparisons, whether hard or soft but what I do know is what works for me and that seems to be anything. My Burton Ruler boots are excellent soft boot carving boots. On a scale of 1 to 10 I think they were rated somewhere around a 7 or 8 for stiffness. I am told however that the Driver x boot from Burton is one of the stiffest soft boots. Personally I don't think the exact stiffness of a boot matters. As it is relatively stiff incomparision to others and most importantly, you can ride well in them they should be good enough for you. Good luck in your search but in the meantime, come up to Mountain Creek and make some soft boot carves with us.

[scrapster]

Anyone know if Deeluxe is still making their carving boot?

I've been trying out the K2 T1 lately. It's nice and stiff, though the fit isn't perfect for me.

When using softies, I go for stiffer boots more for comfort issues. My feet are much happier if I can drive the board with my shins and calves, rather than my ankles and feet. (When I broke my last pair of 3-strap Torques, I never totally adjusted to two-strappers.)

[Guest]

icebiker - my friend carves with softies 100% of the time, and I go maybe 50% of the time. He is using Ride FUL's (not the stiffest) and burton CO2's. I am using K2 T1's and Ride CADs, but I wish I had different bindings - they are stiff but ...I don't know. Just don't like em.

What mountain do you usually ride at? PM me if you want to meet up at Blue mountain or something :)

[softbootsurfer]

Please note that I have broken the stiffners in the Malamutes twice, both times within a ten day period of use... this is with a custom locked High Back and an added third strap, I know strange and my ankles both times while stressed are fine. While I have another pair through Warranty I use them seldom. I have a new pair of solomon mid range boots that are fine, but would be to soft for me without the added third strap I use...hope this helps...

[bobdea]

icebiker,

I posted the other day that I have Burton Driver boots, I don't. I have Burton Ruler boots from about 6 years ago. I don't know much about boot comparisons, whether hard or soft but what I do know is what works for me and that seems to be anything. My Burton Ruler boots are excellent soft boot carving boots. On a scale of 1 to 10 I think they were rated somewhere around a 7 or 8 for stiffness. I am told however that the Driver x boot from Burton is one of the stiffest soft boots. Personally I don't think the exact stiffness of a boot matters. As it is relatively stiff incomparision to others and most importantly, you can ride well in them they should be good enough for you. Good luck in your search but in the meantime, come up to Mountain Creek and make some soft boot carves with us.

the older rulers were a higher end boot, at one point the ruler was the stiffest boot in the line, a year later they made the ruler mid range boot that is on the soft side and released the driver.

[jtslalom]

Thanks for the info about the boots bobdea. So if the driver is the new Ruler, I would buy the driver. When I first rode in the Ruler boot that I have, I couldn't believe how stiff it was. They feel almost as stiff as my old Burton wind hard boots. This is why I truly feel that soft boot riding is "ALMOST" as stably and effective as hard boot riding.

I have also heard that the Burton CO2's are a good soft binding. The cartels are also ok but not quite as stiff as the CO2's. I just snapped a pair of older Ride LS bindings that I thought were fairly stiff. I brought them to one local shop where the shop owner actually knows what he is talking about. He claims that both the CO2's and Cartels are stiffer than the ride Ls bindings. After comparing all three it was obvious to see that the CO2's were the stiffest and most expensive. He claimed that for the price, the cartels were probably the best deal. Although not quite as stiff as the CO2's they held up well and could definately be used for carving.

[BigBump]

I used to ride the RIDE Migs(very, very stiff binding) for carving but got tons of foot pain with these bindings so I switched to the Salomon Relay Pro's and love then for carving and just about anything else. They are soft in every direction except toe to heel. So if you don't ride super high angles, they offer great range of motion towards the tip and tail but are very responsive edge to edge(the toeside of the binding is connected to the highback with a steel cable). Also, best of all, absolutely zero foot pain with these bindings.

[icebiker]

JT, NickG, would love to hook up sometime...it's getting a bit lonely being the only one carving around the "terrain park debris field" lol. I typically ride Mtn Creek South (less crowded, but also not a lot of wide trails unfortunately), and head to North if it's a weekday. Haven't tried Blue, but have heard good things about it as family friendly. My son is in ski club at Shawnee, and he and I have toyed with the idea of doing Blue. We just did Windham, and are doing Okemo and Killington in a few weeks, then I have some business travel, so most likely not hitting the Creek or PA until early March...let's hope the snow holds up. Will PM you if any plans materialize. Please do same and keep me posted.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I have read that the Drivers were indeed a stiff boot, but the Burton softened them in the last few years. I am somewhat beholden to availability of large boots (size 14 or so). I also want to make sure that any new boot I go to has a low profile footprint to avoid toe drag and/or ensure the boot fits as far back in the binding as possible. The ions look like they might be a good choice too. Lots of advice from you on bindings..have to do some research on them, then start shopping.

[newcarver]

I use a Head PX10 binding. Has adjustable stiffness on the highbacks and a very thin heelcup. Another benefit is that the high back angle adjusts with the heelcup as 1 entity. No gap between your highback and the heelcup. Straps are made with cables covered in neopren. Very comfortable. You can also change the angles for mounting without removing the mounting screws. Only drawback is that the back foot is limited to 20 degrees max forward angle. You can find these for around $200 on e-bay. For boots I love my Deeluxe Crest boots. Has a plastic tongue plate and fully moldable liners which can be locked into the back of the boot shell. These are the most comfortable softboots I've ever had and are pretty stiff. I don't think they make them anymore.

[bobdea]

He claims that both the CO2's and Cartels are stiffer than the ride Ls bindings. After comparing all three it was obvious to see that the CO2's were the stiffest and most expensive. He claimed that for the price, the cartels were probably the best deal. Although not quite as stiff as the CO2's they held up well and could definately be used for carving.

the cartels are certainly ALRIGHT, the ride LS is also alright. both of those are sort of not really optimum.

with the higher end bindings you get better straps which make a huge difference. usually a better or more full featured base too along with a better highback.

for me the cartels are on the soft side but if I were 170 lbs and riding a 165 they'd be more than sufficient for my needs if paired with the right boot.. the only thing I don't like about burton as whole the heel hoops tend to be thick and plastic, on some setups they hit the snow but maybe it was my heel IDK.

the newer Ride bindings also offer built in canting, yes, softbooters are using canting now. check out the double agent and the spi

[bobdea]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I have read that the Drivers were indeed a stiff boot, but the Burton softened them in the last few years. I am somewhat beholden to availability of large boots (size 14 or so). I also want to make sure that any new boot I go to has a low profile footprint to avoid toe drag and/or ensure the boot fits as far back in the binding as possible. The ions look like they might be a good choice too. Lots of advice from you on bindings..have to do some research on them, then start shopping.

Ride makes a boot specifically for sasquatches, called the bigfoot. starts in size 14 or 15 and goes into the 20s. awesome that they did that. no one else does AFAIK.

[John Gilmour]

You certainly would not want a hardboot that was unable to flex Foreward/rearward, and the same goes for <soft boots + their bindings> in concert.

you want progressive flex...

You want the boot and binding to make for a great innerface.. you certainly would not want a squishy softboot with the stiffest softboot binding, nor would you want the stiffest softboot with a squishy softboot binding with a low back.

Try to buy the boot and binding as part of a system.

[Emdee406]

Have a look at the Rome Targa, good stiff highback, ankle strap with stiffening inserts, MUCH cheaper than Co2's, better built than Ride and built to last...mine did 130 days last season. I am riding them in the video link below.

Probably the most adjustable binding on the market. Also look for 1 or 2 yr old Rome Folsom boots (softer this year), as a viable alternative.

Hope this helps.

Martin

[pbdm4k]

I hate FLOW bindings with a passion.

Tried them, and HAAATE them. I could never get them tight enough to give me the response I wanted.

I've started off on Burtons and they're a good all around binding.

Then I moved to Atomic Zombies, stiffer and good response, but the toe strap felt lacking.

Currently I'm running Flux Super Diamonds. Best of everything.

Stiff enough, good support, and response is amazing.

Absolutely adore them! Plus they look pimp!

[softbootsurfer]

I believe the Angles one uses plays a role in this decision...

Duck stances: All turning is initiated by the Ankles so find a boot/binding

interface that is comfortable and go

Alpine Stance: I have tried everything that is out there over the last 26 years

and that is why I make my own... nothing I have used comes

close to the support offered by a locked high back and added

Third Strap, except HB's. I think even Jack might agree, Boardski maybe not :)

[bobdea]

I believe the Angles one uses plays a role in this decision...

Duck stances: All turning is initiated by the Ankles so find a boot/binding

interface that is comfortable and go

Alpine Stance: I have tried everything that is out there over the last 26 years

and that is why I make my own... nothing I have used comes

close to the support offered by a locked high back and added

Third Strap, except HB's. I think even Jack might agree, Boardski maybe not :)

that's not too far off. our end results differ though

as many of you know I won't touch anything with a third strap but I also won't go over 30 or so degrees on softboots because at the higher angles IMO hardboots work way better.

[b0ardski]

Actually I do agree. When I 1st tried burton 3straps in '88or9 I thought they were the greatest step up in performance. Then I discovered the simplicity, durability, convenience and performance of plates and gave up on the fuss factor of laces & straps. It's like comparing lace up ski boots to buckles & plastic hinged cuffs. Bought UPSs in '91 after realizing my SX91 ski boots were much too stiff. But I digress...

I think a 3strap system would benefit from something like a BTS on the highback rather than being fully locked.

The 3rd strap & locked highback didn't offer the smooth flex +support that got from Merrel Super Comps in the Duret strap binding I converted to plates.

I try modern soft gear once or twice a decade and am always unimpressed with their performance, but I can't ride duck stance which is what softies are made to do.

[twelsch42]

Catek FR2's were an absolute game-changer for me. I can't imagine a more versatile setup (for me) than FR2's on a big Tanker. With the control I get out of them I've got the confidence to charge my 192 through trees and moguls...(Challenger@MaryJane). Not to mention all that edge really holds a carve. The board eats up 30cm of chop like nothing else, so even with a stiff binding, you're not getting bucked around.

T

[dingbat]

I'm getting results I'm happy with out of Salomon Malamutes and Burton C60s at 32 front / 28 rear.