Best Carver?

I'm starting to exit my park years and enter my hard carving years. A
bad windsurfing crash and a torn MCL this summer is no good for
freestyle.

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?

Thanks,
Glenn

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?

If you want to stick with soft boots, try the Salomon Malamute. I ride
both soft and hard boots and have been using hard boots lately for general
freeriding except when the snow is wet, deep, and tracked. I find hard
boots easier in the trees (forward facing, more responsive) and I can see
how once I get used to riding them in powder (crappy season last year, not
enough chances) they'll be as easy as softies.

The Raichle 423 (http://www.bomberonline.com/store/Bo...23/sb_423.html)
with Thermoflex liner is a good hard boot for both freeride and carving.

In general, visit www.bomberonline.com for more than you ever wanted to know
about carving.

Mike T

On 9 Aug 2003 08:41:21 -0700, (Glenn Morton)
wrote:

I'm starting to exit my park years and enter my hard carving years. A
bad windsurfing crash and a torn MCL this summer is no good for
freestyle.

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?

I don't find hard boots limiting and I ride trees, pow, bumps, steeps,
whatever. What you need is a board like a Donek Axis or a
Prior 4WD and a relatively soft hard boot like a Raichle 423.
Absolute best resource on the web for this stuff is
www.bomberonline.com.

Neil

Now here's a topic I've resarched ad-nausium.

Boots:
Salomon Malmutes are hands down the best bet for a stiff softboot. Other
interesting boots to look at are the new F boots, which supposedly will be
available with a stiffer plastic front toung this season. Burton Rulers are
fairly stiff if Salomon's fit does't work for you. And finally, I'm
interested in the 32 Team One, but haven't had a chance to ride them. They
seem to be even stiff then the Malmutes, and come with a *very* nice liner
made of thermal expansion foam.

Bindings:
I went with Salomon SPX6 as they fit the Malmutes very nicely. A lot of
people like the Nidecker 860. I also tried and loved the Catek Freeride
(www.catek.com). I opted not to buy them tho, as I'd been having some ankle
soreness I believe was due to using bindings with metal heelcups. I imagine
if I keep riding a softboot setup they'll come into it sooner or later
though.

Boards:
I demoed the republic and Omen, and a friend rides the Cascade, a previous
version of what became the Omen. I found all of them to be fairly similar.
Mellow ride, very relaxing to cruise around on. But, if you're a windsurfer
I'm going to imagine you'll be a fairly agressive rider. With these boards,
I think you'll run into their speed limit fairly quickly. What would be more
ideal hard carving is something with more stiffness, especially torsionally.
Also some dampening, and perhaps most importantly, a larger sidecut radius.
I'm on a Donek Wide 161, which gets a lot of mention on this newsgroup, and
I've been very happy with it. The way I'd summarize it, is it's a board that
encourages me to go faster, edge harder. I definately don't feel that with
the burtons. I've never ridden the Prior AMF, but suspect it's similar.
Other boards to look at (which I haven't ridden but have heard reccomended
by those I'd trust) would be the Volkl Cross and Coal, Rad-Air LSD, and some
of the Salomon boards. The Volkl Cross has been described as the best
boardercross board available. It's also mention as being particularly good
on hardpack. The Rad-Air LSD has a quite large sidecut for it's size (10.5m)
and is available very cheap from World Wide Sports.

If you have larger feet, and really want to lay turns over, you'll need a
wide board or get some lifters like Palmer PowerLink or Volkl VFlex.


"Glenn Morton" wrote in message
om...
I'm starting to exit my park years and enter my hard carving years. A
bad windsurfing crash and a torn MCL this summer is no good for
freestyle.

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?

Thanks,
Glenn

Go with the hard shell boots. For trees and the like, I usually put the
ankle flex in walk-mode. For groomers, I lock them down.

Glenn Morton wrote:

I'm starting to exit my park years and enter my hard carving years. A
bad windsurfing crash and a torn MCL this summer is no good for
freestyle.

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?

Thanks,
Glenn

(Glenn Morton) wrote in message

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

I've got the Volkl Cross (167) mentioned by a couple of other posters.
I bought the board last season after sustaining an ankle injury that
kept me out of hardboots for most of the season. I was looking for
the best soft boot carver and I believe that the Cross is a contender.
It certainly is the best carving freeride board I've ever ridden. I
set it up with Flow bindings and Palmer risers. My toeside carves
were nearly as low as I can get in hardboots. My heelsides weren't
quite as good as the toesides, but think that that is more of a result
of lower angles (vs. my hardboot setup) and the inability to get
properly rotated.

I also enjoy my 162 Prior MFR 162 a great deal. It carves very well
for a board with a relatively short effective edge and smallish
sidecut (relative to carving boards), though if I didn't have the
Cross I'd probably buy the 172 or 176 for the additional effective and
bigger sidecut radius. I also like the idea that I'm dealing with an
artisan, and not a big corporation. I'm very happy to support the
Priors, Doneks, and Coilers of the world.

Anyway, I could carve so well on these two boards that I almost gave
up on hardboots altogether. However, once the ankle was healed, I put
on my Raichles and fell back in love with plates.


On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?


I'm sure that I'll always have both types of setups, but if I could
only have one setup, it would be a softish pair of raichles (413s or
423s), a pair of F2 stepin plates, and a Coiler All Mountain. I could
be very happy in virtually all conditions, and I'd only have one board
to tune! Hmmm, I'd better stop or I'll talk myself right out of my
quiver... ;-)

Cheers!

Mark

(Mark Andersen) wrote

I'm sure that I'll always have both types of setups, but if I could
only have one setup, it would be a softish pair of raichles (413s or
423s), a pair of F2 stepin plates, and a Coiler All Mountain. I could
be very happy in virtually all conditions, and I'd only have one board
to tune! Hmmm, I'd better stop or I'll talk myself right out of my
quiver... ;-)

That's pretty much the setup I've got: OK, Raichle 224, Intec RS,
Prior 4WD 165 but definitely the same flavour. It works everywhere
but the park. The only thing I'd change is to maybe go a little
longer, plus I'd like a kicked tail (my Prior is a few years old with
the straight tail). OTOH the 165 is a kick-ass length for bumps which
I love...

Neil

That's pretty much the setup I've got: OK, Raichle 224, Intec RS,
Prior 4WD 165 but definitely the same flavour.

Those all-mountain carver setups are nice - mine is Donek Axis 172, 423's,
Catek Olympic step-ins. If I *had* to stick with only one setup I'd keep
this and throw out my Donek Freecarve 163, Wide 161, and Salomon FRS 165 as
well as my soft boots and bindings... but I have to admit I would miss all
those things dearly.

Mike T

I've tried a lot of boots and bindings and cannot find a soft boot that is
stiff enough to carve at really high speeds. Gotta go with hard boots, IMO.

"Glenn Morton" wrote in message
om...
I'm starting to exit my park years and enter my hard carving years. A
bad windsurfing crash and a torn MCL this summer is no good for
freestyle.

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?

Thanks,
Glenn

Wrong group really, try bomberonline or extremecarving,
BOB

--
http://www.endlesswinter.co.uk
"When Hell freezes over, I'll snowboard there too"
"HK" wrote in message
...
I've tried a lot of boots and bindings and cannot find a soft boot that is
stiff enough to carve at really high speeds. Gotta go with hard boots,
IMO.

"Glenn Morton" wrote in message
om...
I'm starting to exit my park years and enter my hard carving years. A
bad windsurfing crash and a torn MCL this summer is no good for
freestyle.

I am looking for anyones thoughts on the best soft boot set up for
carving. So far I am thinking the Burton Republik 63. I really just
want to be able to lay hard ruts on hard pack, but don't want to be
limited by a hard boot set up since I still ride trees, pow, etc.....

On the other hand....should I just get a hard boot set?

Thanks,
Glenn