makrom8 Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hi bombers, here's my first post in your uber helpful forum....First the bad news, 2 weeks ago all my gear got ripped off. Good news is that I get to upgrade everything.Basically there is so much gear out there now that I'm finding it difficult to choose something. My original board that I got back in 2002? was a Rossignol Strato. I can't remember the specs but it seemed much bigger than all the other boards that I see around, especially in the last few years.My specs are height: 180cm , 75kg, foot US 10.5 / EUR 45So , I'm looking specifically for a softboot carver. I dont do tricks, ride backwards etc. Up untill last weekend I'd never tried another board. The guy at the baord rental let me try out as many of the shops boards that I wanted and when I told him they were all crap he lent me his own personal boards. Everything felt so small and awkward and floppy.The reality is that I ski in the Spanish pyrenees just west of Andorra. As of last year my 3 young kids are learning to ski and we go to a really small resort (Espot). After the mayhem of getting them ready for the slopes, I spend an hour with them before they go off to the kids club, then I get a few hours riding, then a couple more runs with the kids.So apart from some mid to high speed carving, the board has to handle mellow, narrow runs while avoiding the kids. If I buy online it must be from within the Eu zone to avoid contact with the nighmareish world of Spanish customs. Other option is to drive over to Andorra for tax-free gear, viladomat.com.Good powder riding is rare. I'd prefer to put the dollars into the best reduced footprint softboots I can find. My thoughts areArbor A-frame : can't find EU stockSwoard dual / Pureboards : priceNidecker Legend : only comes in 164 lengthVölkl Coal XtF2 Diablo : 166cm year 14/15 , great price GermanyNidecker Platinium 15 165W good price SpainI'm definitely thinking about this F2 if it's good for stiff softboots combined with SP Fastec Soft Bindings, also really good price. I'm concerned about the short lengths, any thoughts on the F2 and Nidecker?Cheers guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.E Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) What sort of binding angles are you running? The Diablo is only 228mm wide. These boards are all of similar length, but the sidecut, flex and camber profiles are varied. If the Volkl Race seems a bit much for you (short nose, shorter overall length and longer side cut) you might also consider the Coal XT 168. The Race is basically a longer board with the nose and tail trimmed, but the XT might be a good balance for your needs. Edited January 28, 2015 by Mr.E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P06781 Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) Völkl Coal Xt 167 , I am looking for one in the states .... I have the old version Cross 167 and love for riding hardboots with softboot friends . Edited January 28, 2015 by P06781 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichNH Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 If you want a longer length I just bought the new Coiler softboot carver / BX. Built at 170. Sorry can't ride it till Friday so no review but looks awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLikeSnow Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) I see the Völkl Coal XT listed at 630€. If you can shell that out and don't feel at home on lighter, shorter and/or softer boards, you should be able to get a lightly used Pogo Freecarve or Oxess Boardercross in that price range. Edited January 28, 2015 by iLikeSnow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Of those two I can recommend the Swoard Dual and Volkl Coal XT. Others that come to mind: F2 Eliminator Virus UFC Ultimate Freecarve Boardercross Rad-Air Tanker (I have the 200cm and it rips in hard- and softboots but obviously you'll need something smaller) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I thought this was a pretty solid comparison of the Swoard Dual and the Volkl Coal XT: http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10035 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 ElDiablo is too narrow for soft boots of your size. The rest are all good boards. Also look into an older version of Elan Vertigo, they are sometimes sold at clearance prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticBoarder Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Donek Incline is a good all mountain soft boot carving board, Razer is specifically designed as a softboot carver. Flux is a freeride carver developed from a BX board. Going with Donek you can give Sean a call or shoot him a message, and have everything customized to exactly what you want for a very reasonable price. You sound like you have specifics if you tried all the boards in a shop, so that is where I would look. Only downside is that Donek is in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I thought this was a pretty solid comparison of the Swoard Dual and the Volkl Coal XT: http://www.extremecarving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10035 Here's a link to Bart's website where the full version of the review is available: http://megustasport.com/swoard-dual-vs-voelkl-coal/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Rich, Acoustic, importing Coiler or Donek is expensive for Europeans. I also have a Rad-Air Tanker and love it. Check into the shorter ones. I note Blue Tomato has last year's 162s on sale. Rad-Air's site has a dealer list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowmatic Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) Snowboard-Cross boards runs not well for carving. Buy an older Nidecker Megalight if available. They looks similar (3D-topsheet), but had a camber profile, while newer shapes have CamRock profile. It's an excellent carving board for softboots. Camber boards runs more stable for carving on softboots. Nidecker Platinium is more a freeride to freestyle board with less camber than Legend. Take a look to Nidecker Escape 165XL (waist 263mm). It's of the same riding range like Megalight/Ultralight/Legend but on a good price. Ask ben@duna.com (Duna Traiding 11380 Tarifa) for informations, where to get one. Burton CustomX may be also a good board, but it's way more expensive. Goodboards Apikal Camber 163XW, 165W and 170XW are on a good price to: € 529.- ( www.goodboards.eu from Bavaria/GER/Czech owner ) They have boards up to 202cm (Legends long Camber 202) and are hand made in EU (not in China like RadAir Tankers) Remark: No hardboots on goodboards allowable! Edited January 29, 2015 by snowmatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makrom8 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks for all the advice. I just got in contact with Sigi Grabner snowboards. They manufacture in Austria and have a few unlisted all mountain boards at great prices. So much good stuff out there! cheers guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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