Stef1 Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 After many years of trying to carve on soft boots and getting frustrated by the lack of edgehold and the pain in my feet from trying to tighten my straps for more control, I finally decided enough was enough and decided to venture into the world of hardboots. I spent weeks browsing this forum and posted a few questions to find out what board I should get (thanks to all the members who replied - your advice was invaluable!). Finally I decided to splash out on a custom Kessler (I already have the Kessler bx and I live in Switzerland so it was an easy decision): 168 cm, 21 cm waist, 27 nose, 26 tail, 11.3 scr, radius tightening towards the tail (thanks to BlueB for that good piece of advice). Yesterday I took her up to the local glacier and was completely and utterly blown away! The incredible edgehold, the control at speed, the ease of transition from edge to edge, how every input you make is so efficiently transmitted to the board, the total lack of any sliding, the comfort of the boots, the ease of putting the bindings on...my first hardboot experience totally surpassed my expectations in every way possible!!! :):):) I was also surprised at how easy it was - admittedly, I was going down empty blue runs on soft snow but it only took me a 3rd of the slope to get used to the board and then I was carving away with a s**t-eating grin on my face. My first thoughts on getting to the bottom of that hill were: why didn't anyone tell me about this earlier!? ; ) And, I can't believe I don't see more hardbooters on the slopes given how much fun this is. After 5 runs, my legs were like jelly from the increased g-forces but I was as happy as I'd ever been on a snowboard. I have been converted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 how every input you make is so efficiently transmitted to the boardthis. and with it comes more control. and more fun.you should bring the angle of your back binding up a bit once you're used to it, so you don't boot out. i suggest pokkis' fuego method for setting the rear boot angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 You are welcome! Killer board. Enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatoos Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Kieran is right. Increase the angle of the rear binding. The difference between the front and the rear is only 5-8 degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacopodotti Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Welcome to the right side! You have started with one of the best board on the market. It will be difficult to replace.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Even tho I don't snowboard anymore and was more of a freerider than a dedicated carver when I did, I loved the control of HBs. No heel lift, no feeling like my foot was going to torque off on the lift....I wish my ski boots felt half as good as my Deeluxe boots do..... Oh, and PS, I think your rear bindings are fine. I had previously torn up my right knee and had to rock shallow angles, too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef1 Posted May 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 I will try using steeper angles the next time I hit the slopes. My problem is: 1) I am severely knock-kneed with very splayed out feet so I'm not comfortable unless there's a difference of at least 15 degrees between my bindings 2) And I have mondo size 30 boots so I have to have fairly steep angles at the back if I don't want my boot to stick out. I tried setting up the angles at home to avoid boot out and ended up with 50 at the back and 65 at the front - we'll see how it feels on the slopes. Bizarrely, from the posts I have read on this site, most people get boots with a mondo size that corresponds or is slightly smaller than their foot. But, for me, I had to go two sizes bigger otherwise my toes were being severely compressed by the front of the boot (Deeluxe 325). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatoos Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 If you have a severely knock-knee to try so- toes on your front foot forward (lift)and the hind legs raised heel( lift too). You have to use the binding canting (3-6 degr.)in front and rear leg and the canting in the shoe heel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D2So Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 you could always get the toe area of your boots punched out by a boot fitter, the beauty of hardboots and moldable liners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Huh, Tatoos, that's some confusing info... Stef, Knock knee problem is normally compensated by canting of the boots' cuffs inwards. A bit of overhang of the rear boot is not too big of a problem, especially in the begginning. 65/50 are reasonable angles to ride. If you can drop to 60/45, it could be more all-mountain friendly... Most severe problem seems to be the boots. If you bought 2 sizes up from your measured mondo, your boots ARE TOO BIG. Do not ride them, eventually you'll hearth yorself. Smaller boots felt too short as you didn't mold them yet. This mistake is often made by inexperienced people buying boots without guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatoos Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Of course you're right BlueB. I wanted to show how much is possible options for regulation and setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman0177 Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Congratulations on the conversion! Lausanne is a great place - I rode for a day with a friend who lives there, up on Leysin. "Unfortunatey" it snowed heavily the night before so wan't fantastic carving conditions, but I think that mountain could be a lot of fun in hard boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gcarve Posted May 29, 2011 Report Share Posted May 29, 2011 Glad you've joined us HBer's Stef1! Carving is so addicting. Welcome to the disease we are all afflicted with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Tat Posted May 29, 2011 Report Share Posted May 29, 2011 Glad you've joined us HBer's Stef1! Carving is so addicting. Welcome to the disease we are all afflicted with! You'll know you're afflicted when you start wishing for snow in the summer, trolling YouTube for carving visa, and buying other toys that help simulate that carving sensation. I always start getting irritable and antsy around October. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef1 Posted May 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2011 You'll know you're afflicted when you start wishing for snow in the summer, trolling YouTube for carving visa, and buying other toys that help simulate that carving sensation. I always start getting irritable and antsy around October.Dave LOL - I think I'm already afflicted. Managed to convince the girlfriend that it would be a good idea to drive 7 hours to go to the Hintertux glacier next weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gcarve Posted May 30, 2011 Report Share Posted May 30, 2011 Managed to convince the girlfriend that it would be a good idea to drive 7 hours to go to the Hintertux glacier next weekend! Oh yeah, you got the disease, you got it bad. Just like the rest of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Congrats and welcome home, brother! Finally I decided to splash out on a custom Kessler (I already have the Kessler bx and I live in Switzerland so it was an easy decision): 168 cm, 21 cm waist, 27 nose, 26 tail, 11.3 scr, radius tightening towards the tail (thanks to BlueB for that good piece of advice). Are you sure it is tightening towards the tail? Like, the radius is getting smaller towards the tail? That would be the reverse of the recent trends that have been dominating world cup racing, with sidecuts that get longer towards the tail. Kessler has done so much to promote that, I'd be surprised if they made you a board the other way around. Also I'm not sure how that would be possible when you also have a centimeter of taper (tail narrower than the nose). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Also I'm not sure how that would be possible when you also have a centimeter of taper (tail narrower than the nose).12-16-14, something like wot donek calls a 'hook' profile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef1 Posted May 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Well, I spoke to Mr Kessler about wanting the tail to tighten and he seemed to clearly understand what I was after and acknowledged that their stock boards were built specifically for racing and were not necessarily ideal for freecarving. I think the sidecut is something along the lines of 11-13-12. I'm not an engineer and I'm clueless about the relationship between taper and sidecut but it does have about 12-13cm less taper than the stock Kesslers (which I suspect has something to do with the change in sidecut characteristics?)and on the slope I do notice that it continues the carve for longer and feels more locked in than my stock Kessler BX (though I haven't compared it directly to a Kessler Alpine)... Anybody out there understand the alchemy between taper and sidecut?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatoos Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Honestly -I dont know (my board has 20,2 scr)!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Transistor Rhythm Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 15 degrees isn't that bad if you're knock-kneed, I have 10-15 degrees of splay too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 oh, cool. Whether it's 12-16-14 or 11-13-12, it's still overall longer at the tail than the nose, and that's good. Wow, you've got the first Kessler VSR! Special board you got there! Anybody out there understand the alchemy between taper and sidecut?... My take on that is here: http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/newhotness.cfm Scroll down to where it says World Cup Designs if you don't want to read the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Kight Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Well, I spoke to Mr Kessler about wanting the tail to tighten and he seemed to clearly understand what I was after and acknowledged that their stock boards were built specifically for racing and were not necessarily ideal for freecarving. I think the sidecut is something along the lines of 11-13-12. I'm not an engineer and I'm clueless about the relationship between taper and sidecut but it does have about 12-13cm less taper than the stock Kesslers (which I suspect has something to do with the change in sidecut characteristics?)and on the slope I do notice that it continues the carve for longer and feels more locked in than my stock Kessler BX (though I haven't compared it directly to a Kessler Alpine)...Anybody out there understand the alchemy between taper and sidecut?... Interesting, and welcome to the carved turn. I just went down the road of updating all my older gear, minus the bindings...no decision as of yet...after being out of the game for the last 10 or so years. I ended up ordering a custom from Kessler as well. Wanted a Freecarve oriented version of their Alpine shape. After explaining this and giving my weight (225lbs), etc. he informed me he knew exactly what I wanted. This ended up being his Alpine, 162 in length with a 23 ww. I inquired about the KST used and his confirmation in reply was as follows: Hi Randy Yes we used KST = variable SideCut. It is starting with 7.8 in front going up to 11 in the middle and down to 8.8 in the back 11m is the biggest one on the center section. Hope this is helping you Very best regards hansjuerg kessler So, I'm currious as to Jack's comments above and from what I gather with my feeble mind, this would seem to be a hookier turn than his normal build. Maybe this is his main mod to make this board more freecarve friendly...don't know, but I'm darn currious now. He sent me the board in April, so I've not had a chance to make any turns on it as of yet given I live on the East Coast. Randy Jack, I'm waiting on the new 5D MK 111, or hell, maybe even what FF Nikon has coming soon to replace the 700. We'll see. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 oh, cool. Whether it's 12-16-14 or 11-13-12, it's still overall longer at the tail than the nose, and that's good. Wow, you've got the first Kessler VSR! Nope, not first. I had a 22.5 wide 10/14/12, Flywalker's got it now. I also believe that some of Canadian team boards had a bit of "hook" tail... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted June 2, 2011 Report Share Posted June 2, 2011 Wasn't Kessler the one that created the whole small-large-medium sidecut geometry with their clothoid profile a number of years ago? That was how I understood it from reading their patent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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