LOL on this Newschoolers Forum

[solaceiam]

http://www.newschoolers.com/forum/th...Skiboard-Forum

[Bad Wolf]

"It's cool to be a cat"

hahahah puts the u in fun, thats hilarious,

theres a bunch of underground cats in the skiboard industry that are absolutly tearing it up these days,

[STILL BOARDING]

I had no idea people felt this strongly about a sport most have never tried. I could not be on the mountain if not for ski boards.

[Wookie]

I had no idea people felt this strongly about a sport most have never tried. I could not be on the mountain if not for ski boards.

Haters gonna hate ....

BTW that thread on newschoolers was from 2003 .... that's a long time ago .... Pre-RVL8 (2005).

[STILL BOARDING]

Haters gonna hate ....

BTW that thread on newschoolers was from 2003 .... that's a long time ago .... Pre-RVL8 (2005).

Do you think the results would be wildly different if this was posed today?

[Bad Wolf]

Do you think the results would be wildly different if this was posed today?

Even after all these years, the ski industry either can't,'or won't, make the distinction between skiboards and skiblades. As a sport, we are probably the only ones who take ourselves seriously. You will occasionally find an instructor who uses short skis for teaching, but in general, skiblades are what good skiers use on gapper day to good off on.

Having said that, I usually get positive remarks and even genuine interest from folks on the ski lift. I know many people complain about attitude from the lifties, but I find most people seem to have a "what ever floats your boat" attitude nowadays. I have brought up the subject on Epic a few times and after the usual knee jerk mockery, a surprising amount of the members there admit to using shorter skis at times.

[cj4soccer]

Back in the late 90s when I first started skiboarding, most people I ran into at resorts had no clue what the heck those "short skis" I had strapped to my feet were. Now, nearly twenty years later, I still get people asking, "what are those?". Last season, though, I had tons of interest in my snowboard boot setup. Maybe my experience is not representative, but it's hard to believe the sport is still so unknown to so many...

[shortydude]

Oh the irony.

They can react with intolerance towards people and things that they believe may offend someone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Snowflake

[mary]

Sometimes I see stuff like that forum and worry about it, but then I remember that what I ride has nothing to do with anyone other than myself. At my home resort, people seem slightly interested and generally not spiteful like the people on that forum. In the lift lines, people mostly just point at them and discuss them among themselves, sometimes asking me what they are and if they're fun. So I just answer their questions and tell them why I enjoy them, and maybe hand them a SBOL card. The worst experience I've had was when lifties kept making fun of me for them and calling them baby snowboards. It just got old after the 4th time on the lift

[Roussel]

the snowblade-skiblades-skateski-miniski-shortski vs skiboards distinction is over rated and probably hurts our sport more than anything imho.

obviously it makes sense for sbol/rvl8 to use the distinction as a selling point for their product, but as far as a general term its like argueing over different kinds of apples...

You don't see people argueing that skiing with full length powder skis or full length beginner skis saying that they are not doing the same sport.

Even after all these years, the ski industry either can't,'or won't, make the distinction between skiboards and skiblades. As a sport, we are probably the only ones who take ourselves seriously. You will occasionally find an instructor who uses short skis for teaching, but in general, skiblades are what good skiers use on gapper day to good off on.

Having said that, I usually get positive remarks and even genuine interest from folks on the ski lift. I know many people complain about attitude from the lifties, but I find most people seem to have a "what ever floats your boat" attitude nowadays. I have brought up the subject on Epic a few times and after the usual knee jerk mockery, a surprising amount of the members there admit to using shorter skis at times.

[Bad Wolf]

You don't see people argueing that skiing with full length powder skis or full length beginner skis saying that they are not doing the same sport.

Skiers are highly critical of ski length, specifically skis they deem too short. I receive as much mockery on Epic for using 165 cm ski as I do skiboards. Even my 168s are too short to be ridden "safely" at speed. Their categories are "approved" and "not approved".

obviously it makes sense for sbol/rvl8 to use the distinction as a selling point for their product

I understand that we would want to build a product line based on quality, but I don't understand the need to criticize skiblades. We feel slighted when skiers tell us we are on inferior equipment. I'm sure the folks on skiblades feel the same way when we criticize them. We all seem to suffer from the same superiority complex, thinking that our ride is better than the other guy. In reality we are all just having fun on what suits us the best and have no desire to "upgrade". So..............

the snowblade-skiblades-skateski-miniski-shortski vs skiboards distinction is over rated and probably hurts our sport more than anything imho.

..............yes, I agree.

[macrophotog]

i understand that we would want to build a product line based on quality, but i don't understand the need to criticize skiblades. We feel slighted when skiers tell us we are on inferior equipment. I'm sure the folks on skiblades feel the same way when we criticize them. We all seem to suffer from the same superiority complex, thinking that our ride is better than the other guy. In reality we are all just having fun on what suits us the best and have no desire to "upgrade". So.............

the snowblade-skiblades-skateski-miniski-shortski vs skiboards distinction is over rated and probably hurts our sport more than anything

agree!

[Bluewing]

@Bad Wolf said: "Skiers are highly critical of ski length, specifically skis they deem too short. I receive as much mockery on Epic for using 165 cm ski as I do skiboards. Even my 168s are too short to be ridden "safely" at speed. Their categories are "approved" and "not approved"."

I am by no means an expert, but I think in general many (maybe most?) people, including those who work at ski shops, are not well-informed about properly selecting ski length. The guides you see on websites are general guidelines by height, weight, skier type and maybe gender. As skiboards have demonstrated, an individual can ski on just about any length device as long as they are willing to adapt to it. The only major consideration might be having a device that is capable of supporting the skier's mass without breaking or bindings pulling loose.

Bumps for Boomers, the mogul ski clinic based in Aspen, has a good series of posts on selecting ski length. Bottom line for me - get skis/skiboards/skiblades/snowblades in the length that work for you.

https://www.bumpsforboomers.com/ski-...er-ski-length/

https://www.bumpsforboomers.com/2016...s-part-2-of-4/

https://www.bumpsforboomers.com/2016...n-part-3-of-4/

https://www.bumpsforboomers.com/2016...s-part-4-of-4/

A few of my favorite nuggets from the above:

"If you are more interested in balance and speed control than you are in speed you want to consider a shorter ski. If you prefer to ski slower, select a shorter ski with a smaller turning radius. If you prefer to ski fast, select a longer ski with a larger turning radius."

"What specific type of skis should I be looking at? If you prefer speed, consider yourself aggressive, have low anxiety, are a risk taker, are strong and durable with fast reflexes, ski a good number of days each season, have no history of orthopedic injuries or replaced body parts and prefer top-to-bottom groomed runs or like to run gates … these are all factors which would argue for a longer ski. Why? Because you will likely want to ski faster."

"If you are older with slowing reflexes and fatigue easier than you used to, prefer skiing slowly, are not aggressive, have anxiety and want to avoid injury at all cost, have experienced a knee replacement, ski a small number of days per year, are not in as good a shape as you used to be and your intention is to primarily ski moguls and powder you want a shorter ski with a shorter turning radius. Why? Because you will likely want to turn easier and ski slower."

[Kocho]

It is equally silly to read discussions on Epicski (for example) where many emphatically suggest that just about anyone of average size should be on 180cm skis or longer, or ... they are not good skiers...

On the other hand, the Bumps for Boomers says this:

"Can We Be More Specific? For Boomers we are seeing great results with all-mountain mid-fat skis that have 80mm-85mm in width underfoot in a 150cm – 160cm length for men and 146cm – 156cm for women." Sounds just about right to me for most of most people's skiing. Somewhat validates my decision to get the Head iSpeed Titan to try: a 80mm ski in 156cm, and "short" turn radius for this winter

That said, long skis do have a good place even in a quiver of primarily short skis. A couple of seasons ago, after having skiboarded for a few seasons exclusively, I bought my first pair of "serious" skis, the Volkl RTM 84 in 176cm (although most guidance for me was to go with the 180cm+ size). The first few times on them were extremely disappointing: heavy and difficult to maneuver compared to skiboards. But with some perseverance, they became great and on some days my preferred skis. Why? Because their length, stability, excellent edge hold, rocker (but not much), and solid performance is just what I want when I want to go faster and on any snow other than very deep powder. Anything shorter (skiboards, and Jeff's short skis) felt disappointing in back to back comparison to me in the same conditions. But when I slow down, want to have easier time, or just ski on a smaller resort, the shorter skis win almost every time (except in certain snow conditions and where it is quite steep, so there is no substitute to length in order to get enough stopping power during short turns to be able to ski linked turns rather than slide sideways mostly between turns in order to control speed).

I really liked the discussion on bumps for boomers, as it seems to capture my experience quite well.

[STILL BOARDING]

So the more things change, the more things remain the same!