Istvan

Ladia, For an all-mountain board you might want to check the new BX model of the Free Carving Serie, 170cm length, 22,5cm waist width. Best, István

Dunno what U took bro, but bring some over to the ECS.... ;-)

Shred, what does 'Stuka' mean. U know, I'm just a Hungarian guy with poor English... if it was English at all... Should U want to see more Virus pics just go to their homepage... all models are there... Cheers, Istvan

Well, it's a custom one, or more precisely it started as a prototype but never made it to become standard. Why? I have my own theory on this, but I might be wrong, so don't want start a debate with my opinion. It was named ME109 (see my signature) after a second world war bomber aircraft. And it behaves just like its name.... It is wide enough to allow lower angles, it is very stiff, but reactive, responsive, progressive, huge camber - so sometimes scares the hell out of me.... ;-) If you are below 90kg, or you don't have the minimum speed, forget about really bending it. But on steeps it really rocks. Once you push it into the snow/ice, it's like a carving machine.... Kindest, István

Let me add this piece to this nice collection..... if someone wants to see a nice wide-body board... ;-) Cheers, István

69-49 -> well, pretty unusual, but I know guys that set the back foot to a higher angle than front foot - by this they create a position where they are actually sitting on the back leg. But maybe its only a typo.... As far as I know most of the people feel comfy with a 5-8 degrees between front and back foot. Jack has 0 degree and seemingly it works fine for him. I used to ride like that on a Silberpfeil due to the narrowness of the board, but have to admit that it felt strange for the first. Then I got used to it. Now I'm back to lower angles and a difference of 6-7 degrees. So, all in all I guess its rather a personal preference than a rule that has to be followed. Kindest, István

Jack, What angles did you ride on that board? Just curious cos I C its a narrow stick but your boots don't stick out. Or is that just your boot size. Kindest, István

There are a couple of guys on the EC forum who know this place quite well.... you might want to ask them. Kindest, István

Kipstar, Virus has wider boards, too. It's not a cheap brand, not to mention the shipping to US..... but in my opinion its a superb quality. Check out: www.virus-snowboards.de English version is up and running. What you can also do is that you e-mail/call Frank, the owner - he can manufacture what ever you wish. Kindest, István

Interesting angle for plate bindings and hardboots.... of course, it has nothing to do with the suck.... Cheers, István

Frunobulax, could you pls post a pic of that board. Would like to see a BX that is a high-speed race carver.... The BX I've seen in Sölden reminded me of somethin', just want to see if the board you mentioned is similar. Thanks, István

Jacques, I've seen the modification you did to your TD2 levers on the EC site and wanted to ask back then (but did not) the following: what is that strange flat thing that you duck-taped to the bent levers? And more importantly, what is the purpose of that? Thanks, István

Sorry, I just realized that your question was more about the new SP without ConShox.... just disregard my message..... Ciao, István

I think the one I have is the 01/02 model. I rode it with and without Conshox. I have the 172cm one and I was close to 100kg when I rode that board. The Conshox gave me more torsional stiffness, more grip on ice and in my opinion it also adds a bit more camber to the board so for me it felt a bit more lively and responsive with Conshox. Maybe with lighter weight it becomes way too stiff. Kindest, István

No Central Europe in the poll....

I think Silber from the EC forum tested it when we've been to Sölden, Austria, in November, but maybe I'm wrong.... try to post the question on the EC forum, there's a bigger chance to get a positive response when it comes to Virus boards. Kindest, István

If we are talking about expensive (maybe the most expensive in the world) boards, do not forget Virus. I think Frank offers boards even above EUR 2000.... (sorry Frank if I'm mistaken) Cheers, István

My last addition to this topic: I've been to Zinal with the Swoard guys and they rode the same techniqe in the afternoons when the slope became sort of not nice with icy spots and smaller bumps with soft snow... they just cut through everything..... Does this fact add anything to the techniqe they ride? No. But they are damn good..... Happy New Year to Ya! István

Jack, Fully agree. Push-pull can increase edge preassure, rotation cannot. As for the rotation it works for me, but I do not always do it, depends on the terrain. I feel that it helps me on very steep slopes to really lay it down and as a result of that to turn it almost uphill... and then to jump into the next carve.... But I guess on real steeps you need to rotate anyway if you carve low. As for the use of it for beginners, I'm not an instructor, although I have tried to teach and convert a couple of friends from skis or softboots. Sometimes rotation helped them to understand that turns should not be initiated by pushing the butt out.... it also in line with the 'look to the point where you want to arrive' techniqe. Cheers, István ps.: Erik and D-Sub: U R right, that's the point.... just carve.

I think there is a very interesting momentum in Richard's mail. You can increase edge pressure at specific points of the carve with push-pull and rotation, but there is no free lunch at all, you pay for this either before or afterwards at other parts of the turn with lower edge pressure. The question is timing, ie. when do you apply more pressure and when do you pay for it. In the EC technique you initiate the turn with the rotation and have maximum 'pull' when changing edges, (so you pay for it before the turn) and therefore you get the maximum edge pressure in the middle of the (next)turn when you need it the most. Kindest, István

Guys, I'm new member of this forum, but old member of the EC forum. However, I'm not an EC maniac and I do not ride a Swoard. But let me please add two comments here with regards to rotation and push-pull: - To Jack: I believe that the push itself does increase edge preassure. Physical explanation for this is that when you start extending your legs your bodymass starts accelerating in the opposite direction and that creates a force. Through your leg, boot, binding and board this force gets transferred to the edge, hence the increased edge preassure. And this has nothing to do with gravity, centrifugal force or the inclination of your body to the snow. It is simply physics. Experimental way to test this: stand on scales and do some push and pull. You'll see your weight changing (or more precisely you'll see the change of your bodyweight multiplied by the g modified by the negative and positive acceleration). - To Richard and drzone: As for the impact of the rotation, your approach sounds logical for the first, but I think it's not the case. The rotation's impact on the board starts (and immediately ends) when the upper body of the rider stops rotating. I think in this position the board is not inclinated that much that this force could really increase edge preassure, therefore it cannot help you in pushing the tip more into the ice. Anyway, I might be wrong.... I always find it difficult to analyze a dynamic movement in static pictures.... Cheers, István