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1st Spruce Riser Test and review (by Sticks)

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  • 1st Spruce Riser Test and review (by Sticks)

    Half-day at Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall, CT today.

    Conditions: Shitty. Rained most of the morning. Temp-45-50F. All man-made snow base of 16-24". Basically, the shittiest conditions possible for trying to really test out something new...but at the same time, the best conditions.

    First test. Wife falls waiting in line to get on lift. Left MNP pops. Suprise, suprise, suprise. they work just as specified. A great percentage of ski injuries happen waiting in line. We are elated.

    Second test. Point downhill and go. Hard carves are almost impossible because of sheer amounts of garbage ridden crud infesting the slopes. I push to make my BG work for some undercover ice...nothing. I switch to fakie, figuring I have a better chance of not compensating as well in crud. It works. There is no saving myself when ankle deep in shit. Tips catch and down I go. The Spruce Risers work perfectly. Pop the tails and step back in. On I go. I'm smiling.

    Third test. Go to the other side of the mountain and test them out on something a little more challenging. A couple blacks, connecting two blues and finishes off into a basin. All fairly high speed with some pretty substantial bumbs along the way. I follow a last year model MNP fitted with bombers. We finish side by side. Along the way, I hit three bumps squarely and have no unasked for releases. Hard stops and chatter do not make the Riser release. Hard falls do.

    Conclusion. Anybody who has thought about buying a set of releasble skiboard bindings...these are the answer. Anybody who is still riding non-release and hates toe clips. These are easier. They are cheaper priced. Spruce Mountains Skiboards has hit a home run with these bindings.

    More testing tomorrow....due to the crappola conditions at Mohawk, I think we'll be traveling to Butternut, Mass. Will provide more tomorrow.

    Way to go Jeff. These bindings have provided alot of answers for me and skiboarders now and into the future.

    -Sticks
    Last edited by sticks; 12-30-2003, 04:07 PM.
    "Whether its got tits or tires...it's going to eventually give you problems" -Me

  • #2
    Thanks Sticks. I had the same results from our tests. We couldn't be happier with The Spruce Riser/Bindings performance. Thanks Jeff.

    -G



    Spruce Riser/Bindings

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    • #3
      so that's why I got his bombers. Now I'm teased with these? ugh.

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      • #4
        I just received this email re: the spruce riser/bindings:

        January 4, 2004

        Today I experienced the most exciting event in my skiboarding career since I first put on a pair of Bigfeet. I started skiing in 1959. Approximately ten years ago I started skiboarding. I am an expert skier and snowboarder and I spent 10 years tele-skiing, but I never tried a sport that I loved so much and so immediately as skiboarding. I was also a deeply addicted figure skater during my teen years. About five years ago, I broke a tibia rollerblading. I had two extensive surgeries and spent five months hobbling around with crutches and a cane. However, as soon as I could clamp on a pair of skis, I took a pair of Canon Heritage Skiboards and mounted a pair of Salomon 500 Rental bindings. I suffered so much from the broken tibia, I did not want to do anything to increase the risk of another broken tibia. The problem with attaching a release binding directly to the Heritage was the fact that the binding makes the board stiffer. So I started to ride the Atomic 120s which I absolutely love. And when Head came out with the release binding skiboard, I bought three pair. I really like the Heads too. I simply wont ride a skiboard without a release binding. I always have lusted, however, after the Canon M-7, but I couldn't ride it because I couldn't get a release binding to give the performance of a Bomber Binding.

        Today was my most exciting day of skiboarding since the first day on Bigfeet. I got a pair of Solomon 509 release bindings mounted on the Spruceski plate on a pair of Canon M7 Skiboards. The plate is very high quality. It allows the Canon to flex the same as it would if a Bomber Binding were attached. Spruceski provided detailed information about binding adjustment which I found quite useable. Any local ski shop could also set up the bindings and binding plates correctly with the excellent instructions. I adjusted the bindings to my DIN setting based on the Din chart provided in the instructions and I went riding.

        I had a super day. I love having a Canon M7 with a release binding that has the performance of the best non-releasable plate binding. I am going to order another pair of Canon M-7s today so that I can let my friends demo this release unit.

        Now that a reasonable release system for skiboards has been developed, it is only a matter of time before skiboards take over the mountain. As an expert skier with over 40 years of skiing under my belt, I can tell you that skiboards are not only more fun than skis, but they are completely addicting. Now I can be addicted with much less chance of a broken tibia. Thanks so much Spruce Mountain Skiboarding for the experience.

        Bill C.

        willieco@aol.com

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        • #5
          Having gone through my own torn MCL/ACL combo...

          What else is there to say?

          -Sticks
          "Whether its got tits or tires...it's going to eventually give you problems" -Me

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          • #6
            ok well this might be with ski bindings but i have a problem with release. the other day my friend was going for the kink rail (its up down lol so gay). the setup was perfect and we were going at it fast to catch air on the kink and gap over the down. well he didnt end up going fast enough. he landed about a foot from the end of the rail (the downs like 5 feet) and his skis poped off the minute he hit it. and he was hitting a little jump and his bindings came off in midair. i dont know if that has anything to do with skiboard releases or spruce, but i just thought of that because the spruce bindings look alot like a ski binding. just thought id share

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            • #7
              his DIN was most likely to low or he had snow packed under his boot

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              • #8
                I have been using both the Riser and the Riser Pro this winter with excellent results. Initially I had a few unwanted releases, but soon traced the problem to the following: the heel piece is mounted in a rail which allows it to slide backward against the adjustment spring. It needs this to allow propper release action, and to allow the "step in" function to work properly. If the heel piece is adjusted a little too far back in this rail, it results in pre-release even with correct din setting. Try moving the heel piece forward a little, closing the gap that the boot fits into between toe and heel. That should do it.
                Totally agree, fantastic product. One time purchase too as it can easily be swapped out to new boards.
                Also, the combination of Edge board and Riser creates a packed snow carving monster...............cool.
                Crossbow (go to dream board)
                Most everything else over time.
                Go Android

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                • #9
                  DIN Boot Soles

                  One other caution on the use of Spruce Risers. The bindings are designed to work only with DIN sole boots. If you have boots that are designed for fixed bindings and are not DIN soles, you cannot use the Spruce Risers.

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                  • #10
                    Spruce Riser Instructions

                    By the way, If anyone ever needs a copy of the instructions for mounting and adjusting Spruce Risers, email me at jsinger@spruceski.mv.com and I'll email them to you. They are in Word '97 format.

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                    • #11
                      I can't speak to the nylon Risers, but I had the opportunity to try out a pair of the Riser Pros down at Moutain Creek a few weeks ago. Granted I'm light, not super aggresive, had the DIN set pretty high, and didn't take any falls where I would have wanted a release (nothing short of serious injury), but I didn't have them release on me at all, even in a pretty good tumble off a kicker. They felt just as rigid as my FF Pros, but with a little less than twice the height and less contact length, they made nearly laid out carves effortless. I'll probably buy a pair when I've got the cash.
                      Dave

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                      • #12
                        What's the longest boot sole this binding will accept?

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                        • #13
                          Longest Boot Sole Length

                          The Spruce Riser works with boots up to 350mm in length.

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                          • #14
                            I'm in 343 mm Line Transfers. Very high DIN settings. Almost never release except in very awkward angles of twisting...even then, I might get a little sore in the joints because I have the DIN high.

                            I can say this for sure...two seasons now on my Risers and they have never failed to produce a release at the right time. After the initial adjustments and learning where I should be to use them, I don't have inadvertent releases, releases on hard landings, or anything weird and shit. Just normal safe riding. If I want to hit rails, kickers, or just carve...it's all good. If I fuck up and wreck...I'm confident I'll get a release when I need it.
                            "Whether its got tits or tires...it's going to eventually give you problems" -Me

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