Here is my latest wide bodied hard boot quiver .
These boards all have a very similar foot print . They are all fatties. 160 -150 or so in the tip
110 to 130 in the waist and 130 to 150 in the tail , they are all ridden with a set back , with a hard shell ski boot . Side cut ranges from 12 meter to 7.2 meter to 6.5 meter . They all are meant for aggressive adult size folks and are torsionally rigid with camber and minimal to no rocker depending on the board . The Icelantic Shaman is 160 cm , the Sherpa is 130 cm and the Spliffs are 109 cm . I have been fascinated with the experimentation on this forum with short skis and folks going up in length in boards and Jeff's and other's experiments with repurposing skis meant for juniors for adult folks . I think this reopens the whole question of what are skis and what are skiboards , and what difference does length make . I have ridden all three of these boards this season and it was enlightening to me . Here are some personal reflections. I think that the sizing of long skis is all wrong and that many folks would do well to ski shorter then recommended lengths and have more fun . Interesting in this vein is this page from the bumps to boomers web site about selecting ski length for aging boomers like myself , what they say about us senior folks could also of course apply to the vast majority of recreational skiers who are not into tearing down the mountain at mach speed but more into making turns and enjoying the experience in challenging terrain like moguls and powder .
My own particular preference is getting into three dimensional soft snow as much as possible and I have found that the wider bodied boards suit me well . All three of these rides are great fun . I ski them all very alike . I use poles and ski them all with the same style . They all seem like part of the same family tree. The Spliffs are certainly the most playful and turny , but also the least stable in variable terrain . The Icelantic Shamans are certainly way more stable in variable terrain and get less thrown around . they are easier to maintain balance but less turny in tight quarters then the Spliffs with the Sherpas landing squarely between .
In my own mind riding all these different length skis with similar foot prints has got me thinking more and more that it in the end it really is all skiing or should I say it all is skiboarding whatever length your ride . We will all make choices based on what we want to do on the mountain .. how much we want stability in rough choppy terrain vs tight and easy turning in moguls and trees , and based on how old and decrepit you are ! I guess with modern technology the lines between skis , longboard skiboards , and skiboards proper are really being blurred and there is more in common then there has been in the past with it all beginning to seem to me like one big family !
ps . this year I am feeling my age a lot more and get tired more in rough cruddy variable snow then I have in years past and I am gravitating more toward the Sherpas again as my sweet spot in stability vs fun ... Damn is it a pain to get decrepit and ancient .. oh well time marches on .... The crazy thing for me is that the shorter the board the more fun I have had but also the more I needed to work to maintain my balance in rough choppy cruddy terrain . Riding the shorter Spliffs though has made me a much better rider on the bigger Sherpas and the Shamans , all my skills transfer directly over to the bigger and more stable platform.
These boards all have a very similar foot print . They are all fatties. 160 -150 or so in the tip
110 to 130 in the waist and 130 to 150 in the tail , they are all ridden with a set back , with a hard shell ski boot . Side cut ranges from 12 meter to 7.2 meter to 6.5 meter . They all are meant for aggressive adult size folks and are torsionally rigid with camber and minimal to no rocker depending on the board . The Icelantic Shaman is 160 cm , the Sherpa is 130 cm and the Spliffs are 109 cm . I have been fascinated with the experimentation on this forum with short skis and folks going up in length in boards and Jeff's and other's experiments with repurposing skis meant for juniors for adult folks . I think this reopens the whole question of what are skis and what are skiboards , and what difference does length make . I have ridden all three of these boards this season and it was enlightening to me . Here are some personal reflections. I think that the sizing of long skis is all wrong and that many folks would do well to ski shorter then recommended lengths and have more fun . Interesting in this vein is this page from the bumps to boomers web site about selecting ski length for aging boomers like myself , what they say about us senior folks could also of course apply to the vast majority of recreational skiers who are not into tearing down the mountain at mach speed but more into making turns and enjoying the experience in challenging terrain like moguls and powder .
My own particular preference is getting into three dimensional soft snow as much as possible and I have found that the wider bodied boards suit me well . All three of these rides are great fun . I ski them all very alike . I use poles and ski them all with the same style . They all seem like part of the same family tree. The Spliffs are certainly the most playful and turny , but also the least stable in variable terrain . The Icelantic Shamans are certainly way more stable in variable terrain and get less thrown around . they are easier to maintain balance but less turny in tight quarters then the Spliffs with the Sherpas landing squarely between .
In my own mind riding all these different length skis with similar foot prints has got me thinking more and more that it in the end it really is all skiing or should I say it all is skiboarding whatever length your ride . We will all make choices based on what we want to do on the mountain .. how much we want stability in rough choppy terrain vs tight and easy turning in moguls and trees , and based on how old and decrepit you are ! I guess with modern technology the lines between skis , longboard skiboards , and skiboards proper are really being blurred and there is more in common then there has been in the past with it all beginning to seem to me like one big family !
ps . this year I am feeling my age a lot more and get tired more in rough cruddy variable snow then I have in years past and I am gravitating more toward the Sherpas again as my sweet spot in stability vs fun ... Damn is it a pain to get decrepit and ancient .. oh well time marches on .... The crazy thing for me is that the shorter the board the more fun I have had but also the more I needed to work to maintain my balance in rough choppy cruddy terrain . Riding the shorter Spliffs though has made me a much better rider on the bigger Sherpas and the Shamans , all my skills transfer directly over to the bigger and more stable platform.
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