It's hard to believe that here we sit on January 10th 2016 and just yesterday was the first day I could get on the mountain. But the winter has been dreadfully warm and it was looking like it might never arrive but the season is actually open ... albeit with a limping start. This all sets the stage for a proper East Coast review of the Spliffs as the conditions are really representative of the average crap we ride in. No powder days or super wide groomers just icy, slushy, crud covered and crowded narrow runs.
So how do the Spliffs handle these conditions? They destroy them!
My review in one word? Awesome!
Of all the boards in my quiver and the boards that I tried these have now moved to the top of my favorites list. They ride small and perform big meaning they embody the minimalistic feel we love in skiboards but have the edge hold and crud busting ability of a much larger weapon. While some skiboards are specialists like the RCs busting pow or the KTPs wanting the be driven hard the Spliffs will do what ever you want .... cruise slow, carve hard, slarve the crude, jump in the park, and rip through the ice. I did not find a condition or situation that I felt off or that they could not handle .... that's a first for me on skiboards. Every board seems to have a small gap in their performance envelop, I cannot find that with the Spliffs and I tried to find it riding everything except powder (but I rarely get deep pow so it's not a huge consideration for me).
One of the things I noticed was how forgiving they are on body position. In this way they are very much like the Spruce 120s but there is one notable exception. Every board I tried (with the exception of the RCs) want you to lean in a bit and "ski" them when you are charging hard. You can do this if you want on the Spliffs but they don't require it. I loved that I could ride them completely upright or even a little in the backseat with no performance change.
So where do these fit in the skiboarding world and my quiver? In our universe they are truly a unique board. We have been calling the full rockered skiboards "Next Gen" boards but I don't think the Spliffs fit that grouping. They are not a "3rd Gen" board either. They seem to be more of the "missing link" between the traditional wide full camber boards and the next gen full rocker boards. As best of all worlds boards. In my quiver .... well .... they may be my "one board" quiver. There is more research riding to do but yesterday my thoughts were that I may need to sell some boards that I now no longer need (with the exception of my 120s and Revolt Cities)
Conclusion: These are awesome East coast skiboards that are perfect for the conditions we in the East typically encounter. They are potentially a "Quiver of One" board. The are probably best suited for intermediate to advanced riders as I do not think I could have handled (or appreciated them) when I started in the sport.
Notes:
So how do the Spliffs handle these conditions? They destroy them!
My review in one word? Awesome!
Of all the boards in my quiver and the boards that I tried these have now moved to the top of my favorites list. They ride small and perform big meaning they embody the minimalistic feel we love in skiboards but have the edge hold and crud busting ability of a much larger weapon. While some skiboards are specialists like the RCs busting pow or the KTPs wanting the be driven hard the Spliffs will do what ever you want .... cruise slow, carve hard, slarve the crude, jump in the park, and rip through the ice. I did not find a condition or situation that I felt off or that they could not handle .... that's a first for me on skiboards. Every board seems to have a small gap in their performance envelop, I cannot find that with the Spliffs and I tried to find it riding everything except powder (but I rarely get deep pow so it's not a huge consideration for me).
One of the things I noticed was how forgiving they are on body position. In this way they are very much like the Spruce 120s but there is one notable exception. Every board I tried (with the exception of the RCs) want you to lean in a bit and "ski" them when you are charging hard. You can do this if you want on the Spliffs but they don't require it. I loved that I could ride them completely upright or even a little in the backseat with no performance change.
So where do these fit in the skiboarding world and my quiver? In our universe they are truly a unique board. We have been calling the full rockered skiboards "Next Gen" boards but I don't think the Spliffs fit that grouping. They are not a "3rd Gen" board either. They seem to be more of the "missing link" between the traditional wide full camber boards and the next gen full rocker boards. As best of all worlds boards. In my quiver .... well .... they may be my "one board" quiver. There is more research riding to do but yesterday my thoughts were that I may need to sell some boards that I now no longer need (with the exception of my 120s and Revolt Cities)
Conclusion: These are awesome East coast skiboards that are perfect for the conditions we in the East typically encounter. They are potentially a "Quiver of One" board. The are probably best suited for intermediate to advanced riders as I do not think I could have handled (or appreciated them) when I started in the sport.
Notes:
- I rode these box stock straight from Greco. No base or edge adjustments. No detuning. I would not change them.
- There was none of the "tip flap" that I get from other rockered boards
- There was none of the balance issues some have noted with other rockered boards
- For reference I am 6'5" and 200 lbs
- Conditions were low 30s on man made snow that ranged from groomed runs to slush to ice
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