freecarve in the UK

[highalpha_pass]

Hi everyone

Just been checking out blue tomato and I am really tempted by the prices.
Has anyone on here used hard boots on dryslopes and is it any good? Apart from a week or two on snow that is where I would mainly use it. Almost every year I've been boarding we tend to stay on piste so I've always fancied a go with hard boots but you get lazy. It's easy to stick to what you know. And it's easy. Is it a big transistion to go from soft boots to hard and a freecarve board ??

[jeanbernard]

what do you mean by dry slopes? slopes cover with plastic? or something elese?

[highalpha_pass]

Yes. Covered with dendex brushes (plastic). I'm sure it would be a bit dodgy. On my freeride board it's hard to get a carve. You just slide really. But as I say everytime I go to Europe the pistes we ride are either corduroy or hard and icy or slushy sometimes actually. I've ridden powder twice in about 6-7 full weeks on snow. So I'm thinking maybe a freecarve board and keep my freeride for the plastic as it's getting pretty old.

[nils]

its exactly what we try to explain to the non hardbooters
what is the % of times you ride groomed or flat slopes? 80% and what is the kind of board you ride? the board made for the small 20% of powder, or mixed snow...
Meaning: why don't anyone get a board for those 80% times...? still a mistery !

you're making a good choice by getting a freecarve board, when you improve your carving ( read carefully the tips on this site ) you'll be ready for extremecarves, then extremacarve board

nils

[highalpha_pass]

It's like they say, it's the stuff that's advertised. I never get any information on hard boots and carving/race boards. When I first started there was still a few boards and stuff in brochures but it was real expensive. In the stuff I've received this year there is nothing.

I've recently got into kite buggying as well and it's the same thing. When you start with kites you automatically buy a Flexifoil because it's the only one you see advertised. Then once you get further into it you realise there is a much bigger choice. Bigger and better buggies, racing buggies, race kites, high aspect, low aspect ratio kites. Allsorts.

Hard boots are never seen over here on dry slope. Yet when I get to France for my yearly snowboarding holiday, I think, I wouldn't mind having a go at that. I rarely build 'kickers' and have been in a pipe once. So not exactly a freestyler. As you say 80-90% of the time you are riding a piste.

I've spoken to a couple of pro boarders who were telling me about how they do the shots for magazines. It looks like they are doing a 20ft cliff drop as part of a run but as I found out they take a long time to prep the shot. A snowball or coke can at the top of the jump to mark where to take off and the same for the landing AND they only do it when there has been a fresh dump of snow. It's usually off the beaten track as well, maybe an hours hike or something. As I say I've only seen fresh snow about twice in 6-7 years of snowboarding holidays!!!! Probably be knee deep this year. NOT.

[jeanbernard]

generally on plastic slopes the sole of the boards and skis should be different than what you would use on snow. On plastic the sole has to be heat-resistant!

[highalpha_pass]

That's interesting. Never thought of that. But they spray the slope with water, so I don't know if that helps. I have often wondered why a UK company has never thought of designing dry slope specific boards. Who knows the shape may even need to be different and materials. Could be whole new concept. !!

[jeanbernard]

There is a plastic slope in the north of france, exactly like the one you described. with a kind of plastic hair and water sprayed on it.
but they have special material to use on it. for example the soles of the boards are heat-resistant and also the ski poles are modified not to be sharp.
so I advise you not to go with you old board just like that. Actually I wonder if they would let you go on it with your own standard board...

[highalpha_pass]

err... actually I do use my regular freeride board on the one at home !! Maybe that's why it seems slow on snow even after waxing.