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#1
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
Been lurking for a month or so now...
This is my first season snowboarding. I'm in the Seattle, WA area right now but grew up in the deep south where the only ski I knew was pulled behind a boat. After a stint in Japan, we moved here and I started surfing most weekends for the last 5 years or so with some Carveboarding in the hills on flat summer days. I take a lot of surfing photos (but not this winter...) if you'd forgive a little self-pimpage: http://www.crowmountain.net/ The problem was my wife does not dig surfing here, water's cold, waves are usually big and sloppy, long drive, blah blah. On a wild hair, we decided to give boarding a try this winter. We took a 2 hour private lesson and she loved it. The 'falling leaf' thingy was cake but I basically busted my ass every ten feet on the first run down the beginner slope (Summit Central, Snoqualmie Pass) when trying to link turns. The intructor, also a surfer in the summer, pointed out that I was trying to turn the board like surfboard, stalling on the tail and bringing the front around hard. Once I got the front weighting in my head, all was well. He spent the next hour with my wife and I just linked turns with the only a few falls. Totally hooked and with no motivation to do any more winter surfing, I got a deal on an 'all mountain freestyle' Option Sansalone 161 with Salomon SP4s. I like it and it's very comfortable, easy to handle, etc but noticeably flexy/twisty/bouncy when turning hard at higher(for me) speeds. Earlier this month, after lots of shopping around and internet research, I ordered a Donek Wide 161. My final choices were the Donek, Prior FR, Option Vinson. The Option was the only one I could actually see in person but the Donek was the least expensive and seemed to have the best return policy. There was also lots of personal testimony online, here and in other internet forums. Finally, Sean & co were very responsive to questions so I ordered the Donek. I also picked up a pair of Catek Freerides to go with the board. The first run on the Donek was Queens at Crystal Mountain an easy but slightly twisty green. Big Difference! First, I wasn't used to the straight 90deg edge without detuned tips, I had a couple quick ouchies from that on the icy cat track between the Chinook and Queen chairs... From then on, it was fantastic. Even with my (utter lack of) technique, I was able to point the nose downhill and just go with much more confidence than the other board. This was especially the case on the blue runs. Everything just felt connected, no twistyness at all. I like the board a lot now and will probably enjoy it even more with a slight base bevel and detuned tips. I'm less sold on the Freeride bindings. Given my limited knowledge, they seem like killer bindings, very stiff, bombproof construction and the tilt/cant feature is super cool and comfortable! The only criticism I have of the Catek Freerides is with the straps - they arent up to the standard or the binding IMO. However, I'm not a tweaker at heart and these things are a tweaker's binding. Starting in my late 30's, I'm _never_ going to be a particularly advanced boarder. I'd just like to be able to run the blues with confidence and get down a powdery black every now and then without resorting to skidding sideways. So for me, KISS is a good motto. I may change bindings to one of the stiffer conventional strap systems. One thing - I was using the Donek last night with my wife on her first try at a blue run (Alpine, Summit Central) and the Donek does not like to go slow. It was hard (for me) to turn going slow and skidding down the hill while ecouraging her was downright painful. I'm glad I have the other board around for when I'm fooling around going slow with the kids. Although in a couple years, I imagine there's no board made that will let me keep up with them... C. -- -she ain't revved til the rods is thrown |
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#2
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
The only criticism
I have of the Catek Freerides is with the straps - they arent up to the standard or the binding IMO. On the Catek forum, several people mention using straps from other bindings on their Cateks in order to increase comfort mostly. However, I'm not a tweaker at heart and these things are a tweaker's binding. Agreed. I've been on Catek plates for two years I still tweak them every few times out. Starting in my late 30's, I'm _never_ going to be a particularly advanced boarder. So certain are you? I'm 33 and never stop advancing my skills and I know some guys in their 50's who can smoke me, and they are also still advancing their skills. For some reason when I read your post, I envision someone who *will*, over time, become an advanced rider! Especially with your kids to encourage you So for me, KISS is a good motto. I may change bindings to one of the stiffer conventional strap systems. If you decide to sell your Cateks, put an ad on the forums at www.catek.com and www.bomberonline.com. As long as they are not damaged, you'll get good money for them. I think I saw a set of Freerides advertsoed at $230 USD and sell very quickly, not sure what the final price was. One thing - I was using the Donek last night with my wife on her first try at a blue run (Alpine, Summit Central) and the Donek does not like to go slow. It was hard (for me) to turn going slow and skidding down the hill while ecouraging her was downright painful. I also have the Wide 161, and yes it does like to go fast. It will go slow for you as you develop your technique, and in fact I found the Doneks really encourage one to develop a solid technique that is based on carving and not skidding. *This is one of the principle reasons why I recommend these boards*. On a gentle slop, practice really putting it on edge and letting the board carve all the way around... here's a "silly but effective" drill: http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/feel_the_carve.cfm You can do this when you're riding gentle slopes with your wife. I'm glad I have the other board around for when I'm fooling around going slow with the kids. Although in a couple years, I imagine there's no board made that will let me keep up with them... That's cool! If you decide you *do* want to keep up with them, and do so as safely as possible, it's all about learning to carve well. You can develop this skill without going fast at first, the speed will come later. Good carving technique = many, many less edge catches. And you've got the right board for that in your Donek. -Mike T |
#3
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
I'm 33 as well but feel like my best years are behind me, I'm still becoming
a better rider every year but at the same time I won't push myself anymore to do things that might really hurt me, body takes too long to recover. So I tend to stick to the things I do well (deep powder steeps, tree riding, backcountry, basic jumping, ect...)....no more pipe, no more 15 foot gap table-tops, ect... But I agree with Mike that you will continue to advance, its just a matter of what you are comfortable doing, I've just had too many injuries over the years and have put myself into cruise-control, which is still pretty advanced Leave the hucking to the kids! So certain are you? I'm 33 and never stop advancing my skills and I know some guys in their 50's who can smoke me, and they are also still advancing their skills. For some reason when I read your post, I envision someone who *will*, over time, become an advanced rider! Especially with your kids to encourage you |
#4
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
I tend to stick to the things I do well (deep powder steeps, tree
riding, backcountry, basic jumping, ect...)....no more pipe, no more 15 foot gap table-tops, ect... Same here... although I never was any good at the pipe and never did gap jumps There's no reason why one cannot spend a lifetime advancing in just the areas jaycb74 mentions above. If that gets boring, try some hard boots and an alpine board. Alpine can be an extremely technical discipline, and I've found that it really helps my soft-boot freeriding as well. Mike T |
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
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#6
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
Wide boards are hard to turn. How big are your feet? I'm a size 9 and prefer
no more than 25 cm waiste. Currently I'm riding a 24.5 waisted and it's just about perfect. |
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
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#8
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
drag isn't the problem it's transition.
"corbeau" wrote in message ... In article , says... Wide boards are hard to turn. How big are your feet? I'm a size 9 and prefer no more than 25 cm waiste. Currently I'm riding a 24.5 waisted and it's just about perfect. I wear a size 11. Even with the Wide with a 26cm waist, there's a some overhang especially on the rear foot (24/9 front/rear). However, the Catek Freerides rest on a circular disk providing lift so I haven't noticed any drag. C. -- -she ain't revved til the rods is thrown |
#9
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
Hey, those are some very nice surfing pics. I tried it for the first
time this past summer down here on the north oregon coast... All I gotta say is I have a lot of respect for good surfers now... it's damn hard and exhausting. I enjoyed your pics a lot. Sounds like the donek wide 161 is a good fit for you. My experience with mine is about the same as yours. It has gotten easy to make tight low speed turns as my technique has improved... but I still need to work on tight slow turns on steep moguls and trees. It's the sidecut and flex that determine how 'turny' the board is... the width really only affects the time it takes to switch edges. If my experience with surfing is any indication, you'll be a fantastic snowboarder. It seems to me surfing takes a huge level of commitment and determination compared to boarding. |
#10
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Intro and first day on a Donek (looong post)
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