soft touring set up

[graeme]

having ridden boards with snowboard bindings years ago, i feel risers are a must. your gonna lose some performance from the soft set up, so best to claw back some advantages.

[jjue]

We're not fooled...this is the like a dog complaining about too many bacon-bits ;-)

I wonder if anyone has tried a snowboard binding mounted DIRECTLY on a Condor...the Condor should be darn near wide enough to accept it without a riser.

Here is a review of using the direct snowboard binding on the Condor in the backcountry as well as at the resort.
http://www.skiboardsonline.com/vbull...ad.php?t=10687

Overall it is a very nice backcountry solution. The Condor with a diirect mounted snowboard binding is very light to carry. I think the Revel8 soft boot riser will help in the backcountry if you encounter firm snow but at a signficant weight penalty as it will add another 3.6 lbs to carry . I was able to get enough edge control to feel completely safe getting down firm icy resort snow which is much firmer then the usual backcountry snow even with a direct mounted Condor without a riser ... and if I was using this set up I would probably just carry the direct mounted version , while installing the riser for resort use.

here is a pic of the soft touring Condor backcountry set up

[jjue]

Edge Risers

One alternative to the Receptor soft boot riser that I have located is this Edge riser


http://www.edge-risers.com/8401.html

These are made out of plastic material and are light at 5oz per riser . They are wide and designed for snowboards and would only work on the Condor skiboard because it has the necessary width . They offer a 20mm rise off the deck compared to the Receptor soft boot riser which offers 31mm of rise . I think that the Receptor Riser will be the way to go for most users.. but for backcountry Condor Soft boot users who want to get some rise off the deck for their snowboard bindings but want to save weight , this might help .

I have ordered a pair , as well as the Receptor Soft boot riser and will give a comparision report on how they work on the Condor.

[jjue]

My soft touring set up ....

For reference sake , here is my current soft touring set up .. It works fantastic !
Further experiments revealed that a skiboot like plastic cuff around the upper part of the snowboard boot was essential for lateral control on descent . I amputated the cuff from a Salomon Verse Ski Boot and attached it to the highback of the Ride lx snowboard binding and also attached a booster strap .
I also discovered that a riser is necessary for control . For ski resorts I use the Revel8 Receptor soft boot riser which provides a total of 41mm stack height above the deck (31mm for the riser and 10mm for the snowboard binding )
For backcountry use , I substitute the Edge plastic riser which is a lot lighter then the Revel8 aluminum riser . The Edge riser provides a 30mm rise above the deck (20mm for the riser and 10mm for the snowboard binding )
Here are details of the experiments that led to the final downhill binding set up
http://www.skiboardsonline.com/forum...t=10687&page=1

Here is a review comparing performance to a hardboot BTK set up
http://www.skiboardsonline.com/forum...ad.php?t=10874

MSR Denali Ascent Snowshoes with 8"Flotation tails
Black Diamond three section 140cm collapsible poles
Osprey Stratos 40 Pack
Revel8 Condors
Edge snowboard risers
Ride Lx Snowboard Binding , modified with ski boot cuff and booster strap attached to highback
Ride Orion Snowboard boots.

Picture showing how the Condor stows on the Osprey Pack (this was before I decided I needed the ski boot cuff on the snowboard binding)


Snowboard boot in Denali Ascent Snowshoe with heel elevator up for climbing


Here is a picture of my snowboard boot in modified Ride Lx Snowboard binding on the Condor ready for descent .


Detail of the Edge snowboard riser with snowboard binding attached .

[graeme]

jack, i am starting to plan next season kit. keep this info coming, i always enjoy reading it

[jjue]

MSR Denali video review

I have the MSR Denali Ascent and I think it is perfect for the soft touring set up... had a great time using them yesterday .. be sure that you tighten the knob on the rear flotation tail .. i had one fall off .. lucky someone found it and returned to to the trailhead where i picked it up at the end of the day!
this model has been superseded by the Denail Evo ascent for this year .. only difference is only one size flotation tails instead of two and a new strap system ..

here is a great and comprehensive review of my favorite snowshoe...

[jjue]

ps nutnfancy .. the video reviewer above has quite a following on you tube , he is even listed in the urban dictionary


"Nutnfancy is a popular YouTube reviewer of knives, guns, and other practical and tactical equipment. Nutnfancy serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force, and makes his videos in his spare time.

Nutnfancy's knife and gun reviews are usually quite detailed and lengthy compared to other YouTube reviewers. Unlike most reviewers, Nutnfancy does not simply unbox the item being reviewed and describe it to the camera. Rather, he discusses in detail the strengths and weaknesses of the knife or gun and what he personally likes/dislikes about it. In addition to reviewing guns, Nutnfancy has also produced several videos of him and his friends shooting in the desert.

Nutnfancy has named his collection of videos and ongoing enterprise The Nutnfancy Project, or TNP for short. People who watch The Nutnfancy Project are known as TNPrs."

here is a nice video summary of an 80minute opus on you tube about his snowshoe adventure with a buddy of his and his dog....



to me hiking in the wilderness with soft snowboard boots carrying my soft boot binding equipped Condor is a dream come true... you get to have all the joys of snowshoeing in winter , with downhill bliss in powder thrown in ... i saw plenty of snowshoers on the same trail new years eve .. they were climbing to the summit of the mountain and then climbing down and having a whale of a great time .. i was even having a better time as not only was i snowshoeing up the mountain ..but i got to ride down !

[jjue]

MSR DENALI EVO ASCENT snowshoe video review.

The Denali classic and Denali ascent have been replaced this season with the Denali Evo ascent.
Here is a video of the new product .. the strap system is actually very similar to the one on the earlier models .. and the only other difference is that there is only one 6 inch flotation tail offered rather than the 4 inch and 8inch tails the other models had .....