How many of you hardboot out there?

Hey there, I’m just curious if there are any fellow hardbooters out there??

Daveo

Edit: Added a poll. Azz

As far as I’m aware, I’m the only other BW regular who owns alpine boards (a Burton Factory Prime 157 and a Burton Ultra Prime 168).

I’d love to be able to say I’m right into it and do it regularly, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. As far as I’m concerned, only fresh, deep powder beats the sensation of fast carving on perfect corduroy - but the only time I’ve even done that in the last few years has been on my regular freeride boards.

A Burton FP. Nice. Do you ride alpine regularly? I exclusively ride alpine these days. Maybe I just like to be different, I don’t know, but seeing as I just like to carve up runs, I guess I just wanted the appropriate gear.

I’ve got a freeride setup also, a Never Summer Premier, Driver X, Nidecker 900 Carbon. Works well (I know this from the entire half day I spent on it… very conclusive test lol), but for me, I don’t get a chance to ride powder unfortunately. I’d love to give it to someone who would actually use it.

I might venture as far as New Zealand. Hopefully I get a chance to head further up the globe to hit up some powder.

Where do you ride, chuck?

Nah, I think I’d need to live elsewhere if I were to ride alpine regularly. I meant before that the only fast carving on corduroy I’ve done in the last few years was on a freeride board - my 164cm Ride No.4 (9 on the 1-10 stiffness scale) for 5 or so runs first thing every morning for a while at Thredbo in 2011. I got a few funny looks in the lift line when people saw my alpinesque binding angles. The best AU/NZ resort for regular alpine riding would, in my opinion, be Ohau, NZ - because the steeper groomed runs very rarely get chopped up.

Nidecker 900 Carbons are super stiff, right? My stiff freeride bindings were Ride Carbon CAD bindings, but I snapped a highback.

I just ride wherever I can - Perisher season pass last season and a Thredbo season pass before that. How about you?

Yeah I know the No. 4! I was going to get one a long time ago but I ended up with a Salomon Burner. Then I got a Palmer Crown I nabbed second hand one cheap off the Bay. Then I moved on to alpine and can’t go back. I’ve got a Coiler AM 176. Pretty wide at 21.5cm waist, so it is quite forgiving on all terrain but the worst. It is always my skill that gives in before the board does.

I would say the Nidecker 900 Carbons are a stiff bindings. They’re extreme sturdy though, and (apparently) very damp. They have a layer of rubber/foam at the bottom of them, which apparently is like the second coming. Just a piece of glorified rubber/foam imo. I don’t know because I only rode them for one morning, now all my softie gear sits in my warehouse. I’ll prob throw it all on eBay this coming season.

I’ve snowboarded all the places in Vic and I’ve been to Queenstown also. We did just the standard hills, The (Un)Remarkables, Cardrona, Coronet Peak, Treble Cone. One day a few of the guys went off to Snow Park, but I opted to hit up Treble Cone on my lonesome.

Where about is Ohau? I don’t even remember that region to be honest! What do you ride these days?

I have ridden one, circa 1992 when you were given a choice when renting.
There a couple of Hotham crew riding them these days, I wouldn’t mind giving it a try. Anyone I have spoken to about it loves it

Can you use regular ski boots?

One of the bigger pros for me with snowboarding is the comfy sneaker like boots!! (I know there are reasons for the hard boots) but.. I love being able to walk up and down stairs with ease!! Lol I used to be the only skier in my group the last couple of years.. My bf picked up boarding the year before me.. And all my friends already boarded.. So I eventually converted to see what all the fuss was.. And never looked back. I hated the ski boots.. But I did like having poles and being able to “walk/slide” on flat terrain with out having to unbind..  But snowboarding is more fun (for me..) and easier on my knee..

anyways I wouldn’t want to go back to ski like boots.. They were horrible. And I everyone always had to wait for me yo catch up.. Now I can run in my board boots!! Lol

I so dig hardboots/alpine.
Not only am I a speed-freak but also find full-on carve turns to be the ultimate snowboard “trick” - It’s almost like getting barrelled surfing.

Have been looking at buying a set up the last few years and was spewing I didn’t ride chucky’s in 2010.
But I couldn’t see myself hardbooting all day - maybe just the first few early runs of the day on Thredbo’s Supertrails and the occasional GS race.
It would be a specialty item that is not affordable right now. My K2 Zepplin is stiff enough that I can imagine I’m hardbooting on some turns, since I ride a stiff boot and my bindings are set with a solid forward lean and often a forward stance.

Like Azz, I rode one once in the early 90’s.  I took a lesson and that was about the only thing they had for hire.  I just clipped in wearing my ski boots!  I agree with h0z that one of the benefits of boarding is wearing more comfortable gear, although I find the boots these days getting stiffer and harder to get into!

hardboots are easier to put on/off.
Unless you have double boa.

I don’t think I could wear hardboots all day - another reason for only doing alpine on occasion.

I’ve never tried. I would be keen to try if given the opportunity though.

I havent but was thinking about doing it for a day in Japan when I went. Hadnt snowed for a few days and Tsugiaki (prob not correct spelling) out of Hakuba had some epic super groomers. Wish I had of now

h0z - 21 January 2013 09:02 PM

One of the bigger pros for me with snowboarding is the comfy sneaker like boots!! (I know there are reasons for the hard boots) but.. I love being able to walk up and down stairs with ease!! Lol I used to be the only skier in my group the last couple of years.. My bf picked up boarding the year before me.. And all my friends already boarded.. So I eventually converted to see what all the fuss was.. And never looked back. I hated the ski boots.. But I did like having poles and being able to “walk/slide” on flat terrain with out having to unbind..  But snowboarding is more fun (for me..) and easier on my knee..

anyways I wouldn’t want to go back to ski like boots.. They were horrible. And I everyone always had to wait for me yo catch up.. Now I can run in my board boots!! Lol

I’m not sure if ski boots have this feature, but with hardboot snowboard boots, you can put them into ‘walk mode’ where they pivot at the ankle for about 60 degrees, so they’re not stiff at all. Also I (and a few others I know) have had twisted ankles in soft snowboard boots, this is something that would never happen with hardboots. If you like to bomb the mountain and don’t spend much time in the park, then a hardboot setup is for you. Give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Azz - 21 January 2013 08:13 PM

I have ridden one, circa 1992 when you were given a choice when renting.
There a couple of Hotham crew riding them these days, I wouldn’t mind giving it a try. Anyone I have spoken to about it loves it

Can you use regular ski boots?

You can use regular ski boots, but you generally need the largest possible bindings due to the configuration of where the heel and toe blocks are on ski boots and those particular bindings wouldn’t eve fit your snowboard boots. But I believe a few people use AT ski boots on their alpine setup and enjoy it a lot.

snowbum_spaz - 21 January 2013 09:56 PM

I so dig hardboots/alpine.
Not only am I a speed-freak but also find full-on carve turns to be the ultimate snowboard “trick” - It’s almost like getting barrelled surfing.

Have been looking at buying a set up the last few years and was spewing I didn’t ride chucky’s in 2010.
But I couldn’t see myself hardbooting all day - maybe just the first few early runs of the day on Thredbo’s Supertrails and the occasional GS race.
It would be a specialty item that is not affordable right now. My K2 Zepplin is stiff enough that I can imagine I’m hardbooting on some turns, since I ride a stiff boot and my bindings are set with a solid forward lean and often a forward stance.

I’ve got a beginner friendly hardboot setup. It’s a 21.5 waist Coiler AM with a metal (titanal) top sheet. You can use pretty low angles due to the wide waist. You’re more than welcome to try that if you’re ever up the same time as me. That particular board is an ‘all mountain’ board and I would argue it handles crud and end of day chop better than most boards out there.

snowbum_spaz - 21 January 2013 11:01 PM

hardboots are easier to put on/off.
Unless you have double boa.

I don’t think I could wear hardboots all day - another reason for only doing alpine on occasion.

I think with the right alpine gear, you could easily ride it all day. Like myself. I have 2 boards 1 Coiler All Mountain and one Kessler + Apex plate. If you’ve ever seen a GS course toward the end of the day, it is rutted up much worse than any of our runs and these Kesslers handle that with ease.