need help

[frochild]

Ok, if you go into the store here you will see that there is a board on sale. In fact it is one of the only boards on sale. I would like to get it but unfortuatly I do not know what size to get. I carve on a 166 burton e-deck and am looking to get a longer freecarving board to enhance my turning abilities. I am about 5 10 170-180 lbs, medium build. I am thinking that the 185 would be a lot of fun. Is that too long for a guy like me on a board like that???? I dont want to screw myself over.....

Thanks for your help

[Neil Gendzwill]

There's a few - I think you're talking about the Donek Freecarve 1 in a 185 length? I think that would be quite a step up for you and really depends on where you want to ride it. I know a lot of good carvers really like the 171 - never ridden it but it seems like the more versatile choice. You might also consider the demo Prior 4wd 179 that's on sale.

[Jack Michaud]

That would be the perfect step up from the e-deck 166. The 185 would not be too big for someone your size, but it's just too big of a jump.

The Freecarve I 171 is my favorite all-around board. Its the board in my quiver that gets the most use. Despite that, it has held up incredibly well for the past 3 seasons (well, 2.5 since this season was shortened by injury). It will be a while before you can out-ride that board. When you get comfortable at 60mph+, then consider a longer one. If I were to have only one snowboard, it would be a FC I 171, but then again, I don't think I could live with just one board.

When I bought my FC, I was switching from a Burton Factory Prime 178. The Donek rode at least as long as the Burton (in other words, felt as long and stable), but was quicker edge-to-edge and felt more stable when leaned over (probably perception more than reality - plus it was brand new vs. an beat-on Burton board).

These days I also have a Coiler 184 that I love, but the Donek 171 remains my go-to board.

[frochild]

Ok, great feedback. I dont think getting a 171 would be a great choice because I dont think it is much different. One thing I should include here is that I am looking to have a varity here. I dont plan on riding the long one that often but only on the really good groomed days where I want to pretend I am a racer. Plus there are many mountains that I think are made for long boards such as Whiteface ( I live in the northeast). I sould also mention that I can go 60 + easily but rather it is my board that holds me back ( it starts vibrating and looses edge). But I must say speed is not a big goal of mine, but rather doing ungroomed difficult stuff.
The problem comes in when everything is groomed/icy and I cannot enoy my smaller board it is onthese days that I think I would like the long board


cheers, and thanks in advance for the info

Then go for it. You'll notice from the classifieds section here that reselling that board should you change your mind will not be a problem. You might lose $50, but not much more. Plus the 185 is .5cm wider at the waist which might help if you have big feet. You'll love either board and it will serve you for a long time as long as you take good care of it.

[Jim Callen]

Going from a 166 E-deck to a 171 freecarve is going to be totally, and I do mean totally, different. The stiffness, effective edge, and sidecut are totally different. It will ride nothing like the board you have right now.

That said, go for the longer board. I ride in the 180's and I prefer that length of board for everything, from bumps to jumps to off-piste.

[Jack Michaud]

Originally posted by frochild
Ok, great feedback. I dont think getting a 171 would be a great choice because I dont think it is much different. One thing I should include here is that I am looking to have a varity here. I dont plan on riding the long one that often but only on the really good groomed days where I want to pretend I am a racer.

Then the 185 Freecarve is the wrong board. It's 12.5m sidecut is too short. Racers use about 15m in GS. If I was designing boards, I'd put a 12.5m radius on a 175 at most. The extra length is just not necessary for that sidecut. You can't carve a 12.5m sidecut fast enough to warrant 185cm of length. I'd want you to try the 180 with the 14m sidecut, or the 186/15.

The problem comes in when everything is groomed/icy and I cannot enoy my smaller board it is onthese days that I think I would like the long board

On days when it's very icy and the snow surface is rock hard, the 171 will be the ticket. Its 11.2m sidecut will allow you to complete a carve without building up too much speed that the ice cannot support. That said, a 12.5m sidecut would also be a better choice than a 14 or 15 on super icy days. However for high speed carving on nice groomed stuff, like when it's "firm" or like "chalk" but not solid ice, the longer sidecuts will give you ultimate stability.

[Neil Gendzwill]

The difference between a 166 e-deck and a 171 Donek Freecarve will be quite big. The Donek is a way different beast.

[bobdea]

a shorter board might be the sane choice, but if you are comfortable at high speeds get a big ol' GS board
at first it will be scary but you will get it
for speed I would recomend a wider sidecut 15ish or if you really like the speed a even wider radius

I am pretty much saying what jack has already said and adding

honestly if I were to suggest a board for someone at your weight that is going to be riding in the icey east (in particular white face) it would come down to the Madd 170 or the FC 171, I am told they are quite similar I had a Madd and on ice that thing was unreal
if you want rail turns like a maniac this might be a the best choice

the prior 4wd would be bad ass on the groom and in the crud or wherever you might want to bring it, pretty much a jack of all trades

Wanna go crazy fast or just like big wide turns at somewhat high speeds get a GS deck, I tend to stay on a longer board most of the because I prefer the long wide turns, well I used to now I am spending most of my time on a coiler AM 173

there have been allot of volkls going around dirt cheap and some other boards that come in the longer lengths maybe if you pick one up on the cheap you could still buy a FC 171 that for sure would not be too hard for you to ride and if you decide you don't like one of the two you could dump one

often I have bought boards in the summer ridden them the following winter and decided I don't want them for whatever reason then put them on ebay in the early winter and made money on them so there was no real loss

if you have the cash it always nice to have a quiver

[frochild]

I really appreciate all of the input here. I decied to go with the 171. I think it will really work out. In the end I just wanted a stronger board. Given I did like my current board( had it for 8-9 years and remains in top condition) and I spend most of my time at Gore where they only groom before a storm I thought, what the hey get a long board to satisfy my deep carving needs. To tell the truth though, my e-deck gives out under pressure and is diffuicult to control unless in ungroomed or fairly good conditons. And I should mention that Gore is the only place I dont expect too much icy conditions.