I might be wrong on this, but I always thought the high angle stance
was the result of narrow boards, and not vice-versa.
Actually, I believe it is vice-versa!
Read the following - not explicitly about stance angles, but one can see how
higher angles (higher than 45* that is) lend themselves to moving ones'
center of gravity across the board as is described in this article.
http://www.bomberonline.com//articles/asymetric.cfm
(Switters - I bet you never thought you'd see this again when you pulled it
from the FAQ
)
If you want a more direct explanation, ask on Bomber. People who are more
knowledgeable than me will have plenty of insightful things to say
(including the author of the above article, Jack Michaud)
If that's not the case then why are racing boards narrower from
freecarve boards?
The term "freecarve" is not used in a consistent manner.
Some people use it to describe alpine boards that have a sidecut in between
that of a Slalom board and that of a GS board. Some people use it to
describe an all-mountain alpine board that is wider than a traditional
alpine board, so that it can float through powder and power through crud
better.
Look at the specs for the "Freecarve" models on Donek and Coiler's sites...
you'll see the same range of waist widths as the "Race" boards. The lines
between Freecarve and Race can be quite blurry, I know people that use a
Donek Freecarve for GS races and I and many others freecarve on "race"
board. In both Donek and Coiler's case, the Freecarve label provides a
great list of boards that a first-time alpine board buyer should look at
though - a nice turny sidecut but not so big that it runs away with you.
I'm so stoked that hard boots and alpine are getting some attention on this
group! Gives me something to do while I heal my sprained ankle :-|
BTW I'm planning a very informal carving event at Mount Hood May 13 - 16,
open to anyone who wants to lay down some trenches, learn how to lay down
trenches, or just watch!
http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulleti...rveFes t+Hood
Mike T