It's getting harder to find race boards. There was a time when all the major manufacturers
made and supplied race gear as well as half-pipe and beginner boards. These days you just can't get
equipment designed to do anything other than sideslip from the major suppliers. If you're not
satisfied with riding pretty but floppy novice equipment, then you have to go to a niche manufacturer
like Donek.
I invested in a Donek 163 freearve 1 board (18cm/ 10m) and took it out to play in a variety of conditions.
purchase
Donek will make you a custom board, but I opted for one of their stock shapes. They supply the freecarve 1
board with three options on waist widths, all with the same running lengths and side-cuts. I opted for the middle 18cm
width: this is about the minimum I can get away with using my boots and 60 degree angles. The sidecut's 10m.
The boards are made on demand, so you can pick any colour you like, and they kindly mould your name into the top sheet,
along with the manufacturing date and other board data.
Donek are based in Colorado but will ship directly outside the USA. They take payment in Euros or Dollars,
which is handy.
set up
board arrives factory waxed and with the sharpest edges I've seen in a new board. I waxed it up as recommended before
taking it out. The base is appopriately made from black PTEX and the edges are sharp tip-to-tail, which is the way I like 'em.
If you want a shorter running length, buy a shorter board.
The Donek's 10m sidecut is identical to my Nitro Scorpion slalom board. The running length is also the same as the Scorpion.
At 18cm the Donek's waist is a centimetre narrower than the Nitro. Both boards comfortably accommodate my boots at 60-degrees
parallel. Putting the boards side by side reveals a second obvious difference: the Nitro has about twice as much camber as
the Donek. It's hard to judge flex without actually riding the boards.
first tracks
The first day out with this board was on soft groomed piste: ideal conditions for digging trenches. My
initial impressions were that the board was hugely stable on the edge. The board didn't skip or chatter out
of a carve once. I'm not sure precisely how that's achieved, but whatever the engineering the Donek is the
most stable board I've used in the turn. Indeed, sometimes it almost feels sticky and you have to put a
little effort into the transition.
Examining the damage to the corduroy from the lift confirmed that the board carves as expected: clean
trenches with smooth rapid transitions. No problems there.
details
I rode soft snow from machine groomed to 30cm of fresh, everything from bumps though to chutes and powder fields,
and snow ranging from Utah's lightest and driest through to Whistler's wettest.
On piste the board does what it says: it carves well. Transitions are fast
and generally easy, although the board rails so well that you have to remember
to switch edges properly. You can ride the board very lazily, carving wider
or narrower arcs depending on how hard you push it. The Freecarve also works
with a more aggressive style, although the moderate camber means that you
don't get the satisfying “bounce” off an edge check which a more lively
deck gives. The Donek handles short swings well. The huge edge grip gives
plenty of confidence in the steeps; the corollary being that brushing off
speed requires a little practice as the edges just don't want to let go.
I didn't find any icy bumps, but in soft moguls the board rides well. You can throw it around as you'd expect
from a short thin board, and although the tail's not a noodle it's soft enough not to throw you off.
Riding fresh snow of a few centimetres is pretty much the same as riding the stuff underneath the freshies,
and the Donek has no trouble in this scenario. When the powder gets knee deep or higher you feel the
limitations of a relatively stiff narrow board. Whilst I have successfully ridden the Donek in these
conditions, for sport, it's hard work and I wouldn't recommend this type of use: it's a piste board.
summary
Donek 163 Freecarve 1. Waist 18cm, sidecut 10m. €600 including shipping to the uk and all taxes, or $500 in the USA.
Any colour you like, although I like black. Does what you'd expect it to do.
