need advice on a new board.. thanks

[mrdavies]

Hey folks,

I would really appreciate some words of wisdom and advice on a new snowboard, and what you think I should be looking at.

Some background :

Im 49 years old 160 lbs in fairly good shape, Ive been snowboarding on a Burton Factory Prime with Blax boots forever. My style is more of a downhill racer rather then a low slow carver. I cant say Im really digging deep trenches... but this board really goes fast. I snowboard mainly on the East Coast with a week trip to Crested Bute Colorado every year. I have loved this board however, I feel the technology has really developed and its time for an upgrade. My board and boots also tire me out as the board (178) and boots seem heavy. Im usually fairly beaten up by the end of my day.

Bruton Factory Prime

Length 1780 mm

Running length 1580

Nose length 150

Tail length 200

Sidecut depth 22mm

Sidecut radius 14.2

Im curios what people think would be an upgrade for me, My eye seems to like the Donek Metal FC 175, with UPZ rc10 boots

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated !

thanks

mark

[barryj]

Well no wonder your a Speed Racer! With a 178 theres not many trails...or riders for that matter who could find carving room on those narrow and crowded East Coast slopes!

I'm 6'2 200lbs. and my Powder Board is only a 173! I ride 159 and 163 most of the season.

That Rocket Laucher your on needs mad room and skills to carve....and I would think a rider with more....mass, sorry skinny boy.

Unless you want to race, go shorter and get your carve on My .02!

[ti_knee]

Go custom. Call Bruce at Coiler or Sean at Donek. I ended up going with Bruce, mainly because I am in Canada too. Got exactly what I wanted, built for my weight, height, terrain, bad knee etc... Custom topsheet and totally worth every penny. FWIW, I ended up with a 171 and I'm only 155. The extra 7 cm compared to the 4wd that I just sold gave me a lot of extra stability and the turning radius can be customized for your narrowness.

Boots: try them on. See if anybody local has the Deeluxe, Head, or UPZ shells even to try on. You could use your old liners to reduce some variables and see where the pressure points on the shells are.

N.

Hey folks,

I would really appreciate some words of wisdom and advice on a new snowboard, and what you think I should be looking at.

Some background :

Im 49 years old 160 lbs in fairly good shape, Ive been snowboarding on a Burton Factory Prime with Blax boots forever. My style is more of a downhill racer rather then a low slow carver. I cant say Im really digging deep trenches... but this board really goes fast. I snowboard mainly on the East Coast with a week trip to Crested Bute Colorado every year. I have loved this board however, I feel the technology has really developed and its time for an upgrade. My board and boots also tire me out as the board (178) and boots seem heavy. Im usually fairly beaten up by the end of my day.

Bruton Factory Prime

Length 1780 mm

Running length 1580

Nose length 150

Tail length 200

Sidecut depth 22mm

Sidecut radius 14.2

Im curios what people think would be an upgrade for me, My eye seems to like the Donek Metal FC 175, with UPZ rc10 boots

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated !

thanks

mark

[Miltie]

Hi Mark, Welcome to BOL.

I too, at 46, feel beat up at the end of a day of carving. Must be all the time I spend stuck behind a desk.

My buddy has that same Factory Prime 178 and loves it. He is heavier than you at 190 lbs. and 6’2”. I would say my style is similar to yours (more upright and down the fall line) and I weigh about 160 lbs. My current favorite board is the Donek Metal FC 171 which has a running length close to your board but with tighter sidecut radii at 11-13meters. I also have a new shape FC Glass 175 but have not had a chance to compare since our season was lame last year. Would recommend either the Metal FC 175 or the Metal FC 171 depending on what running length and sidecut you want.

FYI - Sean at Donek builds a decent product and I have worked with him several times over the last few years on custom boards with great results.

Cannot comment on the UPZ boots as I am a long time Deeluxe user.

Hope that helps. Take care, Tom

[Jack M]

Well no wonder you're a Speed Racer! With a 178 theres not many trails...or riders for that matter who could find carving room on those narrow and crowded East Coast slopes!

I'm 6'2 200lbs. and my Powder Board is only a 173! I ride 159 and 163 most of the season.

That Rocket Laucher you're on needs mad room and skills to carve....and I would think a rider with more....mass, sorry skinny boy.

Unless you want to race, go shorter and get your carve on My .02!

178 is not super long. It is common for advanced eastern carvers to own boards longer than 175. 185 is actually pretty common. Those 159 and 163 boards you mentioned, are they softboot boards?

That aside, Mark, it does sound like you are looking for something shorter and more forgiving. I would recommend a metal board, something like a 171 freecarve from Coiler, Donek, or Prior.

Edited October 1, 2012 by Jack Michaud

[evnewsphoto]

Hi Mark, I rode the FP 178 for many years and loved it and I would tell you to go with a 175 since they ride the same, I like a "shorter board" for GS, gives me some wiggle room but still runs long. You may notice my post on my Rev 175 and why I went with that, but I also still have my SG 175 that I am selling (hint, hint) and since I have some miles on that it is a bit softer/broken in. I am sure your 178 has been broken down a bit too. I would also tell you that the metal/titanal seems stiff if you flex it a store but once you ride it, they feel softer just with a snappy feel, like your 178 when it was new. I also think the main difference now is the varible sidecut and how you can slide and set with these boards, they respond so quickly. That said the are not just for racing but are a blast to freecarve with. Boards have come a long way since the FPs, which I loved, and now that I have been on them for a few years (SG then Revs- Kesslers are the same) I can tell you the grass is much greener. Good luck. Everett

[queequeg]

178 is not super long. It is common for advanced eastern carvers to own boards longer than 175. 185 is actually pretty common. Those 159 and 163 boards you mentioned, are they softboot boards?

That aside, Mark, it does sound like you are looking for something shorter and more forgiving. I would recommend a metal board, something like a 171 freecarve from Coiler, Donek, or Prior.

Agreed. 180cm+ decks can be ridden very comfortably on the east coast, you just have to get them up on edge quick. My main squeeze on the east coast is a 183, and I weigh about 190 lbs during snow season. That said, if you haven't gotten to the point where you can get down and lay trenches, something a bit shorter, turnier (and softer @ 160 lbs) will probably be way better.

That board you have been riding is a relic - put it up on the wall and get some new-school under your feet. Seriously, upgrading to a modern deck will feel like trading in a chevy corvair for a Lotus Elise. Given your current equipment, you can't really go wrong upgrading to any modern deck. I'd recommend looking into a Donek - you could still order one now and get it in time for this season and a lot of people really like sean's most recent crop of decks.

Otherwise: I live in NYC too ... for another five days anyhow. Where do you typically ride? If you can make it up to Stratton VT on the weekends there are almost always a few friendly carvers there to make turns with, and the grooming at stratton absolutely cannot be beat for carving on the east coast (though sunapee is pretty great too).

Edited October 2, 2012 by queequeg

[Guest]

I second ev's post on how awesome the revs are. I demoed a couple last SES, and my next alpine board purchase will definitely be a rev. If you enjoy going fast and more downhill-oriented, and want a board that will be super quiet, yet has a ton of energy and pop when you want it, the rev is for you.

[mrdavies]

Hey guys I really appreciate all your comments. What a fantastic supportive group the carving crowd is. I took to the phone and had a productive conversation with Sean at Donek, He is obviously very passionate and dedicated to the sport and his business, really admire it... He recommended a REV 175 (with a plate) or Metal FC 175. both boards look pretty sweet... just have to decide which would be better for me. As he stated, that I don't upgrade equipment that often I want something to keep for a while. Its almost a 2k sticker price with boots and bindings and want it too be right. As I said earlier my Factory Prime has really served me well. Any input between the two boards at 175 would be helpful.

to "queequeg" usually the weekends are Killington Vermont ( we just need the snow this year)

Thanks again folks for the support

Mark

[Jack M]

One step at a time. No need to go whole hog on a plate right away. You can add that later.

Some boards are now being built to require or work best with a plate, but boards that are not will still benefit from a plate.

[kipstar]

My understanding is the Rev is made to work with a plate, so you are better off to go with a board that is made to work without one; otherwise I would have bought one of the 175 revs already (and not copied your idea of asking which board is for me in the other 'which board is for me' thread) :-)

But would always welcome anyone's comment if my understanding is wrong.

[jacopodotti]

Go for UPZ RC10

[lowrider]

Any board made for a plate or not will benifit from a plate in conditions that are less than ideal. In perfect groom no plate necessary. Realistically thats not the majority of the time for me. A plate on an " old school " board will make it perform better. A UPM mount plate on a new school board designed for a UPM plate ? You will only know when you have tried it.

[Corey]

I test rode a Rev 185 with no plate - no problem. I think Sean said that the flex pattern tweak he made for boards to work better with plates has a very minor affect on riding without them.

[evnewsphoto]

Mark, I can tell you that I rode the Rev 175 without the plate before I bought Sean's new Vist type plate to go with it and it rode just fine with direct mounted TD2s. Without going into a long story (you may want to look at mine and other people's post) the plates do two things, the suspension Bomber/Apex/Donek plates dampen and separate you from the board and not something I like, but can help on ice but also can make chatter worse. They require you to be perfectly balanced and aligned, then they work like a charm, if not and you rotate your hips a little or lean in then you start to head towards the trees... That is why they are great for guys on the world cup but can be brutal for the rest of us. The second kind of plate is what I use now, I went from the first generation of Donek plate to the Vist plate and now Sean's new plate based on that, there is also the Kessler plate. They are all basically a chunk of plastic to go between the board and binding, they spread out the load on the inserts (why you need them on an SG or Kessler- inserts will fail otherwise) and provide leverage and make the board plow through things better. But the great thing is they don't change the feel of the board and it still feels like snowboarding, the best way to go in my opinion. That said you don't need a plate with the new Revs because Sean has made them stronger than other metal boards and they won't fail at the inserts without a plate. I know Vermont ice well, I am from Albany originally and went to college in northern VT (Lyndon State) and coached at Stratton once, I think you not only would like a metal Titanal board but really benefit from it. I love how they dampen things (they have rubber in there) and give you so much power at the same time due to the snap of the Titanal. Start with the board and don't worry about plates, and new boots yet, I am still using my old Raichles and older TD2 bindings. It is worth it to get a new board but the rest you don't need to rush if you are watching pennies. Good luck and let us all know if you have anymore questions and help, Everett

[Corey]

...they spread out the load on the inserts (why you need them on an SG or Kessler- inserts will fail otherwise)...

You've really got to stop trying to spread this false rumor! Your old bindings (that were missing key parts) likely caused your SG failure. Hundreds of other SGs and Kesslers are fine without plates when using modern bindings.

[evnewsphoto]

You've really got to stop trying to spread this false rumor! Your old bindings (that were missing key parts) likely caused your SG failure. Hundreds of other SGs and Kesslers are fine without plates when using modern bindings.

It is not a rumor when it has happened to me and plenty of other racers, and I was also relaying what I was told by SG directly that they do not recomend riding thier boards without plates at all, no matter what binding you have on. I stand by what I know and I just don't want to see anyone else break a board, why would that be bad? Maybe there are folks who are gently freecarving on these boards and not racing SL like I was and they have not broken them yet, but it's something they should be careful of. Like I said ask SG or Kessler yourself, and why would they recomend that you must use a plate? Afterall Kessler even makes a plate to go with thier boards. Anyways enough of the argument, I am just trying to give poor Mark some advice as to what board works best for him, you can all buy what you want like I have said before, it's a free market.

[Corey]

I was told by SG directly that they do not recomend riding thier boards without plates at all, no matter what binding you have on.

Wow, very interesting! Thanks for clearing that up, and sorry for the off-topic discussion mrdavies.

[jacopodotti]

OT

Wow, very interesting! Thanks for clearing that up, and sorry for the of

f-topic discussion mrdavies.

Couriuos situation Sigi told me the exact contrary.

Maybe my english is not that good.

[philw]

Those are all big boards. I'm not much lighter than you and I'm perfectly at home on a 156 Kessler SL. But I mostly ride at a really small North American resort (Whistler, fewer than 40 lifts). It's not really big enough to let the 156 have it's head. And I'm not from Texas. Perhaps I'm not helping, but really if I had to ride a huge board at a small resort, I'd be tired because it'd be an effort running it at resort speeds unless it was really floppy. I know people here love big boards to death, but shorter designs are popular, and they're a blast to ride.

Otherwise, it's really hard to test custom boards before you buy them, and hard to specify them if you don't know precisely what you want.

I'd try a few boards - in my view there's a wider choice than when the FP was in Burtons catalogs (eg construction, length, sidecut etc). I'd also change either board or boots first, get used to that feel, then change the other thing. Otherwise it's hard to be sure what you're testing.

Plates and stuff with lots of bolts on it? In my view that would be complicated, heavy, expensive, and obsolete next year. Probably that's for people who change their gear more often than you've done so far. ;-)

[Guest]

but really if I had to ride a huge board at a small resort, I'd be tired because it'd be an effort running it at resort speeds unless it was really floppy. I know people here love big boards to death, but shorter designs are popular, and they're a blast to ride.

They are a blast to ride for you. Not everyone feels the same way. No need to go all jehovah's witness about small boards when that's not what the op is looking for.

[philw]

They are a blast to ride for you. Not everyone feels the same way. No need to go all jehovah's witness about small boards when that's not what the op is looking for.

There's no need to be rude about a bit of free advice on the internet. I'm sorry you didn't understand what I said.

[mrdavies]

Once again guys, I SO appreciate your input. Im going to get the Donek REV 175 or the 175 Metal FC. Any advice on the differences of these boards? Has anyone ridden both of them ?

THANKS

mark

[Guest]

There's no need to be rude about a bit of free advice on the internet. I'm sorry you didn't understand what I said.

I understood quite clearly. And I don't feel I was rude, but spot on in my commentary.