Are 115/116 Rockered/Cambered/Rockered or Rockered/Cambered boards the epitome and next wave of evolution in skiboards or is longer better as for many skiers?
As an East Coast small mountain rider the Revolts have been a go to board, stomping most conditions. This season has been a record snowfall where I managed to make it out to the hill for two big powder days, an amazing time was had on the 2015 Rockered Condors with polarizing environmental graphics and beloved polar bear, to this day I think it's one of the best looking boards to ever come out of RVL*8. They just chewed up anything in front of them without worry of digging in or catching an edge, I explored parts of the hill I've never even seen before though that could be in part to some much needed thinning out by the resort. One thing that has always pushed my limits with skiboards is tracking at speed, especially nearing the end of the day, and balance. The RC's are the king at sucking the last ounce of strength to maintain both despite the ability to ride over most obstacles. The Revolts aid in balance yet I'm still having to rein them in as they can still be twitchy underfoot, unless I'm carving. I've had the time of my life riding what I do but there's always been this reluctant admittance that I'm missing something, that I shouldn't have to work as hard as I do to just hold it together until I get back on the lift to recover.
There's certainly no doubt that skiboards have made significant strides in performance and appearance over 20+ years, an evolution of the sport in many respects. They have slowly expanded beyond the confines of the original box definition of 99cm with the next best board to rule them all or perhaps rule in their own unique way. We've edged upward and outward in a nonlinear progression to 100cm with Blunt XL's, 101 KTP's, 103 Rumspringa, 104 Sticky Icky Icky, 105 Revolts, 109 Spliff, 110 DLP's, ALP's, Condors and RC's now into the territory of 115 and 116 with the Crossbow and Slingshot all the way up to 130cm with the Spruce longboard variants. Forums are not the hubs they used to be, attention spans have dwindled and I'm still the anomaly at my hill that I've always been. Are we still this small group of riders that some how have found each other and a unique way to slide down a hill or is the sport growing in numbers?
Fast forward, or in my case rewind and catch up as the past 2 seasons 2018 & 2019 were a bust here with no snow so the sport fell to the wayside and I've been off the grid/forum, it seems we have new kids on the block, not the band from the 80's-90's, but the Crossbow and Slingshot by Spruce. I've read the 14 page thread and others, I'm eager to try them out myself. Are either of these the unicorns that a 1 board quiver is made of or are we still feeling out what could be the next best thing? Will the next board be 125 or 135cm?
Watching a lot of Stomp It Tutorials on YouTube from the basics like carving to simple pops, ollies, jumps or butters, overcoming your fear and just plain just having fun on the mountain has really expanded the possibilities of what I've been missing all while taking my own self assumed ability level down several levels to a comfortable intermediate despite spending a large portion of my days on the black runs off groomers. Even in a skiers world, amidst all the options, there's still no singular quiver board that does it all.
I'm at a crossroads, wondering if the Crossbows or Slingshots will up my riding prowess or should I make the jump to sub 160cm Twin Tip skis like the K2 Sight's and venture into the unknown hoping for better stability and tracking while giving up some maneuverability. I appreciate the feedback from Bill on the Armada Triple J's and Jack(jjue) for his in-depth review and analysis on everything he rides.
A great insight written by Joe Nevin from bumpsforboomers regarding ski length:
Is there anyone here that has ridden adult twin tip skis and made the transition to skiboards with zero regrets or the other way around?
As an East Coast small mountain rider the Revolts have been a go to board, stomping most conditions. This season has been a record snowfall where I managed to make it out to the hill for two big powder days, an amazing time was had on the 2015 Rockered Condors with polarizing environmental graphics and beloved polar bear, to this day I think it's one of the best looking boards to ever come out of RVL*8. They just chewed up anything in front of them without worry of digging in or catching an edge, I explored parts of the hill I've never even seen before though that could be in part to some much needed thinning out by the resort. One thing that has always pushed my limits with skiboards is tracking at speed, especially nearing the end of the day, and balance. The RC's are the king at sucking the last ounce of strength to maintain both despite the ability to ride over most obstacles. The Revolts aid in balance yet I'm still having to rein them in as they can still be twitchy underfoot, unless I'm carving. I've had the time of my life riding what I do but there's always been this reluctant admittance that I'm missing something, that I shouldn't have to work as hard as I do to just hold it together until I get back on the lift to recover.
There's certainly no doubt that skiboards have made significant strides in performance and appearance over 20+ years, an evolution of the sport in many respects. They have slowly expanded beyond the confines of the original box definition of 99cm with the next best board to rule them all or perhaps rule in their own unique way. We've edged upward and outward in a nonlinear progression to 100cm with Blunt XL's, 101 KTP's, 103 Rumspringa, 104 Sticky Icky Icky, 105 Revolts, 109 Spliff, 110 DLP's, ALP's, Condors and RC's now into the territory of 115 and 116 with the Crossbow and Slingshot all the way up to 130cm with the Spruce longboard variants. Forums are not the hubs they used to be, attention spans have dwindled and I'm still the anomaly at my hill that I've always been. Are we still this small group of riders that some how have found each other and a unique way to slide down a hill or is the sport growing in numbers?
Fast forward, or in my case rewind and catch up as the past 2 seasons 2018 & 2019 were a bust here with no snow so the sport fell to the wayside and I've been off the grid/forum, it seems we have new kids on the block, not the band from the 80's-90's, but the Crossbow and Slingshot by Spruce. I've read the 14 page thread and others, I'm eager to try them out myself. Are either of these the unicorns that a 1 board quiver is made of or are we still feeling out what could be the next best thing? Will the next board be 125 or 135cm?
Watching a lot of Stomp It Tutorials on YouTube from the basics like carving to simple pops, ollies, jumps or butters, overcoming your fear and just plain just having fun on the mountain has really expanded the possibilities of what I've been missing all while taking my own self assumed ability level down several levels to a comfortable intermediate despite spending a large portion of my days on the black runs off groomers. Even in a skiers world, amidst all the options, there's still no singular quiver board that does it all.
I'm at a crossroads, wondering if the Crossbows or Slingshots will up my riding prowess or should I make the jump to sub 160cm Twin Tip skis like the K2 Sight's and venture into the unknown hoping for better stability and tracking while giving up some maneuverability. I appreciate the feedback from Bill on the Armada Triple J's and Jack(jjue) for his in-depth review and analysis on everything he rides.
A great insight written by Joe Nevin from bumpsforboomers regarding ski length:
Several years of experience has shown us that when our mogul and powder clinic participants ski on shorter skis (150cm – 160cm for men and 146cm – 156cm for women) – irrespective of their height and weight – that they have substantially better results (better balance, better speed control, less fatigue, more confidence, lower anxiety, and ability to ski more challenging off-piste terrain). And, with no apparent downside for stability from the shorter ski length.
Is there anyone here that has ridden adult twin tip skis and made the transition to skiboards with zero regrets or the other way around?
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