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I rode Snowblades, and I liked them. 
Don't worry, I'm not giving up my RVL8s any time soon. This season was pretty crumby in terms of coverage; we didn't get much snow until February, and even after that it was rock city out there. A lot of my favorite spots were basically unrideable for a large proportion of the season, and some that were technically open were too rocky to attempt without major board damage. I sacrificed my Spliffs this year as a good all-round pair of boards and didn't get my Playmakers out on the Horse at all (did one day with my niece and nephew at Big White with them, but no real terrain). My DLPs came out a couple of times but rarely, as I didn't want to damage them.
By the middle of the season, my edges, despite frequent touch-ups by hand, were basically butter knives.... serrated but completely dull (bases are heavily scuffed and have a few small core shots). It was extreme slarve city, almost to the point of riding on snow saucers. Pretty much could descend the slopes at any angle of attack without slowing down or catching an edge. The cores might be getting a little worn out too, after three or four solid seasons and few million vertical feet of hard riding. It's probably worth getting a professional tune done on them, but it would take a lot of grinding to get the edges back, so they're going to be relegated to rock boards or loaners.
The big vertical days of slamming icy bumps in the first part of the season took a toll on one of my knees, and trying to set a dull edge on wide boards continuously didn't help. Bagged one semi-decent powder day and one or two 10 cm days, but really wasn't feeling too stoked about the season and didn't feel like I was upping my game at all this year.
A buddy of mine who is moving gave me an old pair of Salomon Minirace 99.9s that he didn't want to take with him. I'd ridden them once before, and this year declared a 'blade day' where I rode those, said buddy rode my DLPs, and another friend brought her pair of Snowblades out for a good goof-around. He very much enjoyed the DLPs. My other friend (who's quite a bit shorter than me but was absolutely shredding on old straight 210 cm racing skis on our Retro Day) says she's starting to see why I ride the lengths I do. Will get her on some proper boards in the powder, next season.
We dropped some pretty serious terrain on snowblades... they suck in powder, but it was good for a laugh. On the groomers, though, they rip. That particular model has a very beefy frame, so they're narrow, stiff, and (importantly this season) SHARP. They're more stable than I would have expected, and very fast. Took them out again for all of closing day, and saw a lot of other people on various blades (even one on Sled Dogs). Blew a few minds passing skiers that thought they were fast on some of the big ripper groomed runs.... hehe.
It's been a while since I've been on sub-100 cm boards and now I'm curious about some shorter models... will have to connect with Bert to try some rockered Blunts and SIIs next year. Also wondering about how the the Rumspringas compare, provided I could track a pair down. I love my big bad wide boards and prefer some rocker to keep me out of trouble, but a narrow and nasty speed board could be fun once in a while, too. Definitely liked the lighter feel underfoot. Have been eyeing the Stickys since they came out, but I'm not sure they'd be stiff enough.
Ah, quivers... I used to laugh at the quiver people, but it just makes for really excellent condition-specific days sometimes. I'll need a new pair of Spliff for next season (since they're still the best all-rounders for what I do) but might have to keep an eye out for a deal on some other boards to play with. Since I got the Playmakers (good on hard conditions), my DLPs are rarely my first choice to ride, but I'll likely keep them as they're excellent for introducing skiers to the sport. I put another friend on my DLPs on closing day, and he was super stoked with the experience and is keen to get some skiboards, now.
Don't worry, I'm not giving up my RVL8s any time soon. This season was pretty crumby in terms of coverage; we didn't get much snow until February, and even after that it was rock city out there. A lot of my favorite spots were basically unrideable for a large proportion of the season, and some that were technically open were too rocky to attempt without major board damage. I sacrificed my Spliffs this year as a good all-round pair of boards and didn't get my Playmakers out on the Horse at all (did one day with my niece and nephew at Big White with them, but no real terrain). My DLPs came out a couple of times but rarely, as I didn't want to damage them.
By the middle of the season, my edges, despite frequent touch-ups by hand, were basically butter knives.... serrated but completely dull (bases are heavily scuffed and have a few small core shots). It was extreme slarve city, almost to the point of riding on snow saucers. Pretty much could descend the slopes at any angle of attack without slowing down or catching an edge. The cores might be getting a little worn out too, after three or four solid seasons and few million vertical feet of hard riding. It's probably worth getting a professional tune done on them, but it would take a lot of grinding to get the edges back, so they're going to be relegated to rock boards or loaners.
The big vertical days of slamming icy bumps in the first part of the season took a toll on one of my knees, and trying to set a dull edge on wide boards continuously didn't help. Bagged one semi-decent powder day and one or two 10 cm days, but really wasn't feeling too stoked about the season and didn't feel like I was upping my game at all this year.
A buddy of mine who is moving gave me an old pair of Salomon Minirace 99.9s that he didn't want to take with him. I'd ridden them once before, and this year declared a 'blade day' where I rode those, said buddy rode my DLPs, and another friend brought her pair of Snowblades out for a good goof-around. He very much enjoyed the DLPs. My other friend (who's quite a bit shorter than me but was absolutely shredding on old straight 210 cm racing skis on our Retro Day) says she's starting to see why I ride the lengths I do. Will get her on some proper boards in the powder, next season.
We dropped some pretty serious terrain on snowblades... they suck in powder, but it was good for a laugh. On the groomers, though, they rip. That particular model has a very beefy frame, so they're narrow, stiff, and (importantly this season) SHARP. They're more stable than I would have expected, and very fast. Took them out again for all of closing day, and saw a lot of other people on various blades (even one on Sled Dogs). Blew a few minds passing skiers that thought they were fast on some of the big ripper groomed runs.... hehe.
It's been a while since I've been on sub-100 cm boards and now I'm curious about some shorter models... will have to connect with Bert to try some rockered Blunts and SIIs next year. Also wondering about how the the Rumspringas compare, provided I could track a pair down. I love my big bad wide boards and prefer some rocker to keep me out of trouble, but a narrow and nasty speed board could be fun once in a while, too. Definitely liked the lighter feel underfoot. Have been eyeing the Stickys since they came out, but I'm not sure they'd be stiff enough.
Ah, quivers... I used to laugh at the quiver people, but it just makes for really excellent condition-specific days sometimes. I'll need a new pair of Spliff for next season (since they're still the best all-rounders for what I do) but might have to keep an eye out for a deal on some other boards to play with. Since I got the Playmakers (good on hard conditions), my DLPs are rarely my first choice to ride, but I'll likely keep them as they're excellent for introducing skiers to the sport. I put another friend on my DLPs on closing day, and he was super stoked with the experience and is keen to get some skiboards, now.
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