AcousticBoarder Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 I am looking around for a new board, and am thinking a free carve board. I have seen a couple eurocarve/ extremecarve boards and was wondering if there are any major differences that would effect using it as a freecarve? I believe the only differences are a stiffer nose, wider waist, and more torsionaly stiff. Could an extremecarve board be used as a freecarve board and vise versa? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3d pro Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 I have a Swoard ec pro in my quiver and I use it as a freecarve board most of the time because I still can't completly master the ec technic. It has been my all around board for the last 2 or 3 season. The major difference is the single radius, the stiffer nose and the wider waist. You can always use a freecarve board to laydown some turn but if your goal is to ec get an ec board. I know that the coiler ecvc from Bruce can be used as a very good freecarve board but will also be one of the best board for extreme carving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apex Insider Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 The width of an EC board requires a lot of commitment when transitioning edge to edge. If you are willing to work hard, it can be a good freecarver. But, if you're like me and want easy carving without breaking a sweat, look for narrower boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticBoarder Posted November 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 You can always use a freecarve board to laydown some turn but if your goal is to ec get an ec board. My goal would be freecarve, not eurocarve. The width of an EC board requires a lot of commitment when transitioning edge to edge. If you are willing to work hard, it can be a good freecarver. But, if you're like me and want easy carving without breaking a sweat, look for narrower boards. That is kindof what I am afraid of, I already have small feet so a wider board seems that much wider to me. I am looking for this board to be smooth, easier to ride, varied conditions but still groomer/ not all mountain board in my quiver. For now it will also serve as my bigger mountain board, so a larger sidecut is not a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3d pro Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 Why not looking at a board like the stubby made by bruce at coiler. This board is designed to provide a smooth ride in a wide range of condition. And also a wider board doesn't really mean that you will get a hard time to transition from back to front side. The difference is not that prononce and can be mastered very easily. I know some rider that will ride their ec or wider board as all around board from the morning to end of a day with all the variation in condition (hard to soft to fresh and bumby snow) without any problem. I think that having a wider board give more versatility to various snow condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticBoarder Posted November 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 The Stubby and Nirvana Balance booth look like good candidates from Coiler. Donek's Freecarve also looks good, I think the Axxess is too all mountain to compliment what I already have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3d pro Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 Both Sean and Bruce are great builder and also they are both gentlement that if you spend some time asking questions to them they will for sure orient toward the proper option that will make you happy. I personnaly just received a Nirvana energy from Bruce and this look to be a really nice board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCrobar Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 (edited) HiI personally don't think it really matters whether the boards' official genre is for 'Freecarving' or 'Extremecarving.' A few visits with Mr Coiler himself and he quickly lets you know how the boards, of different genres, are related and close in many ways. Each board is 'optimized' to a genre, but of coarse all of them can be carved in a lot of different ways.My highly biased opionion would be to recommend you look at SCR and your preferred Stance Angles first.SCR:EC boards have larger SCR. If you let the board take you for a ride, the bigger 13-14m type SCR can have you screaming down the hill pretty fast. If you are able to drive or control the turn shape well, then you can control the speed of a board with a bigger SCR. I don't know your riding level, but I think this is where you have to be honest with your comfort level with larger SCR and the width of the runs you see most often. Edit: The above thoughts were inspired via the boards listed in your profile; assuming that the 159 Proton and the 160 Incline have pretty tight SCR's.Stance Angles:Gone for me are the days of having a board's width dictate my stance angles. For me your boot size and preferred stance angles would dictate the width of board you get. That said a little boot under or over hang is not that big of a deal; especially since you mentioned that EC is not your goal. IMHO don't worry about the width, you will quickly get used to what ever board you pick.I hope these high biased opinions help in your board search.CheersRob Edited November 20, 2015 by RCrobar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 I try to EC maybe 20% of the time, and I LOVE my Coiler EC board! I went for the 22cm width (M28 boots) and don't find it tiring. I bought it specifically for EC-style riding, but it's really versatile. Bruce said he wasn't surprised as the core profile is based on the Nirvana series, which is a versatile ride on it's own. The EC is now my first choice for any big ski resorts. It also floats pretty well in soft stuff, has that damp metal ride on firm/ice, and of course has taken my EC riding to a new level quickly. Talk to Sean (Donek) or Bruce (Coiler) and see what they recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 Don't forget to check out the wares of Oxess and Virus and Pureboarding, which I know are available in the US. Unfortunately you have very limited to access to the European goodies of Plasma, Pogo, Goltes etc, which I would consider worthy contenders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west carven Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 howdy AcousticBoarder it's not the board or any board. it's you and can you ec or not? yeah, so you ride a kessler does that mean your a good racer? no!... work on technique, any board can ec, but a good board to ec is in the mid range in length and good scr around 13m. go coiler all mountain metal, or maybe a stubby 172ish... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticBoarder Posted November 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 Just to be clear, I am not too interested, atleast at this time, to ec (I've still got a lot to learn in the bomber/ western/ angulation style). I am just looking to have a more versatile board that will do better on bigger slopes than my Oxygen Proton 156. I have seen a couple ebay listings with ec boards which is why I was wondering what kind of differences there are. Great suggestions to contact Bruce or Sean. I do not have the budget at this time for a new board, but I may still contact them for their input. Jim gave me some much appreciated input as well. (Thanks!) It seems it wouldn't matter too much if there was a superb deal on a ec board to go with that, but otherwise I should go with a freecarve board as my first option, or a select few "hybrids" such as the Coiler stubby. Thank you all for your input and suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nils Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 What EC boards give compare to race boards or freecarve derived from race boards is much softer flex..the idea is to have a board that holds and edge more vertically, and on a longer vertical radius than a race board; with tips that grip forever. That softer flex makes the boards easier to turn and less tiring, however, the wider width can be a burden, especially if you do not adapt to a more rotational technique, because the extra width makes the backside turns less easier than on a narrow board....this can prove tiring and not so fun if unproper technique.. Freecarvers will be a tad less wide and easier all day long, and you can still EC them, its just not as easy. N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.E Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 Waist width, radius and flex have changed quite a bit over the years, especially with material changes. Look at race boards from the early 90's, the early 2000's and now as examples- waists went from wide to narrow to medium, sidecuts grew and shapes changed, and flex was all over the map. The days of 18cm waisted stock GS boards are mostly behind us. When shopping, keep an eye on the specs of the equipment and match that to your intended use. Freecarve is a pretty wide term and covers the range of carving boards with different makers and models tweaking it for their needs. I'm only a freecarver/ recreational rider, and I have boards in a few different categories that fall into my use sphere. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 So a 197 Burner isn't a good candidate for EC? I wish someone had told me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.E Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 (edited) ...not looking for an EC board, looking for a competent freecarver. My point was that the market has evolved quite a bit, and that a recreational carver looking for an all around deck in the mid 160's/ mid side cut doesn't need to get particularly caught up in the marketing label if the board matches their width/ turn shape preferences. There is quite a bit of overlap and grey for general freecarving, and a lot of good equipment. Edited November 20, 2015 by Mr.E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted November 20, 2015 Report Share Posted November 20, 2015 So a 197 Burner isn't a good candidate for EC? I wish someone had told me. Yep, much better use 196 F2 GS 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCrobar Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) Yep, much better use 196 F2 GS REALLY nice turns ... big, fast and graceful. Edited November 21, 2015 by RCrobar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted November 21, 2015 Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 ...not looking for an EC board, looking for a competent freecarver. My point was that the market has evolved quite a bit, and that a recreational carver looking for an all around deck in the mid 160's/ mid side cut doesn't need to get particularly caught up in the marketing label if the board matches their width/ turn shape preferences. There is quite a bit of overlap and grey for general freecarving, and a lot of good equipment. Look in the classifieds, there are enough boards that will suit you. I would say take a freecarver in the 175 range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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