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 #1 Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 27/01/2010 @ 17:06 |
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Have been reading the forums off and on for a while and thought I might seek your collective wisdom.
I'm after a serious freeride board for use in the usual (for UK riders) big Alpine resorts. I spend no time in parks and like carving steep piste fast and riding powder (where you can find it on lift-served alpine terrain that is). The people I usually go with these days don't really want to do proper backcountry and we aren't going to pay for heliboarding.
Right now I have an O'Sin 4807 for the ~4 hours between a big dump and it all getting tracked out, a little 3800 on risers and a longish Gnu CHB which is supposed to be my "daily rider". Problem is, the Gnu is far too flexy, so it's unstable and doesn't hold its edge at any speed. This causes Terrors, and also my back leg melts down very quickly after the first full day's riding (yes, I've tried moving my stance back - it just makes the instability worse and my leg still gets f____ed).
I'd really like to replace my Gnu with something close to my late, lamented (170+, forget the exact length) Rossi Levitation - stiff, fast, damp, stable - but with enough float to tackle powder runs or deep, heavy off-piste/piste edge.
I've considered a 6' Dupraz D1, which sounded like exactly what I'm after, but have also read mixed opinions about it (slow, neither fish nor fowl, not like the marketing makes it sound, etc) which make me reluctant to shell out the eye-watering 600 quid(!). Also thinking about the Prior Khyber, Prior Spearhead, or a Venture Storm. I understand Rossi make something called an Experience which appears to be a latter-day Levitation and sounds great, but the only people I can find selling it are in the US, and Rossi's website doesn't even appear to admit they have any retailers in the UK.
Given that I'm not yet ready to invest the many, many £ necessary for hard booting and alpine boards, can anyone suggest a current "proper" FR board that would suit? |
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| #2 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 27/01/2010 @ 18:26 |
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| #3 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 27/01/2010 @ 21:17 |
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| #4 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 27/01/2010 @ 23:53 |
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| In reply to post #3
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All the boards linked are designed for soft boots. No one ride's Bx courses in hard boot's now for many reasons. The F2 would be fine. Size is a complicated thing, and I hear load's of crap about how to size a board especially with the advent of reverse camber. Length is not the issue, you should be looking at the stiffness, scr but most decent boards should have a variable sidecut now anyway, and your ability/weight/ strength/style of riding. It is a massive can of worms, and everyone will think they know best. Whichever board you chose though make sure it has camber between the feet, rocker tip/tail good, reverse camber s%$t. You cannot carve a reverse camber board on bullet proof ice. |
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| Posts: 522 |
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Greater Manchester |
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| #5 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 28/01/2010 @ 09:36 |
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| In reply to post #1
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I ride a 168 Bataleon Undisputed, and would say it ticks all your boxes. It replaced a 170 K2 Recon Riser, which was very fast, damp and stable on piste, but wasn't so floaty in powder. The Undisputed steps it up a notch on piste, but is great in powder too - almost as good as my 168 Volkl Selecta (which isn't so hot on piste).
I know some people don't get on with the triple-base, though, so you might wanna try it first. I love it, though  |
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| #6 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 28/01/2010 @ 16:06 |
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| In reply to post #1
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Get the Dupraz in the + flex. |
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| #7 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 28/01/2010 @ 19:57 |
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| In reply to post #6
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I looked at getting a proper BX board last year. The big brands don't really cater for proper BX (I'd be very, very surprised if the top Burton sponsored BXers were riding "standard" boards - my bet is they are on customs) and there's a North American prejudice against anything that smacks of racing. I've not ridden any of these, but the Oxess BX looks sweet, as does the Oxess Freeride (which is a bit less niche). Kessler are also well regarded. In the US there's Donek (like Gillings, the Saber), Prior (ATV, although starting to get into hard boot territory), to name a couple. These are all quite pricey. Among the big manufacturers you are probably better of with those Euro brands with a history in ski or alpine racing: Volkl Coal (would have been my pick), F2 eliminator (as suggested), Nidecker (Ultra/Megalight).
I ultimately decided that for powder a pure BX board was probably a bit too stiff and lacked the necessary volume to float on all but the steepest pitches (and while I don't mind steeps, no one spends all their time at >40 degress). I ended up with a 168 Rome Notch (the 2008 version with camber and 20mm of taper), which works for me. Others I thought about: SuperModel X, Burner. |
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| Posts: 1625 |
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Nottinghamshire |
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| #8 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 28/01/2010 @ 20:38 |
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| #9 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 28/01/2010 @ 22:47 |
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| In reply to post #8
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I've ridden nothing you mention other than the Khyber, and they changed the design since I rode it.
I've ridden none of these either, and would not consider buying anything I'd not ridden...
The Oxcess stuff looks good although it costs an arm and a leg, and it seems a shame not to get a hard core race board from a company like that.
Donek have a "Pilot" or some such which is supposed to cater for people who want a piste board and like soft boots.
The Extreme Carving guys just launched their "Dual" which is supposed to be recreational BX or something.
I was just looking at the 2010-2011 F2 stuff which has several different soft-boot oriented boards which may be worth a ride. |
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| #10 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 11/02/2010 @ 23:58 |
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| In reply to post #9
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I'm looking for the almost exactly same type of board, although I am taking an interest in hard booting and so have been looking at boards that can be ridden with both hard and soft boots and are suitable for all mountain freeride. My short list currently consists of:-
Donek Incline
Donek Razor
F2 Eliminator
Prior ATV
Prior MFR
Madd BX
Of the above, the ATV is primarily a hard boot board but depending on what size feet you have and what angles you are willing to ride you could squeeze softies onto it - although you could get them to do one a bit wider than standard for you. The Razor is specifically designed as a soft boot carver but apparently performs well in almost all conditions and with hard boots too. The prior boards can be ordered with traditional camber or rockered tip and tail, not sure about the others.
I've been looking around at pretty much any board that fits the bill and have noticed the Oxcess boards (love the understated look to them) and also offerings from Rad Air and Neversummer, but at the mo i think I will finally make my choice from the above list- and considering you can get the Eliminator on German ebay for EURO369 delivered to UK it's very tempting to take the plunge.
If you went for one of these you could ride it in softies and then maybe rent some hard boots/bindings for a week and see how you go. If you don't like it you can always go back to your softies. |
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| #11 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 03/03/2010 @ 06:07 |
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| In reply to post #8
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Hello everybody, I'd like to know if you guys have some tips regarding carving with softboots. I'm a 6'5, 240lbs man with size 15 feet so there's no way I cant fit on an actual carving board. I have a very stiff and large freeride board (Ride Yukon 169) and I'd really like to nail a good carving turn, any tips? |
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| #12 Re: Recommendations for a softboot freeride board Posted 04/03/2010 @ 22:31 |
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| In reply to post #11
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Wow, with size 15 feet your options are quite limited and I am not aware of a dedicated carver which would accommodate you. My suggestion would be a Donek Incline which comes in waist widths of anything up to 29.5cm. It's not a dedicated alpine carver, but it's avery carve orientated freeride board which is very highly regarded. |
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