Blunts and bindings

[cmbruin]

I've been out of commission for the past 2+ seasons with some knee issues and haven't been on the forum much during that time. In anticipation of being able to start back up again, I've been following the posts this season and I finally got back on the mountain this past month.

I picked up the Blunts and have been on them a couple times. Still getting my legs and technique back, so I don't feel like I'm able to really assess the boards objectively yet. My first impression is that they ride much "longer" than 88cm in many different snow conditions. More on that to come. I've been riding the Blunts with an old pair of Spruce Risers and I figure it's time to either upgrade to the pro risers or switch to a modified snowboard binding.

I'm pretty short (5'4") and have gravitated to boards between 99 and 110 in the past, so I haven't felt comfortable riding non-releasables. Now with the Blunts and the modified snowboard bindings, I'm considering giving non-releasables a try. I'm an advanced rider who sticks to the resorts and am intrigued with the prospect of getting into snowboard boots and bindings as I have been catching up with all the discussions that have happened since I've been out (Thanks Jack for the extensive posts on the topic). I've been impressed with the skiboard and binding innovations by Greco and the forum community - very unique and synergistic environment here.

I'm still trying to understand what all of this means and would greatly appreciate any input you all have.


Questions about non-releasable injuries:
Is the minimum recommended height for non-releasables related to possible simple/compound fractures of the lower leg due to the skiboard getting caught and the rider's forward momentum applying force to the lower leg? What about spiral fractures? Are there rider height to board length recommendations? Are they included in the standard recommendations? I would guess that a shorter board would also lessen the potential of a spiral fracture caused by a rotational force. Is that true?


I've been trying on snowboard boots and think I've finally settled on DC Ceptors, which are rated as an 8 in stiffness. I have short wide feet that have a number of issues and boot fitting has always been a problem. I've been to a bootfitter for my hardshell ski boots and using the custom inserts that he made for my ski boots in the DC Ceptors seem to help a lot with stability, stance, and fit. The boots are both comfortable and snug. However, they aren't quite as tight as my hardshell ski boots in the lower leg. I can't seem to hand tie the laces as tight as Boas can, but the boots with Boas had other fit issues.

I typically lock down the calf/shin closures pretty tight on my ski boots and leave the bottom ones fairly loose as recommended by my bootfitter.

Questions about using snowboard boots / bindings:
In trying to determine a good fitting boot I was wondering how snowboard boot fitting for skiboarding differs from ski boot fitting for skiboarding. Jack (JJue) has referred to a "surfy" feeling with the snowboard binding and the use of foot steering.

Does this mean that the best fitted snowboard boots don't fit as tight as the best fitted ski boot and therefore there is more movement with the foot/ankle/lower leg. How tight fitting should they be in the foot, ankle, and lower leg?

Do the Blunts lend themselves more to this style and therefore match up well with snowboard bindings with soft snowboard boots?

How do you transport boards with the snowboard bindings? They seem to be too tall (due to the binding height) to fit in skiboard bags with the bindings attached to the boards. I thought I could transport the boards separately in a skiboard bag and the bindings attached to the boots in a boot bag and carry my dremel driver to attach the bindings to the board at the resort. Wondering if anyone has a better solution.


Questions about other non-release bindings:
While I'm hoping to have a more comfortable day with the possibility of snowboard boots and bindings, my current hard shell ski boots aren't too bad, so I could upgrade to the Spruce pro prime plus bindings or hard ski boot non-releaseable.

Slow / Valmorel - I'm impressed with your twist out design and like you spiral fractures are on my list of injuries to avoid. Are you either of you willing to build these for other forum members? I'd be willing to sign a waiver or whatever.

Any other options for a twist out "non-releasable?"


Sorry for the very long post. Thanks everyone for helping me better understand my options. Your opinions / answers are much appreciated.

[jjue]

Hi Cmbruin ,
as to the guidelines published about height , I think they are just general recommendations
I think all of us agree that the longer the skiboard the more the risk of injury and the shorter the skiboard the lower the risk just because there is less board in front and in back of your boot to get hung up .. most folks feel pretty comfortable with riding an 88cm board with non releasaeables , but it is certainly a personal decision and a releaser does even with a short board give you a bit more safety ...
Here are a few answers to your questions .... the snowboard boot needs to be good fitting but not excessively tight like a snug hardboot fit , when you put the snowboard boot into the three strap snowboard binding the , snowboard boot is kind of like an inner boot , then you snug up the rachets on the three straps pretty snug to tighten up fit and attach you tightly to the wings on the highback , after tightening up the three straps you will feel pretty snug but still not as much as in a hard boot and there is a softer feeling to the whole set up and more give , the snowboard boot does need to be stiff to give you lateral support ..
The snowboard binding folds down and the best way of transport is in a golf bag ,, I transport on airplanes with everything in a rolling golf bag , boots , snowboard and clothing and helmet and pack ....
The Blunts match just perfectly with snowboard boots , plenty of power to carve and control the boards ...
Let me know if you have additional questions !

[cmbruin]

Hi Cmbruin ,
as to the guidelines published about height , I think they are just general recommendations
I think all of us agree that the longer the skiboard the more the risk of injury and the shorter the skiboard the lower the risk just because there is less board in front and in back of your boot to get hung up .. most folks feel pretty comfortable with riding an 88cm board with non releasaeables , but it is certainly a personal decision and a releaser does even with a short board give you a bit more safety ...
Here are a few answers to your questions .... the snowboard boot needs to be good fitting but not excessively tight like a snug hardboot fit , when you put the snowboard boot into the three strap snowboard binding the , snowboard boot is kind of like an inner boot , then you snug up the rachets on the three straps pretty snug to tighten up fit and attach you tightly to the wings on the highback , after tightening up the three straps you will feel pretty snug but still not as much as in a hard boot and there is a softer feeling to the whole set up and more give , the snowboard boot does need to be stiff to give you lateral support ..
The snowboard binding folds down and the best way of transport is in a golf bag ,, I transport on airplanes with everything in a rolling golf bag , boots , snowboard and clothing and helmet and pack ....
The Blunts match just perfectly with snowboard boots , plenty of power to carve and control the boards ...
Let me know if you have additional questions !

Thanks Jack! That's all very useful and helpful information. The golf bag is a great idea!