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... almost.
Soooo, I got out for my first turns of the season this last Sunday. Mt. Hood finally got some fresh snow and good coverage so I grabbed the Sherpas and the newly acquired Armada JJ skis and headed up.
Conditions were nice and varied for some back to back comparo testing: Some nicely tilled groom, some refrozen, rutted out hardpack higher up, lots of chunked up pow off-piste and a few untouched powder stashes in the trees. I spent all morning on the Sherpas and was instantly reminded why I've come to enjoy them so much. To me, they feel super-easy to pilot, carve trenches like they are on rails and I enjoy the increased stability over other skiboards I've owned and ridden. However, I was also instantly reminded why I have been so interested in pursuing a rockered long board build: I still found myself getting bucked around too much on uneven terrain. I was still left wanting in the stability department.
After lunch, I switched out to the JJs. They are 165 cm long but with very aggressive rocker, low camber underfoot and a 12m sidecut radius. The flat running length is almost spot on with the Sherpas due to the length of the rockered sections of the ski. Thus, they ride very short. I went without poles and had no problems getting around and skating the flats ... a couple times banging the tails a bit, but I do that every once in a while on the Sherpas too.
In short, I absolutely loved them. Prior to switching to skiboards about 5 years ago, I never really skied much ... maybe a total of a half dozen times over a span of 15 years. Initially I was a bit concerned with how well I'd do getting back on longer planks (especially since I always sucked horribly on skis and never learned to really enjoy them). My apprehensions were eliminated after two turns. The JJs feel A LOT like skiboards in ease of turning, maneuverability and general playfulness. The extra length was never a negative all day but was stellar on the uneven terrain. They are sooo much more stable, far less fatiguing and pure magic in the soft and chunky and the hard, uneven rutted out stuff. Much, much better than Sherpas in those conditions. They are also not a one trick pow pony. Fast, hard and deep carves on hardpack are no problem, edge hold is fantastic and they never felt ill-mannered regardless of what I threw at them.
Thus, I find myself in a bit of a difficult spot now. The JJs are almost what I was after with the Yeti, but not quite. I found myself wishing they were just a tad wider, especially at the tips, and that they had just a bit tighter sidecut radius ... maybe 9-10m. The interesting thing is that I never found myself wishing they were shorter.
If I do revisit the Yeti build at some point I will likely shoot for something between 140 and 150 cm long and with a similar profile as the JJs, but a bit wider. The JJs are a truly fantastic design.
For those that may be interested, I will post up some side by side comparison photos of the JJs and Sherpas this weekend. Also, I'll try to get some video the next time I'm out later this month.
I imagine I will continue skiboarding on the Sherpas and Marauders a bit, but I have a feeling the JJs may end being my "go-to" ride most days.
Skiboarding has been an interesting journey for me. It turned me on to snowsports the way skiing and snowboarding never could. My first snowsport love was KTPs. Then, I moved on to Condors. Then, to Sherpas and Marauders. Now, I don't even own KTPs or Condors and don't find myself missing them. There is a part of me that is a bit sad about that ... like a long lost college girlfriend (the one that got away) ... yet an acceptance that there will never be any going back.
I hope this does not get me kicked out of the club.
I've really loved this forum and the community. I also have a tremendous appreciation for Greco... the products he provides, his commitment to keeping skiboarding alive and his commitment to serving his customer base.
I really struggled with whether or not to write this up and submit this thread. A part of me feels disloyal... like I am abandoning the very thing that opened the door for me to enjoy snowsports. I'm not sure if I'll be on skiboards at all by next season, but I do plan to stay connected, make Shredfest this season and hopefully keep making Shredfest each year. I guess time will tell if I come back around and try short boards redux at some point.
Soooo, I got out for my first turns of the season this last Sunday. Mt. Hood finally got some fresh snow and good coverage so I grabbed the Sherpas and the newly acquired Armada JJ skis and headed up.
Conditions were nice and varied for some back to back comparo testing: Some nicely tilled groom, some refrozen, rutted out hardpack higher up, lots of chunked up pow off-piste and a few untouched powder stashes in the trees. I spent all morning on the Sherpas and was instantly reminded why I've come to enjoy them so much. To me, they feel super-easy to pilot, carve trenches like they are on rails and I enjoy the increased stability over other skiboards I've owned and ridden. However, I was also instantly reminded why I have been so interested in pursuing a rockered long board build: I still found myself getting bucked around too much on uneven terrain. I was still left wanting in the stability department.
After lunch, I switched out to the JJs. They are 165 cm long but with very aggressive rocker, low camber underfoot and a 12m sidecut radius. The flat running length is almost spot on with the Sherpas due to the length of the rockered sections of the ski. Thus, they ride very short. I went without poles and had no problems getting around and skating the flats ... a couple times banging the tails a bit, but I do that every once in a while on the Sherpas too.
In short, I absolutely loved them. Prior to switching to skiboards about 5 years ago, I never really skied much ... maybe a total of a half dozen times over a span of 15 years. Initially I was a bit concerned with how well I'd do getting back on longer planks (especially since I always sucked horribly on skis and never learned to really enjoy them). My apprehensions were eliminated after two turns. The JJs feel A LOT like skiboards in ease of turning, maneuverability and general playfulness. The extra length was never a negative all day but was stellar on the uneven terrain. They are sooo much more stable, far less fatiguing and pure magic in the soft and chunky and the hard, uneven rutted out stuff. Much, much better than Sherpas in those conditions. They are also not a one trick pow pony. Fast, hard and deep carves on hardpack are no problem, edge hold is fantastic and they never felt ill-mannered regardless of what I threw at them.
Thus, I find myself in a bit of a difficult spot now. The JJs are almost what I was after with the Yeti, but not quite. I found myself wishing they were just a tad wider, especially at the tips, and that they had just a bit tighter sidecut radius ... maybe 9-10m. The interesting thing is that I never found myself wishing they were shorter.
If I do revisit the Yeti build at some point I will likely shoot for something between 140 and 150 cm long and with a similar profile as the JJs, but a bit wider. The JJs are a truly fantastic design.
For those that may be interested, I will post up some side by side comparison photos of the JJs and Sherpas this weekend. Also, I'll try to get some video the next time I'm out later this month.
I imagine I will continue skiboarding on the Sherpas and Marauders a bit, but I have a feeling the JJs may end being my "go-to" ride most days.
Skiboarding has been an interesting journey for me. It turned me on to snowsports the way skiing and snowboarding never could. My first snowsport love was KTPs. Then, I moved on to Condors. Then, to Sherpas and Marauders. Now, I don't even own KTPs or Condors and don't find myself missing them. There is a part of me that is a bit sad about that ... like a long lost college girlfriend (the one that got away) ... yet an acceptance that there will never be any going back.
I hope this does not get me kicked out of the club.
I've really loved this forum and the community. I also have a tremendous appreciation for Greco... the products he provides, his commitment to keeping skiboarding alive and his commitment to serving his customer base.I really struggled with whether or not to write this up and submit this thread. A part of me feels disloyal... like I am abandoning the very thing that opened the door for me to enjoy snowsports. I'm not sure if I'll be on skiboards at all by next season, but I do plan to stay connected, make Shredfest this season and hopefully keep making Shredfest each year. I guess time will tell if I come back around and try short boards redux at some point.
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