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My skiing over the last several years on my clunky 186ers had become very stale to point where I was regressing and no longer enjoying it. My 50+ year old hips were in constant pain and didn’t appreciate trying to maneuver those redwoods strapped to my feet. I started looking for an alternative and came across some of Talon Sei’s videos about skiboards. He makes it look so easy of course and damn those boards look cool!
I dove deep down the rabbit hole into the SBOL forum, researching everything I could for several weeks. There was so much detailed advice about models, technique and pros/cons. Both Greco and Jeff Singer were very helpful in steering me in the right direction. Jeff patiently walked me through the risers, bindings and board profiles. I ended up with a pair of Crossbows for the frontside and Osprey for powder days out here in Colorado.
My first impressions – what a blast! So much more free and fluid than my old clunkers. A completely different experience.
On the first day, the snow was firm with nice bite. Great groomer day at Winter Park so I pulled out the Crossbows. My initial couple of runs on greens were bit shaky. I felt like a fish out of water. My fore-aft balance was off. It felt like I was about to launch over the handlebars. I remembered reading on forum to try and stay more centered on skiboards. I eased off on the forward pressure and started to get the hang of it.
I then ventured out to a few wide-open blues. I stopped using poles (held them in one hand). That really seemed to help me with balance and get into the flow. The freedom reminded me of my snowboarding days in a good way.
I then began focusing on getting the skis on edge with a more aggressive wider stance (“gorilla-style” as someone had mentioned here). Wow! I was laying some rails, which I haven't done well in years. I stopped trying to muscle the Crossbows and instead followed their radius. Wonderful tight rounded turns. I could really feel the flex under the risers! I also noticed that I was able to put more weight on my inside ski for more of a two footed turn, which helps with my hip pain issue.
I then played around on the slope edges, trying out a mono-board type stance with nickel between the knees. The slarving was so much fun. Even ran into some chunky snow with no issues.
Finally, I headed into the moguls. This may have been the highlight of my day. I suck at moguls and nearly gave them up except on perfect powder days. With the Crossbows, I was so much more nimble! It was night and way compared to my old skis. And the trees! New terrain was opening up before my eyes.
Someone on the forum had mentioned that skiboarding is so much more fun when you stop trying to impose traditional ski technique such as forward pressure and weighting/unweighting. I agree wholeheartedly after my second day on the Crossbows with similar conditions. I found myself enjoying a more fluid and playful two-footed style with lots of varied turns. A truly liberating experience.
See a few pics below (the old lumbering Rossi skis have been put in storage!).
I dove deep down the rabbit hole into the SBOL forum, researching everything I could for several weeks. There was so much detailed advice about models, technique and pros/cons. Both Greco and Jeff Singer were very helpful in steering me in the right direction. Jeff patiently walked me through the risers, bindings and board profiles. I ended up with a pair of Crossbows for the frontside and Osprey for powder days out here in Colorado.
My first impressions – what a blast! So much more free and fluid than my old clunkers. A completely different experience.
On the first day, the snow was firm with nice bite. Great groomer day at Winter Park so I pulled out the Crossbows. My initial couple of runs on greens were bit shaky. I felt like a fish out of water. My fore-aft balance was off. It felt like I was about to launch over the handlebars. I remembered reading on forum to try and stay more centered on skiboards. I eased off on the forward pressure and started to get the hang of it.
I then ventured out to a few wide-open blues. I stopped using poles (held them in one hand). That really seemed to help me with balance and get into the flow. The freedom reminded me of my snowboarding days in a good way.
I then began focusing on getting the skis on edge with a more aggressive wider stance (“gorilla-style” as someone had mentioned here). Wow! I was laying some rails, which I haven't done well in years. I stopped trying to muscle the Crossbows and instead followed their radius. Wonderful tight rounded turns. I could really feel the flex under the risers! I also noticed that I was able to put more weight on my inside ski for more of a two footed turn, which helps with my hip pain issue.
I then played around on the slope edges, trying out a mono-board type stance with nickel between the knees. The slarving was so much fun. Even ran into some chunky snow with no issues.
Finally, I headed into the moguls. This may have been the highlight of my day. I suck at moguls and nearly gave them up except on perfect powder days. With the Crossbows, I was so much more nimble! It was night and way compared to my old skis. And the trees! New terrain was opening up before my eyes.
Someone on the forum had mentioned that skiboarding is so much more fun when you stop trying to impose traditional ski technique such as forward pressure and weighting/unweighting. I agree wholeheartedly after my second day on the Crossbows with similar conditions. I found myself enjoying a more fluid and playful two-footed style with lots of varied turns. A truly liberating experience.
See a few pics below (the old lumbering Rossi skis have been put in storage!).
. I do a lot of Nordic XC skiing, both track and off-track, but have not made it to backcountry yet without proper safety gear and training. But the idea of maneuverable skiboards has got me thinking again about it...
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