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Another 'rockered' Condor review

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  • Another 'rockered' Condor review

    I took my new rockered Condors out for a couple of hours this morning. After reading through the ‘love them or hate them’ thread, I really wasn’t sure what I was going to make of them. These things are WIDE, even compared to my Revolts, and I’ve never used a rockered ski before.

    I’m 65kg, 176cm tall, (143lb / 5'9") and using Spruce rise / release bindings. The conditions were very mixed - hardpack groomers, a dusting of new snow, patches of blue ice, and big piles of lumpy powder from the snow cannons.

    First comment would be that I like them. I don’t LOVE them, at least not yet, but I certainly don’t hate them.

    In mixed conditions like this morning, I would usually do a kind of skidding semi-carve on the Revolts to avoid catching an edge, or sliding out on ice patches. As far as I can make out, this is almost the ‘Slarving’ technique Jack has been talking about (though I suspect mine doesn’t look as elegant as it's meant to). Doing the same thing with the Condor therefore wasn’t really a big deal, and the extra width made the turns feel a lot more stable and less jittery than the Revolts. The Condors really didn’t seem to mind what kind of snow turned up - patches of powder, lumps of ice, whatever.

    This is where they really seem to excel - I didn’t have to keep a careful eye out for a change in the terrain. As long as I was doing the skidding turns, the boards just went over whatever was in front of them without any additional effort. I’d normally have to make sure to pull the tips of the Revolts up as they hit a powder pile, or brace my legs as they hit an ice field, but on the Condors I didn’t really need to.

    Where they were a bit disappointing was where the conditions were much better. When there is a nice wide groomer with a bit of soft-pack snow on top, carving the Revolts in wide, easy curves is a huge amount of fun. It feels smooth and effortless, and I would be in a very upright stance that doesn’t really tire my legs out at all. On the Condors, it took a lot more work to do the same thing. It wasn’t effortless anymore - it needed a very low stance, and my quads started to burn fairly rapidly. I’m going to try out some different techniques to see if I can do better, but it just didn’t feel as natural.

    I’ll look forward to trying the Condors out in deep powder, which I suspect will be awesome. In dicey conditions (like today) I think the Condors will also be the best choice, since they seem to be able to happily take any rubbish that’s thrown at them. In perfect conditions, the days when being on the mountain is the most fun anyway, I would rather be on my Revolts. I’m therefore probably never going to have as much fun on the Condors as the Revolts - not because the Condors are inferior boards, but because they will only make sense in ropey conditions.

    I’m not finding them as a revolutionary as I was hoping, but they are a nice addition to the R8 lineup, and so far I’m really pleased I got one of the first batch.

    Scribbler

  • #2
    On another note - does anyone know if the tips / tails are 100% symmetrical?

    I know I'm not going to make a lot of friends with this, but I'm starting to really dislike the graphics after seeing the boards in person (not really my kind of style, and not as slick as some of the other R8 graphics). I don't mind them quite as much reversed, but I'm not sure if there is any problem running them 'backwards'.

    Comment


    • #3
      According to the specs they are symmetrical. It's funny how opinions vary on their performance and the graphics. I love their performance and graphics. It sounds like you, not so much.
      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


      • #4
        I guess it would be a dull old world if we all liked the same things.

        It seems the rockered Condors can grow on you after a few sessions, judging by some of the other comments - I'm definitely going to keep using them (especially if the conditions on the west coast keep being as random as they are), and try a few different techniques to see if they start to feel more natural when carving. If carving becomes as fun as the Revolts, the Condors would probably become my 'Go To' boards.

        The measurements are definitely symmetrical, but I was wondering if there were some more subtle considerations too. Do PTEX bases have any kind of directional grain?

        Comment


        • #5
          If I were choosing boards strictly based on graphics the RC's spongebob genre would not even be close to being on the list.

          Comment


          • #6
            I had similar experiences to you with mine Scribbler. Ultimately, I felt they did not really fit with my riding style, which is basically to always be edging and carving, so I sold them on. Not a flawed board or anything, just not for me........
            Crossbow (go to dream board)
            Most everything else over time.
            Go Android

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by shortydude View Post
              If I were choosing boards strictly based on graphics the RC's spongebob genre would not even be close to being on the list.
              LOL, they do have a SpongeBob vibe. I like them nonetheless. In the past I've always gone with more conservative graphics, but this season I thought I'd change it up.
              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

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