Bearlong Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 I'm trying to switch from soft boot to hard booting. I've been boarding since 1994 and love to go fast and carve. Last week I was at Camelback in PA and saw a bunch of alpine boarders racing. Watching them carve put me over the edge. I've been reading everything I can about hardbooting and am ready to purchase. Hoping to find a solid used board to get started. Any suggestions on boards, bindings, boots etc? I'm 6'0" and 250 pounds but am in pretty good shape. Thanks for any and all advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyt. Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Hey Big Bear. Nothing like carving a trench so deep and watching skiers fall into it! First off, you will need a board that will be able to hold your big bones on east coast conditions. Custom will probably be the way to go. Talk to the guys that make them here on the forum, they will give you the right info. Bindings, TD3 step ins will hold you, they are very strong. The East Coast Expression Session is being held at Stratton at the end of this month. Demo gear and ride with other carvers, should be fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big canuck Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 TD 3 for sure (TD 2 will work too if you want to save some dough) Boots will be the toughest thing to figure out.... I tried prob 10 different pairs till I decided the Head Stratos Pro's fit me the best but they don't make them anymore.... Id say try and find a used custom Coiler or Donek from a BOL member. There are some stronger guys on this forum that have some pretty beefy boards avail from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Beginner? East coast? 20 years soft boot experience but Im guessing no formal instruction? Yea, you're looking at a slalom board. Look around for a stock older SL board in the 166 or 163 range from the likes of F2, Nidecker, Oxygen, Volkl, Rossignol, Burton, Hot. Absolute max is something in the very low 170s with a sidecut no bigger than 12 maybe 13 meters. Boots are your biggest issue and main priority. There is lots of advice on how to measure your feet, decide if you want to go right away in buying boots with custom thermoformable liners. More expensive but pretty much guaranteed fit and comfort. Next up are bindings, decide if you want regulars or step ins. Step ins are a bigger investment (you need to buy special heels as well) but well worth it for the small hills around PA/NJ. Only two choices, either Bomber TD2/TD3s or F2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebiker Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Welcome and glad to see you've crossed the line (er, trench)! I'm 6'3", 200 lbs and ride mainly east coast. Bindings: Agree with all that's been said so far. I can definitely vouch for the TD3's. I went with step ins to aid ease of clicking in, albeit they are a bit stiffer than the bail versions. Board: I think given the narrow width of most east coast trails I agree with Michael A that sidecut radius is important, along with modest length. I ride a 172cm, 9-11 sidecut Donek which I had built to custom width because of my big feet and desire for a tighter sidecut than stock, and find it good for quick turns to scrub speed (plus negotiate around the often crowded slopes). If you decide to order custom, I would recommend a chat with Sean at Donek as he is able to impart a lot of useful knowledge in a short amount of time that helps you get the perfect board. I kid you not my very first turn on my Donek felt magical...things I never thought much of, like decambered nose, tapered tail, variable sidecut, etc made a huge difference. I still ride my Yukon twin-tip board for powder and chop (with hard boots too), but I don't feel the joy of carving on it like I do with the Donek. Boots: Like Michael A. said, these should be your priority...the handful of major brands each fit differently. I tried Heads and couldn't get my high arches past the middle. I ride Deeluxes, and they fit my narrow feet well. I never tried UPZ's but many swear by them. What's your foot size? Ever get to Camelback on a weekday? I am in NJ and could meet you there with advance notice assuming conditions improve. Ping "Teach" on this forum...he frequents Camelback and has been known to offer sage advice and loaners. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Hester Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Check this on FB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Welcome to Bomber Bearlong!! You have come to the right plate. Both for alpine and big boy board enthusiasts. As Henry stated, I have started a page on Facebook for those of us that are heavier and want big boards. I picked up a burly boarder cross board built by Green recently , it might be a good transition board, larger sidecut radius and beefier. Keep reading, asking questions the community here is outstanding and helpful ! Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted February 3, 2016 Report Share Posted February 3, 2016 Last week I was at Camelback in PA and saw a bunch of alpine boarders racing. That was probably the race team. That's one of my favorite aspects of Camelback. Their coach, Marion, is very helpful and amazing to watch. Ping "Teach" on this forum...he frequents Camelback and has been known to offer sage, advice and loaners. The sage grows in my back yard. Advice: expect to try lots of boots, maybe you'll get lucky and the first pair will be perfect, but more common is to go through several pairs (probably 7 for me) until you wind up at something that works. Bindings: Bomber, Catek are burly. SnowPros might work too and they're less fussy at first, a help as you're getting things tweaked. Boards -- I have a Donek GS board coming that's pretty stiff, but coming from soft boots, you may want a less stiff board at first. I have a 23 cm wide Coiler AM that you might want to try. Let me know when you ride and I can probably meet you and bring the board and some bindings and maybe boots -- I have a pair of M28 Deeluxe Indy boots you could try, even if only to do a shell test, and some M28 and M29 UPZ. For reference I am US 13 in all shoes (US 12 is always too small), and the M28 UPZ are a comfortable fit, not a race fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearlong Posted February 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Thank you guys for all the awesome feed back!! Wow, so much help. I'd be pretty lost without this site! There's not much else on the web for beginners. I'm looking at a new pair of UPZ RC10 leftovers from 2013-2014. Also snow pro fast race bindings. I'd rather have Bomber bindings but the seller won't sell just the boots. I went to a local ski shop and got my feet sized. It appears I'm def a 29.5. Also, i tried on a pair of 29.5 Head ski boots at the ski shop just to see how they felt. They felt hard! Obviously this would be the case coming from soft boots. As far as size wise and I think 29.5 is the right one (I wear about a 12-12.5 street shoe). Teach: there was a race and a bunch of hard booters there for it. That's what put me over the edge. I've been interested for years but seeing a mass of alpines racing and carving got me to get serious about it. I'd so appreciate meeting up with you! My "home" mtn is blue mtn. I get there once /week, maybe twice if this frustrating weather cooperates. I always go during weekday working hours. But I could prob do a weekday evening if necessary. My pass there is off peak, and I'd rather not blow the cash for a crowded weekend day anyway. I could also meet u at bear creek if you'd rather. If camelback is it, then I could prob find a day & time that will work for both of us (just another half hour from my house then blue). Please email me: jonathanrandolphlong at gmail to coordinate Thanks again to everyone for all the help advice and info!! Enjoy the ride! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bearlong Posted February 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 Icebiker: Sounds like you're a weekday rider as well. Like I said above, blue mtn is best for me. Regardless, email me if you're interested in meeting up on a weekday and hopefully we can get it done! jonathanrandolphlong at gmail dot com Teach: I'm thinking an AM board, like the Coiler one you mentioned, might be the way for me to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 As far as size wise and I think 29.5 is the right one (I wear about a 12-12.5 street shoe). Save yourself some time and money - MEASURE YOUR FEET! http://www.alpinecarving.com/bootfitting.html Many new riders (myself included) get boots that are too big the first time. I measured 28, so I thought I'd be smart and bought 29s. One year later I bought 28s and was happier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyt. Posted February 4, 2016 Report Share Posted February 4, 2016 go with very thin or no sock for true fit. then as you ride, with a sock, that liner fit should be just snug at first, then mold like a glove when they warm up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjnakata Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Save yourself some time and money - MEASURE YOUR FEET! http://www.alpinecarving.com/bootfitting.html Broken link. I spoke with OP about measuring his feet...it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teach Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 I have both 28 and 29 UPZ you can try. The UPZ are narrow enough in the heel that I can get by with 29, but the 28 is the best fit, and I wear US 13. So I'd strongly recommend holding off on buying M29 until you're 100% sure that's going to work well. Boots that are too big are bad in many ways, and can't really be fixed, unlike boots that are a little too small, which can be fitted with thinner liners, punched, ground, etc. Don't try the boots on with a liner to judge fit -- put your foot in the empty shell. See Beckmann's page www.beckmannag.com for lots of good information on ski boot fitting. Most shops sell boots that are too big, thinking that they'll feel comfortable when standing around and who cares if they work when actually skiing. Remember that the boot shell is what connects to the board here... no straps to take up slop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 Broken link. Boo! Weird, I copied it right from the title bar. Go to http://www.alpinecarving.com/ and then click the lower left link in the box, titled 'Bootfitting.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Posted February 5, 2016 Report Share Posted February 5, 2016 On the boot fitting, I'd also suggest that when you first put them on, they may feel really tight in the toes because you've just applied a lot of pressure shoving your foot into the boot from back to front. Lean forward a few times to drive your heel back into the boot to get a better sense of how the toes will feel in use. I find the toes ease up even more on the hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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