Obvious question, how does the DoubleWide compare to the C4?

It sounds like the nose shaping around the contact is a bit more like the Coiler, with a smoother entry that doesn't pull you into a turn as much as the C4.  Personally I REALLY liked how the C4 initiated a turn, but maybe the DW can leave a thinner pencil?

The kevlar cross stitching is pretty unique (as far as I know).  I presume it dampens torsional vibrations and chatter? Maybe not as much as two layers of titanal, but it's probably a lot lighter.

It's great to see another made-in-Canada option!

Posted by: @board-doctor

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The kevlar cross stitching is pretty unique (as far as I know).  I presume it dampens torsional vibrations and chatter?

Exactly right!  Also it makes the board more durable and resistant to edge tear out when hitting rocks for example.

Posted by: @board-doctor

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It's great to see another made-in-Canada option!

Indeed!  I've got one more wide proto coming from a brand new snowboard company which focuses on carving: Trench Snowboards!  They're out of the US but they're buds from MCC so it's all in the family.  I hope you'll come help with the test rides @board-doctor!

Posted by: @board-doctor

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Obvious question, how does the DoubleWide compare to the C4?

Nothing rides like titanal.  Though the carbon/glass boards do have more pop, the metal generally holds more edge pressure and rides smoother.  The price is also a lot lower for the DoubleWide, and as a big bonus, they're available right now for delivery in early December!  (I suspect many riders on the waitlist are holding our for the C4, but they probably don't realize that there will only be 20 boards for about 120 people...)

We'll ride the new DoubleWide too when we're testing gear and you can determine the differences for yourself.

Oh wait... did I forget to tell you?  You've been drafted to the Carvers' Connection test ride team!  Congratulations!  Good thing you're goofy, you can test ride my new JJA Asym proto too.  I've also got some new risers and boot stiffeners I'd like to get your feedback on.  Everything should be here by opening day.   Bring Daniel too!

Nidecker is sending me a Blade Plus 162W to test also.  We should put that up against your Jones Freecarver and maybe my NeverSummer TC Proto?  It wouldn't be fair to compare these to the C4, or any other properly wide board.  Would be interesting to compare the DoubleWide to the new Trench board and a Knapton Twin, all wide carving oriented non-metal construction boards.  That's a fair test.

Awesome, I’m really looking forward to this season.

I may need to hit up Exegi for a custom next year… not so wide and a little more freeride.  They look solid!

Any Stance Width options for the DW James ? And any comparisons/ thoughts with Donek Flux would be helpful, since I have a couple

Great to see more you tube content, thanks

Posted by: @ferryman

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Any Stance Width options for the DW James ?

Probably yes.  I'll have to check with Carl.  We were planning to do them all at 55cm, what were you looking for?

Posted by: @ferryman

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And any comparisons/ thoughts with Donek Flux would be helpful,

I've only ridden one Flux, though probably almost 10 Knapton Twins, the Sabre I ordered custom, and a small handful of hard boot Doneks.  Truth is, I've never ridden a Donek that I really loved.  I ordered the Sabre SRT because back then Donek was the only manufacturer making wide boards.

That's why I started bugging other builders to make wider boards...  I had the first wide soft boot carver built from Coiler, JJA and Exegi.  Had I been satisfied with the performance of the available Doneks, I would not have pushed all these builders to do something so far from their norm.

Enough said?  I don't want to be trashing anybody, and I certainly respect what Sean is doing and I credit him and Ryan for starting the wide board revolution, but you asked my opinion so there it is.  Bottom line is that I have about 25 boards in my basement right now, and none of them are Doneks.

I was offered a free board from Donek a few years ago in exchange for video of me riding it.  That was before Carvers' Connection or any YouTube success, but I didn't follow up because I didn't want to be riding Donek.  I already had wide Coilers and JJAs at the time so I figured the only time I would ride the Donek would have been to shoot video for them.  Seemed like a waste of perfectly trenchable corduroy.

46cm min and up...I find the narrower stance is so much more comfortable for fwd angles (with added hardware and reco knees)

Thanks for your feedback, ..I haven't ridden many boards to compare one way or another, ..I used to boot out on my old off the shelf boards, now I don't. My only other question would be, ..flex? Is it more weight related or rider input? I'm 95kg..thanks again

46cm!!!  Wildly narrow in my opinion.  What's the added hardware and reco knees?  With some cants you can go a bit wider without the awkwardness.  (The canted risers should be available on the website in four weeks if you want to try them.)

I suspect we can do a custom stance no extra charge, but I gotta ask the man.  I think he plans five packs of inserts, so on 55cm centre the narrowest you could go would be 49cm.  I'll let you know when I hear back from Carl.  

As far as flex, there are a lot of factors to consider.  Like what's your skill level, how fast/ aggressively do you want to ride, what kind of snow do you ride (East coast hardpack at one extreme and Grand Targhee low density snow at the other), and how narrow, crowded and steep are your favourite runs?  There's a huge difference between the soft and the stiff flex, almost like two different boards.  Other factors include your height and boot size, both of which will affect your leverage over the edge.

At 95kg, you probably don't want the stiff flex.  If you told me that you're a 25 year old aggressive rider trying to get better at carving and want a board that will last you for years, I would say mid flex for sure. But if you tell me you're 60 years old looking for something to hold an edge in the afternoon chop I would recommend soft.  It's a personal choice.  I'm happy to help you decide but I will need more information.

There was a lot said about choosing the right flex in this unlisted video.  All of it applies here too, you might find it helpful:

Well,...yes indeed, 46cm on a 146 x 30 flux, 7 to 8.5m sidecut...which I had made for Crappy narrow, tree lined, hard as concrete one day, slush the next, Aussie runs, but I took it along with its bigger sister 162 x 29 flux, to NZ this year and had a good time. I'm a 63 yr old surfer and mtbr. I used to be into long and carveboard skateboarding, until I recked my right ankle and lower leg. My left knee has been rebuilt. So articulation in back ankle is non existent, and front knee has lost a lot of movement,..So I've wedged my back 11.5us insano,  doubled the footbed heel area in my flow NX2s, which absolutely helps, especially when I widen and or straighten my stance to fluff around off piste, or give my ankle a rest. 149 is definitely doable...The 162, I ride at about 150 and up, and my 166 Never summer proto fr df is about the same. I was thinking soft flex,...my riding..and everything else, is fairly grounded these days. Sorry for the waffle..one thing, after all that, you do deliver to Oz?

Posted by: @ferryman

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you do deliver to Oz?

Yes, no problem.   The order page is configured to calculate shipping. 

I recommend the soft flex for you, and also maybe try doubling up the footbed under your front toes as well as the back heel, see if that feels good to you.

I'll post again when I hear back about narrowing the stance.

Thanks for your support!  

Thanks James, I ordered one anyway, 294 soft, I left a note regarding possible custom stance 47cm? If he can great, if not, no worries.

Thanks again Steve

Posted by: @ferryman

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possible custom stance 47cm?

Done!  No extra charge for the custom stance width.

Edit:  Carl is going to add an extra pair of inserts on each end of your ten pack so that the board retains some resell value and other riders can enjoy it and still be able to move their bindings forward and back a little. 

So you'll get a 12 pack of inserts, centered on 47cm.  (But don't tell anyone, I don't everybody asking for free extra inserts...)

Thanks James, really appreciate it

I just wanted to ask, if you could discribe a little bit the different stiffneses and how much you should weigh. Thx

Hello @daniel-seppele and welcome to the forum!

That's not a simple question...  Factors like your height, your ability, whether you ride soft or hard snow, and how crowded or narrow your favourite runs are all important in making the right decision.  There's also the question of how fast you want to go...

If you fill out this form: carversconnection.com/CIF/ I can make a specific recommendation.

Roughly speaking, for an average height advanced carver on a variety of snow conditions and terrain, I would recommend soft flex for under 72kg, mid flex for 75-100kg, and stiff for over 100kg.  

My own DoubleWide is a stiff and I'm only 75kg, but I'm an elite lever carver and I ride soft snow on wide, uncrowded runs.  Plus, I wanted a board that would hold a lot of speed and that I would really have to push hard into to make high g-force turns.  I was younger then, now I would probably order a mid flex.

This video has a lot of information about choosing the right flex: https://carversconnection.com/community/postid/759/