Corey Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Does anyone else feel the need to swap boards during the day? Or is it just the boring hill that I regularly ride at? I leave one board locked to the rack, and have a couple more in my car that's nearby in the lot. I rode for about 4 hours on Sunday. In that time, I rode 4 different boards! Coiler Angry 160, Donek Rev 163, Donek Proteus 170, Skwal USA 171. Each one has its own character, and it seems like I never know which one I'll prefer over the others. The last time I rode at this hill, the Rev was my preferred dance partner by far. But yesterday the Angry just dominated. What's your thought? Ride one all day? Or change it up? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 I typically take at least two boards to the hill as sometimes conditions are not what I predicted! But usually I don't switch for the feel as much as I switch to suit conditions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 brought three up yesterday, but only rode 1,It depends on my mood and crowds, or if something steep and narrowish is groomed. I will usually start with a big radius board and go smaller as the day progresses, or if I start wimping out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 I almost always bring 2 boards for different conditions. Only if I'm testing something I might have 2 similar boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Buggs Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 I bring 2, longer Coiler carving machine and my 68 All mountain. Gives me the best choices for not matter what the condish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.a Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Standard operating procedure, the 180 GS in the morning on the empty cord and then switch over to my oversized slalom board when the crowds hit and conditions worsen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pow4ever Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Like most I have a quiver to choose from. However I been riding the same board in all conditions lately. Took the "blame" away and work on the fundamental have been good for me. Plus mostly due to laziness as board are heavy ;-) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 2 minutes ago, pow4ever said: However I been riding the same board in all conditions lately. Took the "blame" away and work on the fundamental have been good for me. Excellent point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pow4ever Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 (edited) 34 minutes ago, corey_dyck said: Excellent point! All thing in moderation :-) I remembered when I first started hardbooting: 18cm waist in 3feet+ of Sierra Cement is just miserable; mean while everyone is having a great time lol... Right tool for the right job make sense to the "engineer" side of me. However the following conditions should all be "fine" on a modern day 175ish length, 20cm waist "carving board". icy, rain/wet, spring soft, chop up, crud, pow < than 8", and hero snow It might not be fully optimized but well within the control/margin of "better" technique. There is something "primal" to go back to the basic where all I had is one setup... much simpler time lol. I think it's also cyclical: like toe side is stronger one season, then heel side, then toe and back and forth. On rare occasion where both side are fairly equal; one feel like hero. More advance/better rider can appreciated/take advantage of the optimization on more challenge condition/trail. When working on consistency, technique, and learning: it might be better to remove that extra layer of variable. Edited March 6, 2017 by pow4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 Always have a quiver with me. I am lucky to have acces to it pretty easily at most places I ride. I choose depending on conditions and type of terrain I plan to ride, switching when I need to. Sometimes when I am having a bad day, just switching boards can turn it into a good one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopestar Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 (edited) My main squeeze is always there under foot or in the car. Donek Saber 165. Take all my boards away but leave me my saber. The new to me 174 coiler nirvana energy/22 waist has been getting the nod. We spent a wonderful weekend together in the front range and I couldn't be happier with it. That being said. Always two boards, alpine am followed by softy in the afternoons. Although, the fullbag diamond blade has been my mistress Edited March 6, 2017 by slopestar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workshop7 Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 At my small local hill I show up with either my MK or my Flux and softies. I don't bring both. When I go to a bigger area I bring my 180 Proteus and my old 179 FC2. I might swap once in the middle of the day but I've only done that a few times. I usually pick the board and stick with it all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeseomatic Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 7 hours ago, corey_dyck said: Does anyone else feel the need to swap boards during the day? Or is it just the boring hill that I regularly ride at? I leave one board locked to the rack, and have a couple more in my car that's nearby in the lot. I rode for about 4 hours on Sunday. In that time, I rode 4 different boards! Coiler Angry 160, Donek Rev 163, Donek Proteus 170, Skwal USA 171. Each one has its own character, and it seems like I never know which one I'll prefer over the others. The last time I rode at this hill, the Rev was my preferred dance partner by far. But yesterday the Angry just dominated. What's your thought? Ride one all day? Or change it up? I swap. I used to bring several carving boards and would swap from a Donek Rev 185 to a Proteus 170 to a Coiler AMT to something else. Although it did seem to have a positive impact, the mental conditioning of seeking the perfect ride/turn/feel with minicule changes was detrimental to my experience on the mountain. I've been getting into bringing only two, maybe three boards, one wide-ish carving board for the groomers a burly free-ride board like a Steepwater for the rest of the mountain, and a powder board if there is fresh snow in the forecast. I change only for the conditions. So, are all those boards roughly the same in feel? Maybe just bring one carve board, and the 3800, or a twin and softies to play with switch riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softbootsurfer Posted March 6, 2017 Report Share Posted March 6, 2017 1 stick 1 thought 1 way 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 37 minutes ago, breeseomatic said: or a twin and softies to play with switch riding. Nah, play with switch riding on your hard boots ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Brammer aka PSR Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Today at Sunapee, I got on the lift with a Snowboard Instructor, while on a Volkl Cross, running Ibex plates, angles of 42F, 27R. After the usual inquisitive conversation about hardboots vs. softboots, we got to the top of the hill. I clipped in, while he was still getting to the bench (one of my better contributions to Snowboarding?) to sit+strap in. In doing so, I ended up going fakie, so, I carved it up a bit, then tossed in a blind-side tail-roll to get back to the "correct" foot leading, then got some railing turns in (both hands on snow), before popping up and frontside nose-rolling and carving it up fakie again. I pulled off the side, and this guy had a big grin on his face, and wasn't all that far behind by then. He slid up by me, and commented " I had no Idea that could be done in hardboots!! Awesome! " I pointed out to him the the sister mountain to Sunapee, Okemo, has boards, boots, and bindings for demo/sale. I have the feeling he'll be taking a 'sick day' soon to check out the Doneks over there! We both, btw, parted ways after saying to each other "Nice Turns!"... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Brought two, rode both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NateW Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 I always bring my 172 / 19cm / 13m Axxess because it is my favorite thing ever. Early and late in the season I'll also bring a 182 / 21 / 11.5 (stock shape) Axxess because I don't really care if i hit a rock with it. I'll also bring this one on heavy pow days because the stance is set back a ways. Mid-season, mid-week, if there's a chance of great snow I bring a 183 / 19 / 15m F2 Speedster instead of the 182 Axxess. For about one day, about every other season, I'll bring a pair of skis, just to remind myself that I still don't miss skiing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terekhov Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 8 hours ago, pow4ever said: However I been riding the same board in all conditions lately. Took the "blame" away and work on the fundamental have been good for me. +1. mismatching board vs. conditions is a GREAT skill extender. you only can progress if you overcome your comfort zone, and mismatching board is one of the options just for that PS for last 2 seasons oes 164fc is da BEST freeride board for all conditions until 30+ cm of powder - coiler 177am then, until 1+ m of powder - when it's time for some powder cruisers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dredman Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 3 hours ago, Eric Brammer aka PSR said: Today at Sunapee, I got on the lift with a Snowboard Instructor, while on a Volkl Cross, running Ibex plates, angles of 42F, 27R. After the usual inquisitive conversation about hardboots vs. softboots, we got to the top of the hill. I clipped in, while he was still getting to the bench (one of my better contributions to Snowboarding?) to sit+strap in. In doing so, I ended up going fakie, so, I carved it up a bit, then tossed in a blind-side tail-roll to get back to the "correct" foot leading, then got some railing turns in (both hands on snow), before popping up and frontside nose-rolling and carving it up fakie again. I pulled off the side, and this guy had a big grin on his face, and wasn't all that far behind by then. He slid up by me, and commented " I had no Idea that could be done in hardboots!! Awesome! " I pointed out to him the the sister mountain to Sunapee, Okemo, has boards, boots, and bindings for demo/sale. I have the feeling he'll be taking a 'sick day' soon to check out the Doneks over there! We both, btw, parted ways after saying to each other "Nice Turns!"... So... what does this have to do with this thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Eric invented the bench? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Brammer aka PSR Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 10 hours ago, dredman said: So... what does this have to do with this thread? Dredman, this should've been in the freeriding-in-hardboots thread... My bad... Corey, i didn't invent the bench, but, circa '90-91, I had the groomers at Okemo use the wing plow on the Cats to sculpt elevated curbs, high enough to sit on, just around-the-corner from the chair off load area. In riding a chairlift with Stratton's VP of Ops, later that season (I was Judging for Green Mt. Series halfpipe events), I noted that he should have those 'snow benches' made here, too, as Stratton was a 'mecca' for Riders then. When I came back two weeks later for the next Pipe event, Paul had rigged up two old chairlift seats on welded frames, just to the side of the SunTanner Double. It made getting your binding on SO MUCH Easier! Now, I see the idea has spread to quite a few ski hills. No need to thank me, just pay my royalty fees since then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 One board all day. I learned on one board and made it work for whatever I was riding. Force of habit I guess. That and I don't like stopping and swapping. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aracan Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 I have only one board, and that is what I ride. Sometimes I find myself coveting a board, but I never buy one. It would be too much of a hassle for me to bring more than one board to the mountain, ride to the bottom, hike to the car ... Far better to have one board that I trust in all conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 I'm kind of lucky in that it's only a couple of minutes to slide over to the board racks and be back in the lift line. However, it is a crappy hill in the prairies. Maybe I'm not that lucky... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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