Donek Incline

[scottishsurfer]

So at the start of february I eventually got to let the Donek off the chain and ride her outdoors after a year of being trapped riding artifical snow indoors. So here's my thoughts on the board and the changes i will probably make for my next custom.



Spec's
Donek Incline   = 162cm
Waist width      = 29.5cm
Sidecut              = 9-11m
Profile                =some camber with no rocker that i can see
flex                     =stiff non directional
edge                   =0 degree base 87degree side

Rider
height          =180cm
weight         = 92kg
Bindings      =Karakoram prime connect-ci
stance         =56cm wide 33/-3 regular
Boots           =10.5 US Modified Salomon lofi(almost no flex at the ankle)
experience = 5 years riding(10-20hours a week all year round)

So after my intial taste of carving on an ultra wide with the SG Soul 159XT I placed an order after a little discussion with Sean for a Donek Incline. The SG i always saw as a stepping stone board to something bigger stiffer and more agressive and that was exactly my intention upon specing the Donek. Ordering was fairly straight forward filling out the form, listing what i was looking for in my new ride and after about 4 weeks and a somewhat nervous wait i had her in my excited hands. After a quick wax i took her for a quick spin at my local indoor slope. Inital impressions were very positive it was significantly stiffer and exactly what i ordered. The biggest improvement over the SG was the stiff core with uniform stiffness through its length, I had spec'd this due to the SG having a directional flex which was resonable stiff in the tail medium between the feet and a soft rockered nose. The rockered soft nose led to the SG having a bad habit of occasionally wanting to fold if to heavily weighted on turn initation or if it ran into soft grabby snow/chunder if would try to deflect or climb ultimately leading to the turn becoming incredibly sharp. The donek on the other hand is stiff from tip to tail as result its very supportive if you weight heavily fore/aft whilst turning, also where the SG would try to climb when it ran into chunder the Donek will punch through which for me is much more desirable trait. The donek compared to the SG was also a harder board to ride intially but i could tell right away in terms of potential it had far far more to offer.

Edge to edge going 27.5cm to 29.5cm was pretty much identical interms of how quick it would change edges but to be honest i found no difference going 26.5 to 27.5 either. I'm now of the opinion rightly or wrongly slow edge changes on ultra wides is a technique problem vs a design problem, alot of people that try ultra wides or wides in general simply just dont have the technique down to drive a board edge to edge with any sort of speed and as result struggle.

Anyway after a year riding in captivity it was time to breakout into the wilds of bulgaria. All i can say is wow if i thought the board rode well indoors but outdoors on real snow it revolutionary. The first  2 days were best described as hard snow verging on ice and where as my friends and everyone else on there off the shelf twins were sliding around struggling for grip while I was carving having the time of my life. Part of this is in part probably due to the fact i run a very agressive edge in terms of angle and keeping it sharp but there were times i really did feel like a freak of nature for how i was able to ride given the conditions. The board proved to be very predictable and stable and just like when i rode it in doors more than cappable of punching through end of day chunder and chop.

For a board being so wide it carried speed very very well if you dont know bansko there is a green run that goes from the top gondola station to the bottom station in town that is pretty much flat at the top and bottom of the run. With some very mild edging it just kept on going even through the flat sections where almost every other snowboarder was unstrapping and skating or skiers punting the donek just kept on going along on its merry way.

The third day was powder and unsuprisingly it had all the float of a ocean liner. Big wide open pow runs were effortless in terms of banking turns, for a board this size unless you were to purposly over weight the nose its pretty much unsinkable but alegedly so was the titanic.

The remaining days of my trip were more or less a repeat of the first days but with soft almost summer like snow in the afternoon. The biggest thing i took from riding the donek was it allowed me to confirm to myself just how far i had improved as a rider since my last trip, It allowed me to carve no matter if it was a steep hard snow verging on ice black run or a soft spring like snow blue/green run. I cant say enough good things about it and how much fun i had riding it but that doesnt mean i dont plan a few tweaks to my next board.....

1 increase in length to 166
2 true hammerhead shape(flux/saber)
3 increase in sidecut radius to 15-12
4 more camber(current one only has about 3-4mm)
5 Stiffer again

Basically i just want something bigger again and even more aggressive to force me to up my game and improve as a rider even further.

For anyone considering a Donek Incline if you spec it correctly for your needs they are simply incredible boards and in my opionion very much live up to the hype.
 

 

[Emdee406]

Looking great @scottishsurfer! You’d look at home in one of the Korean videos you admire!

[scottishsurfer]

Thanks @Emdee406 it's that style of Asian carving that I try to emulate for the most part. Mines is a little different due to stance and that I throw some BASI style pedaling into the mix for sidecut manipulation

[Emdee406]

On 2/19/2020 at 11:57 PM, scottishsurfer said:

Thanks @Emdee406 it's that style of Asian carving that I try to emulate for the most part. Mines is a little different due to stance and that I throw some BASI style pedaling into the mix for sidecut manipulation

You have a BASI background? Cool! I was one of the gang of 6 who wrote the original BASI snowboard manual. 
I was a trainer for 20yrs before I moved to Utah. 

[scottishsurfer]

BASI to an extent in that was how i was intially taught to snowboard due to being in scotland where your instructor is generally going to be BASI or CASI. That and im friends with a few of BASI level 2 and 3 instructors that helped me improve alot when i was starting to take my riding more serious. Now its somewhat of a running joke that my style of riding is perfectly textbook it just happens to be every single text book i could find on different styles chucked into a blender then threw at the wall to see what sticks!

[Mr.E]

Those Inclines are wild boards. I have an original fabric top sheet model, eventually replaced with the modern take. Mine is 169cm 11/13m and a 21cm waist for hardboots, but it's a very versatile and bombproof board. 

Looking good on yours. Enjoy and keep ripping.

[Aluba]

did you set your binding towards the back?

[scottishsurfer]

No just the standard reference stance of 56cm there is a bit of setback already built into the board already so never felt the need to set the board back even in powder

[bigwavedave]

 

[Modobigdog]

NICE VID BRO. I HAD AN INCLINE SO I DO KNOW THAT BOARD HOLDS A CARVE.  LOOKAT GETTING ANOTHER DONEK   JUST NOT SURE WHICH ONE I WANT THIS TIME. GOOD JOB LOOKING GOOD. MODO FROM COLORADO

[Rob Stevens]

As a two term president of CASI, I extend my most genuine appreciation for that heel turn. 

[scottishsurfer]

Thanks @Rob Stevens I cant say I was ever taught CASI style but two of my good friends are level 2 instructors and ive always enjoyed picking there brains talking technique

[Deuxdiesel]

Nice riding! It's fun to see great carving on snow that is not perfectly groomed.  The linked short radius turns are interesting because you can see how much effect a really wide board has on the transition from edge to edge.  I wear 29.5's and have 36/33 angles on my 27.0 wide boards and I can definitely feel the "blocky-ness" of those cross-under turns compared to more narrow boards.  

[BennyBones69]

Im not sure how the myth wide boards transition slow looking at my transitions there instant IF i want it to be, even if im not trying usually quicker than anything else i see on the hill. very few people ride on there edges. 

2 years ago went 27.5 flagship loved it its an incredible board that i could push my carves on but eventually tapped it out  on size 10.5 boot heel and toe drag. next summer got a used Donek Incline 164 29.5 wide. nobody could understand why so wide why but i couldn't be bother to explain. Turns out it was the one Knapton reviewed in this YT video (same serial number that was cool). I instantly turned into the most notable carver at my hill never had so many "how the hell u do that" =P im just having fun. I never noticed a soft nose like you mentioned and this was an old board...  Instantly sold on the style of board so next summer purchased a 172 BX Saber 30 cm wide very stiff 11-14m sidecut huge camber(its amazing to be able to talk to Sean for a custom build). and size 9 custom x boot. I riide freestyle stance. Only had 4 days in it because of corona last season, 

Once i got used to big side cut, it destroys chatter, makes trenches so easy, very friendly board but also absolutely deadly, feeds on the best technique you can give. I actually made the front page of the local paper they happed to be there that day(link https://www.elliotlakestandard.ca/news/mother-and-son-skiers-a-different-challenge) it definitely gets tough to ride on ice  n obviously not a tree board,  ill choose my flagship on that. Donek will build you anything you want and Sean's advice and experience is priceless when creating your 100% custom build. I find it incredible the builds can be under 1000 Canadian. mine was 1200 i think.You basically have to get a custom build to get the width you need for carving like Ryan K. hard to find over 27.5 wide is not enough to lay over even with my size 9 boots and medium bindings

 

Best 1200$ Ive spent you definitely have to know what you want which you do, but Sean is the most helpful guy. I recently narrow'd my stance as a  instructor suggested, allows you to really bend and flex the board which works the sidecut, i used to ride Sasquatch but it defiantly works! never would have thought!

Nice riding Bro!!

as a first post this is an awesome group

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by BennyBones69
more info added

[BennyBones69]

 

On 4/15/2020 at 2:27 PM, bigwavedave said:

 

I have that board right now! instantly changed my preferred riding style from charging jumping and back country to extreme carving almost eurocarving the g force is incredible as u know, i could never carve like that with regular wide boards  now i even get complements from the snobby ski racers for my turns lol

Edited June 16, 2021 by BennyBones69