nils

more info: pan de rideau begins at a good 55°, couloir Y is something like 58°!! The three trifides in the 50°+...kind of steep ;) The local boys ( all on the pics are locals ) kinda know the place by heart, they pionnered la Grave before the skiiers came there! Funny because must be the only place in the world where people look at you strangly when you don't have a swallowtail! Even girls ride them ( 175 usually). Damn snow falls everywhere gotta drive there soon!! ( 2-3 hours hehe) Nils

thus the interest of the Swallowtail: most of them are riddable in hardboots: the undertaker especially works fine with them ( better with softer shells like the SB121 of course), the O'sin wasn't designed for hardboots so its not that good with them ( something I don't like is wrong with the torsion of the nose). On the higher range: the pogo ST, the swellpaniks also work perfectly great with HB, most were designed by a shaper that was riding them with plates ! This pic from 94 shows the exact same ST they build today ( few outline changes, and mostly flex refining) both using plates and SB121.. Believe me they are fast, and the playground is nothing but fast as well! Riders on ST with HB Playground! Notice the straight path of the ST rider compare to the regular guy's path... A ST handle much more speeds with confidence than a board with a normal tail, shall it be designed for powder. As for the Fish not beeing a good board on hard pack: it has so much taper/pintail, that it can NOT really go straight on the edge: wants to turn around its nose! That is in my opinion why its more a big turn back in history.. The winterstick St is also a great powder board, but why today ride a board that works only good in powder, when you can have a modern ST that does both, carving a bit on hard pack, excel in powder etc... Using too much pintail might be great for powder, but it does limitate the groomed/hardpack, or even ice performance! N.

We are havind the same problem at ec.com It comes from the fact that people get infected, and since the webmaster@ adress is in their received mail folder, the virus uses it and tries to send itself again using this adress too... We are thinking of putting the email/post notification of the forum down for a while so things calm down a bit... I am sure fin doesn't spend the day emailing virus to everyone, nor do we ;) Nils

Bob, The undertaker is by far the best "industrial" swallowtail on the market today. The Osin isn't a real one ( fish tail) and is way too short, same goes with the Fish (my opinion of course)... Am 6.3 weighting 150-160 pounds, and ride a 196cm that I find a bit too short! Powder asks for length!! I am ordering a 215cm next season! You have two models of Undertakers: the good old 198> i think its the best model, and the new 185 or 188... Both have stiff flex and ride nice as hell! I guess it mostly depends on where you want to ride it.... If its steep, open space: get as much length as you can. If its trees you want to turn around all day, get a smaller board like the O'sin, the Fish or whatever else! You have more info on my www.swallowtails.org page, and boardspecs from 2001-2002 season. Most boards have not changed since...its just missing the new 178 O'sin (now dynastar) and a few Japanese / german makers that you can only get there. Hope this helps Nils

Sorry couldn't help but smile! ( i know its bad but I did have fun reading it ) N. What if men wrote Cosmopolitan... Q: My husband wants to experience three-in-a-bed-sex with me and my sister. A: Your husband is clearly devoted to you. He cannot get enough of you, so he goes for the next best thing: your sister. Far from being an issue, this will bring all of the family together. Why not get some cousins involved? If you are still apprehensive, then let him go with your relatives, buy him a nice, expensive present, and cook him a nice meal and don't mention this aspect of his behaviour. Q: My husband continually asks me to perform oral sex with him. A: Do it. Sperm is not only great tasting, but has only 10 calories a spoonful. It is nutritious and helps you to keep your figure and gives a great glow to the skin. Interestingly, a man knows this. His offer to you to perform oral sex with him is totally selfless. Oral sex is extremely painful for a man. This shows he loves you. Best thing to do is to thank him, buy him a nice, expensive present, and cook him a nice meal. Q: My husband has too many nights out with the boys. A: This is perfectly natural behaviour - and it should be encouraged. The man is a hunter and he needs to prove his prowess with other men. Far from being pleasurable, a night out with the boys is a stressful affair, and to get back to you is a relief for your partner. Just look back at how emotional and happy the man is when he returns to his stable home. Best thing to do is to buy him a nice, expensive present, and cook him a nice meal and don't mention this aspect of his behaviour. Q: My husband doesn't know where my clitoris is. A: Your clitoris is of no concern to your husband. If you must mess with it do it in your own time. To help with the family budget you may wish to videotape yourself while doing this, and to sell it at flea markets. To ease your selfish guilt, buy your man a nice expensive present, and cook him a delicious meal. Q: My husband is uninterested in foreplay. A: Foreplay to a man is very hurtful. What it means is that you do not love your man as much as you should - he has to work a lot to get you in the mood. Abandon all wishes in this area, and make it up to him by buying a nice expensive present, and cooking a nice meal. Q: My husband has never given me an orgasm. A: The female orgasm is a myth. It is fostered by militant, man-hating feminists and is a danger to the family unit. Don't mention it again to him and show your love to him by buying a nice expensive present and don't forget to cook him a delicious meal. Q: How do I know if I'm ready for sex? A: Ask your boyfriend. He'll know when the time is right. When it comes to love and sex, men are much more responsible, since they're not confused emotionally as women. It's a proven fact. Q: Should I have sex on the first date ? A: YES. Before, if possible. Q: What exactly happens during the act of sex ? A: Again, this is entirely up to the man. The important thing to remember is that you must do whatever he tells you without question. Sometimes, he may ask you to do certain things that may at first seem strange to you. Do them anyway. Q: How long should the sex act last ? A: There is no average time, but anything over two minutes is good. Anything under that and you may be rushing your man. After your man has finished making love, he'll have a natural desire to leave you suddenly, and go out with his friends to play golf. Or perhaps another activity, such as going out with his friends to the pub for the purpose of consuming large amounts of alcohol and sharing a few personal thoughts with his mates. Don't feel left out-while he's gone you can busy yourself by doing his laundry, cleaning his apartment, or perhaps even going out to buy him an expensive gift. He'll come back when he's ready. Q: What is "afterplay?" A: After a man has finished making love, he needs to replenish his manly energy. "Afterplay" is simply a list of important activities for you to do after the lovemaking. This includes lighting his cigarette, making him a sandwich or pizza, bringing him a few beers, or leaving him alone to sleep while you go out and buy him an expensive gift. Q: Does the size of the penis matter ? A: Yes. Although many women believe that quality, not quantity, is important, studies show this is simply not true. The average erect male penis measures about 3 inches. Anything longer than that is extremely rare and, if by some chance your lover's sexual organ is 4 inches or over, you should go down on your knees and thank your lucky stars and do everything possible to please him, such as doing his laundry, cleaning his apartment and buying him an expensive gift.

He is from Greece, and a real nice chap... He does knows his stuff when it comes to bases and waxes!! Reading the stuff from his website makes you fell like you're a kid playing with candles, when real guys just wax ! Nils

Burning some fuel and some cash there on this stuff ( if i win it) Or that one too but the bid is a bit high already ( not to mention fuel consumption: THIS ONE N.

Yes its the day where people put fish on your back? My daughter put one on me i wore all day , doing groceries, walkin da street: hehe it only fell when i got back home! man she laughed so hard! ( needless to say my wife too) Hey am going to pollute the burton forum for a while , see ya! N.

someday they might even come with a 1D stuff! 1 huge bolt! crazy!! that is a burton proto or a regular board? N.

piezzo lol :) good one! Nils

but you should have added they would invent a new 2D insert pattern to see the 3D owners reaction! LoL N.

I bet $$$ that those marketers out there will come out with a wide board/same concept as the Swoard, and another board/concept like the donek axis/4WD etc... How easy it is for a company that cares just for 16 yold freestylers to come back once the commercial pressure has been taken by the others..... Lets hope at least their boards are more interesting than the last factory primes...and that crazy 3D system... gee Bomber/catek and phiokka should get rid of the 3D compatibity to force burton to use 4x4!! At least it means the market is growing!! Nils

Ptex is a trademark of german company IMS. Their current flagship is the 4000 electra "galium" that has 15% of carbon inside. They are actually test riding ( world cup skieers do ride on them this season ) an 4000 R that will have less tendency to get dry, and has more gliding possibilities ( if its still possible to go faster than a 4000 E!) Range is: 4000 R ( still in test) 4000 E (also called Electra or Electra galium) 2000 E 2000 1000 ( I think they stopped producing the 1000 ) Anything above 4000 is not Ptex, its likely to come from competitor Isosport, and they have ( sounds like AMD/Intel/ PPC race) 5000, 6000 and 7000 bases that they cannot call Ptex... Am not sure about what numbers are equivalent to the 4000 E but there should be a top range stuff that does... maybe someone has a clue... So if the madd has some Ptex its not 5000 ! its the other brand. Might be a good idea to know exactly what base u get :) Nils

Ve have founde a girl zat doez, and better zan many guyz! Inspector Clouzeau! Here she iz Here again! ;) N.

We met Scott in Aspen :) He is a great guy and full of ideas !!! We told him to add some menus to his page lol cos scrolling for hours is tireing !! Hi Scott :) Nils

Well you East coast guys might have not noticed that 95% of the world rides sissy good snow :). Who would want to ride ice anyway> not me! More seriously, i haven't yet had any explanation besides that board is better than this one or vice versa.. My question was the following: - Since we basically aknowledge that hard snow requires a softer flexed board, how come is the Madd ( that I found VERY stiff despite what Jack said...You'll find the Swoard is a chewing gum in comparison) a very good board on icy conditions.? How come is the edge not chattering on ice like it does on most hard boards.. Am not asking fabrication secrets here, but behaviour answers :) thnx Nils

We also don't like the Raichles/Deeluxe that much and prefer a stiff shell that is controlled by a effective spring system. Funny to see that few riders in the top ten have them Raichles. Some ride special world cup raichles that u don't see on shelves ( even stiffer plastics) some ride nortwave .950 that are 3 year old ( Bozetto does), and some ride whatever they can, from old Burton to Head.... I think improving the raichles with a good spring system (Fin...?) would be a great thing already! But if Cyris team can come out with something we could like why not ( hope we can test them Cyrus :) Nils

For a spring system that work ....:) I hope they manage to design one on them!!! Nils

Hotmop, I have seen and tested the flex of a Madd 158 at fin's place, and was totally astounished by its stiffness, springyness. It is a very different board, and I wish I could have test ridden it because i'm intrigued about that board... My big question about them is how can they be so grippy ( seems the main quality of them) and at the same time efficient on hard pack. We at Swoard have developped a different philosophy which is softer flex on the hard snow. Someone can explain how the grip (east coast hard ice) works on such a stiff flex..? Then concerning the differences in shapes > they are very different because the madd is made to grip in freecarve and gates, where our board is more to grip effortlessly in freecarving ( and "extremecarving") not trying to gain seconds in edge change. From what I have seen with the madd, it is surely a more demanding board, physically asking more than the Swoard. Must be fun to ride in the morning when your legs are still like fresh! Both are for different riding techniques, I am sure you can ride either with either technique thu..What would be interesting is having feedback from guys that tested both ( maybe someone did at the ECES?) As for feedback on the Swoard, there was a topic here on the subject a few weeks ago :) same goes for the Madd (seems some people make pilgrimages and burn candles for it :) Nils

between 25-30 days each.. But i do take care of them by adding liquid rubber on them almost every week! Usually i trash them because my wife cannot stand the smell / look of them anymore ( despite the washing) Nils

Here is a few pics of the SES ( Aspen leg only ) Thnx again to all > we had GREAT fun and was incredible to share experiences! Nils and the Swoard team Scrolling up will show also pictures from our ECS in Zinal :) Funny to see how different are the mountains here and there!! We will soon add the possibility to add pictures for everyone ( that is EC style only hehe)...Stay tuned! HERE

Hi guys, check the old forum, there was many topics on using the 121 backcountry. I personnaly ride them on Swallowtails powderboards, with softer plates and LOVE them. The good thing is they are cramponable too if you happen to have to walk over a glacier first. The vibram sole is pretty good too for hicking, and the softness of the boot makes it a good choice for BC/ freeriding. The walk position on them allows for an almost comfortable walk too > Well its an incredible boot overall! Nils

This is what happens when you do too much rail grinding and road gaps crashes: you end up with brainless ads... Funny how the FS/FR market has to use marketing that is not related to the boards they sell but to something else (talking more in general here).. ALpine market sells about how the boards work and this is way better! N.

Baka is right ;) its all about her facing the nose of the board... and true , that 50m radius ( at least ) will make her counter-rotate !

man it's almost the bee gees in there :) and you are complaining :) Will look for the other ones too ! Nils