Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Spruce Mountain Skiboards - 130 CM Sherpa Longboards

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Spruce Mountain Skiboards - 130 CM Sherpa Longboards

    I am very new to this sport having only ever used Summit Headwall 95cm "Skiboards" this past year. I have been reading about and lusting after the Spruce Sherpa and Spruce Crossbow Skiboards for weeks. After reading through the thread Spruce Mountain Skiboards – 115 CM Crossbow Longboards I went to Jeff’s site ready to buy them!

    SOLD OUT for the season – Doh! I emailed Jeff directly and he confirmed a new run would not happen until next season.

    I quickly decided to buy the Spruce Sherpa “Western Woodie” ... and not as a consolation prize. I see myself eventually owning both boards, I just thought it would go Crossbow then Sherpa.

    In the meantime, I thought it would be nice to have a consolidated Spruce Sherpa Review thread similar to that excellent Crossbow thread.

    Perhaps this will be that.

    I know the Sherpa has been in production for many years. I don’t know the changes that have happened over the years, so perhaps some of the older reviews are not relevant to the Sherpa I just bought. If there have been changes, I would be interested in a history lesson.

    Moreover, I would like to see some fresh reviews. I could only find the one review from 2018 and one from 2017 through my basic search. If there are others I missed, please point me to them and I will include them in this list. I will also look to add reviews from other internet sources, but wanted to get this thread on its way!

    2018 All Hail the Might Sherpas – Bad Wolf
    2017 Sherpa – Best Board for Tough Conditions – Kocho
    2014 Sherpas – A Quiver of One – Bluewing
    2013 First Ride – Spruce Sherpa 130 - mwhitta
    2012 Newfound Love for the Sherpas – CAN
    2012 New Sherpa Convert – FightingForAir
    2010 Spruce Sherpa – A Personal Reevaluation and Comparison with the Revel8 Condor – jjue


    -WILDS

  • #2
    I think the Sherpas have stayed pretty consistent throughout the years. There probably have been slight manufacturing variances that have happened but aren't noticeable by the rider. Everything in the threads you have posted above most likely apply today. I'm not going to guarantee this to be true because I haven't ridden the newest Sherpas, but I haven't heard anyone say any different. Bad Wolf's review would be about the newest version. He just has the other graphic, not the Woodie. Both boards came out last season.

    You can't go wrong with the Sherpas. I don't think I've ever heard a bad word about them. A good tuning will keep them performing great, and I'm pretty sure Jeff usually does this before shipping them out.
    Boards/Bindings:
    2013 Spruce Sherpas w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
    2023 Spruce Stingers w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
    2015 RVL8 Blunt XLs w/Tyrolia Attack 13s
    2020 RVL8 Sticky Icky Ickys w/Tyrolia SX 10s


    Boots:
    Salomon X-Pro 80

    Past boards: Salomon Snowblades, Line MNPs 89 & 98 cm, Five-Os, Bullets, Jedis, Spruce 120s, LE 125s, Ospreys, Crossbows
    Summit 110s, Nomads, Jades, RVL8 ALPs, BWPs, KTPs, Tanshos, Rockets, DLPs, Blunts, Condors, RCs, Revolts, Spliffs

    Comment


    • #3
      A New Sherpa Reviiew

      Here's a review from Matt Hazzard on the Sherpas he just got. Not many riders on Sherpas that ride fakie and do flat spins.

      Hi Jeff!

      Sherpas arrived yesterday as expected and had their first runs today. Best way to do this is word association:

      Amazing
      Stable
      Aggressive
      Fast
      Powerhouse
      Forgiving

      These things are like a race horse that is happy trotting around the meadow or running all out on the track. Prior to today I had never successfully performed a spin on the slope, ridden backwards more than a few feet, or confidently hit any side jumps with any true effort or speed. I can now say that I am able to spin at green cruising speed nearly at will, ride backwards on green slopes with some level of comfort, and will try to jump anything within reason as my skills develop. These boards are the best thing I've ever ridden and literally give me the confidence to ride anywhere. They put a smile on my face from the moment I made my first turns, and though they are at the mountain waiting to be ridden again, the smile hasn't faded. I can tell you I have no desire to ride anything else and look forward to where these boards will take me. I'd say I found snow sliding bliss.

      Thank you for all of your help in making this selection and getting them on my feet so quickly!

      Matt

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by jsinger View Post
        Here's a review from Matt Hazzard on the Sherpas he just got. Not many riders on Sherpas that ride fakie and do flat spins.

        Hi Jeff!

        Sherpas arrived yesterday as expected and had their first runs today. Best way to do this is word association:

        Amazing
        Stable
        Aggressive
        Fast
        Powerhouse
        Forgiving

        These things are like a race horse that is happy trotting around the meadow or running all out on the track. Prior to today I had never successfully performed a spin on the slope, ridden backwards more than a few feet, or confidently hit any side jumps with any true effort or speed. I can now say that I am able to spin at green cruising speed nearly at will, ride backwards on green slopes with some level of comfort, and will try to jump anything within reason as my skills develop. These boards are the best thing I've ever ridden and literally give me the confidence to ride anywhere. They put a smile on my face from the moment I made my first turns, and though they are at the mountain waiting to be ridden again, the smile hasn't faded. I can tell you I have no desire to ride anything else and look forward to where these boards will take me. I'd say I found snow sliding bliss.

        Thank you for all of your help in making this selection and getting them on my feet so quickly!

        Matt
        "These boards...give me the confidence to ride anywhere. They put a smile on my face from the moment I made my first turns..."
        Might want to copyright that, Jeff.[emoji848]

        Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
        171cm/190lbs
        Current Favorites:
        RVL8 Yin/Yang Blunts, Spruce Sherpas (x2) & Ospreys, Coda custom Yetis v1 140
        Spruce Pro Primes w/Attack 13's (x 4), Bomber Elite 1
        Other boards I'm trying:
        Summit Custom Carbon 110, Dynastar Twin 85, Coda custom Yetis v2 145

        Comment


        • #5
          New Sherpa Owner Review

          Greetings all!

          To put this review into context, I am the Matt mentioned above by Jeff. And I must say, he and Greco are A+ across the board from initial contact and follow-ups, assisting with making the best decision for your circumstance, and ultimately getting a high quality product into your hands as quickly as possible!

          One thing I would like to note in advance, these are my own personal experiences and do not necessarily fit or reflect any company mentioned as a whole in general.

          This is my second season skiboarding but I took to it like a bandit last year and even managed to convince my wife to hit the slopes as well. It all began on a pair of Elan Freeline 99s, continued to Summit Invertigo 118s (Rock/Cam/Rock version - good board, shoddy service experience; now only ridden as a last resort because of this), Spruce Crossbows (short lived due to possession being transferred to my wife, who will not give them up! they are that great), and most recently RVL8 Sticky Icky Icky (awesome groomer board, but had issues with the lack of stability when jumping off side-hits and coming off of drop offs). I also have a pair of traditional skis and snowboard as well. All of this experience had me desiring something that was agile/nimble, fast, smooth, and stable. After much discussion with both Greco and Jeff (both of whom were amazingly helpful and patient with me), I ended up purchasing the Sherpa's and had them out Saturday for my first experience.

          Prior to taking them out I was comfortable riding in all types of terrain but always felt my experience was limited one way or another by all of the different equipment I had to choose from. I had spent several outings trying to advance my skills and enjoy the playfulness of the SIIs but always felt uncomfortable riding fakie (like I was always about to fall over) for more than a few feet at a time, spins on the slope were always forced and left me off balance, and speed in more difficult terrain always had to be kept in check except for on my long skis.

          Previously I had sought advice on boards and read reviews about the Sherpas and most people seemed to view them as a great, yet serious all mountain board that tackled bad conditions well. I looked over the design and felt that they deserved a chance and it was the best decision I have ever made in the sport. Normally people say it takes a run or two to adjust to the length/width and the way they maneuver. This was not the case for me in this particular instance. After that first turn I was immediately comfortable and was eager to just play. Keeping my eye out for every opportunity to try something new and different on them. Before the end of the first run I was performing somewhat sloppy ground spins and riding fakie for pretty good distances before feeling the need to turn around and reset myself. I hit a couple of small side hits and immediately found that they rewarded great technique and were also very forgiving if you found yourself off balance.

          As the day progressed the spins became tighter, the fakie riding distances grew and included gradual turns back and forth, and the jumps became even larger. Unfortunately there wasn't any powder or glades to dive into, but once those areas open up they will be the first place I go to explore the limits even further (which I haven't even begun to touch). One particular standout experience I had was on a green slope that had a low to moderate grade and I was practicing my spins. I looked up the trail behind me and noticed my wife had stopped to help a boy and his mother, as the boy had fallen. He got up and brushed himself and continued on his way down toward me. At this point I began riding fakie just watching up the hill and checking over my shoulder to make sure I was still following a clear path. The boy approached me and I began to focus even more on my riding and was making turns comfortable across the slope riding fakie and noticed the boy had gotten to a point where he was about 10 feet behind me following me through my turns. Nothing particularly special about the moment outside of the feeling that it gave me just having fun cruising down the mountain and it was literally all my playground. I found myself imagining what it will be like when my son is older and able to join us on the slopes. He is currently 18 months old and will be introduced this year with some lessons next season.

          Ultimately, for this skiboarder, the Sherpas are the do it all boards. They are hard charging speedsters when you want them to be, relaxed cruisers when you're looking for general coasting with friends, playful and exciting when you want to let the inner kid out to explore the world. Ranging through all difficulty and types of terrain (minus the powder missing on the East Coast), I never found myself feeling as though I had compromised my experience or wishing for something... more. Whatever I wanted to experience, these gave it to me and I cannot wait for this weekend to come so that I can experience this again.

          Matt

          Comment


          • #6
            Great review Matt!

            Boards/Bindings:
            2013 Spruce Sherpas w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
            2023 Spruce Stingers w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
            2015 RVL8 Blunt XLs w/Tyrolia Attack 13s
            2020 RVL8 Sticky Icky Ickys w/Tyrolia SX 10s


            Boots:
            Salomon X-Pro 80

            Past boards: Salomon Snowblades, Line MNPs 89 & 98 cm, Five-Os, Bullets, Jedis, Spruce 120s, LE 125s, Ospreys, Crossbows
            Summit 110s, Nomads, Jades, RVL8 ALPs, BWPs, KTPs, Tanshos, Rockets, DLPs, Blunts, Condors, RCs, Revolts, Spliffs

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Hattmazzer View Post
              .. and most recently RVL8 Sticky Icky Icky (awesome groomer board, but had issues with the lack of stability when jumping off side-hits and coming off of drop offs). .. I had spent several outings trying to advance my skills and enjoy the playfulness of the SIIs but always felt uncomfortable riding fakie (like I was always about to fall over) for more than a few feet at a time, spins on the slope were always forced and left me off balance, and speed in more difficult terrain always had to be kept in check except for on my long skis.
              Welcome. If you still have and plan to keep the Stickys, you might want to try them again after progressing your skills a while on the Sherpas. Discomfort with riding fakie/switch, ground spins, landing small jumps, etc can often be attributed to too much lean which longer boards like Sherpas and Crossbows are much more forgiving about. But even if you don't I'm glad to hear you are loving your new Sherpas. At the end of the day the most important thing is to just have fun!

              Comment


              • #8
                Thanks Sempai!

                Fun Machine - I definitely have no intention of getting rid of the SII at this point. They are certainly fun and I know as I progress I will unlock more of their potential and it's always good to go back and try something over again in the future. The Sherpas are certainly forgiving because of their size, and for me, they are quite the opposite of what they are for most people: they aren't something to work up to, they are a great platform to learn and develop. And as you said, they are all fun!

                Comment


                • #9
                  I think the Sherpas have sometimes been overlooked because people view as a speciality deep powder and backcountry board. Perhaps even unfairly picking up the reputation as being slow to turn and cumbersome for resort riding. I find that couldn’t be farther from the truth, as they are surprisingly quick and lively. For me, they are at their best when conditions are at their worst.
                  Just these, nothing else !

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    To add to my experience so far on the Sherpas, I took them out for the second time this past weekend and spent the first hour or so introducing a friend to skiboarding and helping her to get comfortable and waiting for another friend who snowboards to get reacquainted with his equipment (first time for him this season). While this was happening I was able to comfortable ride fakie in front of her demonstrating to her what she needed to do and making sure she had a level of comfort that if she crashed it would be into me and not someone else

                    Needless to say it took no time at all for me to pick up from where I left off, ground spins improved greatly and fakie riding was comfortable and able to keep speed in check pretty easily. The easier terrain parks had finally opened up at my home mountain and I decided to take a run. First one was a medium width box that I rode over straight just to get the feel of it without issue, followed by a small table-top jump, which, admittedly, I was unsure of on the approach but took my time up to it and managed to clear the knuckle and come down at the top of the landing without issue. The other park that was open had more small-to-medium sized boxes, but they all had some sort of change in them, whether they kinked upward and then down or something similar, so admittedly I avoided these. There were two decent sized jumps (to me) that were about 2.5 times the size of the first one I did that had my nerves going but I braved it out and decided I was going to do it. First jump, no issues whatsoever, but it rolls right into the second with no good place to stop as you are in a blind spot the entire time until the final approach, so I continued right into the second. I landed slightly off balance towards my left side, which lead to me losing my edge and sliding onto my side. No major catastrophes, so to me it was a victory. I cruised a good portion of the mountain for a bit after that and then decided to try those jumps again later on. Two jumps, two solid landings, huge confidence booster.

                    By the end of the day, I could tell that my comfort level on the Sherpas was higher than anything else I'd ever ridden (including my snowboards that I'd ridden for several seasons with countless sessions and lessons on). While the first time out their forgiving nature certainly saved me from some falls, this time, my technique was better and their response was to reward it greatly with just smooth riding. I couldn't recommend these more to anyone. They truly are a multi-purpose set of boards that can not only handle a variety of conditions well, but they excel in the vast majority of them. They may not be the best board for any particular situation, but the compromise that exists (if there is one at all) is minimal based on my current level of experience. Needless to say, I will be trying out other boards over time just to have the experience and form a more complete opinion, but right now, you'd have to pry these things out of my cold dead hands...

                    Thank you Jeff for creating such an awesome set of boards! And to think they've been around for as long as they have yet handle so well!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by jsinger View Post
                      Amazing
                      Stable
                      Aggressive
                      Fast
                      Powerhouse
                      Forgiving
                      all agree, now Sherpa my favorite ski, I ride it with PowerRail binding, its good for all conditions, and for my 100kg/220lbs and agressive ride
                      180cm/100kg
                      Icelantic Shaman 2008 161cm/12m 160/110/130mm - favorite ski
                      RVL8 Spliff 2016 109cm/6.5m 155/130/155mm - favorite skiboard
                      Spruce Sherpa 2017 132cm/7.2m 160/112/145mm - favorite skiboard
                      Icelantic Scout 2008 143cm/12m 140/105/130mm
                      Dupraz 179cm - favorite snowboard

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by 1806 View Post
                        all agree, now Sherpa my favorite ski, I ride it with PowerRail binding, its good for all conditions, and for my 100kg/220lbs and agressive ride
                        I love my crossbows. I skied the crossbows all last season and most of this seasone. I ended my season today and yesterday on my sherpas. No other skiboard is as fast and stable.
                        Now: 08 Sherpa's (2), Atomic 120's, 2013 125 Protos, 125 LEs, 2014 Sherpas, Osprey protos, 2015 Blunt XL's, 2016 Ospreys, Ethan Too twintip skis,2017 Shredfest One of kind Spliffs, 2018 Crossbows
                        Bindings: Spruce Risers and Tyrolia LD12's
                        Boots: Full Tilt Booters, Tecnica Agent 110
                        History: Atomic shorty's, Sporten, Groove Taxis, Head 94's, ALPs, Spruce 120 Blue boards, Custom Lacroixs, Rocker Condors, 08 Summit 110's, Hagan offlimits 133's, Rossi 130's, 2011 Summit Marauders

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Great review on the Sherpas Matt! I am a Crossbow owner and I was really interested in getting a pair of Sherpas for all of the exact reasons you mentioned... I bought a pair of Sherpas in the off-season, and I cant wait to give them a try... Really looking forward to seeing how they handle at speeds over 45 mph, and also looking for more "back-seat support" when coming off side-hits and drop-offs. After reading your review, I really think I made the right decision with these boards. Thanks!

                          Comment

                          Working...
                          X