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First Hardboot Setup


Pythmere

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My 2 cents: board and boots are great choices, but go with the toe lever variant.  UPZ 27 would (but barely) work with the M size Intec stepin version, but if you can touch your toes (or at least the top of your foot), you should be able to easily clip into the toe lever bindings standing up with a few minutes’ practice. 

Toe lever style (F2 Race Ti) mean you don’t have to buy and install Intel heels, and never have to worry about a heel cable breaking. 

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My opinionated 2 cents:

Bindings:

Definitely go F2 Race Titanium. Don't forget to get an extra lift kit as they only come with 1.

Agree with @jburk regarding Intec. I've only used Intec for a season, but I feel they're more hassle than they're worth.

Boots:

I've had Deeluxe, UPZ and Mountain Slope boots. Might be worth measuring up your feet and seeing what's suitable. I've got measurements and photos of my feet in and out of boot shells if that helps.

If you have low volume, narrow feet and heels, you'll be better suited to Mountain Slope .951 boots instead of UPZ, so that's what I'd recommend looking into.

To me, some relative proportions:

  • Heel: Deeluxe > UPZ > Mountain Slope
  • Forefoot: UPZ > Mountain Slope > Deeluxe
  • Volume: Deeluxe > UPZ > Mountain Slope

Board:

Never ridden a Thirst. I'd wait a little and let hype settle before purchasing.

I think a Kessler The Alpine 168 would be a more reliable starting point.

Edited by daveo
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My 2 cents on upz boots, with smaller asian feet

feet are both 260, bought 260 liner, 287-299 shell rc12 and instantly had to sell them because too much toe room and ankle was just not fitting right. 260mm feet in the 287-299 shell had 3 fingers in the back during shell fit. I bought size 245 RCR and they fit like a dream,  given my feet don't have a high arch. If your foot has a high arch, I'd recommend downsizing from 276 to 270, if not go to 265 or even 260(if you want it aggressive).

2 hours ago, daveo said:

Definitely go F2 Race Titanium. Don't forget to get an extra lift kit as they only come with 1.

Agree with buddy Daveo here, get extra lift kit. Also bail is fine, you're young, you can bend over and do the bail.

2 hours ago, daveo said:

I think a Kessler The Alpine 168 would be a more reliable starting point.

Stop repping the K168, we know it's your magic bullet 😉

NA made boards are a great place to start, or an older one on the forum here, once you got about 10-15 days and maybe tried a few boards you can shell out the money for something like a K168,  but then you're in IT.......  If you have the cash, we can't say anything

Also be prepared to have a large arsenal of boards in a few years time, hardboots do that to people.........

2 hours ago, daveo said:

My opinionated 2 cents:

HI DAVEO

Edited by pauleleven
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6 hours ago, pauleleven said:

My 2 cents on upz boots, with smaller asian feet

feet are both 260, bought 260 liner, 287-299 shell rc12 and instantly had to sell them because too much toe room and ankle was just not fitting right. 260mm feet in the 287-299 shell had 3 fingers in the back during shell fit. I bought size 245 RCR and they fit like a dream,  given my feet don't have a high arch. If your foot has a high arch, I'd recommend downsizing from 276 to 270, if not go to 265 or even 260(if you want it aggressive).

Agree with buddy Daveo here, get extra lift kit. Also bail is fine, you're young, you can bend over and do the bail.

Stop repping the K168, we know it's your magic bullet 😉

NA made boards are a great place to start, or an older one on the forum here, once you got about 10-15 days and maybe tried a few boards you can shell out the money for something like a K168,  but then you're in IT.......  If you have the cash, we can't say anything

Also be prepared to have a large arsenal of boards in a few years time, hardboots do that to people.........

HI DAVEO

The Man, The Myth, The Legend @pauleleven!!! How are things mate?!

You got me. I'm a K168 fanboy, but I'm not the only one! But maybe I was the first one 😉

When someone says they just started snowboarding so they're gonna buy a Thirst, F2 bindings and RC12 boots I just assume that it is a financial priority and hey why not just do it properly the first time 😄

@Pythmere Just don't rush it. Try to get it as right as possible from the get go, that's why I reckon look into the Mountain Slope boots. @Jack M is selling his new K168- would probably only be slightly more expensive than a brand new Thirst, but you can rest easy at night knowing it's the board of kings and you'll keep it until the end of time. No hype, no nonsense, just magic. I mean, if the plate führer rides one, it must be good.

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Welcome! 

+1 on getting Regular Binding instead of step-in.  Keep it simple initially.

SLC got lots of carvers.  Take advantage of the ride board and meet up with the local riders.  We are a small but I often find generous community.  I/we are also gear hoarders so demo is def possible.

Getting the boots to fit properly is #1.
2nd part is finding a board with the right flex for your weight. 
IMHO:  If I were to do it again:  I would start with something softer to getting used to what decamber/initiated the turn feel like.  As you progress; the world is your oyster and go crazy.

Tech article on selecting board:

http://alpinesnowboarder.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/How-to-Buy-an-Alpine-Snowboard.pdf

Typically quivers start with 3 boards:
Start with something in 175 length -- good "all around" carver.
Then SL something in 160
Then GS something in 185

Then it goes crazy from there....

Have fun and keep us updated.

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I’ll chime in here as a resident Thirst fan: if I was to pick a board from any manufacturer to spend my first season on, it would be the Superconductor. 

The biggest difference between Thirsts and other boards is that due to the WARP asym core, there’s no need for front to back weight shifts during the turn, so there’s less to work on as you sort out your technique. You ride centred and stay there. It’s this same lack of front to back shift that some riders find off putting when riding one of Marks boards for the first time. 

The K168 is a very highly regarded board by everyone who’s ridden one (as far as I know, I’ve never heard a single even slightly negative comment about one), but for a rider with no established technique and nothing to unlearn the Thirst might be better suited. 

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Get your boots and bindings sorted first. You can mess round with set up on your current board.

Depending on your size (?) you may be able to find 2 really nice used boards for the price of a new SuperC (3 for a K168) that you can ride, compare and form a baseline of what woks for you. As you are riding most days the variety will be a bonus.

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  • 2 weeks later...
3 minutes ago, jburk said:

Nice score on the board!  Is that a 168?  Nothing like starting out right. 

It is a 180 actually, got a really good deal on it. I imagine its going to be a little hard to tame at first haha
Mark said the SC should come in the latter part of February.

 

 

Edited by Pythmere
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Looking good. First day on hardboots on a Kessler with 12-19m scr. Second season snowboarding? I think you're doing better than basically everyone on this forum at the same stage. Plus you're already doing better than me at my best haha. Keep at it! 

Edited by daveo
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On 1/16/2019 at 10:58 AM, jburk said:

there’s no need for front to back weight shifts during the turn, so there’s less to work on as you sort out your technique. You ride centred and stay there. It’s this same lack of front to back shift that some riders find off putting when riding one of Marks boards for the first time. 

Wow, that’s a great description of how my Kesslers works. Really though, this should be true with most modern high end boards. Haven’t been on a thirst so not sure if I’m missing something special. Sometimes I read people’s descriptions of riding one and it’s exactly how I described riding a Kessler or coiler NSR coming from old stuff like sims burners or something and makes me wonder what that guy was on before the thirst?

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