Entries by Dave Tille

Had a day at Park City Mountain Resort today. The traffic was minimal coming in from Park City. Dressed up in the Parking Lot and headed to Payday lift for some bombers on Treasure Hollow. Payday is still closed for a Slalom race due to boney conditions on the Eagle Race Arena so treasure hollow is the run of choice for the lower mountain. Snow was pretty good but with crappy snow status and subsequent run non-openings, traffic was significant, even early. Put in 2 runs and then hooked up with Billy for some more of the same. We then rode the new "Crescent lift" and met up with Jared, Tiffany and Skate for some turns on upper mountain. Assessment was set up nicely and with the overcast conditions, the tree borders made for nice light. Took a run down hidden splendor after spending around 10 minutes in line with the holiday masses. We had a relatively nice day for the conditions however, we're hoping for much more snow in the near future. It's in the forecast anyhow.

"Holy shit, this is the best board ever" I said after only one run on the 09 Prior metal 187! Dave's only question was why?

Ok here's why: Sometimes you get so used to a board that it is all you want to ride. Since you are very comfortable on it, you know it like your favorite hoodie, (or sweater, for those of you with desk jobs); it just fits so comfy that anything else just seems substandard. My issue, as with most "stock manufactured board", is that they ride like crap once you know how to ride well, since most are or were based on freestyle board cores with an alpine shape. So as a rider you get this sick looking alpine shape to stand around in the lift lines and hold your chest high representing alpine, but once on the hill the boards have limits that are reached in just a year or two of riding. This is great for beginners. However, once you reach the limits of the board you are riding, then what?

Maybe you buy some new bindings or perhaps some new boots which buys you maybe another year of gear to grow into. Then it's time to buy a real alpine board if you truly want to progress. I am not talking about e-bay or the BOL classifieds for your "new to you" alpine board. I mean a brand-spanking-new, made-this-year by an alpine builder, current new hotness, super shape.

Right now if you are ready to handle the new generations of "super boards" there are only a few options in North America and only one of them has metal boards in stock always. Say it loud, say it proud. PRIOR!!! Yep, good old Chris Prior, a cat who has always kept alpine shapes legit. If you have ever ridden a Prior race shape, then you know Chris doesn't F around with alpine. He and his build crew take it totally serious. Prior is pumping out one of a kind PGS and PSL boards for national team members on the World Cup, all the way down to the weekend warrior running Nastar beer leagues. Is there a board for you in the Prior line up for 09? Hell yeah, there is. For me it's the 187 metal and here's why.

This board is the best stock, buy-it-off-the-shelf stick I have ever laid a trench with. It may be the ultra freeride stick of this generation since it does everything so well. Some boards are great PGS sticks that rip a race course and carve really well "all mountain" under skilled riders' feet. This Prior 87 is an all mountain board that could still carve really well in a PGS course under a skilled rider's feet . This was unheard of currently, until now. Sure, there are a few boards using metal to keep it alive for the mellow all mountain rider but what about the hardcore ripper looking for the big gun to haul ass on? Unless you want to ante up for a custom shape, you are out of luck, save you buy a 87 Prior, that is. Here's the new stuff for this year.

The board has a wider waist than before, now up to 20cm, which is good for all you bigfoots and low angle new school rippers out there. This is definitely the current trend in alpine. Most PGS sticks range from 19-22 depending on the riders' preferences at the WC level. The new shape has a bit more setback and nose camber. Prior has been using this shape and camber on their high-end athlete boards for several years. This nose shape allows the board to literally climb up and over any variables in the surface, something Kessler has been doing for a long time and that has helped put their product on the podium. Several other manufacturers have adopted this nose shape and camber out of necessity to remain competitive. I truly believe that any modern board lacking the current camber profile is out dated and substandard. Now every Prior Metal stick has it and wow is it worth it. The nose floats and absorbs just like it should allowing the platform under your feet to remain rock solid just like a pure PGS stick.

The last major change in the 09 line is the new top sheet. Gone are the days of the exposed titanal and all the headaches that many recreational riders were experiencing. No more chipping or delam possibilities now. Prior has a beautiful top sheet made out of some of the slickest material I have seen on a snowboard. Our test model was white, smooth, and sexy. Chris claims that with the new construction he has brought the durability up to a new standard. Prior pioneered the metal alpine market several years ago and many other manufacturers have been incasing metal under top sheets since. With a complete metal line-up, it was time to progress into a more mass-market friendly topsheet. With all these changes for 09, Prior has made yet another leap forward in alpine, proving why they continue to lead the market. But its not just looks with this monster - the ride is unmatched.

I could compare this board to a Kessler or SG full-on PGS shape but that's not what this board is about. It might even be unfair to jade the ride of this corduroy killer by placing it in a PGS category. Although it has the soul of a full blown race stick, it (like its ancestors), is a recreational rider's dream board, allowing any rider with skill to benefit from its awesome performance. This board is so easy to start any turn with that you almost feel like you are cheating. The nice long nose and new camber profile glides over anything in your way, while the platform under your feet provides a great balance of feedback and control and the nice smooth radius finishes the turn so smoothly.

In just one run I was blown away by this board. I currently put a lot of time on a custom shape by Chris I have nicknamed KK (Kessler Killer) not only because I like it more than any Kessler I have ridden, but because it's just so fun to ride everywhere. It is really the same shape Phil Berube won the 2 run GS Race To The Cups on at Park City, beating world class riders on Kesslers, SGs, and Oxsesses. But for me, the board is just so good everywhere that I really have had no reason to ride anything else. Now I have a reason and it's the 09 187.

The 09 feels like the PGS shape I have been riding but with a much more AM friendly radius. It can be a bear to haul a PGS radius all over the hill, but with the huge amount of stability the 187 provides I could make big wide open turns at speeds over 40. Or I could really lay into the board and tighten up the turn, even at speed, something only 3 other boards I have ever ridden allowed me to do, one of them being the Prior KK custom.

This level of confidence allows the rider to become so comfortable on the board that it really just becomes an extension of your legs. As a rider, you make the inputs and the board just tracks like you have always hoped every board would. It is just that good. I tried to make the board skip and release under full power. It did so in such a manner that I had no problem reengaging the edge and allowing the board to settle right back into the turn with almost no bounce or chatter, then it just hooks back up under feet. Sooooo good!!!

I was hucking off everything I saw, landing on the tail, the nose and each edge at speed. Again the board was just rock solid and so predictable. I started getting cocky and taking off unbalanced and fighting to salvage the landing. Again, the board was rock solid. I was impressed. With a frozen April morning to start and 45 degree temps by afternoon, it was a true treat to ride a metal board that gripped the hard gnar in the AM and busted the slush as the day ended. Even as the snow softened up, the board still was on rails everywhere. I ran it through some mid-sized bumps (something I never do on other metal boards); it just rails. I ran it into the fresh snow in some trees; again it just railed (as well as an alpine shape can off piste). Backwards it railed, laid out turns it railed. Massive, full-strength, wide open, angry turns, yup you guessed it: it rails. As a matter of fact, for the first time in years I really could not find a flaw in this stick for my style of riding.

Sometimes a board rides so well that your riding just flows and that is how this new Prior made me ride. I felt so smooth everywhere on this board that I can hardly express my riding in words. It just makes you feel so free… free to turn, air, land, ride switch at speed, tackle any surface aggressively, ride and not worry about anything but stopping when the terrain ends. To me, that’s why I ride alpine. Hardboots and alpine boards are the only tools that allow me to ride wide open at the edge of my ability but still remain in control at ludicrous speeds. If you want to ride at the edge of control at eye watering speeds then the new Prior metal line is what you should be on. The 09 board may be the perfect blend between all that is alpine. If there is a chair lift to the top and a groomer has laid some corduroy, then this board will help you make the most of it. It will cost ya some duckets for sure, but it is worth every penny.

I would rather own just one 09 Prior metal than a full quiver of cheap alpine boards. If you have a full quiver of cheap alpine board then this board will change your life. Sell them this summer and save up for a 09 Prior metal. You'll be rewarded for you efforts.
Step into the now!

Photos here in album "prior review"

---Billy Bordy

Well, another WTC has come and gone. Though the weather didn't cooperate the way we would have liked, we still had lots of fun. (The 50 mph wind gusts on Sunday made things really interesting...)

Thanks to everyone who came out to ride. Thanks to Michelle from Bomber for bringing the Bomber tent and gear along for the ride also. It was great to see old friends and meet new ones. Saturday at Snowbasin was epic. Lots of people hardbootin' and perfect weather. What more could you ask for? Those of you who missed us, see you next year, or hopefully sooner - we're always up to head out and make some turns, so let us know when you're around.

Dave, Billy and Curt / Skully

Hey all,

The Wasatch Trenchin’ Convention is approaching fast and so we thought an update was in order. Park City Mountain resort is a go for the 24th and 28th of January. Snowbird is in place for Friday the 25th and it seems as though Saturday the 26th might happen at Snowbasin. I spoke with Lee Yoder, the events coordinator, on Thursday and he gave an Idea of where we might be best to set up on the mountain. He also gave me contact info on the Risk Manager who would square away insurance and any other Risk management logistics with Bomber and Hardbooter alike which is a real positive sign that we may have a day at the Basin. We are trying to schedule a Saturday at Snowbasin because a crowd at this place on a Saturday is much like a midweek crowd at any other Salt Lake Valley resort destination. Cross your fingers. It would be really nice to mix it up this year more than ever.

The Wasatch Trenchin’ Convention will be occurring during the last weekend of Sundance Film Festival once again. We don’t really have any formal information on specific places to stay. We believe that there are always plenty of spots around the Salt Lake Valley that have great access, especially for this year’s WTC, to all World Class Utah Resorts. In fact we believe that staying in the Valley might be optimal with central admission to all 9 resorts within 1 hour and small change with the closest within ½ an hour between the Bird, Solitude and Brighton and or Park City Mountain Resort and the Canyons, depending on your N/S proximity to those resorts’ respective Canyons!!

As a heads up, we’ll be charging $20 dollars for all day demo regardless of boots, binders and or board rental. Fees will be the same whether you borrow just binders or a full on setup switched out several times throughout the day. For the record, this demo fee helps pay our insurance for the season to be able to put on an event like this and also to be able to rent gear out to customers throughout the season. We have never evers come into town and we’re the only demo outlet. We have people like you come into town and want to ride some new gear. We’re firm believers in try before you buy and the fees help to provide the only demo center in the state. We’re just telling you this because we, as much as anyone, wish we could do all this for nothing to you.

As always, we’ll have discount lift tickets available under the tent for all attendees whether you show up to demo or just show up to say hello before you take your runs.

We just got the 2nd of 3 parts of what the weathermen are calling the Tropical Punch. The Sierra Nevada’s just got around 10 feet? As rumor has it and we got the tail end of the storm giving us an unofficial Brighton reporting of 3 feet. We’ll take as much as there is until about Tuesday the 22nd and then we’ll be glad for it to clear out for some High Pressure over the weekend. Hope along with us so we can have some sunny afternoon BBq’ing with our friends.

See you soon!!

Dave and Billy

Well,
As of today, Adam and I have snowboarded every day of the year. The Crowds here at Park City Mountain Resort are insane right now with the holidays so an early start is advised. The snowpack is really shaping up nicely and we were glad to finally get on some "HERO" snow. The temps are cold and the sun is out so get your ass out here and carve before the week of snow comes in this Sat.

Adam and I started off on the Payday lift and, well, ran Payday run for a spell. Why wouldn't you? Everyone else was headed off to upper mountain but Payday was absolutely choice!! Next up was the obvious choice, Silver Queen. It's East facing aspect is just wonderful in the early AM with a bit of alpine glow and some great grooming. Right side was some nice natural halfpipe and atop the Madd 170 CB-T, the sidecut was perfect to stay within. Adam was on his Kessler and enjoyed the lack of early crowd airborne off the Silverqueen lip at the top. To say we anhilated the queen top to bottom is an understatement. The trenches we apparent and may have caused some accidents in our wake. We hit Prospector off the Silverlode lift next and it was nice but the crowds were building halfway through the tenth hour of the day. Dynamite was just that as it was groomed for the first time this year. Adam and I cruised by a crew of instructees with their instructor and got plenty of looks and muddled "unbelieveables!!". As the day went on, the crowds grew and I was glad to be on a 12 meter stick. We're looking at 5 days of snow starting the 5th and this should make a wonderful base and playland for the Wasatch Trenchin' Convention coming at the end of the month. See you out there!!

--Dave

Here's a quick "Hardbooter How to" video, detailing all you need to know about how to make some risers to protect that shiny metal stick....

“You think you know but you have no Idea” I believe that’s the catch phrase on Mtv’s Diary. The show where they follow some celebrity around for a few days of their “difficult” life, usually its some rags to riches story where some rapper with more Ice on thier neck then on a world cup SL course, tries to convince us how hard they truly work for their money.

As a young alpine rider in the early 90’s, my alpine brethren and I would quote the same Catch Phrase to anyone who asked about the “Ski” boots we where using on that funny shaped snowboard. When a pack of us got together to trench the cord the lift line turned into an inquisition. The Temple Mtn. Hardcore Crew (thank you Mt Baker) always had the same answer… “Follow us we’ll show you”… But I am a skier I don’t want to go around sliding and pushing all the snow off the trail snowboarding is just a fad it will die out; was the most common response. But after any of us made turns, The Catch Phrase held true “they thought they knew but they had no idea”. We would often split up into groups so the skiers who followed us down could get some chair time with one of us on an alpine set up. They always bombarded us with question and most days we laid out all the info, and turns for everyone. We let them make up their own mind about the gear of the time.

Some days we would get swarmed, and have to completely shut down, we would fake the best European accents we could to escape the masses every time we entered the lift lines at many resorts, sharing our precious alpine knowledge with a lucky few who clearly possessed the skills to participate in such a elite sport. As one of the younger guys in the group I always listened to anyone with hardboots on their feet. And when we were lucky enough to meet some one else riding plates we always ended up riding together and sharing info about everything gear related, One cat would feel as though his M8 was the best board ever while his buddy would swear that he needed to move on into the “now” and put a PJ or some other Asymmetrical shape under their feet because symmetrical shapes were old school and it was time to move on. We would talk about boots and bindings even though there where only a few manufactures to compare. Steve “Speed” Sanders had a setup he swore by, while Larry “Earl” Giles swore by a whole different set up. We would swap out every piece of gear with one another limited only by shapes that were stance specific. (Although I am regular, I spent almost a year learning to ride goofy just so I could ride the first Asym on the hill.) I would ride boards that belonged to friends twice my size, and later as I myself grew boards for riders half my size.
We would argue about gear for our entire careers, watching one another grow from young hoodlums trying to ride away our growing pains and joys one run at a time; to adults still trying to figure life out one turn at a time. Even when alpine riding started to peek, we were all riding different gear. F2 was the first to give me gear for free and as a young man they quickly became the gear I pimped to anyone who asked. Steve had the local VT company taking care of him so of course in his eyes they where the best gear. For many years I followed what ever path any manufacture told me to. When Rossi said I should try this board boot binding combo, I did, and I had to adjust to the new gear. Then after a few to many broken boards I moved into something else. Then after some European board time and board destruction; I found my self back on Asym, Burton product, again adapting to the gear change, and discovering the joys of board shapes and designs. We would rip apart any board on the hill that had broken, discussing it openly with anyone and everyone wondering why this worked and of course why it did not.
As a still developing rider I learned very quickly that much like the evolution I had witnessed as a young snowboarder from straps to highbacks, swallow tails to round tails. Alpine snowboarding was beginning its evolution also. And being a gear-head was beginning to pay off, soon companies were dragging me along to shows and on snow demos to ride with ski designers and other early alpine enthusiast, we would spend months working on gear that worked and some that did not. I would travel from booth to booth looking for any alpine gear to try, and as the years progressed found my self rewarded with new product to ride on and friends to ride with.

When I barely graduated high school I never saw the possibility of Alpine snowboarding developing into a career. And as an Alpine enthusiast I had maintained good enough grades to stay active in Ski Team and keep my parents happy enough to allow me to continue going to the Hill everyday. But now as my Dad was so kind to put it the free ride (Even though I worked for the resort every season) was over and so was my “Snowboarding obsession”. I however refused to give up and came up with the perfect plan…. The Mountain Infantry. O-Kay so it was only the National Guard and when I went to Basic Training all my friends moved to ski towns out west. But when I returned home that first season Gear was changing again, and this time I found my self at Waterville Valley. I quickly found the heavies at WV and was happy to be back playing with new shapes and sizes and perhaps just as pleased to sit and talk about it. U.S. team member Billy Enos would share stories from the World Cup and we would all sit and listen. But when it came to gear the situation was the same. It works for him but not for some one else. Billy was getting the super long stuff from Rossi and until he had procured a replacement he was the only one riding it. But eventually he got new gear and I got hill time on the old stuff. It was at this point I discovered the true meaning of Alpine riding, After years of different rides and styles I thought for sure at WV I was going to settle on just one, or at least what I thought was the correct “technique” coming from riders with World Cup experience.
Instead I discovered diversity, Perhaps it was one too many park sessions with the park rats or maybe days in the pipe. It could have been trying to chase down Kildy; Me on one of his Ride pro shapes and him on One of Chris Priors’ first boards, a 203 with a 16cm waist. Enos soon went to skinny boards also and I begged them both for board time twice a day and some times it worked out. When it did I would mimic the owners style to the best of my ability, It amazed me how different each of thier boards felt and just how differently they had to be ridden. It reminded me of soft-boot boards and their diversity. I had visions while trenching thin pretty lines at WV, I thought for sure the progression of Alpine riding had began, spearheaded by custom board builders providing a “custom” board made just for one athlete with their own style of riding. After all the WV Crew could do it all. Laid out Euro style turns (Pre EC style), crazy fast SL and race style GS turns, Big stylish transitions with several feet of drift and plenty of Air under the board, Switch riding at speed and spinning inverts in the park on hardboots were not uncommon by several talented riders. All of which had the ability to lay lines with style unlike each other. On gear that was as miss matched, Dave “Marc” Thimmel One of the original Temple Mtn. Hard Core alpine riders now on his 15th board shape with his 10th pair of bindings riding some super stiff ski boots. Still ripping with a smile larger then the first day I watched him link carved turns on a Safari, and killing it in the park, and pipe and trenching the cord he as a groomer shaped into our alpine playground. Guys Like Mike Grasso and Ryan Mullen Arcing stylish turns at speed, style that later earned them slots in World Cups after gate bashing around the pro tour, never on the same gear Two years in a row.
Cats like Arvid Swanson and Fellow Mtn. Infantryman Andy Kinney Riding bone stock off the shelf gear from shops they ran always wishing it was better and later making changes in the industry based on what they learned. One of the most memorable trenchers had to have been Rick Reid, he had been dubbed the fun-shaped kid by many of the local rats and spent some time running the snowboard school taking whatever alpine gear he had and using his fun-shape and teaching knowledge to arc hard, style unlike anyone to date. Many of the WV crew went on to jobs with manufactures, Kildy maybe the most influenced board designer of the mid 90’s having worked with Burton to bring the Stat board line and the race plate design, Then changing waist widths to 19cm with the Ride Kildy 59 and 69 boards, Ride all aluminum plate binding and later the liquid boards with the same name and a 49, then Kildy went on to push the design process and shapes of anything with two edges including several new core shapes and 2 piece board design, Kildy also finished 16th ( I believe) in Nagano98. Arvid went to work with Volkl and their race and boarder cross line. Rick found his way to Oxygen and managed their race team. Billy Enos now runs one of the best snowboard teams on the east coast. Dave and Andy still just love to ride.
None of them rides the same gear or way as each other but they have all been very successful in their own way!

I rode everything those guys were nice enough to let me try, and when I left to move west I too took a little bit of each of their style with me. When I came to Park City it was the first year they allowed snowboarding and I came with the intention of maintaining The snowboard school director’s position I held and Waterville and Temple going pro changed all that. Instead what I found was a hill with out any alpine knowledge and a Ski school full of “Carvers” who had just discovered the shaped ski but had been working at a SKI ONLY hill, and were amazed to even see an alpine rider. I found myself a hardboot friend… Pablo Thomas, former World Cup/ FIS snowboard competitor, technical delegate, and like me coach, and instructor. Pablo and I worked very hard to introduce Alpine riding to Park City. We have had to develop a very large and diversified teaching technique to included all types of alpine enthusiast on various gear, I was forced to think way out side the standard methods and believe as a resort that hosted the SLC02 games we have truly been established as a premier national riding resort, Having been the first Instructor, and first Park City sponsored racer I feel a great deal of pride through out PC’s development. And consider it my alpine home. How ever as with everywhere else in the US including Max’s the local shop I work for, the amount of alpine gear and stoke is only represented online.

I now hope to bring that same experience to Hardbooter.com through a none biased love of sliding. I believe it is in the diversity of Alpine Riding that the sport will continue to grow. We hope to provide any enthusiast with all the necessary equipment to pursue alpine riding to their full potential. We are a small company founded on pure love for the sport. We have a huge amount of first hand knowledge that we have continued to share through out the history of the sport. We may not have the gear you need now but we know about the gear you want. We are happy to discuss what you want your gear to do for you; and when our budget grows we will have the gear even if we have to make some our selves. We know every one rides different and as you read this we are trying to get our hands (and Boots) on as much gear as possible to test in house and help any alpine rider make a great gear selection for great days of riding. We have been sharing the love with everyone we have meet since day one. Now with the web page we are hoping to share it with everyone we have not met yet. We are Alpine Experienced….

We are ALPINE DEDICATED!

Billy Bordy
Hardbooter.com

Metal boards are the answer to any rider’s woes, that’s for sure. We have tried to keep Alpine riders on top of the metal revolution as it starts to finally build steam here in North America. Unfortunately, no US board builder has yet to release a metal board to the public but our Canadian counterparts have sure been putting out some bad ass metal boards for custom orders and for their World Cup athletes. Now Prior has taken metal to the street. The new Prior metal line is the first high grade metal board available to everyone who does not have a pro contract or an unlimited bank account.

When Chris Prior started making custom snowboards in the early 90’s, he really stepped outside the box when it came to shape. Chris rolled the dice and listened to a bunch of crazy alpine racers when they told him what they really wanted for lengths and shapes. While Burton and Rossi were making boards up to 180 but unless you were a sponsored racer or a thief at a World Cup you could not touch one. Chris, however, was shaping boards into the 2 meter range with waist width down to 16 cm with just a simple phone call and the cash down. Chris even went so far as to offer payment programs to racers working their way up the rankings. If you where lucky enough to try anything out of Chris’ shop, you felt the future under your feet. Priors became the top secret weapon for almost every top name alpine pro through the mid 90’s. Almost every race board was made by Prior regardless of what the board might have been labeled. Chris would omit the Prior logo, replace it with the rider’s board sponsor logo, and you would watch a “team Sims” athlete win World Cups on a Prior. Soon the demand grew and so did Prior, just like a true grass roots company from the love of sport, to its current industry leading shape and construction techniques. Prior has done it correctly; listening to the rider, not the bank.

This year marks the biggest alpine advancement Prior has made since the company started; the Metal series. By using current board building techniques they have morphed the World Cup line into a next generation alpine shape. Once again, Prior has brought true new school action into the rut of standard shapes for the past decade. With a board of this caliber, you too can take your riding to the next level.

Shopping the classified ads at your favorite alpine web site has just become a thing of the past if you are looking for true performance. The super board of 10 years ago, 5 years ago, even 2 years ago does not come close to the Metal Series. It is not even worth trying to compare but I am about to, so hang on.

The first thing you notice when you eyeball the future may be the mesmerizing shiny top sheet on a Prior Metal. As soon as you break free of the hypnotic trance it creates, you should look down. Down to the tail. That’s right I said tail. This sexy little vixen has a sweet tail, one that kicks up a bit and has rounded corners. Even better, it is a tail that works great if you ever end up backwards by accident or perhaps on purpose, you will be just fine. Not only can this save your butt if you are lucky enough to have this rocket ship in a race course let alone spinning out and ending up tail first.

Maybe racing is not your thing and you just like to go out and free ride. Now you truly can with your alpine board. All the technology that goes into this baby to hold an edge under Phillippe Berube’s angry feet in rutted bumpy World Cup PGS courses works even better on groomed terrain. And with the smooth ride metal provides, you’ll wish every board in your quiver even came close to this Vixen. Here’s why…

This board is just easy to ride. Because of the metal construction, the board has a very smooth and mellow flex but holds a better edge than a board twice as stiff. That means you don’t need to be Superman to ride it. Because of its construction and flex pattern you really feel the snow under your feet. It is amazing. The board bends through terrain changes just sticking to the snow while on edge. You catch yourself looking for interesting topography like little ledges and funny rolls in the snow’s surface to just rail through. You may have gone around this terrain before because no matter how well you edged over it you would expect the board to “bridge or span” the gap which meant a lost of edge contact, pressure, and control. Not on the Metal. It tracks on the snow on edge and it’s hard to believe you’ve just carved over and through the terrain until you look back and see lines that have kinks and strange shapes unlike any other non metal board makes. But as the rider, all you feel is a stable platform under your feet and contemplate the future of alpine snowboarding as your brain struggles to believe what just happened. It is that good.

The metal not only blows your mind when you ride it but it helps you learn who you are. It handles everything you can put it in, moguls seem to shrink and smooth out. It makes soft snow and slush feel like you can still push against it and perhaps the icing on the cake is what this thing does to, just that, ice! You become a hero thanks to this board if you make the correct inputs. It is just amazing if you live where it is firm. If you don’t have a metal board, you might just be wasting time and energy… You could take 4 more runs each day with the energy you save on this board. What’s that worth?

If you’re able to give metal a try without forking out a small fortune for a PGS specific shape that only works in a race course, then this board will change your life. Although I have a quiver of metal boards to pick from daily, I pick this one to have the most fun on. It may not be a Kessler in a race course or have Virus-like construction, but it has the upper hand for doing everything amazingly well compared to every other metal product out there for half the price. If you told me to pick only one board to travel with and do everything on, this is the stick for the all around alpine rider.

As a matter of fact if you were at SES the WTC or the ECES you saw that I choose this board the most. Maybe you were even lucky enough to “Prior” it away from me for a run…..

You can get your own though and the HB shop’s got one in whatever size you desire!!

Billy Bordy

Hardboots May be the most responsive Bad ass way to attach yourself to a snowboard but they are still made out of Plastic.

If you have Plastic boots and are lucky enough to just slide into a stock bladder and get a good fit then stop reading now and go thank your lucky stars.

If you are still reading then you and the thousands of plastic boot users world wide need to know about boot fitting. Every resort has a boot fitter that does nothing but play with stinky, sore, mangled feet. Here at PCMR we make the trip to surefoot so many times a year they not only know us by name but may be one of the most experienced snowboard hardboot fitter in the nation. The have helped me repair- rebuild-reshape every pair of boots I have ridden over the past decade and since just about every employee can ski lines that would force Warren Miller to break out his camera they know where you are coming from and only want to help.

I have always been a fan of the heat moldable bladder for free riding and two run GS and SL racing, It fits great once molded correctly and is crazy warm, but parallel racing in a race course that rides more like Mogul run with 2 foot holes at the gate I quickly saw the need for a bit more support then my trusty thermo fit bladders could provide. I of course turned to Surefoot for help. Steve Owen, or Stevo as the locals call him not only keeps all the ripping hoodlums that work their in line but has shared his knowledge with every last one of them so when you roll into surefoot some one has the answers to your foot problems we were lucky enough that He and super fitter Tommy (last Name?) Not only thought they had the solution for my hardboots but they were excited to put me into a Surefoot staple product Comforable foam bladders. Surefoot believes in the foaming process so much that Many of the boots they sell off the rack come with the comfortable Foam bladder standard, But the system works so well that they have boxes of brand new bladders that have never been touched basically just thrown away because the customer wants the benefits of the conformable bladder so badly that they just toss the new bladder and go right to the foam.

Considering the amount of US team members, Olympic Medalist, World and national champions that walk in and out of the Park City Mountain Resort Surefoot daily it was no surprise that they are ninjas at boot fitting. I thank them for taking care of my feet every year but I was a bit nervous about the foaming process and the possibility of the bladders changing the boots flex so much that I was perhaps well nervous. The staff at surefoot really has the process of foaming down. In all it only takes about a half hour start to finish and you can go ride when you walk out the door. Now I have to point out the process is painless, unlike the pressure I remembered as a young Ski Racer in My Nordica Grand Prix foams the Surefoot Conformable are Childs play to mold. The Foam is so High tech it flows in like a thick liquid and molds with such precision it wraps your feet in a blanket of soft supportive foam so comfy you’ll throw your smelly old thermoflex bladders straight out the window. While right away I noticed a difference in the support my trusty Deeluxe Indys had gained I was curious to see what happened on the hill. I had been in the Indys for years and thought I had them figured out. Time to find out!!
Just walking to the lift I could feel the difference the foam bladders had compared to my thermo liners. My feet where stuck I mean stuck inside the boot, normally there’s a bit off heel lift while walking, it was gone and so was any play between the boot and bladder!
Even just pushing around in the lift line I could fell an instant difference. And heck even getting off the chair felt easier then usual due to the increased support.

Clipping my back foot in I was sure ready to find fault with the foam bladder, I tried a few turns under slow speeds and did feel a bit of balance at first, much like when you change board widths and feel the difference in the transitions, I too felt a difference in the transitions then I noticed the increase in edge pressure as soon as my speed increased. I didn’t feel as though I had a stiffer boot but my trusty Kessler felt as though it had a sick race day tune but since it just sat in Surefoot during the Molding process I knew it had to be the liner. Just this gain in control was worth switching over to these I thought. But as the terrain began to fall away a bit more I really started to but all I had into the board. My trusty Indys had always held up fine but I often felt as though I “pushed” through the flex as apposed to having the Boot push back providing feed back that I can us to make adjustments, Like a gift the new Bladder did just that, Increased the feedback and the input, I was sold and only after a few turns. I noticed a huge difference as the day went on I was stoked to be in the new bladder.

I was not convinced that the $400 price would be worth the benefits I noticed day one but since the cats at Surefoot offer a lifetime fit guarantee I thought I should but some time into this review so that’s what going to happen. We are going to but a year in these bladders and let you know how they work. Then and only then will we pass judgment!

Alright I can’t believe it been a year since I first punched out the start of this review, this is the first year long review we have done and I have tried to keep good records of My boots and first I thought I would give you the quick info on what they went through.

They started life brand new Indys out of the box in Mid November 05 training for the first race to the cup stop at copper and although not retired they where replaced this June at spring camp coincidently also in copper with a Pair of Virus UPZ

While in service they have had
2 sets of comfortable bladders
2 sets of thermo flex bladders.
6 straps replaced
3 buckles fixed
3 booster straps replaced
All but 1 of the 4 cant rivets or adjustment rebuilt several times before being riveted in place
2 sets of super soft heel and toe rubber from Bomber
4 sets of springs replaced due to wear and or failure
6-10 pins replaced or straightened for the FLAD

As always I spent a bunch of time in the shop doing repairs but I was very happy with how well my Indys held up under the abuse. But even more surprising was how well my Comfortable liners held up. But the best part was how well they rode!!

Stepping into the Comforable is truly like upgrading the boot to the next model. And in my case when my competition is all riding Indys also they gave me an upper hand!

My boots really came alive with the bladders all year. The straight facts are they are much more durable the thermoflex or thermo fit or any stock bladder, way more supportive. And most importantly much more comfortable after hours of hard alpine punishment!!

The Surefoot bladder is for sure an improvement for any high end boot. It defiantly made my session longer, and much more powerful. I could move much more energy to the bindings and board with the surefoot bladders and the feed back is amazing.
I spend hours in the shop trying to make stock boots ride well but in less then a half hour surefoot stepped my Indys to the next level and even though they are a bit pricey at (current cost) If you want to bring your boots to the same level as the Pros this is the fastest way to do it!!

Through out the year I had no problems with my bladders no rips or tears no separation of fabric and to my surprise not much smell. I was in and out of them twice a day some days all year I really thought I would wear out something but no, all the seams stayed stitched and tight and since the tongue Velcro’s on and off its easy to install or remove the bladder to dry or adjust the tongue for the best fit. These bladders truly ride circles around any bladder any hardboot manufacture sells with their product No matter what type of foot shape or even abnormality Surefoot takes the sure fit idea to the customer and will for sure be happy.

I really need to close this article with a big thanks to surefoot for setting us up with a few pairs of Bladder to play with. We were lucky enough to try molding pairs with Intec cables installed and with a larger tongue size to try and decrease shin bang in a race course. We basically wasted the pair with the Intec cable installed and would highly recommend removing your Intec cables during the foaming process. We did learn that with them in place the foam forms around them and with the correct flexing you can feel the cable between the shell and bladder because the foam is so precise, however by molding them with out the cable installed provides enough foam between you and the shell that you never notice the cables. We also discovered that while the stock tongue is more then usable a larger tongue increased the pressure we could place on the toeside over the standard tongue. However it very hard to make this happen at you local shop so we also tried the simple task of keeping the boot a bit looser up top while foaming to allow a bit more foam to set in the top of the tongue and provide more support and padding up top!!!

The Conformable Bladder will turn any boot into the best it can be. Fit and performance improvements are worth every penny!! And with the stellar service and boot fitting you’ll get for the life time of your surefoot products you can not go wrong. When more boot manufactures step up and try as hard as surefoot does, hardboots will be on many more riders feet..

This is what we know so far about metal…… “You don’t really need it unless you are racing.” Many riders will love the difference in board feel and control. Metal does so much for a snowboard. It creates harmonic dampening, tensional dampening, torsional strength and over all good looks.

Truth is metal makes life good and boards damp but there are some issues that many board builders are still working through, the biggest being adhesion. Metal is very slick and doesn’t absorb glue well at all. Titanal is mostly Aluminum and likes to develop a protective layer quickly through oxidation. Unlike most other materials used in snowboards, metal does not contain pores to help absorb the glue. Many ski builders worked around this issue over 2 decades ago. Builders used chemical etching to help solve this problem but some are still learning to work with Titanal. If a metal board is going to delaminate, it should happen well with in the warrantee period. The only bummer will be sending your board back and waiting for it to return.

If you play your cards right and end up with a board that has great glue, your move to metal will be well worth it. Most metal boards are lighter and softer than non-metal boards. While everyone should enjoy the weight savings, not all will be stoked about the change in flex. Before we get too much into the flex, let’s cover the basics. The gear is what gives your particular ride its character. If you have a stiff board, you will need a binding powerful enough to provide the interface necessary to power it up. Once the board and bindings are chosen you will then need a more rigid boot. Simple, right? Well not always. Many riders just blow it making their setups more difficult than necessary to ride at the top of there game. Some riders may only get 2 of the 3 flexes to work together ending up with a sloppy link somewhere. On a stiff board, this can be a problem. When it comes to making enough energy to power up your super board, you may fall short and the board feels like a tank. Perhaps your boots are too soft. You struggle constantly to make the board turn. It’s easy to see where this is going.

Metal boards are softer. This means you may not need the same stiff boots and bindings to power up the board and you can use a more supple binding and boot. You will be able to generate incredible edge hold without the legs of a world cup rider. Of course if you have the legs of a world cupper, imagine what the metal board does for you. It’s almost like cheating!

Metal benefits the everyday rider but most major companies are unwilling to invest the scratch and make it happen. Palmer has a relationship with Kessler and they are leading the metal revolution. They should have some free ride boards using Titanal in the next few years. Burton has stepped up to the plate with its Alumafly core and Vapor core technology.

For now only those brave enough to ride race shapes or custom shapes from one of the board builders can get this trick metal in their sticks. The current industry leader in Titanal boards is Kessler. They have the biggest metal selection for now however many North American builders are upping the ante.

Bruce Varsava of Coiler Composites has continued his legacy with the new Titanal product and seems to have most of the bugs worked out. Prior has also stepped into the world of metal and offers 3 great blended race-freeride boards in non-custom shapes. Prior and Coiler will add metal to any shape for a fee.

Price varies depending on which company you chose. Some boards will cost you double what the non metal shape may due to the high cost of Titanal and the increase in the supporting materials cost. When metal is used in a board, it needs backed up with other high-tech materials like carbon fiber instead of fiberglass, super base materials etc.

All of this cool technology costs some duckets and for now, we as the consumer need to cover it. However, in the days of thousand dollar skis I can understand why snowboards cost around the same. Every now and then, something comes along and makes the toys we slide on better. Titanal may be the fiberglass of this decade and I hope everyone gets a chance to use it!

It seems that more and more alpine snowboarding podiums are obtained on boards with metal in them. Most recently the Swiss dominance at the Olympics showcased snowboards utilizing metal in their construction. The use of metal in snowboards is nothing new. In fact, metals have been used in ski construction for more than forty years. There is one metal in particular that seems to be mentioned most and considered to be the best. That metal is known as Titanal®. What is this metal exactly and how does it affect the performance of a snowboard? This article will attempt to shed some light on this amazing material and how its properties are suited for snowboard construction.

Titanal® is produced by an Austrian company known as AMAG Rolling. This company has a sports division with a long history of providing high strength aluminum alloys for recreational manufacturing. AMAG Rolling describes Titanal® as follows “Titanal® is a high strength, age hardenable aluminum-wrought-alloy”. Contrary to what many people may believe, Titanal® is not titanium and in fact does not contain any titanium. The chemical composition of Titanal® in weight percent breaks down to approximately 88.5% aluminum, 1.7% copper, 2.5% magnesium, 7% zinc, and 0.1% zirconium. Knowing the chemical composition allows for a comparison of this alloy to other familiar aluminum alloys.

The Aluminum Association uses a system of four digit numbers to categorize different wrought aluminum alloys. The first digit in this system identifies the major alloying element, the second digit indicates modifications of the original alloy or impurity limits, and the last two digits identify the aluminum alloy or indicate the aluminum purity. Table 1 sheds some light on these designations. Knowing the major alloying element of Titanal® specifies the series this aluminum alloy falls into.

Major Alloying Element Series
Aluminum (Greater than 99.00%) 1xxx
Copper 2xxx
Manganese 3xxx
Silicon 4xxx
Magnesium 5xxx
Magnesium and Silicon 6xxx
Zinc 7xxx
Other Element 8xxx
Unused Series 9xxx

Table 1

The chemical composition of Titanal® lists the major alloying element as zinc at approximately 7%. This would mean that it would be similar to aluminum alloys in the 7xxx series. This indicates a material comparable to that used in the aerospace industry where high strength and low weight are of paramount importance.

Aluminum, like steel, is a ductile material. This means that the initial portion of the stress vs. strain curve is a straight line with a steep slope. The peak of this line is a point known as the yield point. The stress at this point is known as the yield stress (σy). After the yield point, the material undergoes further deformation up to the ultimate stress (σu) and continues on to the stress at which failure or rupture occurs (σB), also known as the breaking strength. A brittle material like glass, does not have a yield point, the ultimate stress equals the breaking strength. Figure 1 shows a comparison of typical stress vs. strain curves for ductile materials and brittle materials in tension.

It can be seen that a ductile material like aluminum can be highly stressed up to the yield point without failure. A comparison of the yield stress of structural steel, 7075-T6 aluminum and Titanal® is shown in Table 2.
Material Yield Stress (MPa)
Structural Steel (ASTM-A36) 250
Aluminum Alloy 7075-T6 500
Titanal® 580

Table 2
As can be seen from Table 2, aluminum alloys are very strong. This high strength coupled with low weight and ductility combine to make for an excellent material for snowboard construction.

A typical snowboard consists of a wood core sandwiched between layers of fiberglass. The fiberglass layers are typically a tri-axial or quad-axial glass. Once the epoxy has cured these glass layers form a composite matrix with the wood core. The reason that most manufacturers use tri-axial or quad-axial glass is to increase the torsional rigidity of the board. The more directions the glass fibers run, the better the composite is at resisting loads in those directions. This is where Titanal® makes such a difference. The use of a very thin layer of aluminum takes the place of the fiberglass. The tensile loads are resisted by the aluminum and the aluminum responds in all directions. The pathways for the load to be resisted are no longer limited to the directions of the glass fibers. Figure 2 shows a comparison of tri-axial fiberglass and Titanal®.

Figure 2
This is a highly simplified comparison but hopefully demonstrates the advantage of aluminum in a composite. Analysis of torsion in composites is a fairly advanced subject that typically involves some high end finite element analysis software and advanced engineering.

Why does Titanal® seem to be the aluminum alloy of choice for snowboard construction? One possibility is good marketing. Titanal® has a recognizable name with a reputation for quality and high performance. AMAG Rolling has been a pioneer in the use of aluminum for snow sports and has built a reputation as the supplier of choice. AMAG Rolling also provides Titanal® in very thin sheets (0.3mm and 0.4mm) which are best suited for snowboard construction.

Why are there not more snowboards with aluminum inside? The answer is two fold. One, fiberglass is cheaper, and in the highly competitive snowboard market cost is a controlling factor. Two, aluminum can be difficult to bond if not done correctly. One of the properties of aluminum that makes it easy on the eyes also makes it difficult to bond. Aluminum reacts with the atmosphere and oxidizes a very thin layer over its surface. This layer acts a protective coating and is the reason why many aluminum structures are not painted. This thin protective coating can make bonding with epoxy difficult. The epoxy will bond to the thin layer and then peel right off once cured. There are some physical and chemical processes employed to prevent this from happening. Most snowboard manufacturers have done the research and development to find the right recipe for good bonding. These challenges aside, more and more alpine snowboard manufacturers are building boards with Titanal® and alpine riders generally will pay the higher price for high performance products. Look for more Titanal® boards to start appearing in boarder-cross as race technology spills over to this rapidly growing segment of the snowboard market.

So now we know that Titanal® is a propriety high-strength aluminum alloy and that it can greatly improve the torsional rigidity of a snowboard. If you get the chance, take a Titanal® product out for a test run and see if you can feel the difference.

Deeluxe boot liners of bladders have undergone a change, which has confused some consumers lately. Last year the Indy and Suzuka introduced the new thermo fit liner. This bladder has all of the fine features as the standard bladder has always offered by Deeluxe (Raichle) but is infused with some Thermo Liner parts providing more support and comfort than ever before in a thermo product. This new liner has quickly become the standard for comfort and response and has found its way into several ski boots next year as well! It is very exciting to see Deeluxe take the Thermo Fit Ideas to a more durable and supportive bladder.

The full Thermo Bladder was introduced in the Raichle line over 10 years ago. This was the first time a full heat moldable custom liner was available to the consumer in a ski or snowboard boot. The first liners allowed a fit only achieved with a custom, foam bladder before at a fraction of the cost. However the first generation bladders proved to be soft and flimsy with very little support compared to traditional bladders or custom foam bladders. Many riders and skiers noticed just how soft the full thermo liners were and where unable to cope with the shin bang and over all discomfort. Raichle quickly redesigned the bladder into a higher density model for plastic boots but continued to use the softer liner in their soft boot line providing ample support for the soft, flexing boots of the time. This soft boot line was the first to carry the Deeluxe name now engulfing the hard boot line.

The new high density thermo line provided more support but still was prone to shin bang amongst hard charging riders. Again the bladder was improved providing more support and durability while surrounding the rider’s foot in a custom fit unmatched at the time. The full thermo Bladder has continued to find its way into many types of supportive boots that are softer than a ski boot such as telemark and snowboard soft boots but in many riders’ opinions, still fell short of a truly supportive bladder for a snowboard hard-shell boot. Most team riders at the time still used the traditional bladder for the support and durability, sacrificing the comfort of the Full thermo bladder. The other option was to modify the fit and shape of the boot or bladder to fit the riders needs (a very common practice).

Realizing the need for a blend of both bladders Deeluxe went back to the drawing board and returned with a winner. The new Thermo Fit liners provide all the support of the traditional bladder that now includes Thermo Fit sections in the key areas like the tongue and heel. These heat moldable sections provide the same fit as previous focusing on these areas. This allows the exterior to remain much more durable and technical with multiple types of materials being used in key spots. Prior to this bladder, one of the benefits of the full thermo bladder was the molding process. This process not only custom fit your foot to the liner but also custom fit the bladder to the boot providing a great interface. Deeluxe designed the Thermo Fit bladder to continue the same solid interface. Some new features have also been added to the Thermo fit bladder such as a non slip sole and heel lock down and a softer toe box providing great feel and fit. Perhaps the biggest benefit though is the solid plastic tongue insert combined with a wrap around power strap that, unlike many straps in the past by Raichle, works very well to decrease shin bang and provide upper boot power. This makes the addition of an after market strap a luxury not a necessity as with the fully moldable Speed Thermo liner.

With a Molding process considerably less intense than the new, Full Thermo Speed liner in the 2005 line, the Thermo fit bladder does not require a molding session prior to a riding session. All of us at Hardbooter went the whole season without a mold by a Boot fitter and not a single iota of discomfort. There was also a less than normal break in period ( 2 to 3 days) than I have experienced in a traditional bladder from Deeluxe in the past( 4 to 7 days). All around this Bladder is by far the best of both worlds out of the Deeluxe camp. As a long time Raichle and Deeluxe rider I am very pleased with the performance came to adore in the traditional liner but with the fit I longed for in the full Thermo liner.

Deeluxe, of course, still offers the full Thermo bladder this year as the Speed Thermo. This is by far the best generation of the fully moldable bladder to date from Deeluxe. It provides a truly custom fit only available in a fully moldable bladder and has some beefed up areas in the shin and heel to offset some of the wear issues plaguing bladders in the past. The bladder remains a great option for someone with unique feet that has had issues with the fit of boots in the past. The comfort level of this bladder is very high with proper fit by a trained boot fitter. Many a untrained fitter have also been successful at home, following directions that can be found online, but for best fit Hardbooter highly recommends using a trained thermo trained boot fitter. It may only cost you case of beer to get boots to fit, well…… like a glove.

Surrounding your foot with plastic has never been all that comfortable to begin with but Deeluxe has taken a great shell and finally given us a choice of great bladders to choose from. As a hard-core Thermo rider I don’t miss the fit of the fully moldable bladder at all any more thanks to Deeluxe’s new liner. I am almost glad I don’t have to walk around gritting my teeth during the molding process anymore with toe caps stuffed on and pain (as well as lots of heat) the only thing on my mind. As a rider we all go through some sacrifices to have maximum control but boot discomfort should not be a major sacrifice anymore. Trained boot fitters are by far one of the best resources out there. There are shops at every resort willing to make your feet feel good. They all agree the key to comfort is a custom foot bed made just for you. This item is treated as an add on sale at many shops and retailers and in turn many riders forgo it. It is, however, the platform you stand on that begins the whole interface with the board. Foot beds range from just under a hundred to well over two hundred dollars and are worth every single penny.

Starting with comfort under your foot will make whatever plastic you wrap it up in much more comfortable. And this year stuffing your feet into a pair of Deeluxe hardboots has never been better.







Day one in my new Indys, Thermo Fit bladder no mold, They still feel great. Footbeds by Surefoot made day one nicer!

My first review is going to be of the Bomber TD2's with the regular bails, NOT the Intec version. These are the second generation of Bomber Industries famous trench-digger series. These bindings really stand out in a crowd (even more so than simply a hardbooter in the lift line). With their clean lines, fluid curves, and solid engineering it's no wonder these binding have such a cult following.

I was really excited when I first saw a prototype of these binding years ago under the feet of a certain Casanova. It looked like some of the issues I had with the first generation TD's were addressed and the binding looked like a big step forward. But at the time they were still in development and all I could get out of the person riding them was "yeah, there great! No you can't try them, I have a race run to take and so do you" or something along those lines. Finally a year or two later they are available and I got my chance to ride them.

My first impression was mixed.... I really liked how they made the cant/lift adjustment so you can fine tune the amount of lift or cant you want. There are 3 different plates you can get a flat, a 3 degree, and a 6 degree. These plates can rotate around a center disk so you can play around with cant/lift combos, it's not an infinite amount of adjustment like with some other bindings out there, but in my mind it's easier to use and easier to find a reference point to work all you adjustments from. This cant/lift disk sits atop a rubber "e-ring" that is used for suspension and dampening. This is one of the strong features of the binding, in that you can get different durometer e-rings to further customize the ride. The binding mounts to the cant/lift disk and has a window that easily lets you see you angle adjustments. I have mixed feelings about this feature. On one hand you have infinite adjustability for you angles, no 3 degree increment garbage. But on the other hand since it is infinite it's harder to know exactly what angles you are running and if you move bindings from board to board it's hard to get them in the same spot, unless you take a marker and mark where the screws are in relation to the binding. If you aren't looking straight down on the window you could be reading a false angle. But then again with other binding there is some play before you tighten down the screws so who knows if the angles you think you're running are accurate. Like I said I'm very conflicted on this feature, and I know it's very nit picky. I was surprised on the weight of the bindings for being nearly all metal these bindings aren't super heavy, although I think it would be beneficial to loose some weight. The boot sole adjustment was also nice and user friendly. The old TD's had a micro adjustment for the bails that was kind of a pain to get dialed in, to be completely honest I don't know if the TD2's have this same feature, because there was no need for my boot size.

Now that we are through the looks and some of the features of this binding, let’s get to the fun stuff..... Do they ride as well as they look??? The first time I made turns with this binding under my feet was with a set-up with flat front foot and a 6 degree rear set-up with mostly lift and a small amount of cant thrown in, trying to set them up a close to my current Burton binding that I'm comfortable on. I also had the purple e-ring which is supposed to be their medium stiffness. Upon clipping the toe clip to my front foot I noticed a small compatibility issue with the toe clip and my Burton boots. The toe clip ended right at my toe buckle making it hard to get out of the binding. Now I know why I see a lot of people who use this binding with a small piece of string tied to the toe bail to make it easier to get off. When I tried to use the adjustment screw to raise the toe clip, I could feel the screw pushing down on my toes and not pushing the toe clip up. So I just decided to deal with it. Not a big deal. It just makes the binding harder to get out of than other choices out there. Oh well… to the lift!!

It took a few runs to get used to the feeling of these bindings. They are stiffer than the set-up I'm currently used to, but not as ridged as the first TD's. On good bump free snow they performed great with lots of power going from me to the board. Any movement I made went right to the edge, which is awesome when I nailed the transition, but made me pay if I didn't. When the snow got bumpy was when these bindings started to show some flaws. All that energy that was going from me to the edge now was coming from the snow back to me and making my shins pay dearly. When my board started to bounce it seemed harder to get back under control because my feet and shins were bouncing around more than on my normal set-up. My first ride on the TD2's left me feeling somewhat disappointed. I had really high (maybe too high) expectations for this binding and it fell a little short. (Please TD2 fans don't stop reading here!!!!) The binding was very strong for digging deep trenches in groomed snow, but it fell short of expectations for a race binding. If it lost some weight, had a little more give to help smooth out the chatter you encounter in a race course and had a redesigned toe piece this binding would score much higher for me.

If given the opportunity I would ride these bindings again..... This opportunity actually came up at the '05 Wasatch Trenchin' Convention. Fin happened to show up with his demo fleet, and I jumped at the chance to ride his bindings again. This time around I had different e-rings to choose from. I choose a super soft yellow one (I was told it was softer than the current yellow one available and will be offered to the public soon.) I already forgot about the toe clip issue and went through the same process I did first time around and just went with it. Upon my first few turn I noticed a considerable difference from what I remembered them riding like. They were still super responsive, but this time they had more give when the board started to bounce around. When the snow was good I could put all my energy into the binding and it just took it and wanted more. The binding felt very good under my feet and provided nearly enough dampening to make me have thoughts of taking it through the race course. The binding flexed was very progressive. What I mean by this is that with some bindings that give ample dampening there is a noticeable point where they stop flexing and start transmitting energy. It's like when you go from turn to turn you feel a little dead spot, with the TD2's the spot isn't as noticeable, yet the dampening is still there. I hope you could follow what I'm trying to say here, it's a hard concept to write about, if you don't understand what I'm trying to say just understand that I thought it was a good thing.

Overall my second impression was vastly different from my first impression, which is cool because it shows you can set this binding up to suit many different styles. These bindings are a huge step forward compared to the original TD's, but I still think they can be improved upon. In my opinion the TD2's would be even better if they were lighter and the toe clip adjuster worked without tweaking my boots. I would recommend these bindings for an upper intermediate through expert rider who spends most if not all of their time on groomers. This binding would also be good for someone who has been riding hard boots for years and is thinking about getting into racing, but doesn’t have a particular binding preference yet. This binding has enough adjustments that you could play around and eventually find a set-up that you enjoy, and by that time you'll know exactly what you want. However I still wouldn't recommend this binding for light weight riders, beginners, or people who aren't very aggressive with their carving.

I have had a Madd 158 sitting around for way too long; this board found it’s way to me with a big black circle in permanent marker around one of the front inserts and may be the reason it sat for so long. I really was not that excited to ride the board because it was a bit smaller than anything I take out daily. I had considered putting in some time on it with my wife; it seemed like it could be fun on some mellow groomers. But that damn insert reared its ugly mark of failure as soon as I began to mount it. The Madd got thrown back into the quiver to be lost for a few more years.

I had ridden the 170 many years back; it was on some classic hardpack, fast and firm snow. I was a bit of a board snob at the time, only riding long custom lengths made just for me. I had just put a few runs in when a bail broke so I ran back to the shop. As I searched for a new part, the only bail I found was mounted on a Madd 170, no doubt belonging to a friend of the shop. After some quick hellos I found myself walking out the door with the bail I needed - only it was still mounted on the Madd 170. I never could just say no, especially when it came to my favorite question, “Would you like to ride this?”

As I mentioned, it was long ago that I rode the 170 and that’s why this review is really about the 158. I do remember being very pleased with the 170 even after just coming off a board with a lot more length. The 170 felt nice and stable with great edge grip through the whole turn, tip to tail, with a good release off the tail and onto a great deck to stand on. I logged a few runs and bumped into some friends, one of which had an extra bail to lend me. It was not crowded and I went back to the bigger board, not because the 170 was not fun, but because I was having a good time going very fast on one of my favorite rides of the time.

Last year’s off-season, BOL’s forum was filled with debate about the Madd 158. Perhaps the reincarnation of both sizes started as just that. (elaborate on this “reincarnation” statement) A few riders were pimping a board they had been so pleased with that more riders wanted a chance to share the stoke. Following the forum discussion of the Madd product, I was ready to break out the 6 mil tap and try to reincarnate the 158 I had. I’m glad I did.

I like trying out new pairs of boots on an SL stick. I enjoy the fast response and direct feedback of a shorter stick to work out any quirks in a fresh pair of shells. When Dave and Mikey walked in the shop with a Deeluxe box, I was glad I had mounted the Madd 58 with my tried and tested TD1 Intecs. It took a few minutes to set up for the new boots. When Dave broke out the new camera we had bought for the site, I considered going to a bigger board for some good powerful shots. Luckily, we were in a hurry and out the door we went.

Dave spent the first part of our lift ride obsessing over how “cute” the Madd was. We both joked about the little nose and tail and I began to get excited for fast SL turns. Dave and I decided to warm up before breaking out the camera. Mikey was just stoked about shooting photos. It was his 3rd day on plates and the fact we would have to stop often made him very happy. But that also means this will be the only uninterrupted run all day. Using that as my motivating factor, I am determined to treat this Madd like a race stock SL board. I always think SL turns work out best when you are angry so that’s what I got….MADD!

I had flexed the 158 for years in my basement and was now ready to bend it under my feet for the first time. I railed a big, powerful heel side and pumped aggressively into the next toe side. The Madd kept up very nicely under my new Indys and for the next few turns I took some time to separate the response of the board from the feel of the new boots. I had ridden the AF700s in the past and felt real comfy in the Deeluxe boot after just a few more turns. It shocked me to discover how steady this little 58 felt as I tried to feel the boot. Most SL boards are very tricky to ride, especially on the first few turns. You usually spend some time looking for the sweet spot between the tip and tail and then try to limit your fore and aft movement to within the generally small balance point. This is perhaps the biggest difference between the Madd and almost every other SL board out there and may be the best characteristic of the little 58.(what characteristic?) After 25 or 30 fast, aggressive SL turns, I started to drag out the shape and really stand on the board. I was pleased with the smooth initiation and positive response into a more freeride style turn. The somewhat dead and almost boring response under heavy SL style input was not what I expected. But although the board had felt a bit slow in a heavy forced SL turn, it began to shine in a turn shape just a little bigger. As the pitch began to increase, I welcomed the simplicity of input needed to rail the smooth Utah packed powder. After only a few high angle turns, I felt cocky on the little Madd and the Jibber in me slipped out as I spun it around to the flat nose. I could really feel the firmness of the tail as it became the nose. Again the board felt much longer than it truly was. It was small and nimble and I found myself spinning from forward to switch several times with just a few short turns in between. We soon reached the bottom and started shooting photos. As Dave and Mikey discovered how to work the new camera, I spent time learning to work the little Madd. I would sit and wait for them to get set up, thinking about the benefits of such a fun little stick. Since it was our first day shooting we spent a few moments trying to capture several styles of turn. From laid out Euro style to fast and low alpine and even a trip in the park and pipe. The 58 held up well to any style of turn and landed very smoothly.

This big feel from a little board really allows the rider to push aggressively through the whole turn and even drag out the little SL radius into some sweeping GS style arcs. Without a doubt this is why this Madd 158 is a favorite among hard charging experienced riders who may have considered removing any thing shorter than a 175 from their quiver. While the platform is ultra solid for a 58, it does sacrifice some SL feel. Again, I really tried to pound the board into some tight aggressive quick turns and found my self a little disappointed in the lack of a snappy hookup. This is the style of initiation I am so fond of on a SL stick. This massive dive or bend into an aggressive short turn is the energy you try to carry out of the tail on most short sticks. It is this same energy that can snap you off the tail, sometimes 2 feet or so from the snow, forcing you to make quick corrections to maintain control. While the Madd will provide a similar turn, due to its stiffness it requires a massive amount of input and angle to achieve the same result. This amount of input definitely removes the older 58 from a great SL specific shape and feel. It does, however, blend a not so tight SL feel with a stable free ride of a longer board that is very uncharacteristic of a pure SL stick. Without a doubt this is why the 58 gets the props it does. It forces you to push and drive in the turn no matter what the shape, but as you decrease the pressure, the board increases the arc while remaining stable. While many SL boards start to “swim or twitch” at speeds above 25, the Madd holds steady under an experienced riders feet, well into speeds that may be beyond many a rider’s threshold. This board would be a great ride for an aggressive alpinist plagued with crowds or a tighter trail system. It is a tight turning SL style board that carves a wide range of shapes from a loose SL turn into a tight GS turn. It may not provide the smooth cruiser feel of large GS stick but if you are going to carry only one short, stick this may be the one filling a larger size gap than a board of similar length.
Less experienced and intermediate riders may not be prepared to put in the effort to make this board work and might want to look for a softer, milder board. I have heard many intermediate carvers discuss the overwhelming effort needed to ride a board of this caliber. Most riders in this category should continue honing their skills on a milder ride. Any rider who has no problems with aggressive linked turns on challenging pitches may find this board the link to the next level, provided they are willing to work for it. With a price above many stock boards, the Madd is a bit scary to get into. With the new inserts, these boards should last a long time. I could see many boards in the 160 to 175 range staying home more often as your Madd gets more hill time. If you would like to have just one sub 175 length or you just can’t find a short board that holds up under your feet, this may be the board for you.

Billy Bordy

Bola at All Boards Sports was kind enough to loan the Hardbooter crew some boards at SES this year. He sent us packing with an Oldenberg alpine stick and a Dupraz Pintail powder board. These boards cover the extremes of snow conditions from the hardpack groomers to the pow pow, respectively, and we where stoked to head back to our trusty, variable Utah stomping grounds to give them a welcome to the Hardbooter lifestyle.

Rolling back from SES Dave, Rusty and I could not wipe the grin off our faces. We were still on the uber alpine high of trenching the cord with so many amped riders at SES. Now with the 7 hour drive home ahead and I, with a newly broken wrist, ate some pain killers, sat back and enjoyed the ride. Even with four full days of solid riding behind us, we still talked snowboarding all the way home, probably like everyone else who had just left SES was doing.

Rusty had met us in Aspen for SES but it was only the start of his adventure after a gnarly crash and some hospital time last year. He was back on the war-path and happy to be back in Utah. Rusty is one of my closest childhood riding partners that spends 5 days a week working for The Man and rides New England resorts on the weekends. Maybe it was the Dupraz loaner from Bola or maybe it was just because Rusty had it coming but we woke up the next day and it had dumped. Only a day after getting the Dupraz at SES it was mounted, waxed and put into service.

The Dupraz’s shape sure got a lot of stares from the newbees in the base lift lines but once we were up top in the real snow, the snickering giggles and “what is that” questions turned into jealous stares from all-mountain board riders struggling with pocket tools, moving their bindings back in search of float. With its powder specific shape and 179cm length, float should not be an issue for this board. I couldn’t wait to see how it rode and since we had just been traversing from chair to chair, all I know so far is that the inserts are doing a great job at holding my bindings in place. We were just a few hundred feet from some PC pow and a hidden tree stash and now it was time to see how the Dupraz and Rusty rode. I dropped into a narrow opening that turns into a loose grove of aspens and pines. The snow was a bit heavy by Utah standards but the pointed nose of the bright red Dupraz found its way to the surface as the tail began to drop. The pintail did a great job of supporting my weight but could use a break. I moved some weight over the front foot while insuring I was balanced incase it pearls. The nice moderate flex smoothly took the weight and the nose continued to plane. I only needed a few turns to find the sweet spot and although it should have been easy on a board this size, I was surprised by the response I received from a board that might have been more at home in a wide open Powder field. I threw in a big powerful braking turn just as the tree shot crossed an open traverse and the board dumped speed very predictably. This was just enough to keep me from drifting too far and landing on the low traverses but still a few feet up and plenty of drift into some waist deep virgin snow.

Landing a pintail in fresh snow is always a blast. It’s almost like auto-land! The tail sinks and you slowly descend into the snow. All it takes is a little forward pressure and POP! you’re right back on plane. I headed for a groomed section of trail and was ready to see if this specialized powder board could handle a few meters on the trails to get me around the hill. There was just enough fresh on the groomer to plane up on but as soon as the edge grabbed and I leaned, I felt the board hook up on the soft cord underneath. The soft, pow exclusive nose did a fine job of holding my weight and I threw in some laid-out turns and came up covered in white stuff. It held fine and I spent the turns smiling not worrying about the board. Perfect! Rusty and I rode all day and the Dupraz was solid. I rode heavy on my front leg for the duration without a hint of back leg powder ach you might get on an all mountain shape. The big Dupraz seemed to shrink under my feet as the day went on. I was nailing some tight tree shots that I usually pilot my 56 Fish through when I realized I had not heard a bomb in over 45 minutes. Time to walk.

mmmmmmmmmmmm… open bowls. In less than 20 minutes Rusty and I zipped up our gear and got ready to see if this Dupraz would work in one of the thousands of open bowls in the West. I made two turns to check and pointed the rest.

Some boards do well just pointing. After I made two great powder turns I got bored. Sure I could have put down twenty or forty more and the Dupraz would have answered because it was that easy to ride but Rusty took care of all the turning behind me and I’m a sucker for an open field. Maybe I’m just polite but I try to use as little fresh snow as possible so my friends have plenty. I simply put a straight line down the middle most of the time. I ride a lot of fun pow shapes and I think this is when I want a board to work; hanging on at some silly speed just bouncing on the top of the snow, looking down at the run-out for the best lip or an open spot into a meadow to lay out turns in the flats. ( and to sucker the tourists into thinking they can do the same. Of course since they didn’t point it, they have to hike out for 20 minutes saving more fresh for cronies and me! Come on! I didn’t coin the phrase “no friends on Pow days”). But I didn’t want to be the guy hiking so the board better feel, well, no pow board is stable but perhaps secure is the word that fits. Man, this Dupraz is secure! By the end of the day I was worked from riding hard but could still hang on strongly through the chop and crud now covering everything. I found lips to slash and cut back on and spent the day smiling. It may have been just the time I spent riding with my pal Rusty but the Dupraz felt more like a new surf board that I felt right at home on than a snowboard and sometimes that’s OK!

Since that day I have logged several more powder days on the Dupraz swapping it in the rotation with my other Pow sticks like my 156 Burton Fish, a 162 Malolo, a 182 tanker, and several other all mountain shapes from the demo shop. Every time, the Dupraz has been a joy! It only takes a few turns to get reacquainted with and serves its purpose on the groomers well with alpine like angulations possible on good snow due to its wide nose! I was bummed when we sent it back to Bola and hope to find a similar shape to spend more time on. I have since ridden some large swallow tails that remind me of big board stability but have to give the Dupraz Pintail props for riding as well as a larger board in the open and making great work of the trees, turning much tighter than any board its size. Thanks Bola!

For a high resolution video review of the Dupraz, click the following link:

Dupraz Pintail Powder Review

(The file is quite large, and could take some time to play, based on your connection speed. You can also right-click and download the file if you wish.)

Or, here's the youtube version:




-- Billy