Notifications
Clear all
Snowboarding General
12 Posts
4 Users
4 Reactions
108 Views
Topic starter 25/01/2025 6:43 pm
I started following Ryan Knaptons riding a few seasons ago, and was impressed by his fresh take on carving and his equipment. I wasn't sure about wide boards, and definitely don't have the means to buy a Donek.
I've ridden a big 168 Prior MFG until I was gifted a new NS F1 Premier 161 cm. the shortest board I have ever ridden. Well I've loved what this board does for over a decade but wanted to change it up. I admit I got sucked into the NS hype. I demoed a couple of their soft freestyle boards and was amazed at how well they held an edge for a short soft board. When I saw the Valhalla ad of the dude making a turn on the ice I thought this maybe the ticket... Fast forward to this fall I was ln a shop that had a last years model discounted, it was a 164 and I am at the bottom of the weight range if I have all my layers on. Justified that I'm not afraid of big boards, pulled the trigger and brought it home. biggest regret is I think I would rather have a full camber board, and I should of been patient and found the next size shorter 161. I like to use the energy from a turn or bump to change edges in the air and drop in and set the heel side edge. I don't think this board does that well.
NS doesn't do a great job of tuning the board at the factory, I waxed it and took it out. Absolutely the weirdest riding thing I've been on. it seemed to slow down on edge when I wanted to do a long drawn out DH type type carve I could feel it surging, also seemed slow, I could feel the drag when riding it flat. heel side edge hold also was not good and generally had a tough day... It was also first day of the season and it was on man made snow that felt mushy.
Brought it home re-waxed it with colder wax, narrowed my stance and added more angle to my stance, I'm now +27 +18 rode it two more times in that configuration, I'm getting more comfortable on it but still have issues with the heel side carve chattering. which may be y boots weren't centered edge to edge. I feel I have the base prepped properly now, and it glides well. There is still some drag on riding a drawn out carve.
Today I picked up some Union Atlas bindings, the internet says they are some of the stiffer bindings out there. I'm not sure about that. The highbacks aren't any stiffer than my old Cartels circa 2009. so her e is my Mini review of the unridden Unions. They look cool, I like the faux wood grain. the heel cup is adjustable and the footbeds are canted. They seem to be well built and have a great following and reputation. The things I'd change are the ratchets aren't as smooth and easy to release as the old Cartels. the high backs are for duck footed switch riding. and I can't get the rear hb parallel to the edge. overall the highback adjustments aren't as functional as the Cartels.
Plan is to ride them tomorrow and and have a nice comparison with the Cartels.
This is my personal T2Do list:
1. Dive into the heel side tips thread.
2. Switch the toe strap on the back binding ala JC's setup to replicate the smooth release technique.
3. Send an email to Union and see if I can run two right side highjacks.
4. Submit a deposit and sell a kidney for a proper cambered carbon titanal missile.
5. Ride what I got because its still a fun board.
6. Stop writing novels in forums.
7. Booster straps for the Malamutes. they only have around 70 days on them, was gonna replace but thinking #4 may be more important. These boots still feel good.
Thanks all for your time.
This topic was modified 1 month ago 3 times by Highliner
I don’t make mistakes, only discoveries.
25/01/2025 10:06 pm
heel side tips
Pressure the board on the edge directly in front of your front heel when chatter starts on heelside carves.
Submit a deposit and sell a kidney for a proper cambered carbon titanal missile.
How much for the kidney? Is is right side or left (goofy or regular)?
NS F1 Premier
I had that board. Loved it! NeverSummer West Bound DF is my current favourite for all mountain. NS boards are decent carvers generally, in the upper end of production boards at least. And they're some of the widest, which makes all the difference and allows me to push harder and angulate more before booting out. This, in turn, enables me to turn tighter and control my speed when carving steeper terrain. Need the width.
What's the new NS board? I don't recognize it. I hope you went for the DF (drag free, extra wide) version.
Union Atlas bindings
Stiff binding for sure but I recommend rear entry bindings to reduce drag. I ride Flows but my wife has the Head version and it's great for her (not so stiff). SP also makes some nice looking rear entry bindings.
The highbacks aren't any stiffer than my old Cartels circa 2009
They don't make them like they used to... No kidding, bindings were way stiffer 20 years ago. By today's standards that Union Atlas is almost off-the-charts stiff.
I ride Flow NX-2 for the stiffness and the low profile which reduces boot out potential. I want to try the SPs. The F2 Eliminator rear entry is super soft, so are the GNU rear entrys.
Ride what I got because its still a fun board.
Cheers to that brother!
Booster straps for the Malamutes
Trenched Boot Straps are way cheaper and (arguably) better. Plus, Trenched is definetly the coolest new brand in snowboard carving right now. Available exclusively in the store at carversconnection.com...
I'm just slaying...
Topic starter 26/01/2025 5:04 am
Yes sometimes I order a coke when I meant pepsi. Trenched is way more satisfying than booster at this stage in my life.
The board is a 164 Valhalla. It’s 26.2mm wide. It’s toeside carve feels great and really holds. It seems to give good feedback and hold a bit better when I shift my weight back on that hs carve. Think I may move my stance back a see of holes in the insert on the front foot. 21 inches or 52cm is the width I’m at now I think a little narrower might feel more comfortable.
Happy riding!!
This post was modified 1 month ago by Highliner
I don’t make mistakes, only discoveries.
26/01/2025 7:55 am
SP also makes some nice looking rear entry bindings.
I ride a pair os SP Pure bindings and love them. Getting in the rear entry properly takes a little getting used to but they are solid and ride great. More forgiving than a pair of Nitro Phantom+ I also own. Funny thing about the Phantom+ is I find them to stiff for my taste, especially for the front foot heel side and less ankle freedom for the rear foot. (That's maybe just me) By the way the SP Pure model is exactly the same as the Gnu Freedom. SP actually make them for Gnu.
26/01/2025 9:32 am
the Gnu Freedom. SP actually make them for Gnu.
Have you seen (or hand flexed) the SP Mountain Multientry? That one might have potential. No other rear entry binding I've seen comes close to the Flow NX-2 for stiffness. I've never met a binding I thought was too stiff for carving in good conditions. For me, the only reason to back off stiffness is comfort and blood flow in the feet.
I'm just slaying...
26/01/2025 9:55 am
I can feel magnetraction, it was literally designed to interrupt the sidecut and add pressure points along the edge. I suspect the lasagne camber does the same thing in the other plane.
On the toeside it is easier to feather the edge pressure and absorb chatter. On the heels you can’t use your ankles the same, so you need to use your knees. But both are a bit of a crutch for poor weight stacking.
Big White, BC, Canada
Highliner reacted
26/01/2025 10:21 am
@wild-cherry They literally are the same binding, the only difference is the ankle strap. It supposedly give you a little more stiffness. If you want more true input you can contact Dean and the Splitboard Shop. They are the North American dealers for SP bindings in North America. Really nice guy. Their shop is in Colorado or Utah I forget but you can easily find them online. They are a bit trickier to get into than the Flow but still beats sitting down.
Wild Cherry reacted
26/01/2025 3:12 pm
I can feel magnetraction, it was literally designed to interrupt the sidecut and add pressure points along the edge. I suspect the lasagne camber does the same thing in the other plane.
Yeah, kind of true...
I'm not saying that NeverSummer makes great carving boards, just that their boards carve well enough to serve as great all mountain boards in Revelstoke, where the trees are tight and the drops are steep. The rocker camber let's me spin the board and turn super tight where I need to, and the wide width allows me to make some decent carves on the way back to the chair. I like the way the rocker between the bindings plows through push piles/small soft moguls whereas a full camber kind of wraps over them and I have to absorb more impact with my body.
If I was still riding Grand Targhee I would choose a (wider) Stranda Cheater or Prior Pow Stick for all mountain riding. The pow there is deeper and lighter, the terrain is less steep and the trees are spread wider apart. Kind of dreamy actually...
I'm just slaying...
26/01/2025 3:54 pm
There’s definitely a place for mag. Sometimes I like that Security underfoot when I’m on variable icy terrain (rather than having all the pressure out at the contacts). And it’s definitely a bonus with a shorter sidecut radius (when tip & tail contacts can be a bit grabby). It just doesn’t always glide the same on edge… over frozen corduroy my old Rossi with mag sounded like a zipper. I barely notice the traction bumps on my Maelstrom or Freecarver though.
Big White, BC, Canada
Topic starter 26/01/2025 6:16 pm
The Mrs. and I were able to make it out this afternoon, I felt like I am getting used to this board, I did have a moment where I was tucking and straightening on the flat and was locked in and went to my butt, before I caught an edge, but that was just me being over confident and doing abnormal things. The Atlas bindings seem to work well, no complaints on comfort , coming from the cartels I honestly wasn't sure there was different board feel.
I've been changing the binding stance around, just about every time I've ridden this board. I have some confusion where the NS reference holes are...I'm a bit dyslexic and tomake decisions without a map or diagram is a challenge. I narrowed my stance to 20" by utilizing the most rearward inserts on the front foot, and the most forward on the rear. I have the disks orientated so I can center the binding/boots between the edges, I am going to measure that this week and make sure it's dialed. I had a 3cm difference on my last mount attempt so was thinking that was why I have been struggling with making quiet arcing hs carves. Today was a lot better even though we didn't get on mtn til late afternoon so it was pretty hard and beat up. I took JC's tip and experimented with heel pressure. it really helps to have a movement to focus on. I was also implementing square shoulders and my own personal feel good move and attempt to sink as low as I can without breaking at the waist. Overall I had a great day. I'm eternally grateful we can get out and enjoy days like this, have good conversations with strangers on the lift and come home safe.
I hate to make posts without a visual reference so here's my slopes stats for the day. We try to avoid this place on weekdays because it gets busy and crowded. Usually the folks are driving back to VA, MD and DC area by late afternoon, so the lines aren't long and we can make 8 minute 1000' / 300m vertical laps which can satisfy our needs in a few hours I need at least four or five so we try to make a weekday appearance also.
Next Installment, I'll slow down and see if I can get a video of me actually making a turn.
Peace and Love all!
I don’t make mistakes, only discoveries.
Wild Cherry reacted
26/01/2025 11:17 pm
They literally are the same binding, the only difference is the ankle strap. It supposedly give you a little more stiffness.
Are you sure about that? If that's true and the SP Mountain is the same as the Gnu, I'm not interested. The GNU is super soft.
I'm just slaying...
27/01/2025 5:12 am
Same metal base, same highback, just the strap is different. Like I said the Gnu and the Pure are the same binding made by the same company, just marketed thru a different manufacturer. I ride the SP Pure and like them. Again check out the SplitboardShop and contact Dean, he could tell you more and correct me if I'm mistaken.
I also got some new Phantom+ bindings from Nitro and man is their highback stiff. To stiff for my licking. It is stiff with a rubber backing on the inside that is cupped at the lower part. It wraps around the bottom portion of your boots heel/tendon locking it in. My Nidecker index boots also have a rubber back and it locks in. It also has a very thick ankle strap that can be set really tight. They are well described on the Nitro site.
Wild Cherry reacted
