New Silberpfiel vs. Old Silberpfiel

[Phil]

I wouldn't say "it rides switch well".

Trees?! :-O

Off piste?! :-O

PARK?!?!?!?

No: definitively, it doesn't freerides well.

Switch:biggthump

Trees:biggthump

Off Piste:biggthump

Park:biggthump

Would these be preferred by most hb'ers on a SP? Probably not, but the board can excel in those places under the right feet. Don't get me wrong, it is not the best tool for the job by any stretch of the imagination, but it can do all of that well.

[ar(angel]

this thread would cause such a stir! First, thanks to everybody for contributing, especially to all of our friends "across the pond", very cool to see posts from places like Budapest, Lyon, Rome, Spain etc. The feedback from everyone was great and gave me what I was looking for. I'd like to follow-up with a couple of answers to questions raised :

Chris: What year F2 board did you ride? I know your not a big F2 fan, but seeing as how my next board will be a Virus your opinion matters. PM me if you'd like to give me a personal account of both rides "vs." style. I'm ordering the Stealth Carbon BTW.

Nils: I've ridden my board with & without the Conshox and find it much better with. Could be psychological, but it performs for me better with the Conshox than without....?

ScottS: I know you're kidding, you're probably a bigger F2 fan than me! And having a Silberpfiel obsession would involve having it tattoo'd on my ass....those can be removed right? :D

Istvan: Exactly the way I felt about my set-up. More grip, more camber, spot on evaluation! Great photo too, those are a couple of sweet boards!

RicHard: I'd have to say from my perspective that the Silberpfiel is a "Free-carver" I'm not good enough to ride it switch and don't like the trees so I stick mainly to the Blues/Greens and occassional Blacks on my local hill. To me thats Free-carving, just my definition. Your perspective is appreciated.

Bordy: See above comments..... :D

JaredQ: Great photo, thats a F2 sandwich!

Bob Jenney: Let me know your thoughts when you give that newbie a good flogging, I'd be interested to hear your take.

Frunobulax: I agree, until I ride a new one though I won't be able to confirm that theory fully as to which way the companys going with this board.

Sito: had to read your post twice, but your right, shape does have alot to do with the intended purpose of a board but doesn't dictate it's use to just that specific area given a riders talent/ability.

D-Sub: This thread wouldn't have been complete without you. You and Bordy need to go have a pint together.

Thanks people!!!

Paul

[Bordy]

I'm 5'-11, 180 lbs. and I have last years 172 Silberpfiel. It is a great freeride board, but feels really soft if you push it hard. I would like it to be just a little bit stiffer.

Jared Refers to his stick as a free ride board and that is what he does free rides on it all mountain everywhere.

Again it seems the so many people have been tricked into thinking board shapes matter to perform a task. Go to hardbooter.com check out the video size doesn't matter again a bunch of guys saying go ride what you want where you want when you want. Heck there are even pictures of rail slides on 196 SG shapes.

Must boards have dimensions to qualify them as freeride freecarve freeturn free cab ride or what ever?

I think Jared is right in calling his 72 a freeride board especially in a HARDBOOT FORUM if some of you truly believe a freeride board need have soft boots mounted on it then you just are to structured to understand that it is the rider who decides what the board is doing that day.

Obvoiusly there is a tool for every trade and if you notice I have been plenty obvious in pointing out the best board and boot combo to use is a combo made for the conditions of the day.

But to think that board shape and ride dictates category is just plan wrong just like surf boards or wind surfers rider preferance plays a large role. There are of course inputs that need to be changed to allow a rider to maximize each board characteristics but please…..You dont need a pow board to ride powder but heck it does make it easier. You may not want to ride a Race Stock SL board all day out side a race course but it will still work. But boards like the F2 SF are made to freeride or if you would like..freecarve the whole mtn on.

Just a few days ago I and several other athletes I train with were forced to ride SL through waist deep snow that had been chopped up on a groomer, switch, we were all riding SL boards, but we were all freeriding on them. Then since I had been riding pow on my Fish all morning with soft boots I could not stay out of the trees or the pow stashes around our training course on the way to the training course I was again freeriding on my SL board. See a trend. Tomorrow I am scheduled to go freeride GS with the rest of my team we will all be on GS board but since we are not riding GS courses we will be freeriding. Even says so right on my training calendar.

Sure they are not Free ride board but I am free riding on them.

Sure board shapes make a big difference in how a board performs but how a rider rides it matters more.

I truly understand shape very well and have designed several snowboards through out my career and had a hand in building several from every aspect. I still contribute input to several board builders in North America and can not emphasize enough the range of shapes and sizes that are build to perform the same job for many sizes and abilitys of riders.

I agree that a board with a kicked tail is of course much nicer to ride switch on, and that in most circles when you say freeride it mean a soft boot board not designed to be park or pipe or pow specific but we are on a alpine web site talking about alpine gear if you can’t call riding everywhere on the mountain, and I mean every where, on hardboots Freeriding and the board that are made to do it free ride boards fine we can call them freecarve, freefood, freewilly, fine with me. Silly but fine.,

RicHard, Funny that you would use a board the manufacture makes for freecarving as your SL board.

I bet you even called it your SL board. Not your freecarveboard that you raced SL on. Is that so different from saying its a freecarve board that you freeride on?

And why would you choose to run SL on such a stiff board with a larger sidecut? Its not the best board to do so on? but you still did it huh. I think of my old SG boards as Freeride sticks also. If you can run SL on freecarve gear then you should accept me freeriding my SG stuff.

Of course I ride race gear in race courses F2 SL board even. Also the widest PGS board at FIS events in North America belongs to Canadain Matt Horne its around 23.5cm at the waist and Matt ride about 35f 30r on it. Average width on the world cup for PGS is between 18.5 and 21s with a few wider boards out there. I also just did a interview with Jasey Jay Anderson about board shape and hardboots vs. soft boots that will be up at hardbooter.com soon. I would listen carefully he does us the term freeride and he is not talking about soft boots.

Billy