RJ-PS

There are shops in the US that carry Dupraz and SG Snowboards. I'd rather not mention though, I don't want to get moderated.

Totally cool of you Michelle, I for one am very impressed by the level of service and commitment the Bomber Crew continues to provide for our community. Sweet vibes sent your way. Thanks for everything!

The short answer is you won't have a problem with the softies in size 12 and your preferred angles. I had a very interesting meeting with the US rep for Dupraz (pic attached). A product of a French man and a Colorado lady but living in Switzerland all his life. Of course his hometown in Switzerland is at a resort and he grew up riding everyday. He is studying for his PhD in French Literature and teaching French at Univ of CA, Davis. We're not too far geographically so he made a trip down this past Saturday. He rides the Dupraz (pronounced Doo-Prah not Doo-prazz) duck! I had to ask him twice to make sure we were "sprechen the same linguity". After the explanation, yes, duck is how he rides. Says he takes his short model into the park and pipe, although he doesn't recommend it for the jibbers. :) The new Dupraz models have a 7-pack insert layout. Which means you have a great deal of choice in stance as well. The side cut is insane with a very wider nose trimming down to a pintail. They are well made at a factory in Austria and have a great track record in durability. Serge is a legend in the industry and has found a very interesting quiver killer. I was initially skeptical but after inspecting the boards, was very impressed. These are certainly exotic boards worthy of a discerning US market. I'll be surprised if these aren't a mainstay in BOL'rs quivers.

Last I spoke with Sigi they were using Vist plates, but you may be ahead of the game on some knowledge of testing their own plates, do tell..... SG finished great last year and as was mentioned, overall winners. So it will be interesting to see how the boards fare this year, Vist inserts are built in on the 08/09 boards. We will only be carrying a select few as price dictates careful selection.

I'd have to agree with Philfell. If podiums are any indication, there are only two boards on the market for racing at the moment.

Due to rider feedback Rad-Air went with a snappier board for 08/09. They achieved it not only without adding weight, but reducing it!!!! I've got a few in the shop now and they are crazy light. All Rad-Airs have been light, but these levitate a little bit if you don't keep a firm grip ;) . These are the Silver Edition Super Light Tankers. Yes, they did some new stuff, but all internal changes, the board specs remain about the same. I'm hoping to play up at Tahoe this weekend to demo the 200. Sandy has already demo'd them, maybe he can chime in.

Thanks for the nice comments fellas. EnergyRail, how far away are you from the Yukon Territory? We have a rep up there that has boards to demo. He hooks up the heli and cat guys for us. Great guy. PM me for his info.

The Rad-Air LSD is also a very capable BX board. It doesn't particularly shine in any given condition, but the people that own them swear by them in all conditions.

I'm in

I know there's no love lost between most of the riders on this site and Burton, but you gotta be sad to see this happen. http://salzburg.orf.at/stories/265156/ My German is not as good as it used to be, but basically there was a lot of damage and estimates could be as much as 1MillionEuro. That equates to about a half billion dollars with our current exchange rate.

SG snowboards will be insert ready for Vist plates in the 08-09 production runs. So no drilling your new SG Board. Sidenote: The 07/08 Titanal boards were insert ready for the Hangl-Spirig.

Furi, where's the love? I got the lyrics from the infamous smelly cat of Friends fame. Definitely doesn't hold a candle to the actual picture of the snowboarding cat. "It's not your fault"

Beauty, well done Sir!

Hey Randy, I'm trying to plan a trip up to Rose with Allen, Baptiste, etc. to visit with y'all. I think the weekend after Easter if there's still snow. There seems to be some sick stay and ride deals going on now via Sliding on the Cheap. Anyway maybe Russell will have his Coiler by then and we can carve the snot out of the early morning groom together. We'll keep in touch, sorry to hijack this post.

Missed you Bryan. Thanks Jim and Jim. Thanks for all the great comments guys, but alas the good times have now ended. Today marked a historic day for me as the last Tanker 192 was ordered. I am completely out (except for my stash) of Tanker 192s and as of today there will no longer be any made. I may be able to get Rad-Air to push out a few for the anniversary of the Tanker line in 09/10, but I'm not making any promises. In the meantime I am working on importing some boards with very similar specs from a known builder across the pond. Not giving it away yet, but we should not miss out on our 190 longboards! In other news, some of the SG race stock boards that were at OES will be making their second debuts this weekend at the Worlds in Italy and at the end of the month at Nationals, WOOHOOOO!!!!!

Randy, that is just straight awesome! Bless you!

I've got one SG Junior Race 140cm still in the wrapper. Retail is $399. I'll accept offers for junior racers that need the board for competition.

As with all products, there could have been major problems with the conditions in shipping that the sellers knew nothing about. For example I try not to take my boards out of plastic to allow the new owner to enjoy the unveiling process. If there was moisture in that wrapper then edges will often get rust on them. Normally takes only a few runs until it is gone, so no worries. This is a new issue, so I'm sure that the seller will be open to your ideas. Open communication with your dealer is always the best first option. Good luck,

It's been too long since OES. I'm missing the PacNW crew something fierce! Furi Cat, Furi Cat, What are they feeding you? Furi Cat, Furi Cat It's not your fault They won't take you to the snow You obviously just don’t know Furi Cat, Furi Cat, It's not your fault You may not be a bed of roses You're not friend to those with noses I'll miss you before we're done Or the world will smell as one Furi Cat, Furi Cat, What are they feeding you? Furi Cat, Furi Cat It's not your fault Oh are we done? One, two, what's that smell? Furi Cat, Furi Cat, What are they feeding you? Furi Cat, Furi Cat You're getting fat I think that I'm gonna be sick It's your ears, and nose and pick Part of it, tempt me One, two, what's that smell? All the carvers in the neighborhood Are saying this for your own good What, you're fat, so you can't carve No fun, I bet, No carve Furi Cat, Furi Cat, Porno makes you eat like that I saw you in the shopping mall Furi Cat, Furi Cat, It's not your fault, Furi Cat, Furi Cat, It's not your fault Furi Cat, Furi Cat, It's not your fault We know what was in your food They say it might affect your mood Have another beer and carve away from here furi cat furi cat, it's not your fault!

Say hi yourself! :) Missin the Mosaic Crew already! I'm looking forward to getting on some dumping sierras this weekend. It won't be OES, but a few of us from there should be able to pull at little vibe out. I was thinking about those bindings, maybe you can lift the toe cap off another pair and see if that works. At least that way you can keep the bling factor in full effect. Take care,

That is one great time I'm glad I missed. Although I did see a 192 Tanker in the board tent. Ahhhh, the dreaded vampire Tankers, fear them. Looks like y'all need to visit OES next year since ECES won't be around. Or perhaps the upcoming TExS Tahoe Expression Session??????

WOW. Blown away by the OES vibe. Epic....just.....Epic. I couldn't have imagined having a better time with folks I didn't know, and now I consider family. Actually Bryan S. and I have been friends for years without ever meeting and so I was really saddened to miss him once again. However, he was definitely there in spirit as we all raised glasses and shared sadness over our bro not being there. We'll meet up soon bro! I wish I could send shouts out to everyone, but I'll do what I can: Buell/Rebecca:Most comfortable pullout ever! Way cool to stay with you cats...I mean dogs. Really enjoyed our conversations at day end. Each of your perspectives on life, work, play, etc were greatly appreciated. I am working on figuring out how to work 7 months and play 5, you definitely have the life. Unbelievably impressed with your riding skills. Are you sure you've both only been at this for a few years? Thanks for the part you played in making OES the event it was and thanks for everything you did for me personally and for exoticboards.com professionally. Mike/Bonnie:Solid event. Great mountain, great eats, great house party, great tuning clinic, great everything. Glad that you have decided to put so much time and effort into putting this event together. Thank you! Don:Mucho Gracias. Thanks for a great clinic, I've got tape in hands, ready for my next turns. Glad you were psyched on the Sigi as well, we'll talk soon. RandyT/Russel:I'll be taking you fellas up on your invitation. I'm heading to the gym now to get my slot hand ready kiddin. Great spending time with y'all over beers and boards. Looking forward to repeating soon. JimF:Definitely brought the mahalo vibe to the event. I enjoyed the surf stories and surfing the white with you. See you in Tahoe. Ron:Thanks for the zen vibe. Smile production seems to be part of your nature. I know you always made me smile. Hugh:Where did Hugh go? Oh, in the freshies with locals, cool. Tim:You rock! Take care of our bro. Thanks for the horse trading and for the longboard love. Hagen:Glad you made it back on the mountain. Great riding with you, enjoy your new board. Shane/Dustin:bloody beer, wild boards, cool vibe. Furi/Quentin:I still don't believe that this is your first year on plates, so stop selling swampland. Both of your presences made for a very amped session! Can't wait to kill turns in Tahoe! Allen: Taking time out to video was way sacrificial, thanks. Beauty surfy style on the Tanker, unbelievable progression that last day. Either Tahoe or my place, your call. Dennis:thanks for the pro photos. One foot....like a bird, nice skills. Way cool of you to make the session. I'll be in touch. Randy:With so many safety meetings I'm glad you were able to stay safe:). Thanks for the glamour shots and video. Glad you decided to go with the Race T, you were rocking it on stuff I wouldn't normally allow "lender" raceboards out in. You made it look easy. See you in Tahoe. JimM:We didn't get to hang out much, but I enjoyed our short talks. Ring me whenever. Trikerdad: Great fun! Thanks for bringing the prototype SG back in one piece ;). Go easy on that Tanker now! If you need to unload that full Tink, lemme know. Sigi G:Thanks for getting those boards over here in record time. We all had fun and were amazed at how the race metals hook up and hold lines in any conditions! Look for Kildy and Alex Weare (upcoming rider) to be rocking them at the Worlds in Italy. We'll be back for more soon. Harry G: keep making Tankers bro! You were responsible for a lot of smiles at the OES. One of the surfers who took one out said "I'm not going to buy this, just trying it". It's in his house now. Record number of folks taking them home and happy to have a pow stick that can carve with the best of 'em. ALL: I'm sorry if I missed any of my new family. You all have an open invitation to come stay and ride my home mountain Dodge Ridge in the Central Sierras. Carve on!

Ahhh the infamous helmet carve. Sorry I was unable to stay and teach a clinic on helmet carving. Perhaps next year we can split the groups. Those that need help in that old school style of carving a board can head out with noschoolrider and those that want to try the radical new style of helmet carving head out with me. Those of you that asked, remember to sharpen your visor with a titanal scraper, never plastic. It is much damper and will not gouge into the plastic.

Quentin go to bed we have an early carve clinic tomorrow!