nils

Rob, check the thread Fin just moved to this main section :) I'm getting into split ( 3 or 4 parts board and there seem to be cool new ideas out there..) Nils

Fin, tnx for the input!!! I have seen that plate from Spark ( and noticed the bomber lever!) but had to figure out how they work!! Of course I'd rather stay with hardboots that I can use for climbing or even softer days hardbooting than regular softboots! I wonder where you can put the crampons on this set up....?.. Not sure to understand where you grinded the boot....more detailed explaination mandatory ;) You have plate overhang ;) I like to use 35/20° hopefully it does not overhang! The dynafit system ( boot toe axis and boots) is awsome indeed and has become a standard, very light!! tried some on skiis and they are great indeed! I'll get in touch with Seb and ask if he has used his 3 parts splits with that setup..will let you know! Nils

After a few years trying to improve my skiing level to the point where I could follow my skiing friends backcountry, I have come to the conclusion that it is wiser for me to sell my tour skis, and invest in a proper splitboard gear...( I can walk up like them, but on the way down, I cannot follow, and get exhausted too quick to enjoy it ( too many falls when the snow is not perfect....)).. I have also tried snowshoes with board on the backpack but it is much slower than skinning and dangerous when going sideways in steeps! ( it does get very steep here) I have gotten in touch with my friend Seb Perret from Phenix, and he will do for me a special 183 3 or 4 parts split swallow. He is mastering that technique and the 3+ parts are way way better on the way up where you have symetrical less wide skiis compare to 2 parts splits that are awkwardly shaped, and are not so good sideways, on ice etc... He is recommanding Sparks bindings, but has no feedback on the newer Tesla model. I was therefore wondering if any of you had tried it? They seem simplier with less gear involved ( cables, axis...) Regarding boots, I am looking for infor regarding the deeluxe sparks model ( vibram soles), or any boot that you can put crampons on..I have never but once worn softboots, so still looking for stiff models! Basically: if you do use splitboards, what is your gear ( boots / bindings)...and the drawbacks of each systems!? thank you link to 4 parts model ( non swallow): http://www.phenix-snowboards.com/Snowboards/ttx-168-all-wood.html basically the 4 parts means the central part is foldable using hinges so you can load it easier on your backpack. link to 3 parts swallow: http://www.phenix-snowboards.com/Snowboards/spx-173-all-wood.html link to deeluxe: http://www.deeluxe.com/products/spark-xv/ Thnx Nils

would love to see him try the shape of a snowboard swallowtail there!

Only small manufacturers keep track of serial numbers, and since any board can be reselled, it is getting difficult to track them. At Swoard we kept track of serial numbers of stolen boards, in order to avoid them to reappear in the classified sections in various sites....We also advised people to ask the owner about the serial number and history: if that is not clear, it means the owner has a "hot" board and knows it.... Serials tracking also help to know what flex and year the boards are build. I agree its a difficult task ( finding out if a board is genuine or stolen).. N

fav thread of 2015 so far :)...groomers are to us carvers what glassy water is to a surfer / waterskiier / rower....Nirvana! That pic I took in january 2002, first time I met Jacques (Rilliet) in person. He is riding the same board as in the Opus 1 movie ( "Extremecarving" ), a hand made prototype that will lead to the Extremecarver. I was riding a Proton 172 then, and those backside tracks he did pushed me hard enough to convince him and Patrice to launch Swoard! Nils

Few infos ( the resort is one of the most famous near Lyon, and I have been riding there countless times..My avatar is shot there on the piste where the ski slalom is set) - all is shot in La Clusaz, at La Balme, which is basically a wide open valley with a few pistes than turn in the middle of a big off piste that is not "risky". - all is staged with the benediction of the resort authorities ( very good advertising for them: he is the most famous rider from La Clusaz) - Candide is a local kid ( local hero) ( his father is a ski instructor) and ALL the lift people and ski patrol know him - It is heavily edited, but you would not notice it unless you know the place...At some times he is up the mountain where he was 20 seconds ago, but at a different angle / place. The single lift is in the neighbouring valley, so before he goes in the tunnel he cannot be near that lift.. - all people are locals/friends/fans He has an impressive level of riding, and after the broken back its pretty impressive!! Nils

I remember that shot! :) Philippe Fragnol is the photographer! ( mag has it wrong)

lol... I guess BJ does not have the same meaning over there....

Hi there, You might want to reach Sebastien Perret at Phenix Snowboards He is a former freesurf guy The rest of the team is now in the Bohème ski / snowboard team...maybe its another possible source. Their biggest market was France, so its better to look there I guess Loved the mustang! Had a highlander but it was too narrow and stiff for my tastes brrr.. Nils

Small remark....your shoulders are facing downhill most of the time...for proper " by the book" EC, shoulders guide the rotation and thus, should precede the turn... check the first vids from Jacques and Patrice from 2002...especially on Patrice's backside you see his shoulder pull the rest of the body into the turn... Remember the main idea is to have upper body and lower body working together, hips "locked". http://extremecarving.com/films/demos/mov/virage_push-pull_j.mov http://extremecarving.com/films/demos/mov/virage_push-pull.mov Nils

I use a wide roto Nylon brush with a makita cordless...and it saves my life every autumn when I'm getting all the gear ready 8 pairs of skiis ( kids and wife) and 6 snowboards at least.. Used to took ages by hand, now I get a pretty good job with the roto. As said it is not a good for fine tuned structuring compare to the hand, but for normal use ( EC, freeride) its great! Nils

If carving on softboot setup is of interest, you can also try to find a swoard dual which is also a good versatile tool.. It was designed for versatility Check full EC on it on this video... N.

not very dynamic indeed...but Stockholm is a beautiful town :)

Can't remember exactly what year was the wine ( it was a pre 1900 for sure..a laffite or latour). It was shown on tv news like a decade ago..couldn't find it on google either...the whole thing was the buyer opening it, and tasting with shouts from other collectors totally offended! 1855 is indeed the classification that was organised then..it is still holding, but now keeps out good wines as good as the classified ones.. As for wine aging, bordeaux can hold up years pretty amazing depending on how it was made, quality of the cork, and quality of the cellar( temp / humidity / lack of UV light). I drink wine my grandfather bought in the 60's that are still pretty amazing, oldest I've drank is 1928 and it was amazing ( Sauternes) Bourgone wine, on the other hands, don't hold as good unless they are great places ( pommard, corton etc..). As for portos/madeiras... the prices can be sky high, and they age good too! Back to the board: Yes its history because JB made it, but I'd rather have a board with an history, than a board belonging to a guy's history.

A few years ago, a guy bought a 1855 something wine in Bordeaux in an auction..it was the highest bid of the day/year ( if I remember around 10.000 euros for that bottle) He asked for two glasses and a corkscrew, opened it, tried it and said: its made to be drank, I rather drink it than having it sit for another century in a cellar.. This is why i'd favor a Milovich shape I'd ride rather than a useless plank :). In surfing its nice because people ride legendary boards once in a while ( thinking of Michael Peterson's famous board, but others too)..it helps understanding the progresses, or losses we made in the sports! N

Funny to see a plank with a rubber strap sells for that much, when real snowboards from Winterstick from 1976 are way hotter...remember in 1977 Dimitrije was actually surfing the snow for good...With that money to spend there, I'd rather buy a 1976 winterstick than a plank from JB!.. The technological / performance gap between the two builders at that time is so huge its a wonder why JB even succeeded in selling his boards from 77 to 79! N

I agree with snowmatic, the problem is beeing sure the keprotec is genuine and not simple yellow nylon knit in black corduroy.. I think the Thor glove which is here for a longer time is a better base for a great carving glove, it has a huge gauntlet that is great, but lacks proofness and has basically a too cheap inside..I've been in touch many times with the Thor glove guy, and tried to give help improving his glove with the EC feedback ( since EC eats gloves quick)...but got no success ( no changes).. Jacques Rilliet gloves ( in 2002): Ptex palms for better EC My gloves in 2002: using PVC floor on fingers with hot glue and duct tape I'd change every 2 days My 2010 suggestion to improve Thor Raider gloves..for now they are still the strongest i've ever used, but they have flaws and could be greatly improve! Nils

Interesting topic! As an architect that is building a few full metal houses, I understand some of the issues working on a bus with smaller space.. - thermal bridges fighting: this is the most difficult part working with metal..as you can see on the bus on the link, there are many beams and other structural devices that use the whole thickness of the wall making it difficult to kill the bridges. Its a good idea to use a secondary structure on the inside, tied to the first one via non thermal conductive spacers ( plastic...) in order to reduce the losses to minimum. Cross layers of insulation in the secondary structure will help killing most bridges. - moisture fighting: gore tex like skin that the wood houses or normal buildings have ( vapor control) is difficult because metal skins are tight and riveted: need very good ventilation device..heat recovery ventilation systems with exchangers are a good solution, especially when you can add new air on bottom and pull old air in the roof area ( needs many ducts, not easy to design in small dimensions without noise). - thermal insulation: the easiest and best efficient way is projected PU like materials such as Icynene ( this one has no solvents released after it dries in 6 seconds). It acts as a vapor controler, air tightener and enters all small holes there is making great insulation, however it is very light an has almost no inertia...this means the summer comfort is going to be poor. If space allows it it is interesting to combine it with heavy insulation such as woodwools panels. U need good R value, but also weight! Roof insulation should be better than walls ( 27-28% of heating losses are through the roof).. - Windows: double glazed are very efficient, windshield will not be able to have it of course ( maybe a thermal removable screen layer for the coldest days)...others should have the max possible efficiency ( argon gaz etc..). thermal bridges between frame and walls are essential too. too many things to list! good luck! N

Hi Kipstar There is 4 places where you can ski on glacier in switzerland. They are all pretty far from Lucerne and Zurich ( at least 3.5 hours drive) http://www.bergfex.fr/schweiz/gletscher/ ( map ) Like french glaciers, there is time of the year when they are closed...the season is almost over now ( most resort close next week end), or first week end of may..Might want to check with each resort when they are open ( some reopen in July like les deux alpes in France). Tignes is also to consider ( but even further away)... I'd suggest spending time seeing sights ( Lucerne is beautiful, and has two buildings by Jean Nouvel, one beeing the incredible congress hall by the lake, and the other beeing a refurbished hotel..)..There is also the incredible thermal center by Peter Zumthor in Vals not too far from where u are: worth a detour.. Nils

Snowmatic: Phil was using english sense of humor ;) Reading between the lines works both ways ( english reading non english, non-english reading english) its not always easy! N

hehe... As for the snowmatic comments: We need to read between the lines..I think Snowmatic is reacting against what he feels is a ripoff from what we started with extremecarving.com and Swoard. I will not comment much on that topic, but lets say EC.com, Swoard, have contributed directly in helping a handful young (to snowboarding) russian birds to learn how to fly, and now the same birds are building copied nests in the same very small neighborhood.. Patrice feels bitter about it..so is snowmatic from what i can understand... I'm feeling it's life and not a big deal (when nest building methods are fair)..but this explains a few bad vibes than can be felt on the european freecarving scene, which is otherwise really friendly. Nils

I've replaced mine ( in a .900 shell) with a Sidas injected liner: its a great choice ( needs custom footbeds too) http://www.sidassport.com/en/our-products/winter-sports/pu-transfoam-flex-223-2.html You don't really need the injected tongue unless your shinbone is very sharp and gets painful. The original liner of the NW is a great liner, firm but comfy, but you can't replace custom! Nils

(This is not a topic hijack:) BlueB: try to compare it now to the G3/G4, or better, the metal ( pro) version which adds ability/stability to cut in difficult conditions ( icy/ bumps..) without loosing versatility! Nils

the issue occurs because of low angle ( 23cm wide board) and lots of lateral movement ( EC)...I guess it does not occur on regular alpine board with higher angles...and out of 60-70+ days of riding its the first time it happens...and only one one pad! Maybe putting a single layer of adhesive ( double side ) could maintain the pad in place..