Good freeride board suggestions?

[Helvetico]

First off, let me apologize in advance for posting in this forum, which is, as far as I can tell, dedicated to slalom boards and hard boots. I ride a conventional board with soft boots, but am very intrigued by the prospect of trying a race board with hard boots. But let me get to question at hand.

I'm in the market for a good all-around board. I live in Switzerland, and just got back from riding deep powder at Engelberg on a Nidecker Megalight 164. It's a good board, but I'm thinking the 167 would be better. I tried carving it up a bit on the packed runs, but it felt too floppy. Is this just the nature of the beast?

I'm going to demo a Ride Timeless (if I can) in order to try out the added stiffness. It's supposedly a fast, stiff, good-carving board (for a conventional board), but I've read various anecdotes about how it sinks in the powder. Anyone have any thoughts on these set-ups?

I'm 38 and a rather boring rider...I just want to get down the mountain as fast as possible. I'm not interested in tricks, jumps, etc. I've gone nuts for powder lately, and am rather bored on-piste...unless it's very steep or very icy. Should I be thinking about a race board for packed powder days?

Sorry to include so many questions, but this forum seems so much better organized and together than most of the snowboarding stuff out there. If there's sage advice to proffer, I'm sure it's on here somewhere.

[Galen]

You may want to look at Rad-Air's line of boards. I've got the Reto-Lam and it is awesome. A lot of the hardbooters on this forum also swear by the Tanker.

[mirror70]

I'm a fan of the Atomic Alibi. Carves very well, floats well enough in powder, goes anywhere you want it to. It's available in sizes up to 166.

[Yard Sale]

Another vote for the Rad-Air Reto Lamm LSD. I agree that it is awesome.

[D-Sub]

not sure if you can get em in your country, but have a look at steepwater

and...Id venture that YES you would love a full blown carver, or even just an all mountain type alpine specific board.

[dantheman0177]

I'm going to demo a Ride Timeless (if I can) in order to try out the added stiffness. It's supposedly a fast, stiff, good-carving board (for a conventional board), but I've read various anecdotes about how it sinks in the powder. Anyone have any thoughts on these set-ups?

I have ridden the Ride Timeless and the Nation. In fact I actually bought the Nation and it was an awesome board but I realised it would be too long for me for short Australian mountains (I'm 5'7" and our hills are small). It was a great board for riding powder and on big mountains though. I rode it at Whistler and loved it. I sold it to a mate who is 6'3" and likes a longer board and he raves about it.

My replacement board though is a Prior MFR and that is just amazing. Seriously the nicest board I have ever ridden. It is not overly wide and I haven't ridden it in serious powder but we got 20-30cm one night last season and it seemed to perform pretty well. As a soft boot carving board though it is awesome. Give Chris a call and see if you can demo one of them some time. I highly recommend.

[philistine]

I'll second the steepwater suggestion made by D-sub. As a matter of fact, I bought a steepwater "steep 171" from him a few months ago. I LOVE IT.

I've never tried the air tankers, but I'm intrigued.

[snowboardfast]

Am currently riding a ride nation 168. Great board =works well in powder bumps steeps and any where. Have spent more time on this this year because snow is soft this year and I like to ride all mountain. I am using Phiokia fix bindings and DeluxeSpark soft boots with the plastic stiffeners added. Carves almost as good as hard boots. I have decided to ride hard boots on groomed snow only. I am like you I get bored just riding groomed snow. If you decide to get a hard boot setup keep your soft set up for all mountain.Race boards are fun if it hasn't snowed for a while and you want to carve harder. I am 185 and 5' 10''

[D-Sub]

I'll second the steepwater suggestion made by D-sub. As a matter of fact, I bought a steepwater "steep 171" from him a few months ago. I LOVE IT.

I've never tried the air tankers, but I'm intrigued.

hows that thing goin? tune come out ok? float well in all that snow youve gotten?

[surfinsmiley]

3rd vote for the Rad-Air line up.

LSD for an allrounder(bit stiff for powder though) or a big tanker for the Powder with good carvability on the groomers.

I think they originate from Switzerland too, built in the Volk factory! Good karma to support the local industry I reckon.

[philistine]

hows that thing goin? tune come out ok? float well in all that snow youve gotten?

The board is working out really well. It's ability to perform goes far beyond my capabilities. I can ride it as quickly and aggressively as I want and the board rides steady as a train. However, when I get on top of that steady train, I can wreck it. Board 100%, Me ~55%.

Actually, I never took it in for a tune up :o , I did what I could on my own with the p-tex, and it turned out pretty good. It was basically in great condition to start with.

I LOVE IT.

I finally saved up enough to buy some Catek Freeride Pros for it and I've been riding it everyday. My hardboots are calling, but I'm having too much fun on the steep.

Thanks again!

[Guest Zach Davis]

Helvetico,

The Nidecker Megalight is STRICTLY a powder board... I did some pretty extensive testing of it last year. It has various flex patterns, including a completely independent and sloppy nose. Interesting idea, but I can only imagine it really being a hit with true beginners.

For a good, all-around free-ride board, I'm a fan of the Donek, Incline series. Especially if you're planning on giving hard boots a try. The Inclines are built with waist widths that could work for either hard or soft boots, so they are good transitional shapes.

www.donek.com

Zach

[RJ-PS]

Yeah I gotta throw in my vote for the Tanker or LSD both would rock.

And you can support your countrymen, they're Swiss!

Just buy one from me, with the Euro on your side it would be cheaper then buying it there!

[D-Sub]

The board is working out really well. It's ability to perform goes far beyond my capabilities. I can ride it as quickly and aggressively as I want and the board rides steady as a train. However, when I get on top of that steady train, I can wreck it. Board 100%, Me ~55%.

Actually, I never took it in for a tune up :o , I did what I could on my own with the p-tex, and it turned out pretty good. It was basically in great condition to start with.

I LOVE IT.

I finally saved up enough to buy some Catek Freeride Pros for it and I've been riding it everyday. My hardboots are calling, but I'm having too much fun on the steep.

Thanks again!

right on, man. glad to hear it. yeah...it didnt need pro fingers really...just some elbow grease. I laid the Ptex on just a bit thick:)

[bobdea]

as are the rad air boards

there are a bunch of long boards that are fun depending on how stiff you want them and what width you want, for me with my 28.5 foot I like the

the old burton canyon 181, these are no longer made but can be found, these boards do it all.

been on the big tanker it was ill on the groom but a little narrow for my taste.

lib tech dough boy 193, decent board but not all that stable at speed when on the hardpack but it is a weapon when its deep.

Lib tech grocer, I really like this deck allot does everything pretty well.

Glissade big gun 195, probably the the best of bunch on the pow but a little sloppy on the groomed.

[D-Sub]

Should I be thinking about a race board for packed powder days?

did I already say YES YES YES! Emphatically YES?

you see...riding groomers without being able to carve just aint that fun. sure you can carve a good softboot board, no question about it, but its just not the same, SO...

get yourself a comfortable carving setup, and groomers are a BLAST again!

[Helvetico]

The Rad-Air Tanker looks pretty good, at least from what I've read on the Internet. What length should I get? I'm 180 cm. and 80 kg. (5' 11", 176 lbs.). I'm leaning toward the 172 because I'm afraid the 182 would be unwieldy on pistes. Is this a mistaken impression?

To summarize--I'm looking for a good one-board set-up that can handle deep powder but still do well at high-speed on the slopes. I don't do tricks...I just go downhill.

While I'm at it, are there any suggestions for bindings? I'm picking up a pair of Salomon Synapse Wide boots (I have to, I have 9EEE feet, so nothing else will fit). I've had very good experiences with Salomon bindings in the past, but am taken with Flow's design. Are they really that miserable in powder? They're just so damned ingenious.

Thanks in advance for all the good advice.

[flying_burito]

I have been riding a Buron Custom X 164 and the thing rides like it is on rails. Incredible edge hold in variable conditions, with a nice flex pattern and it's light to. A little pricey unless you can pro-deal it, but by far the best board I have ever ridden.

[svr]

Agree with everyone else's post on most of the different models, but I am definately a Tanker guy myself. I rode in Engleberg in April on my Tanker 200 and it ruled there. I would recommend the 182 based on your riding style, but the 172 is great as well. You should give harry a call directly as he lives just outside of Zurich and can get you setup with no problems. Here is the contact info:

RAD AIR SNOWBOARDS

RUESSENSTRASSE 6

CH-6341 BAAR

Phone: 41-55-4128656

Fax: 41-55-4128757

harry@rad-air.com

As for bindings, I would recommend the new Rad-Air RS-4's, any of the higher end SPX's from Salomon (SPX-5 is made fro freeriding), Nidecker carbon 900's, Catek Freeride or Freeride Pro. Good luck on your search and let us know how it works out.

cheers,

sandy

[Neil Gendzwill]

I ride the 200 cm Tanker at 85 kilos but if it were my only board I'd probably dial back to the 182 or maybe the 172. Even at 200, it's an amazingly versatile board for the length. If you are primarily interested in powder/off-piste I'd go with the 182.

[Helvetico]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I've been surfing around the net (is that term dated or what?) and the consensus seems to be that three boards are best for transitional riders: the Donek Incline, the Prior 4x4 and the Coiler All-Mountain (is that its name?).

The Rad-Air defnitiely has some fans. I don't want to belabor the point, but how would these boards stack up against one another. The Prior is expensive as hell, and designed primarily for hard boots; Coiler isn't taking orders 'til January. I'm leaning toward Donek because it's cheaper.

The differences are:

Donek Incline length (max) 168; Rad-Air 172

Donek side cut: 10.26; Rad-Air 9.25

Effective edge: 135; 134

Nose, waist and tail width are 1-1.5 narrower on the Donek.

This would seem to suggest (given equal stiffness, which is highly unlikely to be the case) that the Rad-Air is better in powder and the Donek is better on the piste at high speed.

Any thoughts?

[Neil Gendzwill]

The Incline isn't Donek's competition for the 4WD and AM, the Axis is. The price difference between the Axis and 4WD is about $40. If you're looking for a softboot carver from Prior check out the ATV or the MFR. The ATV is specifically designed as a transitional board. I don't think Donek has an equivalent, although many people put plates on the Incline. The Incline is a bargain for sure.

[Yard Sale]

What a coincidence, I just got Salomon Synapse Wides. I use them in large Flow Pro C-FR bindings, which are pretty nice. This combo on the LSD begs to be carved, even in the super-sloppy boots I was using before the Synapse.

A couple things about the Flow: they are not as 'step-in' as they seem. Sometimes they are easy to get in/out of and sometimes they aren't. I've had a lot of trouble with them lifting the heel when closing the binding. On a recent wet powder (Sierra Cement) day, various pieces packed up with snow/ice and wouldn't let me adjust the tongue or close the lever.

I'm not so sure you'd want to use Synapse Wides, Flows, or any soft setup on a Prior 4WD or Coiler AM, which are too narrow for softies at low angles. They are hardboot boards.

[Mike T]

The ATV is specifically designed as a transitional board. I don't think Donek has an equivalent, although many people put plates on the Incline. The Incline is a bargain for sure.

I've not ridden the ATV but I bet the longer Inclines would count as "competitive". It's only 6mm wider at the waist and my old 168 is definitely fit for both softies and plates. The Incline 168 has a similar "Donek stiffness rating" as the Axis 167 but similar sidecut to the Axis 172.

If you're interested in the Incline call Sean @ Donek and ask him for a recommendation on 164 vs. 168. My guess is go 164 if you are < 165 pounds / 75 kg and plan to ride it mostly in softies, and 168 if you are either bugger than 75 kg or plan on using plates with it a fair amount of the time. But definitley ask Sean!

The Incline is a bargain at $400 USD.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I've not ridden the ATV but I bet the longer Inclines would count as "competitive". It's only 6mm wider at the waist and my old 168 is definitely fit for both softies and plates.

I'd forgotten that those Inclines are pretty narrow. And you can't argue with that $400 price.