jtslalom Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 After riding my soft board this year I've decided to get another board. I want a 160 - 170 freeride board thats stiff for a soft board. I need it wide so not to get to drag. Probably about 25cm at the waist. I will be riding this board as a soft board with soft ride bindings. Please suggest boards that you have personally ridden and like as a FREESRIDE board, not as a hard deck. Any suggestions will be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nekdut Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Easy, Donek Incline 168. I think it has a 24-25cm waist. Fairly stiff and carves well, but wide enough for the fluff, bumps, trees etc. You cant beat the price either ($360). If you boot out, go for the wide or the sasquach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Originally posted by jtslalom After riding my soft board this year I've decided to get another board. I want a 160 - 170 freeride board thats stiff for a soft board. I need it wide so not to get to drag. Probably about 25cm at the waist. I will be riding this board as a soft board with soft ride bindings. Please suggest boards that you have personally ridden and like as a FREESRIDE board, not as a hard deck. Any suggestions will be helpful. I have the Donek Incline 155 and it is a great stiff freeride board (while it carves amazingly, it is nothing like an alpine board, even All-Mtn ones like the Donek Axis). I've been riding it with Burton P1MD bindings, which are noticeably softer than the Catek Freerides I previously had on the Incline. However, it is narrow (24.10 cm waist for all the models, even the 168 nekdut mentioned) though such that I occasionally get boot drag on it even with size 8 feet AND a riser plate (Palmer and later Catek FR). As such, I would suggest the Donek Wide as I'm told it ride almost exactly the same as my Incline. Actually, had I know about the boot drag beforehand, I would have gotten the Wide myself. Between 160, 164 or 168 depending on how stiff and long you want and how much you weight. I'm 5'8" 150 lbs and the 155 is pretty stiff board for me. Sean Martin has posted that he is 185 lbs and he used to ride the 155 a lot, but now rides the 160 most of the time. The other board I've personally ridden that's a great freeride board is the Salomon Definition that I think is actually a bit *stiffer* than the Donek Incline - has better edgehold too (has a ~25cm waist) the tradeoff was that it was less manueverable at slower speeds (such as when you are weaving in between trees or setting up for a rail in the park). But at speed it was great... stiffer, damp, and great edgehold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 The Inclines are 24.1 cm at the waist. I have an older 168 (from about 1997), I boot out too easily w/ size 8 Salomon Malamutes and 27/18 angles, but not as easily if I go to Catek FR bindings at the same angles and same boots, with no extra lift. I prefer my Wide 161 which is a 2001/02 model, due to the fact that I never boot out and it's a lot more springy. I am a huge fan of the Donek freeride boards in general and would recommend them to anyone who wants a freeride board that can carve but is quite versatile. The beauty of the Doneks is you don't *need* to go with the longest length in order to get something that has some stability - look at the sidecuts and effective edges, both numbers are bigger than the same size boards from most other makers. Some non-alpiners will say that the Incline/Wide/Sasquatch are hard to turn at low speeds and unfriendly in the bumps and trees. I love the way mine handles in all of the above. BTW I'm 195 pounds and the Wide 161 is supportive with room to spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Donek Incline is a great freeride board. I rode mine (160 version)with hardboots and plates. For a couple of years, it was my hard deck. Best carving freeride board that I've tried. My other freeride boards were Burton Supermodel and Burton Aysm Air. It would my choice if I could only have one board. But once I got a good quiver, the Incline lost it's riding time. It's the jack-of-all trades board, but master of none. I think the Donek website recommends going to one of the wider versions of the Incline if you have a boot size bigger than 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I like the Never Summer Premier. I think it's a 25.5 cm waist. I have a 161 from 3 or 4 years ago, and it is tough as nails. It's pretty stiff, pretty damp, and really heavy (which I like for freeride boards - I feel like I get bounced around by chop less). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sierra Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I've love my Nitro Shogun 160. It's 25.2 in the waist, super stable and has loads of camber. It's very stiff (I'm 175 lbs.) but still lively and holds extemely well for a 160. It's a great all-arounder for softie carving, bumps, trees, etc. (too stiff for jib type freestyle though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Steepwater 170. Steep is 24.8, Plow is 25.5 11m scr, quite stiff. no question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrokel Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I fourth (or was it fifth or sixth??? :) ) on the Incline. Softboots, hardboots, hardpack, powder, carve, jump (I don't do the jib thing so can't say anything about that), sliding, edging it does it all with ease and control. I need a bit more edge for ice but that's a board choice issue and not about the design. I'm probably on the light side for the 160 (140 lbs) but I love it anyways. I would also like to try the Steepwater Steep and the Rad-Air Tankers at some point. They have a bigger SCR and from what I hear they hold up well in HB's as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slopetool Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 For you, I'd say the first choice should be a Rad-Air Tanker 172. Or maybe a Winterstick Tom Burt 172. Or howabout an Arbor signiture 170. just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skully Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I'm going to agree with slopetool. Look at the Rad-Airs. The tankers are great. Also look at the projects. I just got a LSD Lamm, haven't ridden it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Or... If you could talk the Madd guys into selling you one of their BX prototypes, those are fun too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Sub Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Im still sayin steepwater:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdboytyler Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 JT, so did you impress everybody at "Carvers Gone Wild" with your softboot carving skills? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtslalom Posted March 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 gdboytyler, I went up to Vermont late on Saturday night (driving through the snow storm) the weekend of Carvers Gone Wild. I stayed at a friends house who did not want to ride at Okemo. We ended up going to Killington. The snow was really soft so we spent most of the time in the trees. We hit some groomers and carved some good lines. It was nice. I saw 2 hard riders that day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest itodd Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 I ride a 161 donek incline wide. The only complaint i have is that it's hard to manuever in the trees. that's not even a valid complaint really. that'd be like complaining that your sports car stinks for offroading. the 161 wide carves like a dream. I'm on my wide in my avatar but i must say i didn't come up on that carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnasmo Posted March 23, 2005 Report Share Posted March 23, 2005 I've been riding a Burton Triumph 169 when soft booting this year and really like it. I know it's pretty mainstream for this crowd, but it's been fun to ride. Pretty stiff. Wide but not super wide. It's got a tighter sidecut radius than hard core carvers will want, but then again, that's what the hard boot setup is for. I prefer soft boot freeriding for powder days and off-piste, and I've been happy with the Triumph for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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