The Alpine Snowboarding F.A.Q. [Archive] - Bomber Carving Community

Jack Michaud

November 28th, 2005, 09:33 AM

<center><h2>The Alpine Snowboarding F.A.Q.</h2></center>


<a href="#what is alpine">What is "alpine" snowboarding?</a> 
<a href="#what is carving">What is "carving"?</a> 
<a href="#more diff">Is hardboot snowboarding more difficult than softboot snowboarding?</a> 
<a href="#comfort">Aren't hardboots uncomfortable?</a> 
<a href="#fine">I can carve fine with softboots, why should I try hardboots? </a>
<a href="#only good for racing">Is alpine equipment only good for racing? </a>
<a href="#only good for groomers">Is alpine equipment only good for groomed trails? </a>
<a href="#get into">How can I get into alpine snowboarding? </a>
<a href="#rent">Where can I rent equipment? </a>
<a href="#rideboard">Nobody rides alpine at my mountain, how can I meet other carvers? </a>
<a href="#ES">What is an Expression Session, and where are they? </a>
<a href="#ES name">Where did the name "Expression Session" come from? </a>
<a href="#lesson">Where can I take a lesson? </a>
<a href="#purchase">Where can I purchase equipment? </a>
<a href="#what size">What size board should I buy? </a>
<a href="#setup">How do I set up my bindings? </a>
<a href="#cant">What is Cant? And what is Lift? </a>
<a href="#canadians">I live in Canada, shipping and duties from the US is expensive, where can I buy gear here? </a>
<a href="#starter">How much does a decent starter setup cost? </a>
<a href="#used">Where can I buy used equipment? </a>
<a href="#stores">Why isn't alpine snowboarding equipment sold in stores anymore? </a>
<a href="#boots">Can I use my ski boots? </a>
<a href="#freeride">Can I use hardboots on my freeride board? </a>
<a href="#neverever">Can I learn how to snowboard in hardboots? </a>
<a href="#ski">Do you have to know how to ski to use hardboots? </a>
<a href="#mfrs">Who makes alpine snowboards? </a>
<a href="#bootmfrs">Who makes snowboarding hardboots? </a>
<a href="#bindingmfrs">Who makes alpine snowboard bindings? </a>
<a href="#norm">How can I learn to carve? </a>
<a href="#moreinfo">Where can I find more info on alpine snowboarding technique? </a>
<a href="#euro">What is "Eurocarving" and "Extreme Carving"? </a>
<a href="#how long">How long before I can extreme carve? </a>
<a href="#asym">What is an asymmetrical snowboard? </a>
<a href="#skiboard">What is a "skiboard"? </a>
<a href="#skwal">What is a "Skwal"? </a>
<a href="#teleboard">What is a "Teleboard"? </a>
<a href="#stepin">What is the difference between standard and step-in bindings? </a>
<a href="#racing">How can I get into racing? </a>
<a href="#growing">Is alpine snowboarding growing or fading away? </a>
<a href="#old">Am I too old to get into alpine snowboarding? </a>
 

Q: <a name="what is alpine">What is "alpine" snowboarding?</a> 
A: The short answer is that it is snowboarding with the focus on making clean carved turns, and/or snowboarding with hardshell plastic boots. "Alpine" and "hardboot snowboarding" or just "hardbooting" have become synonymous. For a longer answer, click here: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_snowboarding" target="top">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpine_snowboarding</a> 

Q: <a name="what is carving">What is "carving"?<a/> 
A: Carving is the act of making turns where the entire length of the edge slices through a thin, consistent path in the snow, and there is no skidding. The nose, waist, and tail of the board all pass over the same track in the snow. When a snowboard is carving, it is moving purely in the direction it is pointing. When a snowboard is skidding, it is moving in the direction it is pointing and it is also moving downhill, simultaneously. 

Q: <a name="more diff">Is hardboot snowboarding more difficult than softboot snowboarding?</a> 
A: Not really. Believe it or not, some people who have never snowboarded before can actually have an easier time on their first day if they start in hardboots, especially if they know how to ski. This admittedly sounds incredible, but we have witnessed this firsthand. However if you have been softboot snowboarding for a while, trying hardboots will feel awkward at first. Once you master hardboots, it's not significantly more difficult to ride around in them. However hardboots and softboots are intended for different things. Generally speaking, softboots are better suited to walking/hiking, freestyle, powder, and non-carved freeriding, although many people swear by hardboots for freeriding and powder. Hardboots are better suited to carving and riding groomed snow. Hardboots make carving easier than softboots.

<a name="comfort">Q: Aren't hardboots uncomfortable? </a>
A: With custom footbeds and moldable liners, many people find hardboots to be more comfortable than softboots for all-day riding. In fact, a properly fit hardboot can be worn all day without having to take them off at lunch or loosen the buckles on the lift. Many people say that when they used softboots, they cranked down their bindings to the point of crushing the foot in order to achieve acceptible performance, and the move to hardboots was a relief. 

<a name="fine">Q: I can carve fine with softboots, why should I try hardboots? </a>
A: It is true that you can carve in softboots. However hardboots allow you to carve faster, smoother, lower, and more aggressively, and on steeper and icier terrain. If the carving ability of softboots could actually match that of hardboots, you would see softboots being used in world class slalom and giant slalom events. Carving in hardboots is something that must be experienced to be believed. You simply do not know the true extent of your carving ability or your snowboard's carving ability until you have learned to carve well in hardboots. 

<a name="only good for racing">Q: Is alpine equipment only good for racing? </a>
No. "Freecarving" (recreational carving) is the most popular use of alpine snowboarding equipment. 

<a name="only good for groomers">Q: Is alpine equipment only good for groomed trails? </a>
A: No. Many people use hardboots on "all-mountain" carving boards and enjoy them on all terrain, including powder, moguls, chutes, trees, anywhere. All-mountain carving boards are very versatile. Race or Freecarve boards are less versatile and are best on groomers, but skilled riders can take them anywhere as well. 

<a name="get into">Q: How can I get into alpine snowboarding? </a>
A: Check out our <a href="http://bomberonline.com/articles/welcome_center.cfm" target="top">Welcome Center</a> for info on getting into the sport, buying a board, setting up your bindings, and learning to carve. 

<a name="rent">Q: Where can I rent equipment? </a>
A: We rent equipment from our shop in Silverthorne, Colorado. We are told the Starting Gate in Stratton, Vermont has some rentals. Otherwise, we know of no other resort that stocks a fleet of rental alpine gear. You should not assume the resort you are going to will have any - the overwhelming probability is that they do not. However, the smaller alpine dedicated manufacturers will usually send you a demo board at a small cost, if you think you may become serious about buying one. Or, you could attend one of several annual alpine snowboarding rallies that take place in various regions. These are usually called "Expression Sessions", and they typically feature equipment demos and lessons. Also they are great for learning by osmosis. 
Or, we alpine snowboarders are typically a welcoming bunch. You may be able to find someone who would be willing to meet you and loan you some gear for a day and give you a few pointers. 

<a name="rideboard">Q: Nobody rides alpine at my mountain, how can I meet other carvers?</a> 
A: We have a <a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=10" target="top">Ride Board</a> where you can look to see who is riding where, or post a message that you would like to hook up with some carvers. Also, you can attend an Expression Session. 

<a name="ES">Q: What is an Expression Session, and where are they? </a>
A: An expression session is a non-competitive alpine snowboarding rally or get-together type event. They usually include equipment demos, parties, raffles, banquets, and other fun stuff. But first and foremost, they are an excellent opportunity to ride with dozens of fellow carvers, and to improve your riding by doing so. Some well established sessions: 
<a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/SES/index.cfm" target="top">Summit Expression Session (SES)</a>, Colorado
<a href="http://www.eces.us" target="top">East Coast Expression Session (ECES)</a>, New England
<a href="http://www.hardbooter.com/wtc/" terget="top">Wasatch Trenchin' Convention (WTC)</a>, Utah
<a href="http://www.extremecarving.com/events/events.html" target="top">Extreme Carving Session (ECS)</a>, Europe 

<a name="ES name">Q: Where did the name "Expression Session" come from? </a>
A: Surfers coined the term for any informally organized and non-competitive surfing get-together. The people from PureCarve Snowboards organized the first alpine snowboarding expression session, and they are also surfers. 

<a name="lesson">Q: Where can I take a lesson? </a>
A: We have a search page for alpine snowboarding instructors here: <a href="http://bomberonline.com/community/instructor_lookup.cfm" target="top">Instructor Lookup</a> 
Or, if there are no professional instructors near you, you may be able to find someone willing to meet you and give you an informal lesson. Check our <a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=10" target="top">Ride Board</a> to hook up with other carvers. Also the various expression sessions are good places to get pointers. 

<a name="purchase">Q: Where can I purchase equipment? </a>
A: Since alpine is such a niche, very few retailers can justify stocking equipment. Most alpine sales have moved online to stores such as <a href="http://bomberonline.com/store/index.cfm" target="top">ours</a>. Most of the small alpine manufacturers also have online stores of their own. 

<a name="what size">Q: What size board should I buy?</a> 
A: Read <a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/how_to_buy_snowboard.cfm" target="top">this article</a> for advice on buying an alpine snowboard. 

<a name="setup">Q: How do I set up my bindings?</a> 
A: Read <a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/articles/setup.cfm" target="top">this article</a> for advice on binding setup. 

<a name="cant">Q: What is Cant? And what is Lift?</a> 
A: Canting is lateral (side to side) tilting of the binding. Boot makers also use this term loosely to describe lateral tilting of the boot cuff, but it's not the same thing - the foot is unaffected by this. Lift is lifting the toe or heel of the boot to tilt it forward or backward. For more info, read <a href="http://bomberonline.com/articles/canting.cfm" target="top">this article</a>. 

<a name="canadians">Q: I live in Canada, shipping and duties from the US is expensive, where can I buy gear here? </a>
A: <a href="http://www.yyzcanuck.com" target="top">www.yyzcanuck.com</a>,
<a href="http://www.priorsnowboards.com" target="top">www.priorsnowboards.com</a>,
<a href="http://www.coiler.com" target="top">www.coiler.com</a> 

<a name="starter">Q: How much does a decent starter setup cost? </a>
A: If you buy all new entry-level equipment, you can expect to spend about $375 for a board, $100 for bindings, and $150 for boots. If you buy used equipment, you should budget about $300 to $500 for everything, but you may be able to find deals on acceptible equipment for as little as $200. If money is no object, you can spend upwards of $1000 or more on a board, $350 on bindings, and $500 on boots. 

<a name="used">Q: Where can I buy used equipment? </a>
A: We have classified advertisements <a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=3" target="top">here</a>, and there are a few others like this around the web. You can also find gear on ebay. The folks at <a href="http://www.raceboarders.com/" target="top">raceboarders.com</a> have a cool automated ebay search link. 

<a name="stores">Q: Why isn't alpine snowboarding equipment sold in stores anymore? </a>
The number of people interested in softboot snowboarding has exploded over the years, while the number of people interested in hardboot snowboarding has grown at a much slower rate. So much slower, that it looked stangnant by comparison. Eventually shops realized they could make plenty of money on just softboot gear and didn't need to deal with hardboot gear anymore. 

<a name="boots">Q: Can I use my ski boots? </a>
A: Yes. However we do not recommend this. We know of several people who tried to start carving in their ski boots, and nearly gave up on the sport entirely because of the boots. Luckily they were saved by switching to snowboarding hardboots. Snowboarding hardboots are better because they are generally not as stiff and are designed specifically for snowboarding. But ski boots will work, although there's a good chance super-stiff racing ski boots will be a problem. Many people ski and snowboard, so using ski boots is a convenient way to switch between the two during the day. 

<a name="freeride">Q: Can I use hardboots on my freeride board? </a>
A: Yes. In fact, the cheapest way to try hardboot snowboarding is to just buy some bindings and use your existing ski boots or buy some cheap snowboarding hardboots, and use your freeride board. But while hardboots allow you to realize greater carving ability, they also reveal the limitations of your equipment. Most freeride boards are simply not up to the task of handling the forces carving generates, and you may quickly find your freeride board folding or chattering as you begin to carve harder. 

<a name="neverever">Q: Can I learn how to snowboard in hardboots? </a>
A: Yes. More on that <a href="http://bomberonline.com/articles/snowboarding_day_one.cfm" target="top">here</a>. 

<a name="ski">Q: Do you have to know how to ski to use hardboots? </a>
A: No. But skiers do have an advantage in that they are already used to the feeling of a hard plastic boot, and controlling their edges with the boots. 

<a name="mfrs">Q: Who makes alpine snowboards? </a>
A: Boards available in North America include: 
<a href="http://www.coiler.com" target="top">Coiler</a>
<a href="http://www.donek.com" target="top">Donek</a>
<a href="http://www.f2snow.com" target="top">F2</a>
<a href="http://www.hotsnowboards.com" target="top">Hot</a>
<a href="http://www.madd1.com" target="top">Madd</a>
<a href="http://www.nidecker.com" target="top">Nidecker</a>
<a href="http://www.priorsnowboards.com" target="top">Prior</a>
<a href="http://www.swoard.com" target="top">Swoard</a>
<a href="http://www.volkl.com" target="top">Volkl</a>

<a name="bootmfrs">Q: Who makes snowboarding hardboots? </a>
A: Boots available in North America include:
<a href="http://www.deeluxe.com" target="top">Deeluxe</a> (formerly Raichle)
<a href="http://bomberonline.com/store/boots/head_stratos.cfm" target="top">Head</a> 

<a name="bindingmfrs">Q: Who makes alpine snowboard bindings? </a>
A: Bindings availaible in North America include:
<a href="http://bomberonline.com/store/bindings/index.cfm" target="top">Bomber</a>
<a href="http://www.catek.com" target="top">Catek</a>
<a href="http://bomberonline.com/store/bindings/deeluxe_x_bone.cfm" target="top">Deeluxe</a>
<a href="http://www.f2snow.com" target="top">F2</a>
<a href="http://www.hotsnowboards.com" target="top">Hot</a>
<a href="http://www.phiokka.com/hard.html" target="top">Phiokka</a> 

<a name="norm">Q: Okay, I've got the equipment, but there are no alpine instructors near me and I don't know anyone who carves. How can I learn to carve? </a>
A: Start by reading these articles: <a href="http://bomberonline.com/articles/feel_the_carve.cfm" target="top">The Norm</a>, and <a href="http://bomberonline.com/articles/feel_the_carve.cfm" target="top">The Norm II</a>. They will give you the basics. 

<a name="moreinfo">Q: Where can I find more info on alpine snowboarding technique? </a>
A: Check out our <a href="http://bomberonline.com/articles/tech_articles.cfm" target="top">Tech Articles</a>. 
Or, there is also technique info at the <a href="http://www.alpinecarving.com" target="top">Carver's Almanac</a>, 
or, you can always ask technique questions in our <a href="http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=2" target="top">Carving Community</a> 

<a name="euro">Q: What is "Eurocarving" and "Extreme Carving"? </a>
A: Eurocarving is a name that was coined in the late 80's by American snowboard magazines to describe the laid-out carving style that was being popularized by the European carving icons of the day like Peter Bauer and Jean Nerva. Extreme Carving is basically the new term for that style. When Bauer and Nerva faded from the limelight, so did the style. That doesn't mean that people stopped carving with a low, laid-out style, it's just that it stopped being glamorized. Two Europeans, Patrice Fivat and Jacques Rilliet, decided to re-glorify the style, so they dropped the Euro tag and called it Extreme Carving. They started the Extreme Carving <a href="http://www.extremecarving.com" target="top">website</a> to promote the style and as a movement against the trend towards super skinny race boards they felt were making the sport un-fun. They even have their own line of private-label wide carving boards called Swoard. That skinny board trend has now stopped, and carving boards now come in a broad range of widths. 

<a name="how long">Q: How long before I can extreme carve? </a>
A: Extreme carving certainly looks like a ton of fun, and it is. However attempting to lay out carves like those guys before you have learned the basics of carving is difficult and often results in bad habits, such as bending over at the waist and reaching down for the snow with your hands. Extreme carving is an expert level skill much like getting big air in a big halfpipe with lots of vert. You shouldn't attempt it until you have a solid mastery of fundamental carving skills. 

<a name="asym">Q: What is an asymmetrical snowboard? </a>
A: They are basically obsolete, and that's fine with us. They were designed specifically for regular (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward) carvers. The sidecut was shifted rearward on the heelside edge to try to align the sidecut closer to the binding angles, and the boards had a parallelogram-like shape. <a href="http://bomberonline.com/articles/asymetric.cfm" target="top">Here</a> is our opinion of asyms. <a href="http://www.pureboarding.com" target="top">These guys</a> love asyms. 

<a name="skiboard">Q: What is a "skiboard"? </a>
A: There is no such thing as a skiboard. This name is sometimes erroneously used to describe alpine snowboards by people who don't know what they are. An alpine snowboard is still a snowboard - with practice it can be ridden all over the mountain just like any other snowboard - it is not something else. If anything should be called a skiboard, it would be the Monoski. 

<a name="skwal">Q: What is a "Skwal"? </a>
A: A Skwal is a very skinny carving board that resembles a wide ski, and is used in a similar fashion to a slalom waterski. The bindings are mounted heel to toe, and point nearly straight ahead. Since Skwals are only good for carving on groomed trails, and since the technique required to ride them is different enough, Skwals are not considered snowboards and are not permitted in snowboard competitions. 

<a name="teleboard">Q: What is a Teleboard? </a>
A: A Teleboard is another type of carving board that is quite similar to a Skwal, but is used with free-heel Telemark bindings, and Telemark boots. For the same reasons as Skwals, Teleboards are also not considered snowboards and are not permitted in snowboard competitions. 

<a name="stepin">Q: What is the difference between standard and step-in bindings? </a>
A: "Standard" bindings use wire bails and a toe clip to hold the boot in the binding. They work with just about any plastic boot with heel and toe ledges, including ski boots. You open and close them with your hands. Step-in bindings use a special mechanism to automatically lock the boot in the binding without using your hands. Typically they involve a cable that is routed up through the boot to the top of the boot cuff. It has a handle that you pull to release the binding. Some people feel that the step-in interface results in a stiffer binding. Others can't tell the difference while riding. 

<a name="racing">Q: How can I get into racing? </a>
A: Contact any of these organizations: 
<a href="http://www.usasa.org" target="top">USASA</a>
<a href="http://www.uscsa.com" target="top">USCSA</a>
<a href="http://www.nastar.com" target="top">NASTAR</a>

<a name="growing">Q: Is alpine snowboarding growing or fading away? </a>
A: Actually it is growing, slowly. Bomber typically sells more bindings each year than it did the previous year. The internet has allowed alpine snowboarders to congregate and promote the sport, and it has provided manufacturers with an effective outlet for selling their products world-wide. 

<a name="old">Q: Am I too old to get into alpine snowboarding? </a>
A: No. An informal poll conducted in our forum revealed an average age of about 32, and included responses from carvers in their 60s. If you are in relatively good shape, you can carve!