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Ice Boards - DLP vs Sticky Icky Icky

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  • Ice Boards - DLP vs Sticky Icky Icky

    Hey folks,

    It sure has been a while. Due to life circumstances and moving around a lot, I haven't been able to ride as much for the last couple years. On top of that, I switched to long skis for a while after coming out to CA and riding at Big Bear and Mammoth. I guess the longer/wider/steeper terrain out here made me a little nervous about stability and edge grip so I got some long skis to try to compensate for that. It did make a bit of a difference, but I missed the maneuverability of skiboards every day, especially in the woods. I took the Spliffs for a spin this weekend and man it was good to get back on them. I think my concerns about edge grip and stability were a little overblown and mostly related to abilty rather than gear. I think it's safe to say I'll be skiboarding again from now on. My only boards are Spliffs with receptors and they work for pretty much anything. However, I'm looking to maybe supplement them and make a 2-board quiver. While I can ride the Spliffs in anything, if I know the conditions are going to be hardpack/icy for the day then maybe having boards with a little more grip would make it more enjoyable. I know I can't get grip like long, narrow skis no matter which board I choose, but I think if I pick the right boards I can come pretty close.

    I'm leaning towards getting some DLPs because I like the 110cm length, and they are narrower than my Spliffs and don't have any rocker. As I understand it, all of that contributes to more grip and should make a noticeable difference. Plus, if I pick the "wrong" set of boards for the conditions, the DLPs can still be pressed into any role that the Spliffs can. A classic game of tradeoffs, but they're both still super versatile and I like that a lot. I was about to pull the trigger on them but now I'm wondering if the SIIs are more what I'm looking for. They are a tad narrower than the DLPs, and they have a larger turning radius which I think would help with grip. I wish they were a touch longer, but it's still a very small difference. My concern with the SIIs are that they might not be stiff enough to complement my riding style, or maybe they don't have as much grip as I think because of the rocker. I'm a somewhat aggressive rider, I like to ride in the trees wherever possible, I go pretty fast on groomers, and I hit a few jumps here and there but overall my park skills are very weak. I've never ridden either one, so if anyone has ridden both the DLPs and the SIIs, I'd love to hear your opinions on which you think would be a better fit.

  • #2
    Originally posted by mhealey View Post
    Hey folks,

    It sure has been a while. Due to life circumstances and moving around a lot, I haven't been able to ride as much for the last couple years. On top of that, I switched to long skis for a while after coming out to CA and riding at Big Bear and Mammoth. I guess the longer/wider/steeper terrain out here made me a little nervous about stability and edge grip so I got some long skis to try to compensate for that. It did make a bit of a difference, but I missed the maneuverability of skiboards every day, especially in the woods. I took the Spliffs for a spin this weekend and man it was good to get back on them. I think my concerns about edge grip and stability were a little overblown and mostly related to abilty rather than gear. I think it's safe to say I'll be skiboarding again from now on. My only boards are Spliffs with receptors and they work for pretty much anything. However, I'm looking to maybe supplement them and make a 2-board quiver. While I can ride the Spliffs in anything, if I know the conditions are going to be hardpack/icy for the day then maybe having boards with a little more grip would make it more enjoyable. I know I can't get grip like long, narrow skis no matter which board I choose, but I think if I pick the right boards I can come pretty close.

    I'm leaning towards getting some DLPs because I like the 110cm length, and they are narrower than my Spliffs and don't have any rocker. As I understand it, all of that contributes to more grip and should make a noticeable difference. Plus, if I pick the "wrong" set of boards for the conditions, the DLPs can still be pressed into any role that the Spliffs can. A classic game of tradeoffs, but they're both still super versatile and I like that a lot. I was about to pull the trigger on them but now I'm wondering if the SIIs are more what I'm looking for. They are a tad narrower than the DLPs, and they have a larger turning radius which I think would help with grip. I wish they were a touch longer, but it's still a very small difference. My concern with the SIIs are that they might not be stiff enough to complement my riding style, or maybe they don't have as much grip as I think because of the rocker. I'm a somewhat aggressive rider, I like to ride in the trees wherever possible, I go pretty fast on groomers, and I hit a few jumps here and there but overall my park skills are very weak. I've never ridden either one, so if anyone has ridden both the DLPs and the SIIs, I'd love to hear your opinions on which you think would be a better fit.
    So I will start by saying you can't go wrong with either. DLPs can handle anything. I am 300lbs and have ridden the DLPs for the past few years(now onto the Sherpas) and I never had an issue. I pushed them to what was a lot for me and they still had a lot more to give.

    The SII's are an amazingly fun set of boards. I rode them here on the East Cost where we swap from ice to man made powder usually on the same runs and they held up great. They are great on hardpack and ice. To be honest, they feel like ice skates. The maneuverability is great and being at 104 the stability is nice as well.

    I will not talk you into one or the other. Personally I would take whichever one you like the graphic of better. There is nothing the DLP can not handle however with the Spliff, you kind of already have that length range. You have the 109/110 range board that are good for park, powder, groomers, etc. Why not change it up and go with the SII. Little shorter, little more narrow, just a little different. Having a 2 board quiver, you can't really do much better than 2 rocker/camber boards.
    Skis/Skiboards:
    2019/2020 Lib Tech Backwards 166cm with Marker Squire 11 Bindings
    2018 Spruce "Woody" Sherpa with Marker Griffon 13 DM Track
    2018 "Dave's Face" DLPs w Snowjam Non Release Bindings
    2016/2017 Rossignol Soul 7HD 164cm with with Marker Griffon 13 DM Track

    2011 Spruce "Blue Board" Sherpa
    20?? Spruce Sherpa "White Board" Prototypes still in plastic

    Boots:
    2012 Salomon SPK 90
    2011 Salomon SPK Kaos 100
    2008 Salomon SPK Kaos 95

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    • #3
      I also own Spliffs which are a great all mountain board . For my firm conditions board I prefer the DLP over the SII. The SII are great boards and have excellent grip and a nice smooth carve and are super fun on groomers . However even in the set back inserts I could not get them to work for me well off piste , just too narrow to float my over 200 lb body. Like you I like to go off piste in to the trees etc and want something that will work for me there . I ride both my Spliffs and DLP set back with non release bindings and both work for me off piste in all kind of snow including junky , crust, cut up pow and pow , refrozen crud etc. The SII seem to be outclassed for me in those conditions . For example yesterday at Northstar the groomers were firm and icy while in the frees was crusty old pow.
      I chose the DLPs and was able to carve much better then my Spliffs on the firm icy snow but still charge into crusty soft snow off piste trees riding smoothly off the DLP tails. I have lots of skiboards and even a pair of long skis, they all have their pros and cons but if I would pick a two skiboard quiver for folks out west here who can be faced with all kinds of conditions all over the mountain I think you can;t go wrong with the Spliffs and the DLPs .
      ps welcome back mhealey!
      Boards :
      Blunt Xl, DLP, Spliff, Condor, Rockered Condor , Slingshot, Sherpa, Icelantic Shaman
      Boots
      K2 BFC 100 Grip walk sole , Dynafit CR Radical AT boot, Ride Insano Snowboard boots
      Bindings:
      Zero Pro Non release Binding
      Modified Receptor Backcountry Bindings (Bill Version and Slow Version)
      Spruce Riser with Attack 14 GW /AT binding
      Custom Risers with Fritschi Backcountry Bindings (Jeff Singer version 1, Bill version)
      Rocker and Sbol Soft Boot Bindings.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by mhealey View Post
        Hey folks,

        It sure has been a while. Due to life circumstances and moving around a lot, I haven't been able to ride as much for the last couple years. .
        Welcome back!
        Current: '20 Spruce Slingshot 119s, '20 Spruce Crossbow 115s, '18 Spruce Osprey 132s (touring), '21 Rvl8 SII 104s, '21 Summit Invertigos 118s
        Also: '11 Allz Elaila 94s, '12 Rvl8 Rockered Condor 110s, '15 Spruce Osprey 132s , '18 Spruce Crossbow 115s
        Previous: Gaspo Hot Wax 84s, Mantrax 98s, Summit Nomad 99s, Spruce Yellow 120s, Eman Uprise 104s

        Comment


        • #5
          Thanks for the info and the welcome back. Always good to hear from people who have ridden them both. Now I'm leaning even more towards the DLPs.

          Edit: Perhaps "Ice Boards" was a bit of a misnomer for this thread. Although that was my original reasoning for wanting a second set of boards, versatility trumps just about everything for me and that seems to be what's steering me towards DLPs the most.

          Comment


          • #6
            DLPs are bomber on hard conditions. I ride Spliffs and DLPs and they make a great quiver-of-two. Since you already have the Spliffs, I'd recommend adding the DLPs. I haven't ridden the SIIs yet, but having a full camber board might be more of a compliment than a second set of camber/rocker boards. I find that the DLPs are my preferred choice at less than 5 cm of pow, and the Spliffs at >10 cm. Either works fine in the middle range. You'll know if it's a mandatory Spliff day based on the ski report.

            I've been too busy to ride lately, but plan to get up tomorrow. It's been extremely cold (-28 C overnight, -16 C in the day) and hasn't snowed recently, so I'm stoked to get the DLPs out for the first time this year and do some speed runs on the hardpack. Every other day has been Spliffing the powder, and while I can't complain about too many powder days, I'm looking forward to going full carve for a change. They're super precise and rock-solid in difficult conditions.
            BOARDSLAYER
            Base / Edge Destruction X X X
            Cores Snapped X X X

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