JJA C4 Reviews!

@rocketman69 20,5 inches is 52cm, that's quite narrow for me.  I am running 56cm (20,5 inches).  Again, I'm 6,3" (187cm) and about 190lbs (85kg), size US13 Softboot. I'll try experimenting with my stance, but just curious about you other trench diggers, what are you riding?  Might be good as a reference to compair.  Also, curious about offset and what others have found.  Of course it's all board specific, but could be a good place to start, especially when considering a C4.

I’m 5’8” (actually not quite anymore) with 49 cm to the centre of my kneecap.  I ride a 52-54cm stance width, no canting or lift.

Posted by: @bigwasabi

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Also, curious about offset and what others have found.  Of course it's all board specific, but could be a good place to start, especially when considering a C4.

Hey @bigwasabi,

When you're asking about "offset" I presume you're referring to what has been called "bias", which is the sliding of the individual bindings from a centered position towards one of the edges, right?

So to minimize boot drag it's usually recommended to center each binding between the edges, leaving the same gap (whether that be overhang or underhang) on both sides.  However, because of the shape of the board, both the sidecut and the taper, what you would end up with is the rear binding biased (or offset) towards the heel edge because the board is wider near the heel of the back foot than the toe (assuming POSI POSI angles of course).  And the opposite is true with the front foot; the board is wider where the front toe sits versus the front heel, so that binding would be set closer to the toe edge.

Imagine a center line drawn down the board.  By centering your bindings equidistant from the edges where they sit, you end up sliding the rear binding towards the heel and the front binding towards the toe edge.  This position (let's call it centered, with no offset/bias) would minimize boot drag.  With me so far?

Now...  Stand on your floor in a POSI POSI soft boot stance like 30/15 or close, or imagine it at least.  In this position the further you slide your back foot in the heel direction the less stable your stance becomes, but the further you slide that back foot in the direction of your toes the more stable and natural that stance becomes.

So...  To minimize boot drag (by centering your bindings between the edges) you have to compromise your stable athletic stance.  Centering the bindings on an imaginary center line down the board yields a more stable and balanced position, but you will inevitably suffer more boot drag.

The moral of the story is that tradeoffs always seem necessary and there's no perfect solution...  I would of course prefer to have my rear binding offset towards the toes for stability and to achieve a natural, athletic stance on my board but my toes will drag more.  If I had your size 13 boots and a production "wide" board I doubt I would choose that option.  I would be forced to center my bindings between the edges to minimize drag, I would probably have to use somewhat extreme angles (like @rocketman69), I would definitely use canted risers in that steep stance, and I would want a very very wide board.  I would also make sure to wear the smallest boots I can fit without (too much) discomfort and a rear entry binding too of course, but I already do all of those things with my size 8.5 boots and board widths up to 305 in the waist (except I don't ride extreme angles, rarely above 30/18 though I have ridden 36/21 - which was fine for carving but less comfortable overall and gets awkward when making jump turns or hockey stops; part of the reason I carve soft boots instead of hard is the comfortable and versatile stance angles).

@bigwasabi   The in stock C4s are not your size; the 166s are too soft for your weight and the 162s are just too narrow.  Built list spots are sold out for this batch.  I suggest that you add your name to the waitlist if you haven't already, there seems to be enough rider interest now for that bigger model of C4 and we'll probably do a small run this summer.  Something my like a C4 169 with 300 waist (or larger if possible) and a 13m sidecut.  No promises, but if you're on the waitlist you'll be in the loop for sure and could be carving deep trenches early next season without that aggravating drag.

@wild-cherry Wow man, the level of expertise here is off the chart! Thank you for chiming in, and yes, that's exactly what I meant by offset. 

I have been trying to experiment a bit with it, and to not get such aggressive posi/posi stances as I feel it messes a bit with my balance (not to mention confidence) and I don't have as much control on my board when not carving.  I have a 164 SG Soul Titan XT, with a 280 waist (10,7m sidecut) and use Virus Carbon risers.  This setup has done me well, and I really enjoy the board however I'm curious about stepping up to something wider and what it could do for my carving.  I've never been on a board without some kind of boot out, and feel it gives me an advantage when edging, however at the same time prevents me for going all in deep into the turns.  169 would be next level, a 310-320 waist would also be ideal if I'm going to give this a solid try but that might be too much of a step up from where I'm currently at...  I think it's about what one is familiar with and working with it, I don't want to fiddle too much with it, just set it and adjust myself accordingly.  But if I'm going to switch it up and get a C4, then my logic is to switch it up big.

I'm also here to learn, so please continue everyone to do your writeups and comments, all feedback is much appreciated and I'm soaking it all in.

@bigwasabi

I’ve experimented a lot with snowboard stance width.
I’m 174 cm tall, and my angles are F39 R33.

After watching Japanese carvers, I tried increasing my stance width to 59 cm four years ago.
That was a big mistake because my back knee was under a lot of pressure and became swollen.
After that, I narrowed my stance to 56 cm, but it still felt too wide.

The most important thing I’ve learned about the "posi posi" stance is to narrow it down.
The distance from my heel to the middle of my knee is 52 cm, and that’s the stance width I use now.
It works great for me because I no longer have any knee issues.

Here are a few pictures from this season… Snow wasn't great, but the C4 saved it!

After having ridden the C4 extensively, I can truly say that I have fallen in love with this unique board. After not only having the new board under my feet but also switching to the Flow NX2 (size L), I also experimented with the setup and found a very comfortable setup for me. So, for the stats:

Rider: 75 kg, 172 cm, (short legs), US 9

Stance 52 cm | F27 | R18

I started with F33 | R12, but I noticed that the base of the NX2 is quite wide and by tightening the bootstraps the toes are turned slightly outwards (towards ratchets). 

What I really appreciate and wouldn't want to miss is the waistwidth and the effective edge. Bootout is almost zero for me, and this alone gives me extreme confidence in every turn, and steep slopes start to become really fun. I can really see this season as a big step forward in terms of technique. Firstly, I was boarding regularly, every week, and always concentrating on technique, especially on the heelside, and this combination (board and technique training) is really fun. My impression is that because this board is so well-balanced, it's great for working on your technique.

One thing that shouldn't be underestimated is that you also get full support from the Carvers connection with this board. It took a while to get used to, but the "hip shift" on the heelside is something you have to understand.

But I also let the pictures speak for themselves, the slopes in the video footage were perfect

The slopes here in southern Austria have been very hard, icy, and challenging for most of this season. I'm still working on the steep and very icy slopes, but I'm already getting an idea...
...the C4 162 could actually be an option here. 🤣 

James and JJA have really done something wonderful here 👍 

@vospegmx-at    Fantastic video, and thanks for the review!

I know you didn't ask for feedback but it's just my nature so here goes...

1. Try to get your weight further forward on initiation, you tend to ride the tail too much.  Pressure the nose as you initiate and move back toward the tail to finish your turn.  This will give you more control, especially on steeper terrain.

2.  I'd like to see more of that hip shift rotation on heelside too.  Your back hand is sometimes still flailing over the tail, and that's usually a sign that you're under rotated in the hips. 

Remember the "Steer with your dick!" cue?  It's been updated this season by the original inventor of that phrase...  Now it's "Don't pee on your board!".  The idea is this: imagine that you're pissing while turning toeside.  And now you want to transition to heelside but you don't want to get any pee on your board so you very quickly flop your dick over to the other side and continue pissing there.  The hip movement required for proper heelside initiation is quite similar.  Try it!  (I mean...  not the actual pissing but imagining that you are...)

Posted by: @wild-cherry

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I know you didn't ask for feedback but it's just my nature so here goes...

... thank you very much for the feedback, I'm happy to accept it, I was expecting it to some extent. I'll write the comments in my training book; there's still a lot to do. 😀