... so now I am very glad, that I went (almost) all in and did a quick decision/disposition. So at least on board will go to Europe! Thank you James for your effort. 😀 

Thanks for having me up James! That was by far the most fun I've had in such lousy conditions.  Revy has had some freeze/thaw cycles, but there wasn't much thawing at elevation today.

A bit about me... 172cm, 165lbs, size 8 boot (though my mondo is actually 255; outer boot length is 287).  I was very apprehensive about the width.

Here's my thoughts on the boards...

1) The softer prototype:  It did take a few laps to feel comfortable, and it may be a bit wide, but at this flex I'd probably take it in this width.  It's good in softer snow (we got a few sections).  I really like the turn inititiation, the front contact isn't too grabby or too delayed, it just feels good.  I love the sidecut as well, it's definitely the sort of thing that I'm looking for.  Stance was a little more setback on this one, which I do prefer.  There's some pleasant torsional flex, but it certainly didn't feel too soft to me.  It popped out of a few turns as well.  Perhaps a bit more springy than the other two, or maybe it was it just that I flexed it more?  I don't think I'd want to go much stiffer... maybe a little in the tail?  If I spent a season riding this, would I want more?

2) The stiffer prototype: This felt like too much board for me.  I do wonder what would happen if 1cm was taken out of the width, using the same construction?  Would that be enough to make it more manageable?  Could I like it even more than the first?  (these were questions going through my head on the 3 hr drive home).

James had both of these boards set up with his Flux XV bindings, which felt somewhat familiar to me (despite the canting, heel/toe lift, higher front angle and wider stance).

I also tried a Coiler Contra, but I wasn't fond of the Flow bindings on it.  Although they're very stiff, I'm not sure they get as much leverage to drive the toe-side. As such, this isn't exactly a direct comparison... but the Coiler felt like a much bigger board, harder to get on edge and I just didn't like how it initiated turns.  It even had risers which should have helped with the leverage.  I simply could not believe that this board was the same width, but the tip widths are actually the same.  On edge it felt a little sketchy/wobbly, but I wonder if this was the risers?  I've never tried risers before.  It felt smoother & damper than the JJA on the hard ice.  Maybe a little more dead underfoot, but that could partially be the bindings and risers.  It was also well broken in.  I could see people liking that, but I liked how the JJA felt smooth, but not entirely isolated (a little crispy if that makes any sense, maybe it's letting some frequencies of oscillations through?).

At the end of the day I got back on my Korua Trenchdigger and I just couldn't ride it.  Not enough effective edge and WAY too chattery.  I swapped that for the Freecarver 6000 which felt better, but not as confidence inspiring as the prototypes.

In terms of dampening, the ash topsheet on the freecarver is pretty good.  The ash construction (with aluminum stringers and a bamboo topsheet) on my Stranda Shorty is significantly better.  But the JJA and Coiler metal boards are even better than that.  There's some weight to these boards that you really feel when you're carrying them, but they feel SO good underfoot.

I just wanna say I am so fired up to ride one of these JJAs next season. I’ve been pretty satisfied with my Doneks (KT, Saber, Transition) though I still run into their edge-pressure limits pretty routinely. Maybe the JJA will help me level up further. I’ve always felt that it’s rider skill rather than equipment that holds us back, but what James and Jasey are building seems like it might test that theory.

Conditions here in Park City are kinda trash right now with all of the melt/freeze cycles, so the season is feeling over, maybe we’ll get a decent storm next week and a day or two of decent carving. Fingers crossed.

Posted by: @parkcityguy

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Maybe the JJA will help me level up further.

There's no question about it...

@wild-cherry did you get to ride the Freecarver? Curious as to what you thought of it!

Posted by: @80seriessarfer

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did you get to ride the Freecarver? Curious as to what you thought of it!

Yes! Yes I did.  And I got video.  Full review coming soon(ish) and I probably owe Jeremy Jones an apology... 

Much better than I expected for a 6m sidecut radius, I was able to make some decent carved turns.  Of course it has no where near the grip and surface penetration of my metal boards but I was pleasantly surprised.  Not buying one, I still prefer my NeverSummers for all mountain though I didn't do a back-to-back test.

Posted by: @wild-cherry

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Posted by: @80seriessarfer

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did you get to ride the Freecarver? Curious as to what you thought of it!

Yes! Yes I did.  And I got video.  Full review coming soon(ish) and I probably owe Jeremy Jones an apology... 

Yah, I think it was a bit nearsighted to harshly criticize something you had never tried yourself.  🤣 

Posted by: @slabber

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Yah, I think it was a bit nearsighted to harshly criticize something you had never tried yourself.  🤣 

Indeed...  

It didn't ride like a 6m, or at least anything like the other two 6m boards I've ever ridden.  Slow speed, easy turning.  The other two liked fast slalom turns, they tired me out quickly with so much turning.  This one made more regular size turns, which surprised me for a board with such a small sidecut and long effective edge, though it was a bit icy on Friday and I was going extra long.

This board could suit a beginner carver who wants to go slow.  For the price, you could do worse.  It's not a replacement for a real metal carving board, I can't say how it handles off piste.

I sold my Burton Factory Prime 5.7 200s because it was too turny for me at 8.7m SCR.  For me it was too much work banging out turns in rapid order, I think this the same sentiment you suggest.  

I did keep another 5.7 180s however, it's got a larger sidecut and with the narrower waist (for hardboots) and quicker transitions edge to edge, it's more rideable in my mind. 

Otherwise, smallest sidecut I have now is 10.5m Contra, which isn't just 10.5 but variable in any case.  

Are the JJAs using a variable sidecut?  I don't recall if that was mentioned.  

On the 6000 tangent…

Posted by: @wild-cherry

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It didn't ride like a 6m, or at least anything like the other two 6m boards I've ever ridden.  Slow speed, easy turning.  The other two liked fast slalom turns, they tired me out quickly with so much turning.  This one made more regular size turns, which surprised me for a board with such a small sidecut and long effective edge, though it was a bit icy on Friday and I was going extra long.

This board could suit a beginner carver who wants to go slow.  For the price, you could do worse.  It's not a replacement for a real metal carving board, I can't say how it handles off piste.

The sidecut is (what they call) progressive…

“At the far ends of the sidecut, the radius is incrementally increased as the edge reaches the contact point. Gradually increasing the sidecut radius towards the contact point delivers smoother turn initiation and exit as the edge tracks in and out of the snow with a less abrupt transition.”

I think the 3D shaping at the contacts helps a bit too.

Having said that, the sidecut depth is around 27mm, and in softer snow you can really crank some turns with higher edge angles. It can be a fun ’little’ board.  The biax glass and ash top sheet make it quite smooth for an off-the-shelf board too.  It’s great for those Big White(out) days when you need to ride a slower pace.

@board-doctor Sidecut depth is a function of sidecut radius and effective edge length. It is the depth of the arc from the chord of that arc. A 6m average sidecut will always have a "deep" sidecut, just as an average 20m SCR on a GS race board will always be "shallow".

@riotsupercarver True, but how many 6.5 m sidecuts have an effective edge of 1280mm?  It's more depth than I've ever seen.  I think the specs are fairly unique, which is partially why I bought it.

@board-doctor My shortest SCR board is an 8.5m single radius Hot Blast slalom board. I once rode a Donek Madd Killer which is a similar radius. I ride hard boots, and both those boards come around so tight I can just about see my own backside disappearing in the distance. Most of my resort carving boards are in the 10-14m range.

You talk about higher edge angles and that 6.5m SCR. Understand that as edge angles increase above 45 degrees SCR becomes increasingly irrelevant and that board flex and tip/tail rocker become the dominant determinants of turn radius. A well designed and constructed board will have a flex with the appropriate rider mass that meshes with its SCR so that the transition as edge angle increases is smooth. Longer radius boards by their very nature should be stiffer and shorter radius boards bendier.

Yes indeed, that's where the sidecut DEPTH comes into play (with the board flex).

Compared to the average off-the-shelf board, 27mm seems huge to me, but most of those boards are sorely lacking EE.  Maybe with your longer EE race boards you see depths like that, but as a general consumer I have not. What's the depth on your 8.5m slalom board?  I'm genuinely curious as 27mm is considerably larger than any of my other boards and seems pretty wild (in my limited experience).

Question: I have rather small (but wide) feet. US7 EEE (mondo 25.0).

I consider myself an advanced snowboarder but let's just say a novice carver. Will the JJA "Working Title" work for

someone like me? Other possibly useful stats Height 5'8 (173 cm) Weight 165 lbs (75k). That width seems like it

is more suitable for folks with boot sizes in the US9-US10 range.