"msegal" wrote

I've gotten in so far. Which is why I'm trolling for opinions. Now, if the
Custom is considered on the soft side, what are the pros and cons of a
stiffer board? I'm assuming I'd be gaining in the carving and speed
departments. But does stiffness make moguls more difficult, for instance?

To me the difference between riding soft and stiff board is just going
down the slope versus ripping it real good. The dynamics are quite
different, stiff board is one big spring I can play with and use its
force in creative ways, it almost adds another dimention to riding (how
about jumping OVER that bump using the kick-out force getting out of the
carve?).

Moguls.. Depends on conditions and type of moguls. Soft board lowers
the bar of the steepness where you can carve. Most moguls I'm interested
in are not carveable anyway - you need to surge down and rotate the back of
the board while it's in the air. In this case stiff board is
definitely preferable because it just holds a much better edge when you
land. I was amazed how well my 3-year old (but still new Timeless
held an edge on icy black-slope moguls at Baker last weekend. I just
wasn't going anywhere but where the board is pointing at, period.

The other two things I like about stiff boards is that they show you
your mistakes and bad technique much sooner, and that they're quite
a satisfying workout if you actually start using them the right way.

--
Dmitry