Carving on regular snowboards

[tex1230]

Incline is a damper board. Steep water gets a lot of chatter at high speed. Both are 1000x better than old supermodels (assuming you're talking about the 174/181 versions, not the newer short ones)

I have owned and ridden all of the above. My current ride is a steepwater, mostly because it was the economical choice. If I had a spare $1k I would be riding a custom incline.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BlueB]

Steep water gets a lot of chatter at high speed.

That's interesting... I find Steepwater 171 to be the quietest freeride boards at speed. It rides like a fat alpine board. More stable then my 20cm longer Tanker... Incline, I only rode an old 167 and found it a bit stiff and nervous.

[tex1230]

That's interesting... I find Steepwater 171 to be the quietest freeride boards at speed. It rides like a fat alpine board. More stable then my 20cm longer Tanker... Incline, I only rode an old 167 and found it a bit stiff and nervous.

Maybe it's because I'm fat [emoji41]

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rbaldwin]

Thanks for the replies guys.  You helped me pull the trigger on a Steepwater that one of the other forum member offered up. 

 

Looking forward to trying it out!

Although, I got to say...  It's been a good year for my old Supermodel 74.  I just got back from another powder day at Lookout!

[xy9ine]

i've got a diamond blade on the way. funnily enough i just learned about fullbag via this thread. had no idea the boards existed previously, but had been scouring the internets for something like this, to no avail. i've been totally inspired by the japanese kagayaking videos; love the charging softboot style. looks like most of them are running blunt bx shapes, but bx scr's are typically quite a bit larger than what i want (and $$). numbers on this look spot on, and i'm stoked to be supporting a cdn company. 

[Mig]

i've got a diamond blade on the way. funnily enough i just learned about fullbag via this thread. had no idea the boards existed previously, but had been scouring the internets for something like this, to no avail. i've been totally inspired by the japanese kagayaking videos; love the charging softboot style. looks like most of them are running blunt bx shapes, but bx scr's are typically quite a bit larger than what i want (and $$). numbers on this look spot on, and i'm stoked to be supporting a cdn company.

That is pretty spot on why I designed it like that. Wanted a board geared towards groomer carving but still capable of all-around riding and the occasional powder day/run. It's a mix between a freeride board and a BX board. Something that has the effective edge of a BX board for groomer carving while still maintaining the tighter turning radius and capabilities of a freeride board. Stoked to have you as a Customer, and thanks for your support!

That board is one of Robert Fagan's favorite, by the way (ex-olympian and world cup BX racer). It will probably be his ride at the Baker Banked Slalom in a couple of weeks.

[rbaldwin]

That is pretty spot on why I designed it like that. Wanted a board geared towards groomer carving but still capable of all-around riding and the occasional powder day/run. It's a mix between a freeride board and a BX board. Something that has the effective edge of a BX board for groomer carving while still maintaining the tighter turning radius and capabilities of a freeride board. Stoked to have you as a Customer, and thanks for your support!

That board is one of Robert Fagan's favorite, by the way (ex-olympian and world cup BX racer). It will probably be his ride at the Baker Banked Slalom in a couple of weeks.

That's a good looking board Mig!  Any plans to make a slightly bigger version?  I certainly don't mean to question your ideas, but a 168 cm + length with a 10-11m radius would be so rad!

[Mig]

That's a good looking board Mig!  Any plans to make a slightly bigger version?  I certainly don't mean to question your ideas, but a 168 cm + length with a 10-11m radius would be so rad!

Thanks rbaldwin! Yeah, longer and shorter are in the plan. :)

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I Still have a few older Steepwater snowboards for sale.  CHEAP!!! FYI

[rbaldwin]

Thanks rbaldwin! Yeah, longer and shorter are in the plan. :)

I was a big fan of Louis Ricard, and then I saw your Diamond Blade video on Youtube...  Not bad on a snowboard either!

[rbaldwin]

I Still have a few older Steepwater snowboards for sale.  CHEAP!!! FYI

Admittedly, I've been living in a cave for the last 12 years or so, but I had never even heard of Steepwater until I came sniffing around Bomber.  When I asked around in the WTB section, I had slim hopes of one of you guys having one you wanted to part with.  Instead it seems as if every one of you have 3 sitting in your closet!

If any of my friends get jealous of my new ride, I'll hit you up! 

[Mig]

I was a big fan of Louis Ricard, and then I saw your Diamond Blade video on Youtube...  Not bad on a snowboard either!

I will pass the word along to him. :) The dude has a natural talent for the sideways stance. He wanted to dabble a bit with hardbooting a few years ago, so he bought an old short asym Hot. He then wanted to try racing just to see how it was. He never had been through a course on snow and shows up at a race in Tremblant. Everyone there had speedsuits, Kesslers and SGs with plates and coaches. He was telling himself "what the hell am I doing here". And the bastard ended up on the podium! Haa! Haa! Ha!

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Admittedly, I've been living in a cave for the last 12 years or so, but I had never even heard of Steepwater until I came sniffing around Bomber.  When I asked around in the WTB section, I had slim hopes of one of you guys having one you wanted to part with.  Instead it seems as if every one of you have 3 sitting in your closet!

If any of my friends get jealous of my new ride, I'll hit you up! 

It is a board that alpine guys know will hold up under plates.  Beefy and not a smallish SCR.   Lots of good traits , good for big strong guys not so much if you are 150lbs.    I bought 20 plus from Steve's demo fleet in Mammoth.  Just couldn't help myself.  Fun to offer good values to friends when I can is the driving force.  We are a small specific group that helps each other find the tools that are scarce else where.   Carry on :)  Carve hard as long as you can , then carve soft. 

[H2O]

Have you ever carved (with hard boot) on wide bx boards like Donek Saber, Coiler or SG Force?

I am thinking to buy one of these to ride with softened hard boots and flat angles like 30/40.

[rbaldwin]

I've been riding that way this season and love it.  I'm around 32 degrees back 40 front in slightly modded Scarpa AT boots.  I ride powder in walk mode then flip the lever (at least on the front boot) and lock in a little more for carving.

 

For my style and circumstances, I think it's a perfect combo. 

[H2O]

I've been riding that way this season and love it. I'm around 32 degrees back 40 front in slightly modded Scarpa AT boots. I ride powder in walk mode then flip the lever (at least on the front boot) and lock in a little more for carving.

For my style and circumstances, I think it's a perfect combo.

I agree.

This way may be for me a really multiporpose and comfortable way to ride.

I'd like to know how ride the bx boards over mentioned.

Edited February 3, 2016 by H2O

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Have you ever carved (with hard boot) on wide bx boards like Donek Saber, Coiler or SG Force?

I am thinking to buy one of these to ride with softened hard boots and flat angles like 30/40.

It is not for me.  I am died in the wool narrow board guy.  I lay awake at night trying to figure out what the perfect "Tweener" board is .   Narrow but rides pow well :)  

 

I have done it will many.  "Big Gun" by Glissade for example ,  Lib Tech Skunk Ape /  180 + all.   They all feel like I am driving a lumber truck when I get on the piste.  Do not go by me.  I run 70/65 with a MP29 boot!!!

[rbaldwin]

It is not for me.  I am died in the wool narrow board guy.  I lay awake at night trying to figure out what the perfect "Tweener" board is .   Narrow but rides pow well :)  

 

I have done it will many.  "Big Gun" by Glissade for example ,  Lib Tech Skunk Ape /  180 + all.   They all feel like I am driving a lumber truck when I get on the piste.  Do not go by me.  I run 70/65 with a MP29 boot!!!

Ha! Wow!  So what is a good tweener for you?  There is a lot of grey area between Skwal and Fat Bob isn't there?

 

And how was that 180 Skunk Ape?  I passed up a good deal on one earlier this year because of it being so wide (I'm also MP29).  Did it carve OK?

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Ha! Wow!  So what is a good tweener for you?  There is a lot of grey area between Skwal and Fat Bob isn't there?

 

And how was that 180 Skunk Ape?  I passed up a good deal on one earlier this year because of it being so wide (I'm also MP29).  Did it carve OK?

Rad-Air Tanker 192cm, narrowest of the line until you get past the 182cm. 

Coiler "Head Hunter 200cm" , custom made.   

 

The wide boards can carve fine.  Just feels like I am leveraged / too far from the edge.   I want the pressure from the toes and heels to go right on top of the edge. 

 

Board on the right is the Headhunter

 

 

 

[rbaldwin]

That Coiler is a beauty.

[lordmetroland]

And how was that 180 Skunk Ape?  I passed up a good deal on one earlier this year because of it being so wide (I'm also MP29).  Did it carve OK?

 

Clearly you asked this question of the resident sage, but as long as you're OK with an answer from the b-team, I'll give you my worthless opinion. I had the 180 Skunk Ape and the 170 Skunk Ape HP Ultrawide. The 180 was fun and seemed to carve fine, but the extruded base was slow and didn't get much faster regardless of any sort of base treatment. That kind of sucked, literally and figuratively. The 170 UW was more fun, snappier and quicker edge-to-edge than the 180, even clocking in at 28+cm wide. But it was the longest Lib with a sintered base and it wasn't long enough. Both are long gone and in their place is a Donek Hazelwood. That board does everything better and teaches me new lessons about technique all the time. I believe the Lib Tech "advances" (and I love the whole idea of Lib Tech) tend to mute or plateau what you can really get out of the board. Unlike Nigel from Spinal Tap, getting a board with Magnetraction and C2BTXcubeRsine profiling is like buying a amp that only "goes to six."

[rbaldwin]

Clearly you asked this question of the resident sage, but as long as you're OK with an answer from the b-team, I'll give you my worthless opinion. I had the 180 Skunk Ape and the 170 Skunk Ape HP Ultrawide. The 180 was fun and seemed to carve fine, but the extruded base was slow and didn't get much faster regardless of any sort of base treatment. That kind of sucked, literally and figuratively. The 170 UW was more fun, snappier and quicker edge-to-edge than the 180, even clocking in at 28+cm wide. But it was the longest Lib with a sintered base and it wasn't long enough. Both are long gone and in their place is a Donek Hazelwood. That board does everything better and teaches me new lessons about technique all the time. I believe the Lib Tech "advances" (and I love the whole idea of Lib Tech) tend to mute or plateau what you can really get out of the board. Unlike Nigel from Spinal Tap, getting a board with Magnetraction and C2BTXcubeRsine profiling is like buying a amp that only "goes to six."

Good to hear a detailed review from somebody that understands carving performance.

And yeah,  other than the width,  I remember being vaguely put off by the gimmicky sounding ad speak that I didn't want to take the time to figure out. Too bad since It's rare to see mass produced 180s. 

[jlojko]

I'm trying to figure out why more hard booters don't enter or do well in banked slalom events.  I have read this thread and a few others with references to "banked slalom" only to find the general opinion that the banking of the course gets the soft setups back in the race game.  I get that.  But that isn't saying that it gives softies an advantage, is it?

 

I have no experience on a banked course, but I'm going to try it in a few weeks.  I ride some nastar gates on a hard plate about 20% of the time.  And I ride a big soft setup all mountain most of the time.   I'm thinking that I will try one run on each setup in the banked slalom event.

 

I have watched a bunch of videos of banked slalom racing and all of the footage is of softies and they all appear to be sliding around the bank turns.  I just don't get why a carving setup won't do better in that situation.  Even when you are turning around a banked turn, can't you set the edge and be more efficient on a racing deck?

 

I'd love to hear experience or educated opinions on this topic.  Thanks for any responses.

Edited March 10, 2016 by jlojko

[breeseomatic]

It is a board that alpine guys know will hold up under plates.  Beefy and not a smallish SCR.   Lots of good traits , good for big strong guys not so much if you are 150lbs.    I bought 20 plus from Steve's demo fleet in Mammoth.  Just couldn't help myself.  Fun to offer good values to friends when I can is the driving force.  We are a small specific group that helps each other find the tools that are scarce else where.   Carry on :)  Carve hard as long as you can , then carve soft. 

Steepwaters are a real gem.  The 164 Steep, to me, is the gold standard for a soft boot board.  I used it to do the PureBoarding clinics in Aspen last year, rode it in early season thin cover, during an 18" powder dump in Mammoth, and also as an easy carver/cruiser board when riding with less experienced friends.  I swap between hard boots and soft boots on this board.  The base is nearly indestructible, it laughs at rocks and stumps hiding under the powder.  The 171 is a true dream to ride even at 150lbs, if you have good technique, ride aggressive and the traffic is light, it just keeps holding a line.  It's awesome to see people's reaction when they see how hard you can drive it with soft boots.

 

Admittedly, I've been living in a cave for the last 12 years or so, but I had never even heard of Steepwater until I came sniffing around Bomber.  When I asked around in the WTB section, I had slim hopes of one of you guys having one you wanted to part with.  Instead it seems as if every one of you have 3 sitting in your closet!

If any of my friends get jealous of my new ride, I'll hit you up! 

Post it up on the WTB forum and I'm sure that one of us will respond.  They are still pretty easy to acquire in the Mammoth area, robbing sales from the newer Arbor made versions.  The sad thing is eventually NOS inventory will end.

Edited March 10, 2016 by breeseomatic

[breeseomatic]

Have you ever carved (with hard boot) on wide bx boards like Donek Saber, Coiler or SG Force?

I am thinking to buy one of these to ride with softened hard boots and flat angles like 30/40.

I had a Saber and rode with Burton Plates and TD3s.  It's an amazing board/binding/boot combo as long as your boots are not too soft and the binding angles are adjusted so you can get the board over on edge.  I think I was riding 40-45 in the front and 20-25 in the rear. 

 

Carving was awesome, handing moguls and random chop at speed was a little harsh with this setup.  I switched to a soft boot binding and it was much easier to go faster in varied terrain, turns were not as powerful though.  I ended up selling the board before really tuning the binding setup.

 

I switched back to my Steepwater which i ride with both hard and soft boots.  I find it a little easier to ride with plates since it's narrower than the Saber (24.8 vs 25.5)