xy9ine

price dorp!

great style, guys!

i'm not sure if this is a troll, or real ludditic (that a word??) anti-new school sentiment, but i've never ridden a more surfy (ie, forgiving, slarve & tail slashing friendly) serious alpine board than my kessler. i'd personally classify traditional shapes and construction as more ski-like myself - not that i have anything against those designs. that said, snow sliding planks of all shapes, sizes and numbers are good. it's all about having fun, and there's no wrong, right, or morally superior way of getting the job done.

now that's a fatalistic perspective. the core will always remain despite major corporations hemorrhaging due to the fickle mass market dabblers. really has no bearing on what we do.

was just corresponding w/ bruce re: the nirvana. specs are looking really enticing - and $850 vs $1000 for a metal prior is relatively good value (trying to justify said purchase to myself). pretty big difference between the old school prior (traditional camber, single sidecut, fiberglass construction) vs newschool metal, decambered, vsr awesomeness. i'd def splurge for a metal board if you're on ice often. surprisingly effective tools.

the board was built for a female wc racer. i don't know her weight, but suffice to say, a 200lb'er on this wouldn't be a good idea. for my 165lbs it was good in most conditions, but perhaps a bit soft in soft snow / pushing aggressively. i'd say heavier riders need not apply unless you're using it for boilerplate. i'd think it could work for bodies a good bit lighter as well (depending on how aggressive they were, of course).

^solid.

attracting & nurturing new riders on hardboot gear is tough. perhaps the focus should be on softboot carving as a gateway to dedicated alpine hardware. i used rental softboot gear for a day last season (albeit a 'high performance' cambered deck in the longest length they had), and with appropriately set up bindings was impressed with how capable a carver it was (on relatively forgiving snow conditions). focus on technique and setup rather than hardware, and a few of those who like what they see might decide to progress to hardboots. on that note, i was thinking about the feasibility of a modded flow binding using extended front & backs w/ more wrap around to provide more lateral stability at high binding angles.

had a fun morning, for sure. a refreshing lack of crowds. speaking of the atv (great board, btw), i emailed prior to see if there were any new alpine designs in the works (there isn't), and they said they were dropping the atv for next year. i hope this isn't a sign of prior backing away from alpine board building...

loading up the details now; pretty much self-explanitory. i took details of the worst base damage. could use a minor tune & wax, but haven't got around to it. the insert pack scale is a bit hard to read (distorted at the extremities), but the max stance is 20 3/32".

i'll grab some detail pics tomorrow; generally speaking, in great shape all round. a couple minor dings. bindings are currently at close to 20", which i believe is max, but i'll grab a pic w/ a tape over the inserts. looking for a 170-ish freecarver. i have a 174 kessler which is great, but won't survive another grind, so time to start thinking about a replacement. cheers.

great shape, relatively low miles, just not seeing enough use to justify keeping about. will add more detail & pics if anyone is interested. bindings not included. will consider trade for something comparable in a longer length. $550+ shipping. pref. PayPal & keeping it on this continent.

the specs sound intriguing. any more info on these boards? the coiler site hasn't been updated for some time.

really, you can never go wrong with zombies and their ilk (love the libtech skunk apes). i like to see (well done) fresh approaches to typically conservative alpine graphics. as much as i appreciate the stark minimalism of a black kessler, this has me wanting to buy another prior:

roy - i like the look of that coiler; what's the specs?

crazy. there were line-ups on the chair (at cypress) last night at 9pm. meat gates abound. the family has a place on lake pend oreille, and we're there quite a bit during the summer, but i've never been to schweitzer with snow on it. will try to get out there next year...

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?38850-Kessler-168-PGS-Blacktop-2011-(like-new)-1000 want...

where are the people?? always jealous of wide-open, unpopulated slopes.

corner carving on a sportbike is somewhat analogous to snowboard carving, for sure.

^yep. what rally surprised me about the kesslers was how forgiving and versatile they were. i'm a non-racer, relatively new freecarver (though been boarding forever), and was hesitant about riding a wc race board, but they turned out to be more forgiving than the conventional boards i'd been on previously. the combination of (relatively) low camber, fat tip & tail decamber, big taper, vsr & metal, makes for an amazingly capable, and easy to ride machine. very confidence inspiring at the upper reaches of my (limited) skillset as well; planted when things get hairy. amazing. and: there's a fresh 168 on the b&s right now. i'd be snapping that up if i had the dosh.

unless the shock is blown, i wouldn't worry about servicing it; more or less no maintenance devices. the fork could probably benefit from a basic clean & lube (unless the seals are leaking, which are easy enough to swap once you've pulled the lowers). check out the service manual - process is easy enough if you're mechanically inclined, and can be done with no specialty tools. just need to pick up some fork oil, which can be bought cheaply at any moto shop (i buy mine at the yamaha shop across from cove bikes on main). http://cdn.sram.com/cdn/farfuture/oSTvOJS-L0Xv_XpocR3FF1bUTW7YCqVVgakX5nvriDk/mtime:1297962021/sites/default/files/techdocs/99_04DualAirServiceGuide.pdf

the numbers look super fun...

schmoo (how i use it, anyways) is about what it sounds like, heavy, sloppy stuff. dense slurpee perhaps. smear it around. hardpan is a hard layer of soil beneath the softer topsoil - very analogous in this case.

any evidence of a new alpine design from prior?

i'm down with this derailment. i was always a little curious about the the virii - do the exotic materials / construction / huge price tag provide a tangible benefit over something like a more conventionally built, but race proven kessler? very subjective, i know. the zylons are certainly droolworthy.