nils

yes, not necessary, but this is when EC is very fun, getting your body over the edge face first in very steep slopes, reaching below the board after the edge change, waiting in confidence that centrifugal force catches you and holds you around the turn. EC on lower angle slopes is ok but you loose speed pretty quick... N

Actually the shape of the Swoards ( EC versions) come from the Wild Duck Knifer that were WC racing boards in the mid 90's. Jacques worked on team boards coming out of assym shapes and came out with the knifer shape. The EC is a wider knifer with outline simililarities, but different torsion distribution and sizes. The R159 rossi ( red) came out ( in 1995) of the Throttle shape indeed, but was developped at the same time of the Wild Ducks / Oxygen Proton's, F2 speedsters...so not the same family but same era. Nils

Hi guys...the pictures in the gallery are much bigger size...when I click on them in the message it pops up and displays it in big...I have no idea why it is a bug! There is no permission setting in the gallery... the gallery is a pain in the a.. to use i wish it was possible to send pics directly in the message... Maybe a moderator can help us?

The board works pretty nice as everyday freecarve board, providing you are in the right range for height and flex. It is a board that does not lock into turns or carve without you willing to: safe ride Its not as versatile as a board with a rounded tail but wide enough to eventually go offpiste providing its not huge deep moguls! I know have a 3 board quiver: - backcountry spliboard: climbing, off piste in remote areas when powder is too tracked in resorts - big powder board: big powder days in resorts - swoard EC: rest of the time ( no pow days) N

Finally got hold of my board, and put 7500 feet of climbing into it, so here is a quick feedback This is a board you can definitely choose for any touring activity: meaning its reliable enough to bring to high mountain ( have planned a trip that requires 3000 feet quickly done at la Meije end of the month).. It's a setup you can compare with ski gear: skis are light, efficient and hold edges on both sides, which is very good on icy steeps...the sidecut IS a real plus, and the narrow ski is also easy to move around and use with climbing knifes (crampons in english?).. Only downside of the ski design is the nose is quiet flat, and in deep powder it needs some work to put through the snow..also the ski point looks to be taken care of ( fragile?) The assembly takes 12 seconds with training, bindings included and there you go: a real powder board that handles various terrains, even bumps, icy parts...Compare to the same normal board ( uncut), it has a different feel with a board that is not torsionnaly as stiff, meaning the turns on hard snow require a bit more effort, but it does hold edge when you ask it to... On piste, you need to get used to the mechanical noises and feel when changing edge, it feels strange at first and during the first hour, I kept looking to see if everything was still together! Dyno HD by Spark ( bomber bails) > very good binging/ system...light and sturdy..only thing is the bolt that holds the back bail up is a bit low for backcountry standard and it is a pain to lock into binding in deep snow because you cannot sometimes lift the tip of your foot by much...Someone suggested a nylon zip tie to make the bolt wider...could work... Its a unique board ( 1st 4 parts 178 STail )....It's a real investment....It's like discovering a new world!

It's fine with Step ins..its just that EC boards are wider, and thus provide the ability to lower the feet angles. This means you rely more on lateral movements in the boots to help you balance properly at all stages of the turns. Step ins are preventing the lateral play from happening in the sole/bail interface, reducing this freedom. It works fine, its just that its a bit less easy and forgiving. Sidewinders were designed for this purpose ( the normal rubber sole/bail play beeing empiric, and engineers don't like empiric things :) Nils

This topic ( sorry about the offtopic / hijack trend....) is ringing a bell with the thoughts I have now regarding gear... I am not sure to understand the trends to very specialized tools we see this day....binding less boards, short gemstick like 150-155 max boards for midgets ( am 6'2"..), even edge less boards like we had in the early 80's... To me it sounds like a hipster revival thing, making cool things from the past ( shapes, feels)...and is making things look like a huge creative steps when I think its more of a regression... The reason why: versatility Its lost in the process Its not sexy The most difficult board to make is the most versatile, taking years of experience, fine tuning, experiments. The board that is able to carve like a freecarve board, handle powder like a big swallowtail, handle trees, crust, bumps, ice, all in the same day. I think the great evolution from the 80's is that we had finally reach versatility and efficiency...strong reliable setups...and now we see boards you can use in pow but not even think of handling in steeps, or turn on ice...what's the point? Does it comes from the globalized media?, the fact that bottomless powder vids from Japan are more appealing than watching riders go from steep couloir to icy hardpack and various terrain? Is it hipster's trend to cool woody look boards ( just varnish a plank and brand it..)..no idea... Here in europe we have mountains that require tools that are versatile, not specialized....hopefully there is still shapers not forgetting the perfect versatile board quest! I still want to be able to ride one board in the same day from top to bottom in all the terrains I will encounter.. N.

Finally...the board is arriving :) Second board on left...its a 4 parts ( left one is a 3 parts).. Still missing the climbing cant ( voilé) Plates are Dyno HD ( bails and lever made by our beloved Bomber... I saw the phantom parts, but I prefer not too risk a bail break!) Ranger forged carbon front piece custom junction plate by Access ( Lucas Cervellin) Plum junction parts custom junction plate by Lucas Cervellin / Access splitboard..the first one of this design ( since the swallowtails can't use the tip piece, the tail piece needs to be much more efficient, especially on a 4 parts split) Should be able to give first feedbacks next week :)..Training for a bigger tour end of march at La Grave :)

Ha Pokkis you beat me on that one...Mine ( 178 Split 4) is in the varnish room this week... :) unfortunately will be ready only early january still lots of steps before finish.. Love the walnut, pretty similar to that on my Amok :) I have the Phénix 183 carbon already :) Nils

forecasts for western alps says: january....nothing before... it is a weird season indeed... http://wepowder.com/forum/topic/217553 Nils

I would recommand changing your angles to get other sensations...it will require more rotational technique but you will gain much more power.. on your toeside. We usually recommend to set your back foot until it just escapes overhang, then add 5-10° on your front foot. On the Dual I ride with 37-40 on back foot and 50 on front foot with no overhang.. Also if you feel locked in turns, it might be because your high angles make rotation more difficult to perform....another good reason to adapt to lower angles :) Nils

Nico Mathey picture is 1988 in Sölden. Luc Faye was the team coach.. THere is a lot of pics ( from serge or other famous pioneers) on the facebook page History of Snowboarding..not race only oriented, but here and there we see pre 90 pics where racing and freestyling were not far from each other....( Jean Nerva was equally good in freestyle and racing for example) N

Keep in mind the tech and level gap brought by Hot when it entered the races...Hot race team won most races in 86-87-88...Serge told me in 86(?) in Beckenridge when they first entered US competitions the domination was so big that they eventually created sub categories to leave Sims and Burton some room...Comparing an 86-87 Hot board and the Burton counterpart is an explanation by itself...Only when the Safari series began did Burton gained back some race level, then the gold years of the PJ :) I guess the first real step in racing is the 86 winter with hardboots, hardbindings and stiff boards with narrower waists begin to appear..

What EC boards give compare to race boards or freecarve derived from race boards is much softer flex..the idea is to have a board that holds and edge more vertically, and on a longer vertical radius than a race board; with tips that grip forever. That softer flex makes the boards easier to turn and less tiring, however, the wider width can be a burden, especially if you do not adapt to a more rotational technique, because the extra width makes the backside turns less easier than on a narrow board....this can prove tiring and not so fun if unproper technique.. Freecarvers will be a tad less wide and easier all day long, and you can still EC them, its just not as easy. N

Wow Henry: welcome! I used to have a Fiberflex slalom deck with gullwings and YoYo wheels in the early 80's! I wish i still had it! Remember also those Fiberflex adds with your pic! Welcome on board! Nils

I was a windsurfing addict in the late 80's and remember seeing Mike's work in magazines, allowing the variable lift during turns..If I recall well it was mostly used on HT boards, but I think I remember also people using it on speed guns, maybe it was Craig Maisonville's boards?( think of another guy with Laird Hamilton's build)....I think the system was considered a bit fragile, difficult to fiberglass then too. It is anyway a great concept that is still under research on the water: Mick Mackie in australia is working on flexible tails using carbon fibered tails with almost no thickness... I have no had the chance to ride Tinkler's snowboard, would love to feel how it works! Thnx Brian for the share, interesting! Nils

m a r k e t i n g sells

looks like it but its free ( providing you have neoprene strips / old wetsuit etc..

DIY solution very cheap: two 3cm wide x 10cm long strips or 3-4mm neoprene, glued on the tongue of the boot ( toward chin of course), appart from each other about 10mm. Axis of gluing should be the place where the pain is bigger( usually where the bone is closer to the skin). Worked great in my boots before I switched to injected liners. N

Why we got rid of cant and lift for extremecarving ( since late 90's): - was mainly usefull when technical level ( of carving) was lower, to help initiate turns, especially on narrower boards, and assymetrical boards also that were easier to control using lift. - is useless on wide carving boards ( 21-24cm): the board bends in turns, and the cant and lift are given by the board's curve. - rotation technique gives you easy turn initiation, therefore having front foot toes and back ankle lifted doesn't add anything - lift/cant adds height and you want to be as close to the board as possible - less gear: less weight ( the two last reasons are the main reasons why barely no one uses plates for EC ) cons of flat riding: on flats your knees are far appart, especially with wide stance, can be uncomfy when waiting, before starting, this dissapears when riding. I'd suggest to try riding flat once if you intend to ride wider boards and see how it goes. Nils

I'd add my view to phil's...I also haven't found the useness of plates in my riding, I already find the gear too heavy and bulky! I think it's also an emphasis on racing in our sports which is a niche that should be widening its audience instead of focusing on racing ( which is fine, but not appealing to common snowboarders)...reminds me of narrow board trend in the late 90's that we did not like when we came out with 23cm wide board ( swoard EC175) for freecarving.. I like the engineriing behind plates and am convinced it works, but still haven't found its hot enough to beat its trade-offs N.

Nobody did it better than BK! http://theelectricsunshine.blogspot.fr/2014/12/bottom-turn-tuesday_30.html also to search for: - Gary Elkerton - Gerry Lopez - Tom Caroll - Maurice Cole ... Old school surf was more into power moves with the flow: aka not trying to loose speed..

thnx will check it out! N

Help Needed! Phenix cannot get a hand on Spark Dyno HD plates ( made by bomber, at least the bails and lever) for my project...Anyone has clue on where to find them online? Have contacted Sparks but still get no response.... Thnx :) ( don't wanna risk my life on cheaper Voilé plates or other thin bails concepts... Nils

1 turn contest is totally useless....and lame imho 1 frontside and 1 backside in a row is the thing to go for because anyone can just lay flat on a frontise but not everyone can stand back up, and fully extend on the backside AND revover would be even more difficult to start with the backside! N