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The Andorra 2019/2020 Skiboarding Report

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  • The Andorra 2019/2020 Skiboarding Report

    It is only a couple of weeks before the season opens. This is my blog roll of how skiboarding over the season progresses and whether I meet any skiboarders here.

    I have bought my skipass a couple of days ago. This year the prices have got up from €179 to €201 (yes, it is still a bargain).

    Snow has already been falling in drips and draps in September and October, but this is early and some of it will definitely melt away before the season opens.


    BTW If you want more general details on skiboarding in Andorra see the Andorra Resort Report.
    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

  • #2
    We moved into a new place in early autumn. Great views and you can see the gondola of the Arinsal ski resort in the one pic.

    Hey, yes we had some snow already too.

    Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

    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


    • #3
      Since we now have a proper garage we set up some storage for the winter equipment.

      I still need to fit some small crossbars so that the skiboards are not standing in a puddle of water after a day out.

      Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

      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


      • #4
        Originally posted by ysb33r View Post
        We moved into a new place in early autumn. Great views and you can see the gondola of the Arinsal ski resort in the one pic.

        Hey, yes we had some snow already too.

        Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
        Beautiful!
        Boards/Bindings:
        2013 Spruce Sherpas w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
        2023 Spruce Stingers w/Tyrolia Peak 11s
        2015 RVL8 Blunt XLs w/Tyrolia Attack 13s
        2020 RVL8 Sticky Icky Ickys w/Tyrolia SX 10s


        Boots:
        Salomon X-Pro 80

        Past boards: Salomon Snowblades, Line MNPs 89 & 98 cm, Five-Os, Bullets, Jedis, Spruce 120s, LE 125s, Ospreys, Crossbows
        Summit 110s, Nomads, Jades, RVL8 ALPs, BWPs, KTPs, Tanshos, Rockets, DLPs, Blunts, Condors, RCs, Revolts, Spliffs

        Comment


        • #5
          And now the snow is finally getting into the village...



          Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

          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


          • #6
            The first resort opened this weekend. As I thought snow coverage might not be that good I opted to rather do a skimo trip to get into the spirit of things. I also invested in an Osprey Kamber 32 for this eason so it was a chance to give it a test drive.

            I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of snow cover that did exist, so I am thinking of heading out for some proper skiing on Tuesday morning for when blue skies are forecasted.



            Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

            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


            • #7
              The first resort opened this weekend. As I thought snow coverage might not be that good I opted to rather do a skimo trip to get into the spirit of things. I also invested in an Osprey Kamber 32 for this eason so it was a chance to give it a test drive.

              I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of snow cover that did exist, so I am thinking of heading out for some proper skiing on Tuesday morning for when blue skies are forecasted.



              Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

              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


              • #8
                Finally the postman came knocking!!
                \

                I originally ordered 2x pairs of Crossbows as backups, but when I heard about the new Slingshots I asked Jeff to substitute me a pair. So they finally arrived. I am quite keen to see how the narrower tail will affect turning on groomed slopes.


                Going to take them for a test drive on New Year's day. Too much freeze-thaw over the last week, so side-piste riding is rock-hard. Really waiting to get a good dusting of snow later in the week.


                Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
                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


                • #9
                  Hi there, thanks for your posts about ski boarding in Andorra, very informative. I’m living just outside of Toulouse and heading over to Andorra with my wife and skiboards for the first time next week, will you be around at that time or back in the states? Regards. Ben

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi Ben,

                    I am in the US 17 Feb - 1 Mar.

                    Any other time hit me up in Andorra. So if you're coming next week, just privmsg me your mobile and we can connect on Whatsapp/Telegram.

                    Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk


                    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


                    • #11
                      I was out on the Ospreys today in the backcountry. We were a couple of people, some very experiened and I was the only person on skiboards.

                      It was a tough day for me on the accent as I slipped three times on a steep icy slope and slid down part of the slope. We later found out that there has been a Pyrenees-wide alert on the icy conditions.

                      The decent was much better. Tricky due to the continuous variable terrain, but I was never in discomfort. Although I did miss the agility of the Crossbows or Slingshots.

                      A couple of things I noticed on the Ospreys and the backcountry touring kit.

                      - Climbing with crampons does not always work well due to the position of the crampon on the Ambition binding. This means that the crampon disengages too early when trying to step-turn.

                      - When traversing a steep icy slope there is not always enough edge,.so the movement became slow and precautionary. Thinner bavkcountry skis did better here as they needed less of a ledge to glide. Maybe more experience might resolve this.

                      - The Ospreys handled mixed terrain on the decent very well. We had everything today - icy patches, soft patches, slush, steeps, trees, rocky terrain. But the Ospreys are beasts and perform better when they have some speed. Turning tight on mixed terrain between the trees was tricky. I noticed that sometimes the edges caught ans pizza/snow plough turns were the best. It was the first time I had to do this. Didn't feel to bad as I noticed a number of people on backcountry skis did the same.

                      - The skins that Jeff recommended have very good grip and soon as the snow softened, traversing steep slopes without crampons was easier. Tiring, but easier. The group leader commented on how well it gripped.

                      Hey ho, some photos...



                      Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk



                      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


                      • #12
                        A slight dusting of snow and another day to test the Slingshots out in Arinsal. It is pretty easy to get a low turning stance on them.

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                        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


                        • #13
                          Fitted a pair of Crossbows with a set of rental bindings. Going to take them for spin tomorrow to check performance with a much heavier binding than the Attacks.



                          Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

                          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


                          • #14
                            I started the morning riding Slingshots, then about lunch-time, I switched to the Crossbows with the Tyrolia SP100 rental bindings. I do think the heavier rental binding makes it slightly less responsive. It's not just because it is heavier, but also because i think something like Tyrolia's modern Attack bindings are much more sensitive. I am however going to maintain this setup and lend it out to people wanting to try skiboards.

                            Later in the day I grabbed a pair of Allz Elailas mounted with Merit / Snowjam NR bindings. This was the 2nd generation boards from Allz which sadly are not longer being manufactured. I keep them because they are such classics. I was a bit apprehensive as I haven't been on NR bindings in a long time and I have not ridden anything this short (94cm) for some time too. And when last did I ride fully-cambered boards? The conditions were just right for these boards. The sun and the morning's skiers have loosened the snow and what a joy it was to ride!!

                            I absolutely sent it down the slopes - first run was actually an mis-labeled black run (it is easier than that), but it was no problem. I am also a much better rider than the first time I imported them in 2011 from Latvia, so that contributed to the enjoyment too. Here is one shot riding them. The photo is from nearly the same place where the Slingshot pictures were grabbed from two days ago (https://forums.skiboardsonline.com/f...393#post261393)

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                            P.S. These are the boards. I see Greco might still have some in stock -> http://www.skiboardsonline.com/p/allz2011.html.

                            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


                            • #15
                              So what do you do if your skiboards get lost in transit between the USA and France? It happened to one of the pairs that BenJozi ordered. Well if you decide to come skiboarding in Andorra, you get a loner pair from yours truly. So we met up in the El Tarter section of the Grandvalira resort today. Benjozi was on his new Sticky Ickys with softboot bindings and his other half on a pair of Allz Elailas with Merit/Snowjam NR bindings. Both of them have some previous skiing experience, but none of them have ever been on real skiboards.

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                              It took a time for Benjozi to adjust to the snowboards bindings and it affirms my bias that the transition is not easy. Going straight from skis on hard boots to skiboards on hard boots is much easier. It takes time to find the required technique to turn correctly on soft boots, especially if there has been more than one year's interval since one's last outing on skis. It is also important to learn to fall correctly, especially on NR bindings - something that he learnt very quickly. I always tell people that if you know it is happenings, to get your feet off the ground as quickly as possible as to not catch a tip or tail, then allow the action of the fall to flow and take the first part of the slide if need be whilst composing yourself again. Finally use the edges of the skiboards to stop the slide (or roll up again onto your feet if you can).

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                              But we spent a great morning riding blue groomers under blue sky whilst they had a chance to practice their technique and I could see the improvement by the end of our day. It's all about [1] learning to trust the edges and [2] not be scared to make the transition in the turn.

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                              The plan is to meet up later in the week again. In the meantime I might just get a chance to sample the lovely six bottles of wine they brought me.

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                              Attached Files
                              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

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