Condors/Spruce Pro Sport/Spruce Powder Plates

[MitchK]

Well, after putting most of a season onto my Condors, and switching to the spruce risers/releasables halfway through this season, I figured I'd write a review on it all.

Condors: In short, absolutely love them. Was sad when my KTP's met their end, but now I love these more then I did the KTPs. The stability and float are absolutely great, and though the stiffness of the KTP's is great for them, the flex of the Condors is perfect for what it is too. Having put enough time in powder and glades in the last part of this season, I never felt wanting for more maneuverability. I was quite often taking lines that it seemed the skiers and snowboarders avoided through tight trees, and getting fresh lines because of that. On that note though, being ~175lbs + whatever gear I have on, and if I'm wearing a pack, I was glad to get the powder plates for the setback. I had a few pow days without the plates, and it was very good, though the KTP's with setback I recalled being easier (I wish I could have tested them head to head). Once I was able to get the setback for the powder though, it all opened up, though I'll admit I did enough backslapping when I was doing drops.

In the park, I quite liked the extra length for a bit more stability landing airs, along with the more stable feel I got with the width while riding rails.

Spruce Pro Sport bindings: Glad I got these. Second time out on them I landed wrong off a natural air and tweaked my knee. Strained all kinds of ligaments and was off the mountains for a month and a half before the doc felt I was ready to go back out. I do prefer the feeling and weight of the non-release bindings, but I'm not sure I really want to risk my knees anymore. That being said, I love the ease of release bindings for getting in and out, especially when we decide to hike a feature in the park.


Spruce Powder Plates: An absolute must for anyone who plans to use Spruce Risers in powder. Turns a good day, into an amazing day. Even when coming back onto the groomers after hunting powder stashes on the glades 3 days after the snow stopped falling I really didn't notice the setback too much on the groom. I can't speak about when it's harder though.

[jjue]

MitchK , somehow I missed your review when you first posted it .. thanks ! your experience with the Condor in powder is exactly the same as mine.. I completely agree that a way to get a 4-5 cm set back on bindings on the Condor in deep pow , really brings out the potential in this board and makes it much easier to ride in the deep stuff . This is something that Brett Connor noticed right off and recommended from the very first season the board came out ( he used Zero bindings set back 4cm ) .
Both my non release set ups provide the ability for me to get 4cm back ... ( Rockerbinding for my Snowboard boots, and Receptor binding for my hardshell boots )
I hope that Jeff Singer will continue to produce the powder plate in future seasons .. so those using the Spruce riser can get a 5cm set back on the Condor like you have done . I experimented with a variety of less significant set backs (ie 2cm ) and it really doesn't do the trick . I think 4-5cm is the way to go on the Condor for deep pow . I do not do park but have adjusted to riding everywhere else on the mountain and in all conditions to using the 4cm set back and I no longer adjust my bindings back to center for firm conditions . I find that I just have to put my weight a bit more forward in icy conditions when riding from the set back position.

[MitchK]

MitchK , somehow I missed your review when you first posted it .. thanks ! your experience with the Condor in powder is exactly the same as mine.. I completely agree that a way to get a 4-5 cm set back on bindings on the Condor in deep pow , really brings out the potential in this board and makes it much easier to ride in the deep stuff . This is something that Brett Connor noticed right off and recommended from the very first season the board came out ( he used Zero bindings set back 4cm ) .
Both my non release set ups provide the ability for me to get 4cm back ... ( Rockerbinding for my Snowboard boots, and Receptor binding for my hardshell boots )
I hope that Jeff Singer will continue to produce the powder plate in future seasons .. so those using the Spruce riser can get a 5cm set back on the Condor like you have done . I experimented with a variety of less significant set backs (ie 2cm ) and it really doesn't do the trick . I think 4-5cm is the way to go on the Condor for deep pow . I do not do park but have adjusted to riding everywhere else on the mountain and in all conditions to using the 4cm set back and I no longer adjust my bindings back to center for firm conditions . I find that I just have to put my weight a bit more forward in icy conditions when riding from the set back position.

I myself prefer center mount when outside of powder, but, when there isn't powder I'm quite often taking park laps, so that's probably part of it. I never really did keep the powder plates on and ride them too long like that on groom and ice.

[jjue]

I myself prefer center mount when outside of powder, but, when there isn't powder I'm quite often taking park laps, so that's probably part of it. .

I think one of the important things about the whole topic of setbacks on the Condor and other skiboards , is what the board is being used to do ... I think that for riders in the park or who are doing a lot of fakie /switch riding .. center mount is the way to go ... I also think that in not so deep pow like is present most of the time at ski areas say 6 inches of fresh , .. center especially on a large surface area skiboard like the Condor works great .. it really is in seriously deep pow and also in crust and soft backcountry crud that a 4-5 cm set back on the Condor makes a big difference. Not , as MitchK , points out so well , that you can't ride that stuff center mount .. you sure can and it is fun ... but as he points out ... setting your binding back in that kind of snow and conditions "turns a good day into an amazing day."

I do think that a quick way of moving skiboard bindings from 4 -5cm back to center mount
is really nice for those who do a lot of park and go back and forth between pow riding off piste and park laps later in the day . . The Spruce powder plate is not bad and can be easily removed by unscrewing and then screwing down four bolts in the field .. Same with the Rockerbinding which has a base plate with 3 sets of 4x4 insert holes and of course ,the KTP which, of course, has the 3 sets of insert holes in the board itself . The Zero and the Receptor bindings are more difficult .. as they involve both moving the 4 bolts to different holes AND moving the two sole plates and is kind of hard to do unless you do it at home before you go out to the slope... .

For riders who do not do park and mostly ride their boards straight ahead rather then switch , it often is easier to just leave the bindings in one position depending on the conditions they mostly have to deal with and then just adjust their riding to that position whether it be center or set back ...

Often how a person feels about set back vs center is really dependent on the particular board and the person even for folks who do not ride park or switch much . For example , I feel very comfortable now riding my Condors in all conditions from a 4cm set back . but on the KTP , I really way preferred center mount for firm snow and 4cm back for powder and was constantly moving my bindings forward or back depending on the day and conditions. Others have told me they feel fine riding firm snow set back on the inserts on the KTP , and others have much preferred the Condor center mount in firm snow. So really an individual and board specific thing , I think.....

[SkaFreak]

Yeah, it is all personal preference. I find that I prefer center mount on all boards in all conditions.