Why use boardercross participents mostly softboots?

[domsch]

I just read some article about BX and also saw some pictures.
And I saw that all of them used to ride with softboots. When I started boarding it was about 50/50, but can somebody tell me why most of it use softboots?
Because I think hardboots should be faster since you can take the turns more precisly. Or is it forbidden to use hardboots due to accident risk?

[Transistor Rhythm]

BX courses have lots of jumps in them and you should expect collisions with other riders and other things that can knock you off, typical raceboards with hardboots are disadvantageous in such a course. Also specific BX technology has developed for softboot riders, while nothing has been done for hardboots.

Maybe if someone was putting money into developing specific AT, EC or BX hardboots instead of rehashing the existing old (ski) race shapes more people would use them again, because I think the trend towards stiffer softboots really is an indication hardboots were the right way to begin with.

[fivat]

Many things are done to favor the soft boots riders.

The hard boots riders are much better at carving and speed. But the banked turns remove this "advantage", because the soft boots riders can keep their board flat on the surface of the snow.

There are also more sponsors for soft boots riders...

Patrice Fivat

[Felix]

With Softboots you are quicker in moving your body weight down/up and go down lower and you have more stability.
I am sure that the principle of softbooters go hight through turns, and hardbooters choose the low line still applies. It's not landing the jumps, I think many people preferred to land jumps with hardboots vs softboots (more support so if you land in the flat less chance of injury).

The problem is not the turns, bx came from banked turns and still hardbooters were not at a disadvantage. The problem is simply that there are too few turns and too long straight sections. You simply can't make up the time you've lost on the straight sections inside the turns on hardboots.

Actually at worldcup level I think since 1 or 2 years I have never seen a hardbooter making it to the last 32.

Even though if you were the only hardbooter you would have the advantage of being able to overtake riders inside of the turns where softbooters can't block you, the speed disadvantage on the straight sections simply is too big.

[Transistor Rhythm]

I'm very interested in why do you think hardboots are slower on the straight parts. Doesn't it come down to gliding resistance only?

[Felix]

If it were flat surface yes. But in BX we have rollers and jumps, and then gliding resistance is only part of the game.

Because you can't compress jumps as good, nor can you jump as far (e.g softbooters may just properly over a roller, while your too slow leg extending/compressing with hardboots means you land in the middle of the roller, or while softbooters don't have to jump a roller you have to because you can't compress it, meaning less controll.

I sometimes board with people who raced BX at worldcup level. It's impressive how high the can jump without any takeoff using softboots (ranging 1.50m to 2m), no chance of doing that with hardboots. Just give it a try yourself. Take fences. With softboots I usually jump over them, with hardboots I don't feel like I can jump a fence securely.

On top I feel more limited in my movements and ballance on hardboots. So if it is tight the lower angles of using softboots mean you have less problems with ballance if someone pushes you.

I do of course like most people prefer hardboots for carving, but if I'm not carving a day, it's softboots (even though my feet prefer the comfort of hardboots).

[WinterGold]

I just watched the BX from Bad Gastein from a few days ago again and there you can see it pretty well. Right after the start there is a long stretch of rollers. It´s amazing how fast the riders move over this section. They adapt (stretch/compress) so quickly that you would have no chance with hardboots. And coming into the first turn in front of the pack is half the victory.
Balance, range of motion, etc. have already been discussed.
The courses would have to change, but I don´t think anyone is interested in such a thing at the moment ...

[Schneewurm]

Boardercross has gone, Snowboardcross is actual the name now by FIS.

Boardercross was a race intendet by ISF for to join freestyle rider and alpine rider for to compare together. There was not a problem to ride such ISF course with hardboots. But You shouldn't be afraid if You loose sometimes for a dozens of meters contact to the snow surface. Beside that, You should be able to handle a higher speed with Your board.

Like Felix and Wintergold wrote, there are some benefits on softboots. On softboots it's much easier to ride a/on "dirty" line/way through the course. A spongy position on snow can sometimes let You be faster, then a correct and well defined position - and save some energy.

Now adays Snowboardcross is a own discipline. There are riders which rode beside their prefered discipline also Snowboardcross, but most time Snowboardcross rider do nothing else then SBX.

Most famous Boardercrosser Shaun Palmer (probably with most broken bones) will start also on FIS event of Calgary Olympics.

[StompedAgain]

The advantage of carving boards is in the boards more than the boots. Boarder cross racers use boards that are torsionally stiff, similar to carving boards, so they can hold an edge very nearly as well as a hardbooter. The hardboots themselves may create a slight advantage in carving but not enough to outweigh the significant movement advantages of softboots.

[Schneewurm]

Keep in mind, boardercross can be dangerous:

Olympic snowboard gold medallist Tanja frieden torn both achilles tendon during qualification run. She finished her career immediatly, as she said today Tuesday.

http://www.tanjafrieden.ch/
http://www.nzz.ch/nachrichten/sport/ski ... 38845.html

[hera]

The advantage of carving boards is in the boards more than the boots. Boarder cross racers use boards that are torsionally stiff, similar to carving boards, so they can hold an edge very nearly as well as a hardbooter...

I have tried once F2 Eliminator WC (BX board) and it was amaizing. Huge grip (even on ice) and very, very fast. I was more flexibe and speedy than on raceboard on a track let's say ... similar to a BX course. Of course, very stiff bindings and softboots.

[chucky]

Boardercross has gone, Snowboardcross is actual the name now by FIS...

...Now adays Snowboardcross is a own discipline.

That's not true at all. Boardercross and Snowboard Cross are exactly the same thing.

The reason it's not called boardercross by the FIS is poor translation. The FIS's native language is French, and the French don't have an abbreviation for "snowboarder" because "boarder" translates to "pensionnaire" which has a completely different meaning, and "boardercross" is already a colloquial term (derived from motocross) - so the French simply couldn't translate it into something understandable to them, hence the separation of the words "snowboarder" and "cross" in the official FIS terminology.

The FIS is a skiers' organisation run for and by skiers - many of whom have barely been able to contain their contempt for snowboarding in the past. It's not at all surprising that they'd disrespect the sport of snowboarding by messing with their terminology - many of them simply couldn't care less.

Besides FIS events, you'll find that many events are still referred to by the correct term - Boardercross. Just as many snowboarders still refer to it as such.

The most dominant board on the the FIS's "Snowboard Cross" curcuit is the Kessler "BOARDERCROSS". http://www.allboardssports.com/kessler-boardercross/

[WinterGold]

Schneewurm just meant that the idea of the original Boardercoss (to bring together hardbooters and softbooters) has died and now Boardercross (also called Snowboardcross) is a seperate discipline with special equipment and professionals who concentrate on this discipline. He doesn´t seem to like the new form as much as the old one ...

Kessler dominating? After the Olympics I wouldn´t say that they are dominating. Many riders are on Kessler, true. But there where lots of Oxess this time. And there were also Apex in the semis ... and wait till you see the new SG for 2011 ... I bet more riders will be on SG in SBX for the next season ...

[Felix]

The reason is in reality another.....

The term boardercross is trademarked/registered in some countries (and not by FIS but by someone else) and therefore the new name is snowboardcross.

According to what Kessler people at ISPO told me, around 70% of Olympics participants on the Parallel events use Kessler boards, and over 45% for Snowboardcross.
Except for Palmer no (more) labelled Kesslers with different topsheet.

I would still call that domination. Though of course, Apex, SG and especially Oxess have gained their fair share. And there are still some people who prefer to get payed for riding a board instead paying themselves (like Xavier on Rossignol).

[WinterGold]

Felix, if that is "domination" for you then that is your opinion and I am not going to start a discussion about the term.
But half the riders in the Olympic final rounds (men) of the SBX were on Oxess (about 15 riders!!!).
And even in the Alpine disciplines the WC Overall Champion is using a different brand and the current leader as well.
I love Kessler (and I own 2 of their boards), but the domination has ended about 2 years ago for me.
There are 5 brands which make excellent alpine equipment and 4 of them also have fantastic SBX boards.