Donek Turner Freecarve (New Model)

[dredman]

After 3 years of working with Sean @Donek to come up with a new freecarving board, we got it down and have two versions, Mild and Spicy.  

We wanted an all day fun, easy rider, not beat the heck out of you which we got with the Mild version, and the Spicy is lively , energetic and demanding.  Which is also a riot but, exhausting to ride all day after the groomers get used up or if they were never that great in the first place

 

https://www.donek.com/product/freecarve/

 

[barryj]

1 hour ago, dredman said:

Mild version, and the Spicy

Hey Dred,

Very Interesting..... which bodes (quite) a few questions!

What was the impetus behind wanting/needing to add to the already very broad Donek lineup??

Where would you say this new model fits in the Donek lineup in relation to the Rev and the MK??

How about in comparison to a Coiler Angrry 163 and Rev 163  ?? 

I  assume it's not a one trick, one length pony like the MK.

1 hour ago, dredman said:

Spicy is lively , energetic and demanding.  Which is also a riot but, exhausting to ride all day

Exhausting...... like the infamous vibration/buzz of the MK or  what??

[dredman]

@barryj

@johnasmo and I asked Sean if we could come up with a new freecarve board for Donek.  One that would be great for beginners-advanced resort carvers, super friendly, intuitive feedback and just fun.  So off to work we went.  I was never a fan of sidecuts that start small and end big.  They always felt like they were constantly hunting for the sweet spot.  They have their place in racing, but not in freecarving IMO.  So we started with changing up some sidecut on the previous version Donek Freecarve, That board was too soft between the feet, but absolutely slayed the cut up powder on groomers. It did not behave at the level we wanted on firm groomers.  The second one we tweaked the flex to make it more even, that one is the Spicy version.  The third version we went with Donek's Secret construction.  That one we call the Mild.  It is an easy riding, super forgiving and fun carver.  It really does not care about the quality of the grooming or what time of day it is.  

I think we are comparing very different things, the Rev is a race board (small sidecut nose, big tail, don't finish the turn and accelerate like crazy into the next one) and the Anngry/MK is well a modern version of a beloved old design.  

Many length and SCR combos available.

The Mild version with the Secret Construction = very damp, reduced rebound rate after loading up board so less exhausting. 

[BlueB]

They sound like Donek version of Nirvana? 

[leeho730]

Mild seems like Contra in terms of slope conditions these boards were designed for. Would love to try 165 with 10m SCR and narrow waist and minimal taper…

Edited September 17, 2023 by leeho730

[dredman]

Here are the stock sizes for the New Turner FC

Length Waist  SCR

184      190     15 Gibson

174      190     12 Gibson

169     190      11 Gibson

163      190     10.5 Gibson

If you want to go wider, I would not recommend it.  Less forward angles take away from your body's own ability to absorb bumps. 

Of course you can go full custom at Donek.  

[rjnakata]

@dredmanInteresting.  What was your take on titanal vs non-titanal construction for this model?

Edited October 2, 2023 by rjnakata

[dredman]

@rjnakata

Depends…titanal boards ride differently between models, builders, amount/direction of glass, carbon, core, whatever…

For all day riding I like very damp boards with a slow rebound after flexing them. They will feel like a rug being dragged over irregularity in the grooming. Or a really high end downhill mountain bike, smooth and comfortable on the rough stuff.  This usually means a bunch of rubber/dampening material combined with a special core and or titanal. 

With the Mild Turner model we nailed it. Donek Secret construction is great! As good or better than my dampest other boards.   
 

We are working on filling the space between Mild and Spicy. Hopefully in the future we will have a Medium and Hot.  

[johnasmo]

On 9/15/2023 at 7:33 AM, BlueB said:

They sound like Donek version of Nirvana? 

 

On 9/15/2023 at 9:08 AM, leeho730 said:

Mild seems like Contra in terms of slope conditions these boards were designed for. Would love to try 165 with 10m SCR and narrow waist and minimal taper…

More the later than the former.  A Contra by any other name would ride as sweet.  I helped Sean to incorporate a version of the curvature accelerations and decelerations that make up a Contra shape into his build process.  Then we iterated builds providing feedback on flex until we found the sweet spot for Sean's proprietary core shaping math and lamination.  It fits into the lineup as an all new board; like no other Donek before it, but targeting the "freecarve" segment of the lineup.

Mild vs. spicy is about damping, not speed.  Spicy (standard construction) rebounds like glass, mild (secret construction) rebounds more like metal, although it is not metal.  What makes it friendly to beginners and advanced riders alike is the confident feedback and exceptional edge hold.  Confidence for beginners and intermediates to go faster and lower and advanced riders to go steeper and narrower.

I only had a chance to ride the final design in the "spicy" construction before I blew up my leg/ankle last spring (on a different board).  On a crisp spring morning, my impression was, "OMG, this thing is grippy and lively and fast; it's ready now."

Looking forward to hearing feedback besides Dave and I.