Options for the JJA C4 166

Posted by: @iacopo

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Titanal dampens and absorbs vibrations, it doesn't change board stiffness directly. Considering you have an SG Soul XT (epic board, pretty soft), I think you can go for the medium with EGS, building a solid quiver of boards.

Thanks man!

Posted by: @damir

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Thanks man!

You're welcome! This is my view on your case, but for an accurate analysis I'd trust the masters' opinion. This website is a well of wisdom. 🥂 

Posted by: @damir

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When carving I ride 80% blue and 20% red runs at medium speed, touching the snow on the heelside with my hand and rear.

My carving boards are SG Soul (159xt) and Virus X-carve Zylon II (163cm). 
When I put these two snowboards on the edge the turn radius is somewhat smaller than I would like it to be...

Should I get the soft C4 with EGS or the medium one with EGS?
I am leaning towards a medium one but I haven't tried Titanal snowboards yet so I don't know if it will be too stiff for my ability...
It will be ridden primarily on groomed days, sometimes in icy conditions with artificial snow.

I haven't ridden any JJA boards but I have 3 titanal Coilers (ECVC, Contra ECC and Contra FreeRide C). All are hardboot designs though, even the 300mm wide CFR C that I ride with duck stance softboots (80% hardboot flex according to Bruce). In addition I have a titanal Kessler GS board and two Ride Timeless aluminum topsheet boards (153 and 167). My impression is that titanal boards are torsionally rigid. Not necessarily stiff (but can be), but rigid and stable. The 153 Timeless in particular is pretty soft but still rigid and supportive.

You mentioned your current boards tend to turn too sharply when carving deep. This is an important observation and should be taken into account when choosing flex. With high edge angles, stiffer board will make a bigger turn. The more you can muscle to flex to board, the tighter the turn will be. Of course softer flex will be more relaxing to ride overall too.

If I understood right from what James commented when we chatted about how my board flex would compare, it sounds like it would be somewhat stiffer than the stiff C4 and of course the sidecut radius is bigger (16m) as well and the effective edge being shorter (136cm). I'm 182cm, 82kg and the shortest radius clean carves I've been able to make on firm groomers are around 10m. That requires a lot of muscling though. Just wanted to give some kind of ballpark figure about what kind of turn shapes you might expect. I'd say the ideal turn shape with my board is around 14m.

You're going to love titanal in icy conditions. I ride a lot of artificial snow as well and the difference to "normal" boards is big.

Are we able to specify the reference stance width we’d like or is 55cm locked in?

Posted by: @damir

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Should I get the soft C4 with EGS or the medium one with EGS?
I am leaning towards a medium one but I haven't tried Titanal snowboards yet so I don't know if it will be too stiff for my ability...

Given the other boards that you have, that’s probably a good way to lean.  You’re about my size, but with bigger feet for leverage.  I thought the torsional rigidity of the medium was a bit much, but it wasn’t a plank like his Coiler (which was made for James, not me).  Speaking of leverage, it was icy and I was generally apprehensive about committing to a fully up unweighted turn and dropping my hip out over the board.  While keeping my centre of mass closer to the board and trying to steer a bit with the ankles is good for quick transitions when it’s sketchy, it just isn’t as efficient.  If you’re expecting to ankle-steer with more of a duck stance a medium might be a bit much, but otherwise you’re probably good.

It sounds like you want one that doesn’t turn as tight as your other boards too.  

@xargo @board-doctor

Thank you guys so much for all the great info! I appreciate it!!! 

I will go for the medium one with EGS. 

It will probably be a bit stiffer than my other two carving boards and make a bigger turn radius, which I am looking for. 

Posted by: @xargo

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You're going to love titanal in icy conditions. I ride a lot of artificial snow as well and the difference to "normal" boards is big.

Yeah the level of dampening is unreal.  The prototype wasn't completely isolated/dead though.  I remarked that it felt 'crisp'... as there was some feeling under foot, but not really any vibration.

A friend of mine has titanal skis, which surprised me because he's really just an average skier.  There's clearly benefits to this construction, and not just for high speed racers.

I've watched James's interface video and I'm curious on a binding recommendation. Looking for the stiffest and smallest since I'm rocking big boots. I've been riding the union Atlas FC and wasn't sure how they compared to some on that review 

Posted by: @damir

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I will go for the medium one with EGS. 

I think that's the right choice @damir 

Posted by: @adam-farghali

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I'm curious on a binding recommendation. Looking for the stiffest and smallest since I'm rocking big boots

Flow NX2 Carbon Fusion!  This has been my main binding since I discovered it early this season.  Very stiff and shorter in length than any other binding (zero BO factor).

Posted by: @parkcityguy

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Are we able to specify the reference stance width we’d like or is 55cm locked in?

Yeah, they're all gonna be 55cm reference stance.  Jasey-Jay said he might add an extra set of interts to accommodate any extra wide or extra narrow stances.

Posted by: @wild-cherry

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I think that's the right choice

Glad to hear it! Thanks! Can't wait to try it next winter! 

Jasey-Jay said he might add an extra set of inserts to accommodate any extra wide or extra narrow stances.

This sounds great!

Hi James @wild-cherry , from the video it looks like the board will still have 20 standard insert patterns, is it safe to assume that it will accommodate mini-disc bindings as well?

Also I myself just finished 2nd season of learning to carve. Am mostly riding men-made snow and frequently icy groomer here in Ontario. More specifically Mount St. Louis Moonstone. I weight about 59-60KG and 168cm tall. Would like to buy this board so I can grow into it. I consider myself a fairly aggressive rider in general.

I have a couple off-the-shelf carving board currently. (Nidecker blade plus, Bataleon Carver). I am leaning towards ordering Med flex with EGS for the JJA. I don't have an idea how the JJA board will ride, but I have ridden a Coiler BX that was custom made for one of my friend with much higher weight range than I am. I was eventually able to bend it after a number of runs.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Posted by: @evilofrex

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59-60KG and 168cm

Consider that the board will have a double layer titanal, and it will be torsionally stiffer. Also EGS increases grip. I am 63kg, 177cm and pretty aggressive rider. Discussing with James and other expert riders in this thread, I understood that the medium would be a little fatiguing for our weight. The only reason to pick a medium one, from my perspective, is that you're riding icy conditions frequently.

Posted by: @wild-cherry

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at the same time, at my 155lbs and elite level I still enjoy the soft flexing protos when conditions are not perfect or when my body is tired.  This board is not boring or slow.

So at 63kg I would strongly suggest the soft flex with EGS for you @iacopo.

Hey @reximus, welcome to the forum!

The insert spacing is pretty standard, 2cm I think, it should fit any binding disk.

Given your height, weight and experience, I recommend the soft flex with EGS.  Coilers in general are a lot softer than JJAs, and you're already pretty low in the weight range for the soft flex.  It'll be the board you can grow into, it will probably feel a bit on the stiff side until you break it in.  

@wild-cherry Thanks for the input. Just how different are the stiffness between the soft and medium? Will I ever get to need the medium flex if I only grow in technique but not in weight? Thanks!