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Freeride board recommendations?



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 13th 04, 06:34 AM
msegal
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Default Freeride board recommendations?

I've got a 2000 Burton Custom 160. I'm 6 foot, 175 pounds, so my board is on
the small side for me, I suppose. I'm looking to get a new one that's a bit
bigger when the spring sales kick in. I freeride (not really sure how
freeriding differs from all-mountain, but I certainly cover the whole
mountain--everywhere but the park). I'm thinking of getting another Custom
or a Custom X, but maybe I'm not being that creative here. If there's a
better board out there--say, the Burton T6 or Salomon Definition--I'd go for
it. More to the point, I'm wondering if the high-performance boards from the
top mfgs--Ride, Salomon, Nitro, Burton, Palmer, etc.--differ that
significantly. I mean, the main complaints I hear about Burton are more
political than qualitative. Do certain brands have unique qualities?


Ads
  #2  
Old February 13th 04, 08:21 AM
Dmitry
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Default Freeride board recommendations?


"msegal" wrote

it. More to the point, I'm wondering if the high-performance boards from the
top mfgs--Ride, Salomon, Nitro, Burton, Palmer, etc.--differ that
significantly. I mean, the main complaints I hear about Burton are more
political than qualitative. Do certain brands have unique qualities?


Yes they certainly do differ quite a bit. Custom is quite soft
compared to most "expert" boards. Try Johan if you want to stick
to Burton brand, but other than that demo as much as you can and
figure out what characteristics you prefer.

Say, I recently found out that I don't actually like narrow-waisted
boards. I do like the feeling of having a leverage over the edge
of the board, and being able to "dig it in" using that leverage.
Boards with waist below 25cm just don't have that trench-digging
quality, I don't feel like I have a sharp knife attached to my feet.
Also, turns out that I just love extremely stiff boards, even though
I'm very light for my size (145lbs, 5'11"). But I do not like the
narrow tail in my Palmer Carbon Circle at all, because it basically
forces me to either work harder than I'm willing to, or to descend at
speeds I'm not comfortable with. It beats everything else I've tried
so far in high-speed stability, but that's something I'm willing to
compromise for other things.

I also very much like the idea of supporting small companies like
Donek, Neversummer, Prior. Isn't it super-cool that you can actually
talk with the dude who will be hand-making your board over the phone?
Sure, they can't afford technology that's required to make boards
like Burton T6, but it's not all that important. My understanding is
that for example Donek boards have a very long effective edge for their
size, so if you're comparing swing weight they might actually come out
on top of all uber-espensive hi-tech boards with less effective edge.

Out of the "mainstream" stuff, I recently tried Palmer Classic.
There's definitely some merit in their ad saying it's the best value
on the rack - great board for the price, and it's actually quite close
to Custom in geometry and flex, maybe a tad stiffer. So if you
like your Classic, it's worth checking out - it's quite a bit
cheaper, and I personally would actually prefer Classic to Custom
even for the same money.

--
Dmitry




  #3  
Old February 13th 04, 01:42 PM
toddjb
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Posts: n/a
Default Freeride board recommendations?

"msegal" wrote in message ...
I've got a 2000 Burton Custom 160. I'm 6 foot, 175 pounds, so my board is on
the small side for me, I suppose. I'm looking to get a new one that's a bit
bigger when the spring sales kick in. I freeride (not really sure how
freeriding differs from all-mountain, but I certainly cover the whole
mountain--everywhere but the park). I'm thinking of getting another Custom
or a Custom X, but maybe I'm not being that creative here. If there's a
better board out there--say, the Burton T6 or Salomon Definition--I'd go for
it. More to the point, I'm wondering if the high-performance boards from the
top mfgs--Ride, Salomon, Nitro, Burton, Palmer, etc.--differ that
significantly. I mean, the main complaints I hear about Burton are more
political than qualitative. Do certain brands have unique qualities?


I demo'd the top of the line boards from Ride, Burton, & Salomon this year
and liked them all. Don't know about Nitro and Palmer.

The ones you mentioned are good. If you have larger feet, look at the
midwide boards out there. As far as top of the line, the T6 was very nice
as was the Salomon ERA.

-todd
  #4  
Old February 13th 04, 03:42 PM
Rider Josh
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Posts: n/a
Default Freeride board recommendations?

"Dmitry" wrote in message news:SN%Wb.21244$yE5.97527@attbi_s54...
"msegal" wrote

it. More to the point, I'm wondering if the high-performance boards from the
top mfgs--Ride, Salomon, Nitro, Burton, Palmer, etc.--differ that
significantly. I mean, the main complaints I hear about Burton are more
political than qualitative. Do certain brands have unique qualities?


Yes they certainly do differ quite a bit. Custom is quite soft
compared to most "expert" boards. Try Johan if you want to stick
to Burton brand, but other than that demo as much as you can and
figure out what characteristics you prefer.

Say, I recently found out that I don't actually like narrow-waisted
boards. I do like the feeling of having a leverage over the edge
of the board, and being able to "dig it in" using that leverage.
Boards with waist below 25cm just don't have that trench-digging
quality, I don't feel like I have a sharp knife attached to my feet.
Also, turns out that I just love extremely stiff boards, even though
I'm very light for my size (145lbs, 5'11"). But I do not like the
narrow tail in my Palmer Carbon Circle at all, because it basically
forces me to either work harder than I'm willing to, or to descend at
speeds I'm not comfortable with. It beats everything else I've tried
so far in high-speed stability, but that's something I'm willing to
compromise for other things.

I also very much like the idea of supporting small companies like
Donek, Neversummer, Prior. Isn't it super-cool that you can actually
talk with the dude who will be hand-making your board over the phone?
Sure, they can't afford technology that's required to make boards
like Burton T6, but it's not all that important. My understanding is
that for example Donek boards have a very long effective edge for their
size, so if you're comparing swing weight they might actually come out
on top of all uber-espensive hi-tech boards with less effective edge.

Out of the "mainstream" stuff, I recently tried Palmer Classic.
There's definitely some merit in their ad saying it's the best value
on the rack - great board for the price, and it's actually quite close
to Custom in geometry and flex, maybe a tad stiffer. So if you
like your Classic, it's worth checking out - it's quite a bit
cheaper, and I personally would actually prefer Classic to Custom
even for the same money.



I rode a Ride Timless 161 for three seasons and loved it. Parks,
pipes, groomers, powder, cliffs, ice, gates, and teaching lessons.
That board rocked, super stiff but still responsive and forgiving.
They are spendy, but there often seems to be a good supply of last
year's boards available for reasonable money.
  #5  
Old February 13th 04, 07:16 PM
Biff
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Default Freeride board recommendations?

Definitely, different boards and different manufacturers have
different board qualities.

I have ridden many differnt boards, currently ride a donek wide. I
recommend
you check them out, especially if you are looking for a responsive
freeride board.
  #6  
Old February 14th 04, 06:27 AM
msegal
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Posts: n/a
Default Freeride board recommendations?


"Biff" wrote in message
om...
Definitely, different boards and different manufacturers have
different board qualities.

I have ridden many differnt boards, currently ride a donek wide. I
recommend
you check them out, especially if you are looking for a responsive
freeride board.


I'll definitely demo if I can, but I don't get to the mountains as much as
I'd like--I'm a fairly new dad; this season, I may top out at the 9 days
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?


  #7  
Old February 14th 04, 07:19 PM
Spiff
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Posts: n/a
Default Freeride board recommendations?

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 22:27:02 -0800, "msegal"
wrote:


I'll definitely demo if I can, but I don't get to the mountains as much as
I'd like--I'm a fairly new dad; this season, I may top out at the 9 days
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?


Stability at higher speeds for one....Less chatter coming out of turns
at higher speeds as well...

Spiff

  #8  
Old February 14th 04, 07:41 PM
Dmitry
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Posts: n/a
Default Freeride board recommendations?


"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


  #9  
Old February 15th 04, 12:06 AM
Mike M. Miskulin
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Posts: n/a
Default Freeride board recommendations?

"Dmitry" wrote in
news:kRuXb.315692$na.468497@attbi_s04:


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.
Dmitry


Can you talk more about your mogul technique? And does it
vary depending on soft/hard bumps? Steepness? Narrow trail?

Thnaks

Mike

  #10  
Old February 15th 04, 10:32 PM
Dmitry
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Posts: n/a
Default Freeride board recommendations?


"Mike M. Miskulin" wrote

Can you talk more about your mogul technique? And does it
vary depending on soft/hard bumps? Steepness? Narrow trail?


Ugh.. I can, but by no means I'm a mogul expert.

First off, I think that trying to ride moguls makes you a
much better overall rider. Moguls teach you a lot about
separation of upper and lower body, about weight transfer
and balance over the board. If you feel like you've reached
some sort of plateau and stopped progressing your smooth-slope
riding - go ride some moguls.

Now, I think there are a few key things with riding moguls.
First and most important is this very hard thing of leaning
forward. Bacically, your body should be perpendicular to
the slope, and your shoulder line should be parallel to the
BACK side of the bump. Which, on black slopes, is almost
falling down face-first, at least it sure feels like that.
This is very unnatural and it's very hard to fight the natural
urgency to lean back to the mountain. But without leaning
forward you are completely hopless on moguls.

Second, it's the infamous "relax and commit" thing. Again, it's
more of a phsychological barrier, because you'll be ways out
of your comfort zone which in turn makes you stiff and worsens
the technique quite a bit. As ridiculous as it sounds, sometimes
I have to just go get a stiff drink if things don't click - helps
me to relax a bit and get things flowing. Oh yeah, and there's
the usual "look way forward", three moguls ahead at minimum.

In steep mogul runs what I'm doing is essentially aiming for the
top of the next mogul with my weight on the front leg and knees
bent only a little. The key here is to keep as much weight on the
front of the board, because otherwise you just won't be able to
use it to turn - the board needs to grab with the front part of
the edge. When I hit the top (front) side of the mogul, the board
is pointing almost perpendicular to the fall line. Make a very
deep squat, absorb the energy of the impact with the mogul. At
that point the upper body is still traveling along the fall line,
so I almost "go over the handlebars". With knees bent and weight
way forward I slide the board off of the top of the mogul, and
then jump to unweighten the the board and rotate it in the air to
point at the top of the next mogul, changing from heel to toe
side or vice versa in the process. Loop to the beginning of the
paragraph here, until too tired or reached the end of the mogul
run

I think the dynamics are no different from what skiers are
doing, so you can observe good skiers doing the moguls and
do the same on the snowboard.


 




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