tips for sharpening edges on an alpine snowboard

[nynor]

i have a "new to me" burton factory prime alpine snowboard. it is new, as in never used, from 1997. it is a sweet board.

i am not new to the sport, nor to tuning boards. however, i cannot find reliable information regarding the best way to tune and sharpen edges for a race snowboard.

i humbly ask the pelican collective for some wisdom.

[mjohnson]

Snowboard, skis, whatever - the idea is the same.

First check that the base is flat. The very last thing that you want is for the base to be concave or for the edges to be above the base material (when flipped upside down). Such a condition would make the board "railed", and it'll turn like a locomotive...

If you've got that problem, get a stone grind at your local shop.

Once you're flat, you'll pretty much only sharpen the sides of the edges. If you trust your feel, you can do it freehand. There are cheap guides available to make this easier.

You'll need a sharp, new single cut file to sharpen your edges. Pick up a diamond stone to knock down any nicks and burrs from rock strikes (the deformed metal will be harder than your file and will therefore screw it up).

Always run the file in the direction it was meant to. Don't rub it back and forth.

Enjoy the smugness of sharp edges - or move somewhere with only powder...

[tangerine911S]

mjoahnson is right on everything. I will add that your base edge bevel plays an important roll in how quickly and at what angle your board will lock in its edge. Don't go any shallower than 1 deg (factory) and probably no more than 2.5. Also, detune your edges past their contact points (fattest part of the board at the ends before the edges curve in). You don't want this areas sharp. Otherwise the board will not turn predictably and may take off or continue outwards when you are trying to turn.

[nynor]

Originally Posted by tangerine911S

mjoahnson is right on everything. I will add that your base edge bevel plays an important roll in how quickly and at what angle your board will lock in its edge. Don't go any shallower than 1 deg (factory) and probably no more than 2.5. Also, detune your edges past their contact points (fattest part of the board at the ends before the edges curve in). You don't want this areas sharp. Otherwise the board will not turn predictably.

this is what i was looking for. this is how i tune my burton air. thanks, guys!

[924slover]

Where did you get it?!? im an instructor and have been looking around here for an alpine board and cant find anything

[nynor]

i found it on craigslist last year, bend, oregon. this is the same board that the USA 1998 (winter olympics, i am not 100% on the year) olympic team used. it was never used when i bought it, it has two runs on it.

[924slover]

lucky..... if you ever want to get rid of it let me know

[deanp]

924slover - I have an old Burton M6 from the mid-90's. Assymetrical with plate bindings still on it. Yours for shipping if you want it.

[nynor]

an asym m6.... that board is worth some cash, i think.

[nynor]

Originally Posted by 924slover

lucky..... if you ever want to get rid of it let me know

i took it out for a run today. it may not be the best board for my style of riding.... i ended up back on my vintage burton air after one run.

we had some great snow last night and it was good early season conditions. the snow was a bit chopped up by the time i got there. maybe i need to give it a roll right when the resort opens and the runs are corduroy.

[924slover]

hey Deanp it's a deal email me hellion7227@yahoo.com so we can figure out shipping.

nynor your lucky were still waiting on the cold weather to blow snow i start teaching the first weekend in December, I ride a 155 rossi twin wide. it's fun cause it's short and you can really throw it through the carves.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by nynor

an asym m6.... that board is worth some cash, i think.

Really? M6 was my first board. I still have it, but the board is cracked.

The e-deck was a much nicer board. I still ride my e-deck. I prefer hardboot and race plates. I like the tight control. And with the e-deck, I do everything, moguls, trees, you name it.

Is there anything similar out there today?

[deanp]

The old race boards / carving boards on corduroy and fresh snowfall are great. Long sweeping arcs and fast carving without the chatter you can get from chopped packed powder conditions.

James - I had stopped for a while and picked up a Burton Fusion 165 in '00. Marketed towards boarder cross style riding. Not a really twin tip, designed for attacking, stiff and really responsive edge to edge. I always preferred carving and perfect connected turns as opposed to freestyle and this board felt really good to me.

[Eric 951]

Originally Posted by 924slover

hey Deanp it's a deal email me hellion7227@yahoo.com so we can figure out shipping.

nynor your lucky were still waiting on the cold weather to blow snow i start teaching the first weekend in December, I ride a 155 rossi twin wide. it's fun cause it's short and you can really throw it through the carves.

What resort are you instructing? Just curious, I did (4) seasons teaching alpine skiing/snowboarding (2) at 7 Springs PA, (1) at Lookout Mountain (ID/MT. border), (1) at Holiday Valley NY.

Great fun, terrible pay.

[red-beard]

Killington wanted me to instruct back in 1991-1993 seasons. Yeah, I'm going to drop being an Engineer, a highly paid one, to be a snowboard instructor. They really liked me BECAUSE I wasn't some 13-16 yr old kid. I was 26.

[flatbutt]

I still have an original Wooden Sims Switchblade. Yes...WOOD!

[Z-man]

+1 on the detuning tips - especially on the front end of a race board. You don't want that end catching quicker than the rest of the board!

I still have an original Wooden Sims Switchblade. Yes...WOOD!

My first board was a Burton Free 6. That's when they went with a foam core. Kinda handled like a 70's Cadillac with worn shocks!

I still have my old Burton PJ 6 raceboard. My buddies gave it to me as a gift the day I finally got my cast off my leg. Broke my leg in a snowboarding mishap. The next season, I strapped that race board on, and never looked back!

Also have a Burton Asym Air 6.2.

Sadly, I haven't had a chance to go boarding for a couple of years, and I didn't know that the older boards are holding their own against the new stuff. Good to know.

-Z-man.

[red-beard]

In my first year snowboarding, I met a guy that was Burton's first dealer. Burton was selling "snurfers", a mono board with a string tied in the tip. This guy lived in NJ, and worked out a deal to buy snurfers and sell them in the NY/NJ area. He was a teenager at the time, probably 1980-1982 or so.

I met a few guys who were "firsts". One guy was the first to snowboard at Stratton. He told me, back at that time, you had to pass an exam to be able to snowboard there. I find that funny, since there were never "exams" for skiers.

Yeah, in the early 1990's, a guy who was in his mid-20's and snowboarding, was very unusual. I think I was the oldest entrant in Killington's first Bear Mountain Mogul bump-off, in 1992. It was down Superstar and I had the infamy of taking out the Burton sign under the jump.

We used to stay at the "Fireside Alpine Ski House". Sort of a bed and breakfast, with some "bunk" rooms and some private rooms. I think for a private I paid something like $30/night. Bunks were well under $20.

I had a lot of fun those seasons. Not much snowboarding in Houston. Hell doesn't freeze over.

On Topic, get an edge sharpener which will make a beveled edge. I liked a 2-2.5 degree bevel. A 90 degree (0 degree) bevel is bad.

[deanp]

James - I took my first lesson at Magic Mountain in VT in 1988. Had a friend in high school that instructed there.

[red-beard]

Did Magic get re-opened? I know it closed a few years back...