1st time out and some ?'s

[freerider81]

I have been wanting to try Alpine boarding for about 10 years and have never really had the chance so about a month ago I started looking for some used gear. I picked up a 10 year old F2 that looks almost new with some TD1 bindings from craigslist and some old burton Earth boots size 30 from ebay. Going into my first couple runs I thought I would pick it up fairly quickly because I do a lot of other board sports (longboarding, wakeboarding, short line water skiing and I carve pretty nice with soft boots snowboarding with my duck stance, +10/-10 degrees). I was pretty close to that as my first couple runs were getting used to the stance. Each run through my first 10 were all better then the last and after that I was working on getting comfortable with setting an edge and getting a decent carve. I did have some nice runs, no where near low to the ground, but nice non the less. One thing I did notice is that the board does not like to go slow or just go for a mellow ride. I do like the speed but a lot of the times the steeper hills where I go are very uneven and too choppy to use the whole hill cross cutting back and forth.

My questions are:

1 Should I look for a carving board or something a little different? I do love the feel of the F2 but need to find some steeper wider hills to ride on.

2 I have a couple older K2 fat Bob's that are wider than most I see carvers on, can those be used with hard boots just the same? or are they completely different than the carving boards.

I love checking out this forum, seems like a great community on here and tons of info for any level of carver. I am definatly hooked and believe I will be a hard booter for many years to come. I'm sure I will come up with some more ?'s and I will ask them when I do, Thanks

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[www.oldsnowboards.com]

What length is the F2?

Shorter, softer, tighter radius boards are better for keeping speed in check , especially when you first get going.

[freerider81]

I think it is a 184 or very close to it.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I have a similar board, it is likely a 186cm, although I would consider it a well behaved or reasonably easy long board to ride. A 186cm is allot of board to start on. Give a 160-170cm board in the 8-11M SCR a try. I think you will find it much easier to ride at low speed and keep speed in check via turning.

You can use the Fat Bob , but it's width will make it ride like a truck instead of a race car. It would certainly turn much quicker, just not have a core of an alpine board. (less torsionally nor longitudinally rigid)

PS. Have you checked out the ride board for your area? See if there are other alpine riders in your area, many of BOL members are happy to help new alpine riders progress. It is REALLY ideal to have an experienced rider to guide your experience, not to mention they often have extra gear to loan.

Welcome to Bomber Online!!

Edited February 21, 2014 by www.oldsnowboards.com

[philw]

You're in the US, and there people like huge snowboards, but they do have the characteristics you describe. I don't know precisely which board that is, but some of them are designed for race course speeds.

I've had large (GS) boards, but it's hard to find places to ride them, and maybe I'd get bored with those places quite quickly anyway. So you may find a shorter board more versatile and maybe more fun at an ordinary resort with a mix of terrain and other people. My own piste board for example is a neat 156cm, and still usually the fastest thing on the hill (I don't spend a lot of time on motorway pistes you can just straight line).

[big mario]

186 speedster, really nice riding board, ahead of its time in construction, very damp, and as Brian said, NOT a good starter board. 16 meter sidecut, and pretty stiff. I would definitely look for something a little tamer, and save that stick for trips out west.

mario

[Corey]

I had a similar F2 as my 3rd board. It scared the crap out of me at the time, so I sold it. In hindsight, I wish I had kept it as I'd love to try again now.

See if you can find something shorter and softer to learn with. Note that the slalom boards generally tend to go from soft in the 150s to stiffer in the 165s, and the GS boards tend to be soft in the 170s and stiffer in the 180s. So a standard production 163 SL board may be made for an aggressive 200-lb rider while a 171 GS is made for a 120-lb rider. Confusing at first, but that's how it works.

Have you seen this page: http://www.bomberonline.com/resources/newcarver/new_carver.html

Start with the Norm articles.

[Guest]

freerider,

It sounds like you have similar conditions to us out here in the mid-atlantic/quasi north east. The steeper hills are trashed 95% of the time (unless you go first thing mon-friday) and even then the grooming isn't always the best. What helped me the most starting out was realizing that there are simply some things you cannot carve. If it's really choppy or you get the "sugar snow" then it's going to be tough. Boiler plate ice CAN be done but it's like walking a tightrope and I'm still not that great at carving it (though I prefer smooth ice over choppy good snow).

What let me advance the most in these conditions was getting a slightly longer, more damp board. I'm 145lbs for reference, and I prefer boards in the low 170's. I didn't get "good" until I got my first metal board (a Donek Free Carve) 171 with an 11m sidecut (I think). This board did a great job of obliterating those bumps and inconsistencies and let me focus more on riding and less on surviving. I cannot recommend the Donek Free Carve enough - the shape is just...spot on.

For me now, slalom boards can be fun when it's crowded and in crappy conditions, but I don't think that was the case when I started. Also, with a bigger side cut you get more "time" in the carve to think and be aware of your body, which is hyper important for learning.

I started out like you - just getting what I could and trying out boards like girlfriends. Knowing what you don't want can be just as insightful as knowing what you do want.

Edited February 21, 2014 by NickG
dat donek

[Corey]

... and trying out boards like girlfriends...

LOL! So true!

[freerider81]

Thanks for all the info. I have read quite a few of the getting started articles but will have to look through those some more. I would love to try this board out west but that may have to wait until the kids get a little bigger. I have checked the board for other carvers at local ski hills and may have to see if I can meet up with someone. I am 210 pounds, would an all mountain board that is a 160 be to short for me. I also have a Ride Mountain 172. I may have to try out my 2 regular boards with hard boots and go from there.

[DonPablo]

Were do you ride at in MN? There is usually a couple carvers Saturday/Sunday morning at Buck. I'll be at Welch Sunday morning because my girlfriend's ski team has a race there, then back at Buck late afternoon/evening.

[freerider81]

I ride at Afton but it is kind of spotty when I get out. I am only in the cities Monday thru Wednesday night. I would like to check out Buck, has been a while since I was there. I knew an English man that hard booted out at Buck about 10 years ago, I think his name was Bob, he was going to get a board set up for me but I think it was about the end of the season and never worked out.

[michael.a]

Ditch or stow your F2, as it'll do more to hurt your riding than anything. Do not ride on it. Long GS boards will make you feel like a champ as a beginner when all they do is mask a ton of mistakes, I'm positive your butt is hanging over that edge like no matter what.

The consensus today is that beginners ought to start out on a too short giant slalom (GS) board, so based on your weight I'd recommend a 168-174 cm board with a 10-13 m sidecut (if you are in fact physically fit). My personal recommendation is to sell the 184 and buy TWO boards, a slalom board around 160 cm and a giant slalom board in the 172 +/- 5 cm range. Make doesnt matter, just get the lengths and feel the difference between the two.

Honestly, regardless of what I said above, do anything to get lessons or any form of instruction in riding in hardboots. You'll save yourself years of grief. Just looking at Donpablos's avatar tells me enough. Sell the house, the car, the kids, but meet up with him and just look at how he or riders carve.

[Unicorn Poop]

I am 210 pounds, would an all mountain board that is a 160 be to short for me.

A board can't tell how tall you are, but it can tell how much you weigh. Length is not dictated by height. I haven't read through all the responses, so I don't know if this has been covered yet, but... GET A LESSON! There are aspects that you will never learn without the insight of a more experienced and outside source.