Shred Gruumer Posted March 22, 2019 Report Share Posted March 22, 2019 (edited) So I pulled the trigger pretty much sight unseen and never riden.. I'll give a great local guy a try any day!! All I got to say is " Classy" and "professional". It's a one man show so the anticipation was driving me nuts as my season is done.. Well good fortune hit and it showed up Priorty Mail (standard with purchase) today... And it's snowing!! So off I go this weekend..!! Everything about the purchase was great.. Down to the cool build sheet ya get!! And the included baby blanket is sweet.. Just a really cool professional job.. Not to mention the board is bangin cherry !! So much cool detail.. I tried to pick it up in photos but like others have said photos don't do it justice.. I'm just taken back by the effort and attention to detail and really the little things that just give it that personal touch!! I know what I'm buying next!! Definitely worth the chance.. So glad I did!!! Edited March 22, 2019 by Shred Gruumer 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carvin' Marvin Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 I"m just hoping mine gets here before the mountain closes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shred Gruumer Posted March 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 14 minutes ago, Carvin' Marvin said: I"m just hoping mine gets here before the mountain closes. Mine closes this weekend!!! That was close.. But hey.. It's actually snowing of some significance!!! It's worth the wait!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted March 23, 2019 Report Share Posted March 23, 2019 14 minutes ago, Shred Gruumer said: Mine closes this weekend!!! That was close.. But hey.. It's actually snowing of some significance!!! It's worth the wait!! Looking forward to see this compares too your Oxessessesxnkjfdry78he 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcar Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 Wow, what a bitchin looking board!! Congrats! Love where Mark is going with his top sheet designs. Got to meet Mark and ride the Superconductor and the new X at MCC. Took me some time to get use to his boards (I’m a front foot driver) but fell in love with them once I addapted my riding to them! Cant wait to work with him on a build this summer! I think I’m gonna go with the thin pin-stripe lettering and snowflakes like yours, but blue and “Superconductor” in blue along with blue sidewalls. Please give us a review if you make it out before the season ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shred Gruumer Posted March 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 (edited) It's different for sure.. Its tough conditions today.. . Extreme granular packed frozen in the morning.. It was a a little louder than titanal.. But for what it was conditions wise (rock hard midmest shitski) the thirst road pretty ****ing good.. Then I had about an hour when it softened just enough and could tell the board really shined... Man it can turn... It does ride a bit better set back.. But I'm I'm up a bit than most do.. Hard to tell though as conditions are really hard... I think it's definitely a keeper!!! Again for when the ice turned good.. It turned to life... I really liked it.. Has a better dinamic than my boring same turn Oxess... Has more variability to it.. Blown away on how tight it can turn.. Trick is to angulate and flip it over... As soon as I got my lazy as to commit to getting the board up I would say it road the best... I brought 4 of my best boards to compare and I road the thirst the most as it handled everything on average much better than my others.. I would say if your used to Oxess, coiler, virus... You will not be disappointed!!! It's that good if not at the top... I don't have any investment in any of the companies... I just like good boards... And the Thirst.. Should be on your quiver list!!! Edited March 24, 2019 by Shred Gruumer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 Mark left the hill early mon. just as the ice was turning good, to get boards shipped out, and Marvin's in the press 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, Shred Gruumer said: Has a better dinamic than my boring same turn Oxess... Watch your mouth young man! Edited March 24, 2019 by daveo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyt. Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 Shred, sorry to hear that your season is coming to an end. I would be more than happy to ride your new stick, and give it the proper breakin ride recommended by the manufacturer. What are friends for! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pokolikrat Posted March 24, 2019 Report Share Posted March 24, 2019 13 hours ago, Shred Gruumer said: Has a better dinamic than my boring same turn Oxess... I have similar opinion about Oxxess. One trick pony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comapedrosa Posted March 25, 2019 Report Share Posted March 25, 2019 Still between the Superconductor and a Kessler Alpine 168 for my next addition. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pow4ever Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 Sold the one you like less. quite a few people make it work that way. I also get that $ don't grow on tree. Don't think you can go wrong with neither. Try to demo if possible. What's your use case? race? free/recreation carving? Talk to the builder; that's beauty of our sport. They are very accessable. Tough decision/first world problem lol; best of luck and let us know how it goes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shred Gruumer Posted March 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) 14 hours ago, Comapedrosa said: Still between the Superconductor and a Kessler Alpine 168 for my next addition. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Ouch...couldn't be more different. The Kessler is Titanal and the Thirst is not... that alone on feel is big.. The Kessler is wider so that will feel different. Different sidecut geometry and set back. Will this be your only board? Yea he's right buy both!!! There different!! Edited March 26, 2019 by Shred Gruumer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Shred Gruumer said: Ouch...couldn't be more different. The Kessler is Titanal and the Thirst is not... that alone on feel is big.. The Kessler is wider so that will feel different. Different sidecut geometry and set back. Will this be your only board? Yea he's right buy both!!! There different!! 15 hours ago, Comapedrosa said: Still between the Superconductor and a Kessler Alpine 168 for my next addition. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thirst sidecut likes to complete turns, just keep it on edge and/or apply more pressure to turn tighter. Kessler has a race-course derived variable sidecut radius, so adds fore and aft rider weight distribution to the turning equation; get back on the tail=less turning, nose pressure=tighter turn. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workshop7 Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 22 minutes ago, bigwavedave said: Kessler has a race-course derived variable sidecut radius, so adds fore and aft rider weight distribution to the turning equation; get back on the tail=less turning, nose pressure=tighter turn. I don’t believe that is how the KST works. The 168 in particular is 12 under foot and steadily decreases to 8 as you work your way out to the tip and tail equally. This, combined with some early rise in the tip and tail mean that the turn radius decreases the more you get it on edge (aggressively attack the turn). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, bigwavedave said: Thirst sidecut likes to complete turns, just keep it on edge and/or apply more pressure to turn tighter. Kessler has a race-course derived variable sidecut radius, so adds fore and aft rider weight distribution to the turning equation; get back on the tail=less turning, nose pressure=tighter turn. 1 hour ago, workshop7 said: I don’t believe that is how the KST works. The 168 in particular is 12 under foot and steadily decreases to 8 as you work your way out to the tip and tail equally. This, combined with some early rise in the tip and tail mean that the turn radius decreases the more you get it on edge (aggressively attack the turn). Not sure if either of these are fully correct, actually. I could be incredibly wrong, though. Probably am, let's face it. @bigwavedave The biggest radius is definitely between the bindings. @workshop7 I measured up the waist and the 30cm between the bindings pretty was pretty much constant. I don't think you can steadily and equally decrease to 8 from this point because the point at which the radius is largest is set back from the middle of the board. It is definitely not linearly decreased from the middle radius to the tip/tail. Speculation: It is possible it decreases at equivalent rates to the tip and tail but since the tip is further away it reaches its 8m designation, but at the tail it stopped short. Something like this. I would say the average is around 11-12m, when comparing it to other boards I've had. Edited March 26, 2019 by daveo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 1 hour ago, daveo said: Not sure if either of these are fully correct, actually. I could be incredibly wrong, though. Probably am, let's face it. @bigwavedave The biggest radius is definitely between the bindings. @workshop7 I measured up the waist and the 30cm between the bindings pretty was pretty much constant. I don't think you can steadily and equally decrease to 8 from this point because the point at which the radius is largest is set back from the middle of the board. It is definitely not linearly decreased from the middle radius to the tip/tail. Speculation: It is possible it decreases at equivalent rates to the tip and tail but since the tip is further away it reaches its 8m designation, but at the tail it stopped short. Something like this. I would say the average is around 11-12m, when comparing it to other boards I've had. Ahh, I thought it was a "clothoid" sidecut from tip to tail, like the other Kesslers I've had felt like. If I finished turns on the tail they seemed to open up; wt forward to keep turning. Only rode the 168 for a couple of runs. It felt very similar to my Rev 175 with an 11-12m scr, but since the 168 is 8-12m range I wouldn't expect it would feel any bigger than 12m, even if I finished my turns back on the tail, which I often find myself doing naturally. So the 168 doesn't turn tighter if you keep wt forward and tightens up a bit if you finish your turn back on the tail? Sidecuts are a mystery to me when measuring or eyeing them up, I can't tell until I ride it. I have no idea what's going on with Thirst sidecuts, but they are different than anything I've ridden, and I kinda like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 @bigwavedave I dunno man, I'm probably completely wrong, but I think it is a clothoid where the middle portion (between the feet) is the largest portion of the scr, like a rollercoaster sorta thing. So when ridden middle it rides biggest, front rides smallest since it's longest and the clothoid has more time to tighten and the rear rides mediumest (...) since it's shorter than the nose. That's just my feelings from my riding it. Keep in mind, I'm usually wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 Welp, looks like I'm selling some stuff to make room for a Thirst now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workshop7 Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 @bigwavedave and @daveo It is clothoid and is the same design philosophy as all the other K Alpines. I have never taken the time to measure the board and do the math, I’m only going by the specs listed on the website for the 168 (8-12). I do know that when I ride it I can get it to turn as tightly or more so than my MK which is, by most people’s account, a 9. I can also get it to ride much bigger radius turns at higher speeds while still maintaining far more stability than my MK. In those situations the 168 rides more like my Coiler 174 (10.5/12.7.12). @Jack M any thoughts here? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 3 minutes ago, workshop7 said: I do know that when I ride it I can get it to turn as tightly or more so than my MK which is, by most people’s account, a 9. I can also get it to ride much bigger radius turns at higher speeds while still maintaining far more stability than my MK. In those situations the 168 rides more like my Coiler 174 (10.5/12.7.12). Agree with these sentiments above. One thing I have noticed and it's not a drawback or weakness but probably just by design, if you want to crank tightish turns, it can get a bit stressed at higher speeds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workshop7 Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 3 minutes ago, daveo said: Agree with these sentiments above. One thing I have noticed and it's not a drawback or weakness but probably just by design, if you want to crank tightish turns, it can get a bit stressed at higher speeds. Yeah. It is softer than the other K Alpines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveo Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 4 minutes ago, workshop7 said: Yeah. It is softer than the other K Alpines. Definitely. I found the SG Full Carve about as soft, but had more confidence with higher speeds + tighter turns. But that's probably geometry related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryj Posted March 26, 2019 Report Share Posted March 26, 2019 22 hours ago, Comapedrosa said: Still between the Superconductor and a Kessler Alpine 168 for my next addition. Haven't seen or ridden the Thirst but I've got the K168 and the Thirst reviews sound too much alike to me......same tool, different technique - The K168 is a Scalpel, the Thirst is.... a Steak Knife?...they both can cut! I'm lusting after a Totally Different Ride from the K168 - Thirst SF162 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted March 27, 2019 Report Share Posted March 27, 2019 4 hours ago, workshop7 said: @bigwavedave and @daveo It is clothoid and is the same design philosophy as all the other K Alpines. I have never taken the time to measure the board and do the math, I’m only going by the specs listed on the website for the 168 (8-12). I do know that when I ride it I can get it to turn as tightly or more so than my MK which is, by most people’s account, a 9. I can also get it to ride much bigger radius turns at higher speeds while still maintaining far more stability than my MK. In those situations the 168 rides more like my Coiler 174 (10.5/12.7.12). @Jack M any thoughts here? I measured my K168. Indeed the radius is longest around the waist. In fact, there is about a 10cm span around the waist where the width of the board is a constant 202mm. So the radius goes much longer (infinitely longer) than 12m in the center of the board. The published 8-12 is merely an approximated representation. All that said, 8-12m feels about right, and your statements above are consistent with my experience. It is simply the most unique and effective sidecut I've ever tried. 4 hours ago, Erik J said: Welp, looks like I'm selling some stuff to make room for a Thirst now. Try a K168 and an MK first. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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