What made you start hardbooting?

[Pow]

To this day, I have no idea. Would love to know. I've never seen anybody completely buttonhole (and ride out of it) since then. Seen some close tries...

my money is on Klug.

[lonbordin]

Got bored with softies... liked the carve more than any other aspect...

Read BOL for more than a year before I decided to get an account and by some goods.

Thanks BOL!

PS- Yup, a 2003 thread resurrected in 2005 brought back to life in 2013, it even has a circle carve story in it!

[NSSage]

I started because that is how my mom started snowboarding in the 80's and I thought it looked cool. Also from watching racing videos and the extreme carving guys.

[b0ardski]

nice resurrection.

I started hardbooting around '87 'cause my Sorels sucked but my Merrells rocked:biggthump

[Puddy Tat]

+1 to Shred for bringing this one back from the dead.

Started riding softies in '91 but always loved the feeling of railing turns on groom. Then I saw Peter and Jean ripping the snot out of some groom in about '94 in a Burton video. My mind was blown. Picked up an Oxygen FR-67 some Fritzchi binders, and Raichle 121s. Rode it occasionally and loved it but had a tremendous amount of pain. Moved and got out of riding in '96.

Came back in 2007 and decided to ride plates exclusively, replaced the boots and discovered boot fitting OMG! Hooked up with the Calgry crew in 2011 and discovered what I was doing wrong. The feeling has only gotten better since then.

Dave.

[piusthedrcarve]

Started riding softies in '91 but always loved the feeling of railing turns on groom. Then I saw Peter and Jean ripping the snot out of some groom in about '94 in a Burton video. My mind was blown. Picked up an Oxygen FR-67 some Fritzchi binders, and Raichle 121s. Rode it occasionally and loved it but had a tremendous amount of pain. Moved and got out of riding in '96..

Ha. I also started with Oxygen FR-57 with Oxygen bindings with Raichle 125 in '97 by accident. My Czech. friend brought the setup from his home and left them with me. While I was bored teaching snowboarding in Bretton Wood, one day, I took the setup and rode and fell in love with carving. Then, broke forward ankle twice (on softbooting) in '00 and '02 and my riding was done. Then came back in '07.

[scrutton]

I blame Peter Bauer and Jean Nerva - making all those slick videos. Then some of my friends got into it. That was the setup.

The catalyst was my board going missing at the end of the day. So, I stopped by the snowboard store, and picked up a PJ 6.3/Burton hard shell boots/bindings.

[Pusbag]

Mine is my koflach mountaineering boots were worn completely out and I was tired of making 3 buckle bindings. So it was time to move on. The only option was to migrate to hardboots and plates.

[icebiker]

Started in 87 with three straps and swore by them for ages, repairing them when they broke (and scouring eBay for wayward pairs). But in 1998 or so I was in Switzerland on business and colleagues suggested spending the weekend skiing at Wengen. When we got to town on Friday night and hit the rental shops, I was pysched to learn they rented boards, but they only had hardboot/plate setups. I'd never ridden in them, and loathed the idea of getting back into hardboots like I used to wear for the few times I skied before discovering 'boarding. They were Raichle's with step in bindings. I was blown away. LOVED it. Alas, upon returning the US, I couldn't find anyone that carried such a set up, and didn't discover BOL until about 05, so I persevered on softies for the longest time. Finding BOL and the awesome community of like-minded riders was the real turning point. With ya'll's help I've learned a ton, got a hardbooting set up that suits me perfectly, and it's only gonna get better as I put more effort into it (and hopefully attend ECES or SES a few times).

[bruincounselor]

I learned to ride on a new Burton M6 with three strap bindings - It just made sense to me. I was never a skier or softboot rider. By the end of the season I had Megaflex boots on my feet. I was the only carver at my local hill for many seasons and got lots of help from friends who were ski racers - my style is still very upright. Four pairs of boots and many boards later I stil ride.

[modifiede30]

I started almost the same time I learned to snowboard. Around 2000, my wife and I were at Waterville Valley and I decided to take a snowboard lesson - I had skied since probably 1985. I grew up skateboarding - half-pipes but mainly old school street boarding - snowboarding seemed like a better fit so I took a lesson. The snowboarding came to me really fast - by days end, I was pretty comfortable. That same weekend, I happened to see this guy cruising on the edges of the slopes on a snowboard but he was much more graceful than the typical boarder I had seen to that point. I happened to run into the hard booter I had seen in the bar that weekend and while talking I learned about carving in very basic terms. Within a few weeks of that weekend, I purchased a soft boot setup with step-in bindings and a carving board. About 6 months later, I purchased a set of Burton hard-boots, and the rest is history. I've been in hard boots exclusively since and haven't stepped into skis or soft boots since (except a month ago when we had a large snow in VT and I decided to go powder riding for the first time).

I can't exactly explain my reasons for wanting to carve more than traditional soft booting - I suppose it started as an interest in how much more refined/graceful it seemed - much closer to carving things up on skis which was my style with skis. As I started to learn, my interest grew to include a need to conquer the carve, the inherent speed and the exhilaration of holding an edge. I could probably go on about the various reasons for my dedication to carving and how it developed, but I have to admit that had I not run into the carver back in that bar, and had a chance to learn a little about it, I'm not sure I'd have a carving passion today.

Simply stated, the more the carving community shares some of these reasons for carving with those who express and interest, the larger this community will likely grow.

Edited January 10, 2014 by modifiede30

[Tugboater]

I only started recently but was motivated by several factors. One was my age, I'll be 43 in a month and am just too old and have too much responsibility to my family to go and get smashed up in the park. Second was the elitist in me, I love doing stuff that makes other go "What the hell is that?". This has led me to most of my life choices as my oddball job can attest. Third but not last was seeing some guy in a cowboy hat and hard boots up at Sunday River back in the early 90's laying down carves with his armpit 3" off the snow. It looked so cool, I wondered how he was able to get down like that. Now I'm finally in a position to start working on my carving and hopefully influence some others to become carvers like us.

And I agree this was a good necro-post.

Edited January 10, 2014 by Tugboater

[bigwavedave]

I started because that is how my mom started snowboarding in the 80's and I thought it looked cool.

I suspect, if this thread lives long enough, we will see more answers like, "my mom/dad made me do it".

[mbedle]

It was simple, I was riding on an old burton board (AMP 6) using Timberland pack boots. Stopped by a shop in Vermont after riding and they talked me into trying out Burton hard boot binding and Nordica SBH boots. Never looked back at that point. Think it might have been around 94 when I switched over.

[breeseomatic]

in the mid 90's when I learned to board, my snowboard instructor was wearing hard boots. After the 2 hour lesson I asked about the difference in equipment and I was given a demo. From that point on that's all I could think about.

[Mucknbullets]

Only swapped over last year by buying boots and board off eBay. Have boarded on and off for nigh on 20 years but never felt properly attached to the board (always ratcheted till feet went numb. Oh and get horrendous heel lift). Went to Bardonecchia in Italy with my pal (who skis) and saw lines of guys coming down the hill all on hard setups. Turns out to be an instructor in Italy you have to learn hard and soft. Because of all the instructor lessons there was no kit to hire in resort but mind was made up. I still can't carve for toffee as keep using my old school throw shoulders into every turn style but back to Italy in a week and going to book a private lesson or 2 to improve my technique. Already out run my ski mate so god only knows what I will be like once I can do decent speed turns :)

[patmoore]

Interesting to see older posts from folks who no longer post here.

In the winter of 96/97 I had just resumed skiing following a 34 year absence from the sport and had also taken my one and only snowboard lesson. I was riding the lift at Okemo's south face when I saw a hardbooter do a 360 Eurocarve around a skier sitting in the snow. It blew me away. I found a ski shop (now defunct) in CT that had a 154 Hot Shine for sale. I bought it on the spot and still own it.

[Tabatha]

I was getting comfortable on my soft set-up, but it wasn't working for me. I knew I never wanted to play in the park and do tricks, but I loved being on the snow (and I have never skied). I spent a lot of time on the ski hill with a carver (Ian) and watching him carve it up was like watching a fine dance; it was amazing. I started hinting that I wanted to learn so he found a cheap Oxygen, I rented ski boots and while I couldn't even stand up the first day i was hooked. It was the most amazing feeling every - and I wasn't even carving.

[SunSurfer]

Skiing, riding a chairlift at Mt Hutt in the early 1990s. An Asian hardbooter below me rides down leaving a sinuous, graceful, smooth line behind, looking like mercury flowing down the mountain.

"I have got to learn to do that!"

Started in 2008, and expect to be learning till I take my last ride.

Carving is the most beautiful way of descending a mountain, it has an aesthetic all of its' own.

[leeho730]

Started in 2005 with rental salomon ski boots, snowpro binding and some really old directional alpine board. Didn't really take it seriously, went out with hardboot gear maybe once a month, until I saw "Lifted" by Extremecarving team.