I need something like an AM board

[groovastic]

Hi all!

I need a board that'd be the best possible for carving on ruined pistes and uneven snow with bumps, moguls and stuff.
Except that, I'd like it to be good in powder, like any AM board should be...

And I would like it to be as lively, turny and light as possible ...if that's not contradictory to what I need from a board :confused:

What board do you suggest?

Prior 4WD, Donek Axxesss, Coiler AM, Pogo Impact Freecarver, or maybe some Nidecker, F2, Voelkl, Goltes or other board?

Thank you

P.S. I'm asking this because I don't have a chance to demo many boards :mad:

Oh, forgot to mention, I'm 5'10'' and 165-170 lbs and I was thinking of a board about 170 cm

[terekhov]

What board do you suggest?

counting all of your suggestions - donex axxess, with right length and stiffness. on stiffness - doneks go on stiffer side of things, so contacting donek on this issue will be reasonable thing.

PS me is 200lbs. axis182 in soft moguls - best thing from over hundred of tested boards overall. and do the trick in occasional bottomless too. 4wd 179 & coiler 177am ridden thoroughly too

[stevo]

177Coiler AM with 21.5cm waist- you won't be sorry. The 11.5M sidecut is perfect for reasonably big turns and does a great job carving buttonholes too. On groomed (soft or hard) put the front binding all the way forward and set your stance width from there...it will carve like a race board (thanks enzo). In slush or pow put your rear binding all the way back and set your stance. The deepest powder I've had it in was utah 12" on top of hero groom...probably my best day on a board evaa! At 230# I had my choice of surf the top or carve the bottom.

[Mats]

As long as it´s´not to hard = icey I swear to my 200 Tanker. I take that board everythere. The lenght makes it glide through lumps and chopt up stuff. The flexpattern makes it manageable even in small moguls. In POW it rocks! I have tried most of the carvingorientated AM boards and nothing comes near. To sum it up: Get yourself a TANKER..... :biggthump :biggthump

PS. Maybe a bit shorter if you want a bit more lively

[pokkis]

You did not specify your boot size, but based on some boards listed there i make quess what you are after. I would recommend Blackjack 721 :biggthump
EDIT: i'm slightly heavier and longer than you and my favorite is 821, also cause i ride very seldomly on any board under 180 :rolleyes:

[Neil Gendzwill]

177Coiler AM with 21.5cm waist- you won't be sorry. He said he wanted lively, turny and light. The AM is damp, turny and kind of heavy - I guess 1/3 is not bad.

[BlueB]

Yup, AM board, everyone should have one...

Now, you've got couple of contradictory requests there, but that's ok, we all search for the "holy rail" as someone said before on this forum.

First, AM boards are not particularly good in powder, just bearable, in my opinion. Prior 4WD is probably the best in that department out of N. American 3 you mentioned. However, if you didn't maind fatter waist, the ATV is even better in pow, but you might wont the stiffened version. Tanker is actually great, but sucs on ice and it's somewhat cumbersome. I'm not sure if the 172 would rail quite as nicely as the big ones...

2nd, lively is normaly not associated with good pow ride or good ride on inperfect snow. Dampness of the board would help even out the terrain and forgive your mistakes. Liveliest AM type of board I've tried is the Rad-Air Hornet. It is due to it's big camber and stiffness. Also, the big taper makes it initiate vigorously and release and float well. It is not very forgiving nor light, and it's square tailed.

If you didn't mind the square tail, Burton Speed 168W would also be a good option. It rides like a freecarver, but due to the nice big nose and very wide waist, it is very AM friendly. It floats better then 4WD. 3 hole pattern is a pain...

Finaly, Dynastar 3800 169... Lively, light, turny. It is very pow biased (fat, big nose) but would still rail on groom. Sucs on ice. Not a carver per se, just carve capable. My favorite in trees.

[stevo]

He said he wanted lively, turny and light. The AM is damp, turny and kind of heavy - I guess 1/3 is not bad.

not the liveliest but it's not heavy...hit the weight room little guy!

[tex1230]

that's what I was looking for too...I picked up a Coiler EX 176 for exactly that purpose. I'll let you know how it worked in a few months :rolleyes:

[Neil Gendzwill]

not the liveliest but it's not heavy...hit the weight room little guy!My Tanker is 28 cm longer and 3 cm wider and weighs exactly the same. So I'd say if you're looking for lightweight construction, the AM is not the way to go. It's not surprising - it's a damp ride, and dampness is tough to achieve in a light board.

[Jim Callen]

Prior anything will work well for you. Heck, I'd get the WCR metal. It'll be light and lively while providing a nice ride wherever you want to go with it. I demoed one and took it into some trees and freshies and it handled quite well.

[Mike T]

Coiler AM Titanal. 'Nuff Said.

[stevo]

My Tanker is 28 cm longer and 3 cm wider and weighs exactly the same. So I'd say if you're looking for lightweight construction, the AM is not the way to go. It's not surprising - it's a damp ride, and dampness is tough to achieve in a light board.

two posts and I don't see you suggesting anything except your tanker weighs the same as what?

The Coiler All Mountain is perfect for "I need a board that'd be the best possible for carving on ruined pistes and uneven snow with bumps, moguls and stuff" it slices through that like it wasn't there AND it is good in powder depending on your weight and board's specs. If it were built like a graham cracker it wouldn't be the solid versatile ride it is. BV says the titanal version is even better!

[Neil Gendzwill]

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I own a Coiler AM 172, and a Tanker 200. They weigh the same despite the size difference. So I was just making the point that the Coiler is on the heavier side, as it must be because it is so damp. The original poster asked for a lively, light board and the Coiler simply doesn't fit the bill. OTOH as you point out, lively and light doesn't necessarily make the best crud-busting machine.

[carvedog]

I sure love my Frontier 185 for carving and all conditions, but they are not available anymore as I am looking for a back up for mine for the last two years - so other than upping my post count - disregard.

[Mike T]

Light and lively is IMHO somewhat contradictory with good for carving up ruined pistes. I suggested the Titanal Coiler AM as it has a very nimble feel while being excessively good on ruined pistes. Mine is a 172/12m/21.5 waist. I have the same shape in standard, which I ordered. I wound up testing the T version for Bruce and sent him money instead of his board back, it was that good!

In terms of scale weight it's almost as heavy as the standard but it feels more nimble on snow and is as of now my favorite board.

I'm suggesting "don't worry about scale weight and order one of these right now".

[D-Sub]

The custom prior AWD I scored a while back. When it is decommissioned I plan to get another no doubt

182, 23cm waist, 12m radius or so...although its not exactly light.

[groovastic]

Thanks guys!

I said that I'd like a light and turny board because I think it's sometimes easier to carve between those piles of snow than to carve through them. And with a light and turny board you don't get so dead tired after 2 or 3 hours of carving such a terrain... Am I wrong with this theory?

And what about SG AM Alpine 169?
Anybody tried that one?
How would you compare it to Donek, Prior or Coiler?

Thanks again!

[bobdea]

dampness is the real leg saver
on a metal board your legs last allot longer because they eat up allot of the chatter that otherwise would be taken up by your legs.
I like getting those five extra runs or so at the end of the day

for a all mountain gun I'd say either something with metal or a coiler AM due to the superior flex that Bruce developed for the his AM that no one really can match.
the AM is soft in the middle and stiff in front of the binding as well as behind, this makes the boards incredible in the chop but there is still enough there to rip the groom as well as 99% of the other boards out there.


so, based on my above statements a AM with metal is the logical answer
Also, Bruce offers better service and prices than the competition. I have issues with Prior in this area.

[SEJ]

Prior 4WD. I picked up a 169 last season for the same reason and love it. Haven't done much powder with it, but it does a great job railing in the stuff the race boards won't. It carves groomers well too, just not as much edge as a race board the same size.

[groovastic]

So nobody tested SG AM boards? :(