Convex base

[jim_stoll]

I've got an older Burton Alp (in its last season sadly!), the base of which has become pretty convex, especially up front. I'm just curious - is this due to the fact that I'm carving hard on edge most of the time (could it wear that much?) or is it some sign of age in materials or such? I've always used Burton race plates on it - I'd heard that the older-style 2-piece bindings - like my old Snow-Pro's on my previous board - could warp a board over time (fact or fiction, I don't know, but that board became convex, too...) Anyway, I've got the Alp at the shop to get a light base grind in an attempt to flatten it out as much as can be done w/ the already-thin base, but am curious what's led it to the current state. (I ride 8-12 days/yr and generally get a base grind every 2-3 years - I've had the board for 6-7 seasons, I think)

On a side note, I'm going to be demo'ing a Donek Axis and FreeCarve II next month - anyone out there who used to ride an Alp and has ridden either of these Donek boards?? I'd be interested in hearing thoughts/experiences/opinions!

Thanks Much

[Carp]

In my experience and riding I thought the Alp was a fun carver, but found that I didn't really push myself very hard. It was almost to easy to turn and too soft. When I did try pushing it a little on ice I would skid out and in soft snow I would load the nose. I then road the Donek FC1 and found it much more "turny" which the first run down I wasn't sure I liked, but after I got used to it after about a run, I found it to be very lively where I could control it enough to really get aggressive and carve very hard. The first time was on spring snow in Colorado. I then tried it in midwest hard pack and was amazed at how much better it griped the ice. For me it made snowboarding fun and a little more challenging because it pushed you and made you better w/o tiring you out. I went back to the alp and it was just a dull riding board. Great for beginners, don't get me wrong, but if you want to improve and have fun doing it the FC is a good route. As far as the AXIS is concerned I don't have any experience riding it, but would guess it rides similar to the FC, but with a little more flexibility in where you can ride it. If you're focused strictly on Donek's (which isn't a bad thing) I would get the board that's best suited for where you'll be riding. If all you do is stay in bounds and ride the resort runs I think the FC is the choice. If you go out of bounds, in the trees and like "playing" more on your board the Axis I'm sure would be a great fit, while still providing that exceptional pop out of the turns.

Good luck!

[jim_stoll]

Some very astute observations that you make - I love my Alp, don't get me wrong, but have found it to be soft in the nose - it overloads and folds or washes out when I'm really digging in (and I'm all of 135 lbs soaking wet...) and is definitely less responsive than my previous board (a GS board - which was actually a little _too_ long/stiff). The Alp is very relaxing to ride though, which is nice, but it does feel a little dull sometimes. It will also carve nice turns at relatively low speed, which is a good thing for our east-coast conditions/crowds - on my old GS board, I was either carving like a madman in the open or sliding around in the crowds - I can pretty easily carve through the crowds on the Alp.

I ride strictly in-bounds, w/ the occasional foray through the trees (and when I get out to CO, I love the tree runs and bowls!), but I ride the one board on all trails - cruisers, steeps, moguls, etc, so that's been one nice aspect of the Alp - being relatively soft, it handles the non-carving terrain pretty well for an alpine board. But, my real passion is cutting deep, round, continuous trenches on every square inch of moderate terrain that I can find... :-) I also love the 'short-swing' or 'cross-under' edge-to-edge work where the board takes on a life of its own and zips around below you like a caffienated snake, and I love the strong pop you get coming out of a deep turn - that's whats leading me toward the FC (II), but the Axis's all-around ability is certainly intriguing - if it'll carve nice deep turns and do reasonably fast edge-to-edge carves too, it may well be the better board for me. (Plus, I'm a lightweight, so super-stiff isn't necessarily the best thing for me, especially in moguls, etc)

I'm not necessarily excluding anything but Donek, but I've talked w/ them a bit (and they've been very helpful), have read some rave reviews and (most importantly) was able to easily get hold of 2 boards to demo while out in CO, so if I ride them and fine one that I really like, I don't see much point in looking further.

Thanks for sharing your info/experience on the Alp vs FC - I'm definitely looking forward to trying the boards out. (and to trying out something a little newer than my Alp! :-)

Jim