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Good and (very) bad experiences from first boarding holiday.

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  • Good and (very) bad experiences from first boarding holiday.

    Just got back from my first full week on boards. Of course, being Europe, the boards I rented were not great, but I enjoyed it enough that I now want to buy my own before the next holiday.

    In total I used three different pairs of boards and had a varying experience with them. I wondered if you guys could tell me how to avoid the bad parts by helping me choose the correct board for me. Note: I'm 18, about 5'11" and about 10.5 stone.

    The first boards I had were Salomon Buzz 90s - the red zebra effect ones. The turning radius on them is awesome (coming from skis) and I had a great time for the first couple of days. But I started to go a bit faster on the reds and I wanted something a bit more stable at speed.

    So I went back to the rental shop, but they didn't have any longer Salomons. (Hey, at least with Salomons I know what I'm getting!) So I rather reluctantly took some "Gaspo Snowskate 99s" that I'd never heard of before. They were 99cm, 103-86-95 and made in Austria. They had crappy plastic bindings and apparently a wood core - and felt much, MUCH lighter than the Buzz 90s, despite the extra length. Certainly easier to carry around.

    I got back onto a blue and immediately found that something was wrong. This is what I'd like you to help with, because I've no idea "what" was wrong.

    The turning was horrendous. Now I'm sure it wasn't the length that was the problem - I come from skiing and I could turn those fine, and skis are way longer than 99. I also used 99cm Salomons last year on the last day, with great success. Besides, this was a very easy groomed slope. But every time I tried to turn - even though there was enough snow and it wasn't very steep - the edges seemed to give up. The boards caught and released with a jerk, several times a second for about 10 or 15 catches per turn.

    It was disconcerting, and knackering for my legs, and after struggling down the blue I felt completely worn out. I went up the blue again to give them one more go - but the same thing happened again.

    So I reluctantly went down the mountain on the lifts and traded in my Gaspos for another pair of Buzz 90s. This was a different pair but it was still much better: back up the mountain I could tear down the reds again, never mind blues. They were heavier, to be sure, and I guess they had the standard foam cores, but they felt infinitely better. Turning was no problem, even on steep slopes and on hard snow which was bordering on ice.

    Despite being 9cm shorter than the Gaspos they felt much more stable, both going straight and in the turn.

    Obviously when I buy my own boards from SBOL I want to make sure I don't repeat the experience. So what do you think it was about the Gaspos? Knackered edges? Too light? Too stiff, or flexible? Too narrow? Or maybe it was my fault - rider error? Maybe my style was wrong for those boards?


    Any help much appreciated!
    Cheers,
    Ben

  • #2
    Sounds a bit like my transition from 80 cm blades to 99 cm skiboards last year. It felt like I couldnt catch an edge, so I just kind of skidded sideways instead of turning.

    Its kind of hard to explain, but you have to ride more aggresively. Just standing upright and turning your feet a bit wont cut it anymore with longer skiboards, you have to put your whole body innto the turn to make the boards work. When you figure this out, longer skiboards should not be a problem.

    Riding El Bajong Freeride skiboards with Bomber elite bindings

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    • #3
      maybe in addition to what el bajong said the 99's had their bindings set back from center and you were applying too much weight to the tails. like el said, if you rode more aggressively or shifted your weight more forward it might have stopped the chattering and such.

      g

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      • #4
        Leaning forward did seem to make a bit of a (positive) difference. Not much though.

        Are you saying that a symmetrical board would be better?

        The thing is, I was fine on the 99s last year, though I only rode them for a day.

        Comment


        • #5
          it's tough to say but i do think the problem was most likely your riding style. i've had similar experiences with boards and found i have to adjust my riding stlye slightly to accomodate the variations in design. once i find the right "way" to ride 'em it's business as usual.

          g

          Comment


          • #6
            It's the boards. And it's not just the length that has to do with turning radius, it's the basetype, sidecut, flex, camber, how much the edge is worn, and a little bit of variation of all-of-the-above to top it off.

            There are long boards that turn really quickly (BGPro's, Revel8), and there are short boards that turn slowly (like the Blade77) just as there are short boards that turn quickly (Snojam75) and long boards that turn slowly (Snowjam99)

            What you probably picked up was probably an inferior designed and constructed board that didn't handle well.

            If you're saying that a Saloman rode better than these, it doesn't say much for this manufacturer. What was it again?
            Snow Jam 90TT

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            • #7
              Ooh, I like that opinion. The manufacturer was "Gaspo".

              Now, G, I'm sick and tired of reading all these good reviews about the Revel8 so I think I may break down and order a pair. If I have problems with *those*, then I know it's my fault. And if I don't, I can blame it all on the Gaspos.

              A few questions first.

              1) Do you sell board bags that will fit the Revel8?

              2) Do the wide brakes on the Spruce Pro Prime risers fit the Revel8? Because they are remarkably wide..

              3) I know waxing means better performance, but will I do any damage by not waxing?


              Cheers.
              Ben

              Comment


              • #8
                1. we have two bags that will work with the revolts...the 140cm rc bag and the rc bond country pack.

                2. i just emailed jeff at spruce to see if how wide the brake is, we don't have any of those bindings in stock right now.

                3. apart from the obvious speed and handling benefits of waxing it protects your bases from wear.

                g

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                • #9
                  Thanks. I sent you an email.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    If any of you play electric guitar and have a well padded gig bag, you cantake off the bindings, wrap your boards in a towel and carry it in the soft case. they usually fit pretty snug and are about the same size.

                    well these work for my boards, not sure about hte revolts cause they're longer, but guitar sizes vary as well

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