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Which board is stiffer?


Pokolikrat

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Both boards would seem to have some variation in flex....

I spoke to Sean at some length about the flex on the Donek FC series. He essentially said that that he softened the entire FC series for this season after feedback from multiple sources that they had been too stiff for the past couple of seasons. I would concur; I demoed one that I am guessing was from 03-04 and it was incredibly stiff, even for my 195 pounds. Other non-FC Doneks that I've ridden - Axis in several sizes, a CMC 186 and a CMC 210 - had had an IMHO much friendlier flex.

I bought a Madd 170 last year, and while it behaved beautifully as advertised on smooth ice, I found it too soft on anything else - even bumpy hardpack, the ride got really chaotic. However the Madd 170 now comes in several different flexes, I might have liked the "stiff flex" just fine.

So in my sampling, the FC 171 was MUCH MUCH stiffer than the Madd 170. Anyone who says the boards are similar, obviously didn't try SnowPerformances's "flame topsheet" 171 and my former Madd.

I sold my Madd because I really have little need for a smooth-ice-only board; especially given that they do a lot of morning grooming at Mt Bachelor which tends to loosen icy surfaces somewhat. I could have replaced it with a "stiffer" Madd 170 from this year, but I opted to go with a Donek FcI 175w/ Olympic for a few bucks more. Based on my conversation with Sean, the new "softer" FC series + Olympic upgrade is just waht I am looking for.

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I agree with Mike. The Donek FC 171 is noticibly stiffer than the Madd 170. I haven't tried Sean's latest FC's from 05/06 and those are supposed to be softer.

I am a little lighter than Mike, at 185lbs, but I don't feel the Madd was unusable on anything other than pure ice. Different riding styles or aggressiveness perhaps? My usual choice for a typical carving day is a Madd 170. :D

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I agree with Mike. The Donek FC 171 is noticibly stiffer than the Madd 170. I haven't tried Sean's latest FC's from 05/06 and those are supposed to be softer.

I am a little lighter than Mike, at 185lbs, but I don't feel the Madd was unusable on anything other than pure ice. Different riding styles or aggressiveness perhaps? My usual choice for a typical carving day is a Madd 170. :D

Perhaps. Or, perhaps your 170 is stiffer than mine was. I've been led to believe there was some variation in the early batches...

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I have 2 170s (Red vs Green sidewalls) and will do a back to back comparison as soon as the snow covers up the rocks. We'll see if there is at least a difference between the two I have.

Actually, I have a number of comparisons that I will write up and post in a month or two all with identical bindings/boots on the same runs on the same day. I am going to run the 170s back to back for a weekend. Then I'll do a 158 comparo, old vs new, as I know this was a hotly debated topic last season. And finally I'll write up a review of the Madd 180 vs a Coiler PR188 WCC. You have one of these Coilers as well too right Mike?

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I have 2 170s (Red vs Green sidewalls) and will do a back to back comparison as soon as the snow covers up the rocks. We'll see if there is at least a difference between the two I have.

Actually, I have a number of comparisons that I will write up and post in a month or two all with identical bindings/boots on the same runs on the same day. I am going to run the 170s back to back for a weekend. Then I'll do a 158 comparo, old vs new, as I know this was a hotly debated topic last season. And finally I'll write up a review of the Madd 180 vs a Coiler PR188 WCC. You have one of these Coilers as well too right Mike?

I look forward to reading it! Yep, I have a PR188, mine is Superboard.

On another note: It's been about 20 years since I've lived someplace where it snows "at home" and not just "at the mountain". How the %$^& am I supposed to get any work done when I look out the window and it's snowing???

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