bigwavedave

...and a billy club on the base?

I think Mark's got this. It'll be comparable to a K168, but with all the juicy Thirst ingredients (ex-el sidecut, quasi-isotropic asymmetrical "WARP" core with added slices of metal & rubber in the middle. It'll have similar specs—157-ish ee for a smooth ride, 10m-ish average sidecut that likes to make complete turns for controlling speed. The overall length is less important to me than ee and turning radius. The idea for Tonya is a smallish, nimble board optimized for a comfortable ride on ice. There might even be an optional plate system. And, who knows, you might be be able to order it with a side of pasties, a wedge of Vermont cheddar (ubiquitous when I lived in Vermont) and maybe a lobstah roll (the Maine pasty?) for the Maineiacs. How I miss a good lobster roll!!

Video of my first ride on my 9sw earlier this spring. Somebody requested a video? 195cm, 18cm waist and a bigly scr. Starts with 30 seconds of ogling the board before getting to 1st tracks carving on 2" of perfectly smooth cord over hard ice on a wide green run... This board has been surprisingly fun in a variety of conditions. It has remarkably good edge hold ice, even if that's not the first thing I would think to use it for. I was actually surprised when I took a shorter board with Gecko style plates out after this video and got bounced around quite a bit. The ice was rough under there. I found I really like riding it late in the day when everything is chopped up, as it just smooths everything out like it's not even there. As good or better than an iso-plate on a shorter board. I found myself looking forward to making a few runs on wide, uncrowded green hills at the end of the day. It requires plenty of room and I'm still learning how to ride it as I keep misjudging how tight I can turn. I'm still not very comfortable getting off the beginner hill with it, but that's okay, because it goes so fast that it's still a thrilling ride. It's a little like you're flying an F16 and everyone else is flying in Cessnas.

I'm already on board with the Tonya. We should talk... Mark's mind seems to be constantly spinning with new concepts and his boards seem to be getting better. I had the same sensation riding the tesi8 as I had the first time I rode a Thirst. It immediately grabbed my attention feeling different than anything else in my quiver (which is mainly Thirsts now). Confidence to do things I might otherwise hesitate to do, as if I could will it to turn quicker, tighter. Could be partly the skinny thing, the metal is certainly a piece of it, but there seems to be some other new magic. I didn't want to give it back...and I didn't.

So, I visited Mark in north Idaho and rode with him at Schweitzer. Rode the tesi8 and fell in love with it after the first few turns. He let me take it home and I got to ride it a bunch in some nice conditions. I like it a lot. Yes, it's a little less lively with the well behaved dampness you'd expect from a metal board. It's audibly quieter as well. I love how it turns! Almost feels like there's something else new in this board, not just the metal. Maybe a slight change to the sidecut and the flex pattern? Turns feel smoother than my 8rw. Seems to slice through lumpy snow better, is more nimble and feels like it turns a bit tighter. I'm not sure, but I think much of that is due to it being significantly skinnier (at 18.5cm) than my 8rw (at 20cm). I'm liking skinny boards again (and long ones too). I wish now that I had demoed some of his other new boards, but maybe it's good that I didn't, because I'm already thinking of revamping my quiver starting with the tesi8.

these last 2 weeks had some of the best conditions this winter...

Triggered a flashback for me...

Mild temporary "headache" is worth the price of having comfy feet all day long. MS boots have a very narrow instep that makes it hard to slip feet with a high instep in easily, no matter the type of liner. I think it helps lock down the heel. I found the "Zipfit method" made it easier and painless getting my feet in and out of the shells. Warming the boots in a heated bag (or in front of your car heater) helps and is recommended as it facilitates molding the cork while having the added bonus of helping maintain warm feet for the rest of the day. Maybe not a problem in Miami?

Nice photo Jack!

Sunday That's a wrap... The last track looks like the first track.

Last day tomorrow in northern MN. Warmest winter here in 150 years of record keeping. A mediocre season that has ended brilliantly with one storm delivering more snow than we received all winter. Sayonara El Niño

Friday Similar to the past few days, sunny and warm 30 - 45°. Arrived mid morning to avoid the frozen early morning groom. A little busier today, but never a lift line or traffic on slopes. ~4" of slushy snow over an ice base. Carve hard and you find the ice. Relaxed carving at the end of the day riding the 9sw, making some nice trenches and thinking about a foggy geezer & burnt onion soup... Rode for a few hours on 3 boards; tesi8, TSm², 9sw. Sunday is the last day. Might be there.

tracks of the tesi8

Thurs 40 - 45° & sunny Arrived casual-late for an afternoon session. Snow was just getting sticky in the sun after a few runs. Stopped to rub on some fast-stik warm. Had to reapply after a couple of runs, then it lasted til I was done (another hour or so.) There is still plenty of snow. A few inches of soft slush over a softened ice base. No bare or thin spots. Saw some one out measuring and recording snow depths around the hill. Looked like he was getting roughly 2 foot depths everywhere. Carvalicious... ...and nobody there...

My last runs today on relatively untouched groom on Cortina at Giants Ridge, MN... A few more days left...