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Thanks Brad! Maybe see you around here this year?

looks like F1s... and some fun runs

Yeah Joey V! Nice guy and nice turns. That flick makes me happy.

Gorgeous video!! Holy smokes, those mountains look rad! A trip up there may be in order...

Regarding Harboots.. His riding looked great! Super surfy, and he's got the shred gene for sure. I will still point out however, that his lower extremity range of motion looked very limited. His knees and ankles barely bend! Every single turn was initiated from the hips, and he didn't create any small radius turns... It was like every turn was conducted perfectly, but only after it came out of the computer program. I'm not sold on hardboots!!

Soft boots with flexible ankles, stiff mountaineering soles, and shit loads of forward lean..

I was going to stay quiet on this be but Russ has said it already. The turns look good but they would be hard to make bad in these conditions.

I'll be sold on hardboots when I can get mine to the point that I can do proper methods in them. That's my requirement and everything else is just frosting on the cake.

some one find that damian sanders method photo that was posted last time someone issue this challenge. that motherfucker tweaked harder in his hot pink fruitboots than most of todays park rats could ever dream of.

agreed the hardboots make the lower body a little stiff looking, but it doesn't feel that way. and softboots make you look like a fat retarded child at all times. so there.

Somehow i got this feeling joey can ride in bad conditions. Its just the snow is so good around here that we rarely get to show it off

I don't doubt that Joey is a good rider and that he can ride in bad conditions too. I didn't see what I consider to be a decent method out of Damian either. I started riding in the era and area when he was in his prime so those are fond memories for me. Check out Lando or Jamie's methods to see what a proper method should look like.

Don't worry, I see the benefits of hardboots enough that I bought a pair or Primes in the fall and have almost assembled all the parts for a voile/dynasplit which has been a big investment after buying K'rams last year. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wish my foot fit into TLT5s but a couple of ski shop employees have told me that they don't have enough plastic to push them out in the arch which is where I have problems with them. For me it's still softboots for play and style and hardboots for hard objectives.

I think there are valid reason for using either setup; Technical, Bio-mechanical and just plain personal preference.

Personally, if I'm doing my own thing and lapping preferred terrain, I'd rather be in my soft boot kit. Specifically for one of the reasons Russ points out; I prefer to turn with my ankles and keep my upper body as still as possible. In my mind I try to visualize an aspen in a breeze; fixed at the ground with a gently swaying trunk.

Converse to Russ' other point, I prefer NOT to have to bend my knees and instead use maxed-out forward lean (A major deficiency of my current HB kit). Again, I'll offer the aspen analogy. And of course, my knees are not what they used to be and I'm not willing to wager on medical science having a practical solution anytime soon.

If I'm doing skimo, touring with friends that like to climb and haul ass, or if I'm out exploring for the day, nothing beats tech toe pieces and hard boots. The ride is serviceable, but not quite what I'm looking for in the pursuit of bliss.

The way "I" ride on each setup is distinctly different (emphasis on "I" as to not fire others up). Could I do mods and buy more stuff to change this? Maybe, but its not worth it to me, I like both kits for different reasons and my budget for this (one of many) hobbies is limited.

To summarize; Soft Boots = Bliss / Hard Boots = Efficiency

Softboots, hardboots, skiis, snowboards.... whatever gets you there and makes you smile, just do that then. No body is trying to sell you on anything. An array of compliments and even some dissing. Love it!

+1





if I undo my top 'hardboot' buckle its like riding in sneakers

Wish that would work, but Im already running a huge forward lean Deficit in my F3

ps- my post was purely in jest. I don't care what anyone rides. I like hardboots cuz buckles and levers are easier to work with than straps and laces when you're fucked up.