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Which Donek?



 
 
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  #11  
Old March 17th 06, 05:54 PM
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lonerider wrote:
David Brown wrote:
Hi, I would suggest the Wide 156 or the Phoenix 160.snip

Mmmmm, thank you, this is what I was affraid of.
The phoenix is 50quid more than the incline (515euro-440euro)and I really
had my heart set on the incline. I'd not even considered the Wide as I
have such small feet, but it could be an option.


I think the wide is out with a 260mm waste, so it's back to the
incline/phoenix decision........phoenix is looking good..........more money
may have to be spent (


Well it's money well spent either way. I think you might like the
Phoenix 160 more anyways because of it's more forgiving (softer) flex.
The Incline is a *stiff* board. That combined with the wider nose with
make the Phoenix much better in powder, especially in the trees. With
the Incline, I always went to switch to my powder board, not so with
the Phoenix.

On the other hand Mike T had a 160 Wide with the same size feet as you
and he liked it a lot. He's not into wide boards, just board wide
enough so you don't have too much boot overhang.


Let me second the Phoenix here. I have been riding the 163w and it is
extremely agile for me through the trees. I would say it is definitely
a do anything sort of board. Looking at the stiffness indexes on
Donek's site I would tend to think the Phoenix 160 would ride like a
champ in the trees, and not feel like you were wrestling it. The only
knock I have heard on the Phoenix, and doneks in general, is the
liveliness of the board, but I honestly haven't noticed a problem, but
that may just be that I don't know what a damp board feels like or I
just like road feel.

If I had any problem with the Phoenix is that it likes to lock into a
pretty tight arc on the steeps, and I have a hard time not getting
knocked off my edge with all that force, but that is likely due to a
combination of bad technique and a small bit of edge damage on the heel
side edge. It does fine as long as I make a conscious effort to not
flex the board on my heel side turns so that the arc of the turn is
about as lazy as possible. Anyway, I definitely think you wouldn't
regret the choice of the Phoenix, I certainly love riding mine.

--Matt

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  #12  
Old March 17th 06, 06:04 PM
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On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 12:30:56 GMT, "David Brown"
allegedly wrote:

"fred" wrote in message ...
I don't view the Incline as a freeride board,


Ah, well I do want a freeride board. If it's no good at all in powder
then I don't think it's for me. I want to learn, not be hindered.


A mate of mine in London is going to be selling his soon, not because he
doesn't like the board, just that he's realised he needs something wider
now he's better and has UK9 (I think). He has no problem at all with the
board in powder.

More important is your weight, ability and to a point where you've got the
bindings set up.

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow -
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  #13  
Old March 17th 06, 07:10 PM
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"lonerider" wrote in
oups.com:

Well it's money well spent either way. I think you might like the
Phoenix 160 more anyways because of it's more forgiving (softer) flex.
The Incline is a *stiff* board. That combined with the wider nose with
make the Phoenix much better in powder, especially in the trees. With
the Incline, I always went to switch to my powder board, not so with
the Phoenix.


While flex is one thing, don't forget that the Phoenix has a smaller
sidecut radius which goes a long way to making it easier to handle in
tight places like trees.

You really should base your decision on how much time you will be
spending in the woods or *deep* powder relative to a normal slope.
The Incline rides like a champ through crud and hardpack and is fine
in 6" of fresh powder or tracked stuff. Over a foot though and yes
there are better boards. So if you are going to be 90% of the time
on regular runs with the odd powder day get an incline and key an eye
out for a used board for the deep powder or trees.
  #14  
Old March 21st 06, 08:47 PM
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Well I think it's time that I bought my first new board. I'm pretty sure
that it will be a Donek so thought I'd ask here for your opinions.


-snip-

My vital statistics :

Weight : 11.5stone (160lbs)
Height : 5'7"
Feet : UK 7 (US 8)
Abbility :
Can ride all pistes comfortably but only carve on blues and shallow reds
(French).
Learning powder and very keen but regularly come a cropper.
Very little interest in Park/Pipe but do NEED to learn to jump.


I've ridden the Incline 160 and 168, and the Wide 161. My wife has the
Incline 150 and a slightly customized Phoenix 155. I've never ridden a
Phoenix, but I can tell you a lot from watching my wife ride and from what
she tells me.

My vital stats:

195 pounds (rode the Incline 160 at more like 180 pounds)
US 8 boots
Strong carver, strong in powder, strong in trees, low-intermediate in park,
hopeless in halfpipe.


I ride more often in hard boots than soft these days, and the Incline/Wide
was my "gateway drug" to that kind kind of riding. These boards just love
to be put on edge and carved. They have some serious snap to them but you
have to be strong and deliberate in order to unleash it in a freestyle sort
of way. But when you want to make a wuick carved edge change - the tails
on these boards will pop you into the next turn very nicely.

Even with my size 8 feet, I strongly prefer the Wide to the Incline for
all-around soft boot use. The extra surface area makes the difference
between sinking and floating my 195 pounds, and the same was true at 180.
These boards have a lot of torsional stiffness and as long as you have solid
carving technique, putting the wider ones on edge is a breeze. For someone
who is less carve-focused, the waist width issue could be more prominent.

My wife can directly compare the Incline 150 and Phoenix 155. She says
they are both incredibly stable for landing jumps, she prefers the softer
Phoenix in trees, and the added length and increased sidecut radius make it
more stable than its stiffer sibling at speed. For her, the Phoenix is a
win-win. If I ever get the chance to demo the Phoenix 165 I will, but for
my size and the kind of riding I do, I suspect I'd still prefer the Wide.

Mike T













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