UMD Alpine Snowboarder

[Bretting14]

I hard booted for the last two years for UMD and would love some help gaining more knowledge about how to proficiently carve my way through a race course, I met 2 hardbooters last year and spirit mountain and they told me to check out this forum!  I also have questions about risers for my board.  Thank you in advance!  

[MNSurfer]

I have nothing on racing, but welcome aboard! It's early in the season, but thought this was worth a Bump.

 

Plates are the CD-vs.-Vinyl of the alpine world. Personally I have a love/hate relationship with them. I have Bomber V2 and Donek AF plates, interchangeably riding them on a Proteus and a REV. The level of "fun" seems to really depend on conditions; Too hard, and it feels dangerous, too soft and it's really easy to pearl. Which is just as dangerous. If conditions are right, I'll spend half-a-day on a plate, but inevitably I find myself back in the safety and comfort of bindings-to-board. You just have more to think about, with a plate, and that can be mentally tiring. 

Racing with a plate might be an entirely different subject. 

Also, my aversion to plates comes from all the hardware. We put a lot of stress on gear, and stuff breaks. Adding 12-odd more screws and a bunch of sliding/moving parts to the mix makes me happy to be put the plate away, and thankful nothing got broke. Myself, mostly.

 

-Brian

[bigwavedave]

One of the most helpful tips I received was to focus 2-3 gates ahead, not at the next gate. That really helped me find a good carved line. That said, racers often use some sliding/drifting technic to adjust their track more directly through the course. For them, it's not all about carving, but finding the fastest way to the finish. 

The main benefit of plates (assuming by "risers", you mean plates (it gets confusing because hardboot bindings used to be referred to as plate bindings)) is that they smooth out your ride through a rutted up race course. 

The best way to start would be with something like these Carve Geckos. They smooth things out a bit with less loss of board feel. You hardly know they're under your feet except that you don't feel the ruts as much.

...or talk to Sean at Donek about his F-plate. That would be a step up from the Geckos in muting out the ruts. It should work nice on your 163fc. My understanding is that they are not as stiff as the similar Vist plate.

Consider entering some upper midwest USASA races where you'll be surrounded by lots of alpine riders and equipment. And you might pick up some good tips and advise.

If you're really serious about upping your game, see if the G-Team has any opportunity to sit in on some on-the-hill training sessions. Even though they're geared toward youngsters, the G-Team alpine program is one of the best in the country.

I have a couple of boards set up with plates, Geckos on one and a Bomber Boilerplate on another. You're welcome to give them a test ride this winter if you like.

 

[bobble]

@Bretting14 buck hill has hosted race to the cup. not sure what the plans are for this season. might be worthwhile to check it out if comes back to buck hill.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Txl7wgTN4/

almost ever racer has a riser on their board. i recall seeing a lot of allflex plates. large percentage of racers had Point 951 boots or UPZ. 

for snowboards... oxess, kesslers and doneks.

for bindings... F2 bindings. there might've been a handful of TD3s.

seeing so many high end boards in the ski racks at buck is a strange sight to behold.

it's an arms race. you know its bad when China shows up to the local ski hill (from 2019).
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5_EO8Xg0Fi/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5_Ea7lAeX2/

off topic... while looking for these photos, i came across a photo i took of the coach from China. the back of his jacket had China emblazoned on it and was perfectly framed in the chair. for some reason, instagram edited the photo and erased China from his jacket. hard to see but it was definitely edited. fncking lame.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ipRQbgjAf/

good luck to your racing season. you might see me up at spirit... someday.

Edited October 17, 2021 by bobble

[Bretting14]

On 10/14/2021 at 10:41 AM, bigwavedave said:

One of the most helpful tips I received was to focus 2-3 gates ahead, not at the next gate. That really helped me find a good carved line. That said, racers often use some sliding/drifting technic to adjust their track more directly through the course. For them, it's not all about carving, but finding the fastest way to the finish. 

The main benefit of plates (assuming by "risers", you mean plates (it gets confusing because hardboot bindings used to be referred to as plate bindings)) is that they smooth out your ride through a rutted up race course. 

The best way to start would be with something like these Carve Geckos. They smooth things out a bit with less loss of board feel. You hardly know they're under your feet except that you don't feel the ruts as much.

...or talk to Sean at Donek about his F-plate. That would be a step up from the Geckos in muting out the ruts. It should work nice on your 163fc. My understanding is that they are not as stiff as the similar Vist plate.

Consider entering some upper midwest USASA races where you'll be surrounded by lots of alpine riders and equipment. And you might pick up some good tips and advise.

If you're really serious about upping your game, see if the G-Team has any opportunity to sit in on some on-the-hill training sessions. Even though they're geared toward youngsters, the G-Team alpine program is one of the best in the country.

I have a couple of boards set up with plates, Geckos on one and a Bomber Boilerplate on another. You're welcome to give them a test ride this winter if you like.

 

I might have to take you up on that offer Dave!  I’m always looking for new things to try to improve my game.  That’s partly the reason I upgraded my $20 garage sale board I made it to nationals on, to a brand new Donek that is actually made for me. Thanks in advance!

[Bretting14]

Race to the cup sounds like a lot of fun, I have been reading about it but still have some questions if I ever catch up with any of you this year at spirit mountain or any of our races I’d love to ask some questions!