Taco Sauce Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Hi I'm trying to find some opinions about this snowboard from Donek. Anybody own one or ridden one and care to share their thoughts about it? I noticed that the available lengths are pretty ridiculously long compared to most snowboards out there. They go from 170 to 210 I am tempted to try a longer, stiffer board than my current one to try to get better at carving, and to have more stability at higher speeds, through crud, etc. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 21, 2013 Report Share Posted March 21, 2013 Welcome to BOL. Typically the best way to find stuff in the forum is da' Google. Example: hazelwood site:bomberonline.com (The link below will take you to the results.) https://www.google.com/search?q=hazelwood+site%3Abomberonline.com&aq=f&oq=hazelwood+site%3Abomberonline.com&aqs=chrome.0.57.10500j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 There are quite a few carvers in Minnesota. Maybe you can hook up with somebody that might have some equipment to loan. Check the following sub-forum: http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/forumdisplay.php?22-WI-IL-MI-IN-OH-MN Good luck. I found my way here by way of a longer board (180 Grocer). :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) I rode one Tuesday. Sorry, I am confused. You are asking our opinion yet you feel they are too long? Yes, longboard definitely smooth out the rough, typically they carve well also. Keep in mind the side cut radius is small in comparison to an alpine snowboard of similar length. Mine rides great. I am a believer. Typically I don't ride anything under 185cm . I am a big "Rad-Air" "Tanker" fan. Rode my 2002 Tanker 200cm today. IT RULES!! Yes, welcome to Bomber!! PS. I took this short clip as an answer to another request. I was testing a Bomber Boiler Plate on a Donek Hazelwood 200cm. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mYJcY62NmSk?list=UUp-2yZo-1IgkI-3Up5dJx4w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Edited March 22, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 The Hazelwood is meant to be a longboard along the lines of the Rad-Air Tanker. Tankers come in lengths up to 200. The name Hazelwood is an indirect reference: the captain of the oil tanker Exxon Valdez was named Hazelwood http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hazelwood. What do you ride now? Any Donek can be ordered in more or less any length you want, but a 145 longboard might be considered ridiculous... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
energyrail Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Are you planning to ride with soft or hard? My 185 hazelwood (12-14m rad) is a lot stiffer than my 192 tanker (10.5 rad). I'm 5'10" 180 lbs, I wouldn't recommend my hazelwood with softboots. but haven't tried that yet. i'm sure sean can build them softer though. Mine was the demo posted on the forum here. The noodle like tanker is better in powder so far, more forgiving, softer nose. Long boards work awesome in 30+cm of powder on blue squares, which is the norm on my home mountain. If the hill was steeper, a 172 with a bit of width would work great I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekempmeister Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 I rode one Tuesday. Sorry, I am confused. You are asking our opinion yet you feel they are too long? Yes, longboard definitely smooth out the rough, typically they carve well also. Keep in mind the side cut radius is small in comparison to an alpine snowboard of similar length. Mine rides great. I am a believer. Typically I don't ride anything under 185cm . I am a big "Rad-Air" "Tanker" fan. Rode my 2002 Tanker 200cm today. IT RULES!! Yes, welcome to Bomber!! PS. I took this short clip as an answer to another request. I was testing a Bomber Boiler Plate on a Donek Hazelwood 200cm. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mYJcY62NmSk?list=UUp-2yZo-1IgkI-3Up5dJx4w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> storm riding and surfing fresh yesterday and tuesday on my Tanker 200 at Bromley (chair) and Pico (hiked) - one of my top 5 snowboard ventures ever. hit it perfect matching board and conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Sauce Posted March 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 Thanks for the replies... not sure what happened with the email notifications - I wasn't receiving them and just now noticed there were more people responding. lonbordin - thanks for the suggestions. oldsnowboards - I wasn't saying they are too long, but I've just never seen a model of snowboard that comes in that kind of size range, and it got my interest. I'm sort of on the lookout for a better carving board for next winter, and I know Donek makes good boards. teach - right now I've been riding a lib tech skate banana 156 (short, flexible, twin). I did own a Donek Incline 165 for a few winters though, so I kind of know what to expect from Donek. I have soft boots, but they are fairly stiff as far as soft boots go - Salomon Malamutes. The skate banana is a really fun board to ride because it's so easy to initiate turns at slow/medium speeds, is very forgiving, and floats well for its size, but sometimes it's just fun to go all out and go really fast. That's when a stiffer bigger board sounds like it would be a blast. Also I see people carving it up with hard boots and alpine boards and it looks like it would be awesome to try to board more like that. energyrail - as of now I'm not looking at replacing boots/bindings, so I'd probably stick with soft boots, but it would be nice to have a board that if I wanted to I could try hard boots at some point. After posting this I'm now thinking the razor might be a better choice for a more carve oriented board that I can use with soft boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted March 25, 2013 Report Share Posted March 25, 2013 The Inclines have changed since you had one, probably. I had an older one and it definitely carved well. The newer ones have all the tech: early rise/decamber in nose and tail, variable sidecut, flex tailored to your weight and use. They may be a little damper, too. Coiler also makes soft-boot carvers (some threads on this forum have reviews), and if you search the forum you'll find several other boards members like, like the Steepwaters, Elan Vertigo, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLN Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I got an Incline and it carves pretty well. In a duckstance I cannot do a nice backside, but I haven't seen anyone do it nice in duck. In directional stance, i can do anything and it rides really easily through powder and hardpack. BTW I ride it with malamutes too - great boots for carving. My opinion: if you wanna get that feeling of a carve - get a hardboots and narrow board. That have it's cons, like you cannot ride trees that fast or something like that, but it carves way better then softboots. Don't try to carve the softboots as hardboots - you can't get even close. I was trying to do it many years, but once i got an alpine - so much more fun and easier. And i still keep my softies for powder and trees ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Big +1 for the Razor. I've had three over the years. I've found that the longer, stiffer models like to be ridden with a more forward stance--particularly on the back foot. Otherwise, the board can spank you unexpectedly. But they're SOOO much fun. My last 160 was about the best freeride/ softboot carver I've ever owned. My current 164 is definitely more carve oriented, but still friendly enough to slack off and get surfy on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Sauce Posted March 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Big +1 for the Razor. I've had three over the years. I've found that the longer, stiffer models like to be ridden with a more forward stance--particularly on the back foot. Otherwise, the board can spank you unexpectedly. But they're SOOO much fun. My last 160 was about the best freeride/ softboot carver I've ever owned. My current 164 is definitely more carve oriented, but still friendly enough to slack off and get surfy on. scrapster, if you don't mind me asking, what height/weight are you? I'm 5'11, 180lbs and I would have a hard time choosing between 160 or 164. Based on your experience with the razors, which would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Sauce Posted March 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 I got an Incline and it carves pretty well. In a duckstance I cannot do a nice backside, but I haven't seen anyone do it nice in duck. In directional stance, i can do anything and it rides really easily through powder and hardpack. BTW I ride it with malamutes too - great boots for carving. My opinion: if you wanna get that feeling of a carve - get a hardboots and narrow board. That have it's cons, like you cannot ride trees that fast or something like that, but it carves way better then softboots. Don't try to carve the softboots as hardboots - you can't get even close. I was trying to do it many years, but once i got an alpine - so much more fun and easier. And i still keep my softies for powder and trees ) As much as it would be fun to buy new hardboots and an alpine board, I just don't think I can spend that much, and I like the comfort of soft boots. Maybe someday I'll try the full alpine setup, but probably not yet. I wish now I'd kept my old incline - I don't think I ever tried it with a more forward stance, and that might have helped a lot (I tend to ride duck stance, usually +15/-15 or +12/-12 for ease of switch riding) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Sauce Posted March 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 The Inclines have changed since you had one, probably. I had an older one and it definitely carved well. The newer ones have all the tech: early rise/decamber in nose and tail, variable sidecut, flex tailored to your weight and use. They may be a little damper, too. Coiler also makes soft-boot carvers (some threads on this forum have reviews), and if you search the forum you'll find several other boards members like, like the Steepwaters, Elan Vertigo, etc. A damper version of the old Incline sounds really good actually. One of the things I didn't like about my old incline is how when I skidded too much, the vibrations would really kill my feet after a while. I know Donek can add rubber damping to any board so it's an option I'd probably go with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 (edited) scrapster, if you don't mind me asking, what height/weight are you? I'm 5'11, 180lbs and I would have a hard time choosing between 160 or 164. Based on your experience with the razors, which would you recommend? 164 for you--maybe even slightly bigger depending on how much maneuverability (164) versus carving performance (longer) you desire. Sean likes to put people on bigger Razors. Honestly, I never understood that. But then again, I was basically looking for an amped-up freeride board that could carve exceptionally well and rarely needed to off trail. Given that the Razor already has much more edge and a shallower sidecut than your average freeride stick of the same size, I saw no reason to go much longer than I would normally ride. I'm about 145lbs and short at 5'4." My 164 Razor is at the upper limit of stiffness for it to be enjoyable for me in all conditions. (Keep in mind that Sean will tweak stiffness to your weight and riding style.) I also ask for the same dampening as his Saber BX series boards--which is really nice for icy/hard conditions. Lastly, I like a radial sidecut on my softboot carving boards--between 9 and 9.5m. But that's just my personal preference. Edited March 26, 2013 by scrapster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 PS- If you ride switch a decent amount, I'd stick with the Incline, or even try the Saber. The tail on the Razor can do it, but it's not really designed for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Sauce Posted March 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 164 for you--maybe even slightly bigger depending on how much maneuverability (164) versus carving performance (longer) you desire. Shawn likes to put people on bigger Razors. Honestly, I never understood that. But then again, I was basically looking for an amped-up freeride board that could carve exceptionally well and rarely needed to off trail. Given that the Razor already has much more edge and a shallower sidecut than your average freeride stick of the same size, I saw no reason to go much longer than I would normally ride.I'm about 145lbs and short at 5'4." My 164 Razor is at the upper limit of stiffness for it to be enjoyable for me in all conditions. (Keep in mind that Shawn will tweak stiffness to your weight and riding style.) I also ask for the same dampening as his Saber BX series boards--which is really nice for icy/hard conditions. Lastly, I like a radial sidecut on my softboot carving boards--between 9 and 9.5m. But that's just my personal preference. PS- If you ride switch a decent amount, I'd stick with the Incline, or even try the Saber. The tail on the Razor can do it, but it's not really designed for it. Thanks for that info, that helps. I don't ride switch that much, it's just something I work on if I start to get bored sometimes. This board would definitely not be intended for that - mainly I'd just like something that can reasonably go anywhere, but excels at carving, high speed, and stability. There are too many good options :) What made you choose the radial sidecut? From what I've read (excuse my ignorance on this) having the dual hybrid sidecut just allows you to turn sharper or more gradually depending on where you shift your weight, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeagle Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 A damper version of the old Incline sounds really good actually. One of the things I didn't like about my old incline is how when I skidded too much, the vibrations would really kill my feet after a while. I know Donek can add rubber damping to any board so it's an option I'd probably go with. Has anyone done that? Does it make a big difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Yup, that's the plus of a multi-radius sidecut. I just like the predictability of the radial--the board responds the same way even if my body is out of position. Also, it gives you a nice pop out of turns in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapster Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 BTW, my mistake. It's Sean not Shawn ;) (I was thinking about my current boss!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 (edited) My opinion: if you wanna get that feeling of a carve - get a hardboots and narrow board. That have it's cons, like you cannot ride trees that fast or something like that, but it carves way better then softboots. Don't try to carve the softboots as hardboots - you can't get even close. I was trying to do it many years, but once i got an alpine - so much more fun and easier. And i still keep my softies for powder and trees ) Well said , I certainly agree. Like many things, until you jump in and do it , you really don't know the experience. We are often confident we KNOW the difference BEFORE we even try it. This leads me to one of my long held philosophies of "Try as many options as possible". It has served me well over the years. Lead to many discoveries I would not have experienced until much later or not at all. Surely there are alpine carving journeymen in Minnesota. Try to visit with them, my guess, is they are going to be very helpful and a source of loaner gear. Enjoy the journey of discovery! Edited March 26, 2013 by www.oldsnowboards.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taco Sauce Posted March 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 Has anyone done that? Does it make a big difference? Pretty sure lots of people have done that, but I've only tried the stock incline (wide) from about 7-8 years ago so I have no idea how different it would have been with the extra rubber dampening. Below are a couple threads where I read about people ordering boards like that: http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?39692-Donek-Razor-182-w-rubber-dampening http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?34361-Donek-Razor-Hybrid-160 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeagle Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 [quote name='Taco Sauce']Pretty sure lots of people have done that, but I've only tried the stock incline (wide) from about 7-8 years ago so I have no idea how different it would have been with the extra rubber dampening. Below are a couple threads where I read about people ordering boards like that: [URL]http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?39692-Donek-Razor-182-w-rubber-dampening[/URL] [URL]http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?34361-Donek-Razor-Hybrid-160[/URL][/QUOTE] Thanks! That sounds promising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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