EC with a Nitro CAM (167, radius of 7.6m) is possible!

[A carver from Holland]

Hi J&P,

Last Saturday i went to Bottrop (indoor snowslope in Germany) to practice the EC technique. I removed the canting and lifts. My first backside turn was terrible. I couldn't hold any grip on the edge. After 3 runs i started to get used to the new setting, thus pushed on to EC technique. After 4 hours of practice i was able to do an EC-turn with my CAM. The width of this board is only 18,5cm! Conclusion: even with small width-boards like the Nitro CAM it's possible to do a EC-turn. I had my runs put on camera, so i will try to upload them for you (how is this done by the way?).

I now know what you mean by LOSE THE LIFT AND CANTING. Your edge control is much better. Ok, you have to get used to the new setting, but when you do.....a new world opens up I am NEVER going to put the lift and canting back on my board.....

Arjan

[ablazespy]

In addition to Arjan I would like to ad that this august in Solden I did a lot of frontside and some Backside ECcarves with my F2 Silberpfeil 168 with a 18.4cm waist width. I just heard to remove the canting/lift blocks Going to try that tonight.

Dènis

[nils]

as I already said, its possible to do EC turns with race boards, but the angles it asks on the shoes makes it less efficient than on a wider board.. not to mention the torsion control that is always dependent to the flex...
I succeeded frontside on a 19cm blast, but the backside had my boots draggind so bad i would loose edge on snow...and fall...
i can't wait to get my EC board...

As for the video clips: is it miniDV? Hi8?? do you have any way to put it on computer or not? etc..if not message me i'll find a way to help you...if yes, compress the clips after editing so they are small ( not more than 5-6 megs each)

nils

[Tsu]

Hi All,

Yes, it's true..an Irish Carver! Don't laugh

I got hooked on carving back in January of last year during a trip to Italy. My first and current board is a second-hand 155 Ghost board (again, don't laugh! ) ..the reason for this being that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a board when I didn't know whether I liked alpine boarding, hard boots etc. For guys like yourselves who can hit the slopes pretty much anytime you want, 14 days experience of alpine boarding isn't a lot, but that's all I got! Having said that, I was linking carved turns after about my second day of trying it and was hitting some nice speeds by the end of it all.

I don't know whether this is the right place to ask this question, as you're developing your own boards at the moment, which I would love to able to afford, but @800 euros is a little above my price range. I'm looking at getting a last season model - I have the F2 Silberpfeil (162) in mind. Can anyone comment on ECing with this board or indeed recommend a similar board for ECing? My reason being that I believe, as Jacques and Patrice believe, that Extreme Carving is the pinnacle of what can be achieved on an alpine board and is by it's very nature probably the most enjoyable thing you can do on either a board or skis, so I'd like, a board that allows me to do this.

All suggestions welcome!

Thanks,
Tsu

[nils]

tsu, the silberthing is ok, just try to get the widest race board you can.. the new blast from hot for example is cheap and 19.5 or .7..You'll be able to train EC then when you outrun your board, will be time for the EC board
Nils

[A carver from Holland]

Nils,

I can change the format to MPeg2. My camera can film in both formats. Just tell me what you prefer. Can i e-mail you the movie?

Arjan

[A carver from Holland]

Tsu,

I suggest the Speedster RS (172cm) over the Silberpfeil, since the radius is much wider. I am currently using a Nitro CAM with a radius of 9.7/7.6 metres. If you do an EC-turn with a board like this, you lose speed in the turns, since the turn itself is so short and aggresive. Furthermore, you don't have a lot of time to go to the next turn. You must have good reflexes I am also going to buy a Speedster RS 172 with Conshox plate ofcourse! When EC-ing....lose the plate, since you won't be able to influence your radius anymore.

I hope this helps you make a good choice.

Arjan

[Tsu]

Hi Nils & Arjan,

Thanks for the advice. After looking at the specs for both the Silberpfeil and the Speedster RS, the RS definitely seems to be more suited to ECing.
I'm about 5'5" and 70Kg so could you advise me which length would suit my height & weight best? (Apologies for the newbie questions, but I have to start somewhere!! )

Cheers,
Tsu

[A carver from Holland]

Tsu,

We are about the same height and weight (i'm 5".2' and 70kg). I would advice you to buy the 173 Speedster RS, but try to get a 2001/2002 model (last year). The new model had less torsion stiffness! It's a bit wider than the old model, but torsion stiffness is very important with EC, right Nils?!

Arjan

[rilliet]

The new model had less torsion stiffness! It's a bit wider than the old model, but torsion stiffness is very important with EC, right Nils?!

Yes, but width is more important than torsion stiffness!
Furthermore, the F2 will for sure have enough torsion stiffness to try EC.
In fact, it depends on your foot size...

Jacques

[A carver from Holland]

Rillet,

But isn't it true you also need good torsion stiffness in order to equalize the pressure on the edges?

Arjan

[Tsu]

Thanks for the advice Arjan. If the 172 (don't think last seasons model comes in a 173) is what you recommend then I'll go for that one so. Could anyone offer a second opinion on this before I shell out the euro's?

Cheers,
Tsu

[rilliet]

But isn't it true you also need good torsion stiffness in order to equalize the pressure on the edges?

Yes, but you must have both: width and torsion stiffness! (and a quite large sidecut radius).

That's why we have developed our own boards.

Jacques

[A carver from Holland]

Rilliet,

That brings me to the most important question ......when can we buy one?!

[rilliet]

We are ready to built the first test board, but are still waiting for our 3D fiberglass that should be there this week.
Then, if the developement goes quickly (transfering the prototypes characteristics to the new boards), we could be ready soon.

But As we still haven't made any EC board with the new process (no fiber), we are still not sure it will work (even if theoritically all is perfect)...

So we all have to be patient.

I can't wait for the first test day!

Jacques