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Skiboarding Facts v. Fiction

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  • Skiboarding Facts v. Fiction

    I've been thinking about a lot of things lately with skiboarding. There are a lot of misconceptions that have developed, even just within the skiboarding. I put this together to address some of these things:



    Skiboards can't ride powder. / Small skiboards can't ride powder.

    Fiction. All skiboards can ride powder, given adequate rider skill. A lot of times people are quick to blame equipment when it is just ability that is the issue. I've ridden powder on everything down to 90cm boards without issues. It is true that bigger boards help you. Fatter boards allow more float in a smaller package while longer boards allow more fore-aft stability.

    A part of the skill involved in powder riding is picking appropriate lines through powder conditions. If you aim at a flat section with lots of powder, you are going to be stuck whether you're on 75cm Bantams or your fattest powder ski.



    You can't hit big jumps on skiboards.

    Fiction. Not only can you hit huge jumps on skiboards, but you can destroy them. If you look back at the old days, skiboarders consistently hit 50-70 foot jumps without any issues. The only thing that has changed since this is the access that skiboarders have to these jumps. When skiboarding was huge, the pros got to hit professionally built big air jumps all the time. Today, we only get to hit whatever garbage our local mountains have set up. Anyone who thinks skiboards can't hit big jumps needs to have a talk with Dave Lynam...




    Good skiboards will not break.

    Fiction. This is a fact that sucks, but everyone needs to realize before going out and thrashing on the slopes. Just like skateboards, skiboards can and will break if they are abused. Again, SKIBOARDS WILL BREAK if abused. Skateboarders generally know that if they land in the middle of their boards, they are going to snap. All skiboarders should realize that if you are riding non release bindings and you are coming down with all your weight on the tails, you can snap your boards.

    Skis get around this because everyone rides non release. Your bindings release before a ski snaps. Snowboards get around this because it is not natural to land with all your weight on the tails. You naturally avoid this while falling on a snowboard.

    I have seen virtually every brand of skiboard snapped. Line, Canon, Revel8, Summit, Groove, Strictly, Salomon, AllZ.... ect. The only ways to avoid this are to avoid landing on your tails or start riding on release. It is really that simple. I learned to fall in ways that avoid putting weight on the tips, because I know this puts extreme stress on the boards. The snapping of boards is more prevalent in longer boards because of the extra leverage you can put on them due to the added lever of the length.

    Please realize this and learn to fall or get releasable bindings.



    My skiboards got chipped edges, but I never hit them together.

    Fiction. There is only one way that this happens. It is not boxes, not rails, and not rocks. This only happens from your edge of one board hitting the top sheet of the other. It really is that simple. It is next to impossible to get this type of damage in any other way.

    I've seen this happen tons of times in different ways. If you don't have a wide enough stance, they will hit together while skating. If you carve with your feet close together, they will hit each other. If for some reason you kick you boards together on the lifts, this will happen, and it will be bad.

    This is much more exaggerated in modern skiboards for two reasons. The width makes it really easy to hit your boards together, and the sidewall construction makes it easier to chip. If you have issues with the chipping, I highly recommend sanding the sidewalls before riding while learning to ride with a wide stance. The sanding will address the sidewall's tendancy to chip, and the wide stance will avoid the issue all together.



    My skiboards chatter. This means they are not good. / I need longer boards.

    Fiction. This about rider skill and experience. You need to know your boards, your conditions, and how the two are going to interact. Chatter happens when you try to carve harder than the snow conditions can support. This is more noticable on skiboards because you have less edge support. What does this mean? If you are experiencing chatter, you should work on perfecting your riding style/technique.



    I might add more later, but I just wanted to clear some of these up because it seems like a lot of people have the same misconceptions.
    Last edited by Greco; 02-08-2012, 07:26 AM.

  • #2
    Thanks for the advice on the sidewall chippage. I'm not too worried about it, as it doesn't affect performance, but, it isn't pretty after my second time out.
    2012 Rockered Condors/Spruce Pro Sport///Revolt Cities/Snowjam Extreme2's

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    • #3
      Perfect another thread hes just gonna leave us hanging on
      hahaha
      you never really don't realize it, you just quit caring...

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      • #4
        kirk types it and I'm living proof.

        I ride bwps in all the powder mark and kirk ride on their ktps/alps. and i was able to throw rodeos over a 50 ft jump and land them fine. so jump size+powder are not limiting factors in board size.

        YOUR SKILL IS
        sigpic

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        • #5
          great post Kirk, and important !
          One of the most important points is that skiboards have tremendous potential but you can't just jump on them and assume that they will work perfectly ,, like any snow sliding sport time on the board and developing the skills to pilot them are most important .

          somehow , skiboards have gotten a reputation as an easy snowsport , while beginners can get on them and ride them right away and that is great. to have the boards perform to their potential requires work and practice.
          Boards :
          Blunt Xl, DLP, Spliff, Condor, Rockered Condor , Slingshot, Sherpa, Icelantic Shaman
          Boots
          K2 BFC 100 Grip walk sole , Dynafit CR Radical AT boot, Ride Insano Snowboard boots
          Bindings:
          Zero Pro Non release Binding
          Modified Receptor Backcountry Bindings (Bill Version and Slow Version)
          Spruce Riser with Attack 14 GW /AT binding
          Custom Risers with Fritschi Backcountry Bindings (Jeff Singer version 1, Bill version)
          Rocker and Sbol Soft Boot Bindings.

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          • #6
            i hit a waist deep pillow on allz 94 and rode away today, was awesome. probably would ahve been better on KTPs tho.
            Fox-Trotting - Thrifty Wanderlust & Adventures

            Skiboard Magazine

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            • #7
              Great post Kirk. Although, I've chipped my board when I hit the underside of a rail. So, unlikely if you're not dumb, but not impossible.

              Boards: Revel8 Revolt "Trees" / Revel8 2008 KTPs / Line Jedi
              Bindings: Bombers / FF Pros
              Boots: Raichle 125s



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              • #8
                Originally posted by Roussel View Post
                i hit a waist deep pillow on allz 94 and rode away today, was awesome. probably would ahve been better on KTPs tho.
                I hit a pillow yesterday and embedded my face in the snow.

                But that had nothing to do with the boards, and everything to do with lack of skill and poor visibility which meant I didn't see it coming.




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                • #9
                  Originally posted by jjue View Post
                  somehow , skiboards have gotten a reputation as an easy snowsport , while beginners can get on them and ride them right away and that is great. to have the boards perform to their potential requires work and practice.
                  Thanks for the great info Kirk!

                  jjue, I agree with you about the easiness of starting in the sport, but like you said, being able to make the boards perform is dependent very much on the rider's willingness to work and practice. Although this is my second season on skiboards, I have seen how practice has made my riding improve tremendously compared to the first time I used my Tanshos ...I'm not saying I'm an expert (not even close!), but I definately can see the need to practice in order to make my boards perform to their full potential!
                  Be happy everyday of your life!

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                  • #10
                    Skiboards Dont Work on Ice
                    Fiction. Skiboards are just as competent as skis on hardpack/ice, often more so. Again, its a question of learning the correct technique.
                    Crossbow (go to dream board)
                    Most everything else over time.
                    Go Android

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                    • #11
                      Which is?

                      Seems to be the main thing that troubles me....
                      Revel8 BWP - Spruce Pro Prime
                      SnowJam 90 - Extreme II

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by valmorel View Post
                        Skiboards Dont Work on Ice
                        Fiction. Skiboards are just as competent as skis on hardpack/ice, often more so. Again, its a question of learning the correct technique.
                        Absolutely! I found skiboards to be easier to control on ice than skis...Also, apart from technique, I found having your boards edges sharp makes it easier to control them on hardpack/icy conditions.
                        Be happy everyday of your life!

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                        • #13
                          HEY
                          can I use this post for my research class?
                          I need it for theory part in my ski boarding research project =)

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                          • #14
                            go for it!

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                            • #15
                              More Skiboard Fact vs. Fiction

                              I'd like to add some more from experience and address some common criticisms I hear. Some overlap a lot with what Kirk is saying:

                              Skiboards chatter/Skiboards aren't stable/Etc.

                              Almost all of these sorts of "skiboards aren't as stable as long skis" sorts of things almost always seem to stem from trying to use traditional skiing stance and technique on skiboards. With traditional skis, you have to lean over the tips to retain strong control over the skis. Shins up against the boots, greater forward lean and knee bend. With skiboards, the stance is upright, knees not bent as much, centered over the boards. Using an improper "ski" stance on skiboards makes the unwieldy, but once skiers learn to take advantage of the more natural stance, boards feel very stable.

                              Skiboards are hard to land tricks on/You guys always wash out landings

                              There may be some validity to this, entirely depending on what you want out of your equipment. Personally, I prefer the precise landings required by skiboards. To me, stomping a nice centered landing on skiboards feels great, improves balance, and allows you to roll away clean and with style. I don't want to "land" a trick halfway through an unintentional backflip and have the long ski tails do the work for me.

                              Skiboards are a great way to get a spiral fracture

                              I hear this fairly often from skiers that only remember non-release snowblade bindings. Modern skiboards allow binding interchangeability, so Jeff's Spruce Riser solution or the Floski riser allow the use of releasable bindings with no headache. These sorts of injuries CAN happen, but can largely be mitigated by the use of shorter boards and release bindings. In fact, this is likely the most knee-safe setup on the mountain compared to other common forms of snowsliding. And yes, you can still run a higher risk using longer boards or non-release bindings, but the plethora of modern board and binding combinations means you only have to take the risk that you accept.

                              Skiboards died out years ago/Skiboards are stupid/Just ski/Are those for gaper day?

                              Don't take your fun too seriously.

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