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I've been thinking about a lot of things lately with skiboarding. There are a lot of misconceptions that have developed, even just within the skiboarding. I put this together to address some of these things:
Skiboards can't ride powder. / Small skiboards can't ride powder.
Fiction. All skiboards can ride powder, given adequate rider skill. A lot of times people are quick to blame equipment when it is just ability that is the issue. I've ridden powder on everything down to 90cm boards without issues. It is true that bigger boards help you. Fatter boards allow more float in a smaller package while longer boards allow more fore-aft stability.
A part of the skill involved in powder riding is picking appropriate lines through powder conditions. If you aim at a flat section with lots of powder, you are going to be stuck whether you're on 75cm Bantams or your fattest powder ski.
You can't hit big jumps on skiboards.
Fiction. Not only can you hit huge jumps on skiboards, but you can destroy them. If you look back at the old days, skiboarders consistently hit 50-70 foot jumps without any issues. The only thing that has changed since this is the access that skiboarders have to these jumps. When skiboarding was huge, the pros got to hit professionally built big air jumps all the time. Today, we only get to hit whatever garbage our local mountains have set up. Anyone who thinks skiboards can't hit big jumps needs to have a talk with Dave Lynam...
Good skiboards will not break.
Fiction. This is a fact that sucks, but everyone needs to realize before going out and thrashing on the slopes. Just like skateboards, skiboards can and will break if they are abused. Again, SKIBOARDS WILL BREAK if abused. Skateboarders generally know that if they land in the middle of their boards, they are going to snap. All skiboarders should realize that if you are riding non release bindings and you are coming down with all your weight on the tails, you can snap your boards.
Skis get around this because everyone rides non release. Your bindings release before a ski snaps. Snowboards get around this because it is not natural to land with all your weight on the tails. You naturally avoid this while falling on a snowboard.
I have seen virtually every brand of skiboard snapped. Line, Canon, Revel8, Summit, Groove, Strictly, Salomon, AllZ.... ect. The only ways to avoid this are to avoid landing on your tails or start riding on release. It is really that simple. I learned to fall in ways that avoid putting weight on the tips, because I know this puts extreme stress on the boards. The snapping of boards is more prevalent in longer boards because of the extra leverage you can put on them due to the added lever of the length.
Please realize this and learn to fall or get releasable bindings.
My skiboards got chipped edges, but I never hit them together.
Fiction. There is only one way that this happens. It is not boxes, not rails, and not rocks. This only happens from your edge of one board hitting the top sheet of the other. It really is that simple. It is next to impossible to get this type of damage in any other way.
I've seen this happen tons of times in different ways. If you don't have a wide enough stance, they will hit together while skating. If you carve with your feet close together, they will hit each other. If for some reason you kick you boards together on the lifts, this will happen, and it will be bad.
This is much more exaggerated in modern skiboards for two reasons. The width makes it really easy to hit your boards together, and the sidewall construction makes it easier to chip. If you have issues with the chipping, I highly recommend sanding the sidewalls before riding while learning to ride with a wide stance. The sanding will address the sidewall's tendancy to chip, and the wide stance will avoid the issue all together.
My skiboards chatter. This means they are not good. / I need longer boards.
Fiction. This about rider skill and experience. You need to know your boards, your conditions, and how the two are going to interact. Chatter happens when you try to carve harder than the snow conditions can support. This is more noticable on skiboards because you have less edge support. What does this mean? If you are experiencing chatter, you should work on perfecting your riding style/technique.
I might add more later, but I just wanted to clear some of these up because it seems like a lot of people have the same misconceptions.
Skiboards can't ride powder. / Small skiboards can't ride powder.
Fiction. All skiboards can ride powder, given adequate rider skill. A lot of times people are quick to blame equipment when it is just ability that is the issue. I've ridden powder on everything down to 90cm boards without issues. It is true that bigger boards help you. Fatter boards allow more float in a smaller package while longer boards allow more fore-aft stability.
A part of the skill involved in powder riding is picking appropriate lines through powder conditions. If you aim at a flat section with lots of powder, you are going to be stuck whether you're on 75cm Bantams or your fattest powder ski.
You can't hit big jumps on skiboards.
Fiction. Not only can you hit huge jumps on skiboards, but you can destroy them. If you look back at the old days, skiboarders consistently hit 50-70 foot jumps without any issues. The only thing that has changed since this is the access that skiboarders have to these jumps. When skiboarding was huge, the pros got to hit professionally built big air jumps all the time. Today, we only get to hit whatever garbage our local mountains have set up. Anyone who thinks skiboards can't hit big jumps needs to have a talk with Dave Lynam...
Good skiboards will not break.
Fiction. This is a fact that sucks, but everyone needs to realize before going out and thrashing on the slopes. Just like skateboards, skiboards can and will break if they are abused. Again, SKIBOARDS WILL BREAK if abused. Skateboarders generally know that if they land in the middle of their boards, they are going to snap. All skiboarders should realize that if you are riding non release bindings and you are coming down with all your weight on the tails, you can snap your boards.
Skis get around this because everyone rides non release. Your bindings release before a ski snaps. Snowboards get around this because it is not natural to land with all your weight on the tails. You naturally avoid this while falling on a snowboard.
I have seen virtually every brand of skiboard snapped. Line, Canon, Revel8, Summit, Groove, Strictly, Salomon, AllZ.... ect. The only ways to avoid this are to avoid landing on your tails or start riding on release. It is really that simple. I learned to fall in ways that avoid putting weight on the tips, because I know this puts extreme stress on the boards. The snapping of boards is more prevalent in longer boards because of the extra leverage you can put on them due to the added lever of the length.
Please realize this and learn to fall or get releasable bindings.
My skiboards got chipped edges, but I never hit them together.
Fiction. There is only one way that this happens. It is not boxes, not rails, and not rocks. This only happens from your edge of one board hitting the top sheet of the other. It really is that simple. It is next to impossible to get this type of damage in any other way.
I've seen this happen tons of times in different ways. If you don't have a wide enough stance, they will hit together while skating. If you carve with your feet close together, they will hit each other. If for some reason you kick you boards together on the lifts, this will happen, and it will be bad.
This is much more exaggerated in modern skiboards for two reasons. The width makes it really easy to hit your boards together, and the sidewall construction makes it easier to chip. If you have issues with the chipping, I highly recommend sanding the sidewalls before riding while learning to ride with a wide stance. The sanding will address the sidewall's tendancy to chip, and the wide stance will avoid the issue all together.
My skiboards chatter. This means they are not good. / I need longer boards.
Fiction. This about rider skill and experience. You need to know your boards, your conditions, and how the two are going to interact. Chatter happens when you try to carve harder than the snow conditions can support. This is more noticable on skiboards because you have less edge support. What does this mean? If you are experiencing chatter, you should work on perfecting your riding style/technique.
I might add more later, but I just wanted to clear some of these up because it seems like a lot of people have the same misconceptions.
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