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Non-carving boards


John E

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Caution: non-carving content follows.

I'm posting this on Bomber because you guys are the most well-informed on the planet.

For you carvers when you are blessed with fresh non-carveable snow, what sort of board do you grab?

The reason I ask is I have a couple of standard cambered soft boot boards that I ride in soft snow. In fresh powder, it is hard to imagine something more effortless, more fun than these but I am interested.

The new non-cambered, rockered, early rise (whatever) boards have gotten a lot of hype lately. Has anyone tried these?

Is it just hype or is there something to these? If so, is there a consensus on what works best? I have no interest in parks or pipes but if one of these new non-cambered boards is the ticket, I'm interested in trying one.

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Burton sent a 163 Rockered Board called a "Sherlock" Great Float in Pow but loses control when going from Front to Back edge as under foot section is cambered, so transition is weird...put it in the shed for now :o

also sent a 164 "Juicewagon" that has a Fish Nose with Supermodel specs everywhere else, no Rocker but Nose is to big and Soft IMO...chatters on Carve :nono:

My Old Malolo is my Favorite Pow stick in a 158 length with feet set back on inserts...though nothing works any better than the Last :eek: Supermodel 164 that I am currently using for Pow, Groom and anything else :biggthump

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I'm 220ish lbs and 6'2". When its too fresh, I go to a 171cm Donek Incline (171cm/24.5cm/10-12m SCR) with TD3s SI and yellow e-rings. I ride this with UPZ ATBs stiffened up with a black tongue at 48/43 angles.

The Incline is basically Sean's normally cambered VSR all-mountain slayer. Awesome board as far as I'm concerned. It loves the steeps, rips pow, and shreds moguls. When the snow turns to icing sugar or slushy it is super fun as well. Carves respectably if the snow hardens up too.

As an aside for really soft snow... I tried splitboarding this season in softboots :barf:....I'm going to get a set of TLT6's this year and some Phantom bindings (hopefully in Nov) before I do that again.

Dave

Edited by Puddy Tat
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I have a Never Summer Heritage X which has the type of rocker you ask about. It really does make a big difference in powder. It's a 163 and in powder (your specific question), it destroys my 161 Donek Wide and rides about as well in the center holes as my 169 O-Sin 3800 does in the rear sets. Of course the Donek destroys it carving (especially firm groom)... but it will carve ok in forgiving conditions. My only knock is that it feels a bit squirrely riding it flat... can be a bit disconcerting, but I never had it catch or come around - just doesn't feel like it's tracking like a cambered board.

I think the rocker makes it faster and easier to maneuver and more forgiving in bumps and trees too - definitely the quickest and most fun board I've ever owned in that regard... again, destroying the Donek in those conditions, and quite a bit quicker than the bigger osin.

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I'm a sucker for softies in soft or variable snow...

For fluffy snow I'm on a Prior Fissile 172. Early rise, otherwise normal camber. It's got a really sweet flex, amazing in trees, floats just fine, and actually carves pretty darn well too. For more dense snow, Coiler Softie 168. It's titanal, of course. Carves like a any Coiler... and it's amazing on variable snow such as the backside of Mt Bachelor where you might find icy chunks, powder, crud, and velvet all on a single run.

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I only rode a non-carving board twice this year: about an 8 year old Burton Supermodel (159). I also have an older Burton Fish that I have only had the pleasure to ride once in powder - what a blast! Effortless. I was considering trying a Never Summer Heritage or Raptor. Each appears to be non-cambered. Maybe I'll see if I can pick one up in the off-season.

Based on the above comments, maybe a rockered board will make riding in crud & chop easier?

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Based on the above comments, maybe a rockered board will make riding in crud & chop easier?

I've found hardboots and steeper angles (to a point) make riding in crud and chop easier. I normally ride my 24-25cm waisted AM boards around 50/45 for angles (Mondo 28 boots no overhang). A couple of weeks ago I tried running my hardboots (UPZ ATBs) down around 30 degrees thinking it might make it easier to running steep moguled runs where I had to skid or jump the board around quickly. I found that as my angles reduced the board got twitchier, in that it was easier to slide it around, but at the same time it was getting deflected by crud and crap.

I ended up going back up to around 48/43 as I like the stability it gives me and I can still throw it around when I need to.

Dave

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I also have an older Burton Fish that I have only had the pleasure to ride once in powder - what a blast! Effortless.

+1 on Fish. Effortless indeed. No need to weight your back foot. When back on groomers, it actually carves short radius turns nicely.

Prior Spearhead has similar pow performance.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I rode a Lib tech snow mullet at SES a few years ago on a powder day. Loved it. It's a cambered board - 165cm.

This year I picked up a Burton Custom Flying V, which has rocker in the center of the board, and on the nose/tail and camber underneath the feet. I haven't had it on powder yet. I haven't really noticed much of a difference riding this versus an old Supermodel which is my go-to stick if I am not hard-bootiing.

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Yes, I've had 2 "flexier", reverse-camber board. One, from 2 years ago- Technine GlamRocker was a wet noodle, fun, but not extraordinary in deep stuff. This Fall, I bought a Never Summer Infinity, partial rocker- took it to killington in Dec. on a rare "Spring-like" day, and hated it. Too responsive. I like camber. Returned it and bought a Rossi Diva- nice amount of camber, but rocker tip and tail- just a bit. First day on it was in a snowstorm...LOVED the float! Needless to say, most other days (I go every weekend) are hard pack/ice/crud...this is new England, afterall. I still LOVE this board. It does it all. Holds an edge at speed, does bumps, feels playful, carves. I, too, have zero interest in parks, though I would like to try this board in a pipe:).

Ween

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I've got three soft-boot decks and ride softboots on all three.

172 Tanker - wonderful for the steep and deep stuff, doesn't carve too great.

163 F2 Speedcross - softie carver, great for the <5cm softer days

163 Prior MFR (Prior guts, Arbor topsheet) - early rise nose...amazing in the pow and carves surprisingly well.

So i'm now debating what to sell...the Pri-bor seems to point toward replacing the Tanker...and maybe the F2...I dunno.

-Gord

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