MNSurfer Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 (edited) Disclaimer: The following is just a bit of an IMHO-style rant. Your mileage will vary. After riding the last 10-days at Breck and Beaver (not another 'booter in-sight, less we count Ryan K and his Crew), I've come to the conclusion that... perhaps simpler is better? I've spent the last decade or more experimenting with Plates, Step-Ins, etc., and what I've come-away with is that, for a rider of my ability (eg. non-racer, not exactly EC on every turn), this is all just Noise. And dangerous noise, at that. A younger me had the time to inspect every bolt, tweak, ride, tweak some more, inspect, repeat. That younger me also didn't think much about the repercussions of gear failure. Now, creeping through my 40's with two little girls, the thought of being on the AIL from something as trivial as a cracked heel nut, has become terrifyingly real (just peruse the Forum). An injury-inducing accident is always possible, of course. However this seems to become exponentially more likely as you add more and more hardware. My most enjoyable days are without plates, and without heels. Just 4-bolts through the binding. I still enjoy the ride of my AF and V2 Plates, and step-ins help keep me charging (I only ride with skiers). With every laid-out turn, I can't quite get past the thought of hardware failure, and that Less Is More. So here we are, pulling-off heels, and converting bindings back to their original form. Part of me feels as if this is a step (or several) backwards. Has anyone else come "Full Circle"? Cheers, and thanks for listening to my little rant. -Brian Edited January 31, 2021 by MNSurfer spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRAZZ Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 It’s not a rant. I fully agree with you. Sometimes stepping back to something simpler is sooo rewarding. For me it’s like me owning the equipment rather than the equipment owning me if that makes any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 31, 2021 Report Share Posted January 31, 2021 2 hours ago, MNSurfer said: After riding the last 10-days at Breck and Beaver Ah the western snow... So soft and smooth... I went back to standards after my step-ins left me in a rental softboot setup a few years back. I can bend over... It's good for me. You can pry my Gecko plates off my board when I'm dead and gone in typical local conditions. When I'm out west who cares! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNSurfer Posted February 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2021 Well, it's good to know I'm not completely nuts. @JRAZZ nailed it, with equipment getting the better of you. Yes, @lonbordin there's nothing like being stranded in rental softboots. My Track 700's (two pairs, both fairly new) have busted more times than I care to count, leaving me "limping" down the mountain, then struggling to find a boot place that can/will fix them. My UPZ RC12's? Bulletproof. One or two more trips out West, yet this year. If this goes unused, to the Sale forum it goes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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