Carvin' Marvin

Thanks for the advice John. So that Thursday ride ended up being a huge success. I ended up moving my bindings all the way to the rear most inserts and everything just seemed to sort itself out. This thing will turn super tight when called upon. Very smooth, very intuitive. I like the loud noise personally. I would like to get another good day on it before I release my full thoughts onto the world, but I don't think its going to happen this year. I ran into another hardbooter at Beaver Creek I had never met before. Richard was his name I think. He is a longtime instructor there. Anyhow, I rode way past my usual 2 hours because we were having so much fun and something happened to my ankle beyond its usual F-ed uppedness. It swelled up double its size and hasn't been right since. My season is done, but I'm scheduled for surgery May 31st so I am super pumped about getting to rail on this thing on a fresh joint next season!

Guys, guys, guys... We need to get back on topic here. SOME KID WAS LIKE OMG IS THAT A MONOBOARDSKI, AND I WAS LIKE ITS A SNOWBOARD, BRO!!!!

Lol. I wouldn't dare. Old pic on my short proteus. I think the thirst would gain lift and paraglide away. I just posted it because I have some deep-seated psychological need to show you guys how awesome I think I am. Probably something to do with Freud.

I take them everywhere. Popping in and out of trees, short bursts in moguls, park, high alpine, etc. Surfing groomers is my preferred environment, but variety is the spice of life right?

Thanks for the tips guys. I had a few runs where I felt like a hero both toe and heel but once it was time for bed it went downhill (ha). I feel like I've got some good places to start now to get it more consistent. Dave, yeah I noticed the tight binding placement window the first time I tried moving one insert pack forward. It was like someone put oil on the racetrack. It went from predictable and stable to squirrely and scary. I moved them right back and found the happy place. I'm really pumped for Thursday.

Chairlift dings and trees/anything wood are what gets me most. I find that wood slivers really like to get under that top titanal layer causing it to wrinkle a bit then if it gets hit again it chips.

John, based on your review it seems we have extremely similar early experiences on the 8RW. I've only got half a tired morning on mine, but I really relate to your review so far. My usual rides are Coilers as well with a short Donek for exercise days. The 8RW immediately railed a heel better than any board I've ridden, but I'm having trouble making it speak to me on toeside. The way you phrased it made me realize the difference in my heel/toe technique. Historically, on heel I'm always in early while on toe I roll in slow. Any tips on getting this thing up on edge earlier on toeside that you've figured out? Looking at that Big Sky video it looks like immediate action coming out of the transition is key to whipping it around. Push it more? Inside hip down sooner? I'm just trying to get some ideas in my mind for when I can have my first real day on it on Thursday. If I can get my toeside dialed in I have no doubt this will become my go-to board for almost any carving day. Gratzi, Marv

I was able to take it out this morning after working 13 hours overnight so neither my legs or brain were super fresh. Initial impressions are super positive. I'm going to take it for a more serious ride on Thursday so I'm going to wait until then to share my full thoughts in the review section.

This. We really let our fitness slide during the fall and my wife paid dearly for it with a blown knee. My season never really got cranking until I got back into the gym in January.

Anyone got an extra 4pak day they are willing to let loose? I'm maybe trying to come up 4/7 and y'all can try this shiny new Thirst out.

Like everyone else said, you just can't capture how damn shiny this thing is in photos. There are a few slightly lighter snowflakes that don't show up in the pics either. My first impression is this thing seems super stout. I typically have issues with the upper exposed titanal layer on other boards getting bent up or chipping so I'm interested to see how this thing holds up to my particular brand of abuse.

My 8RW in murder black arrived this morning! It is absolutely beautiful. The finish on the thing is incredible. The finished product is pretty much exactly what I expected. It really stands apart from the other boards in my quiver. Im going to attempt to go riding in the morning between shifts. Will report back.

I"m just hoping mine gets here before the mountain closes.

I had so much damn fun on Sunday. Can't wait to see some of you kooks again this Sunday! I literally had to use a cane to get up my stairs Sunday night. Good to meet the new folks and see all the usuals minus a few.

Nice! I'd love to learn to weld and put together one someday. I'm going to need to see a picture of this golf cart though! There are some videos online titled the XP1K videos where RJ Anderson (I think) uses a a specially engineered ramp to do a backflip. The videos are absolutely insane though.

We had agreed no filming today because we were there for one reason: to F S#!T UP. However Mario was waiting on some meat gates to disperse so I whipped out the camera at the end of the run hoping to catch a solid toeside. Mario was on his super stiff JJA 175 Cyrpress and feeling pretty froggy. For those that don’t know Mario, when he sees a camera you are going to get a show one way or another. He goes into full windup going for a homerun. At the exact apex of the turn, Big Mario’s big force blasted right through his rear boot cuff pivot rivet causing his back leg to collapse unloading all the force of the turn instantaneously. There was a loud pop and Mario went into some sort of horizontal pirouette or spinning Superman. Luckily no body parts were injured in the fall. He shook it off and we continued to F sh!t up.

Not the way I drive. Given my usual mileage I’m expecting about ten good years out of it. I’ll likely sell it or trade up before then. Our dog gets nervous over 20mph or so. We have a harness for him that clips in to the front seat.

I picked up a 2016 156 cm Jones Ultracraft from my cousin and finally had a chance to ride it in about 8” of sloppy pow yesterday. I mounted it up with f2 race intec and upz rc10s buckled loose in walk mode. It exceeded all expectations by a mile. It is a super turny, surfy, floaty fun ride. I was worried about it being too short or getting overpowered by my 210lbs, but it never folded on me or even felt close. It carved through the snow beautifully. I don’t think I would try to rail it on proper groomers, but for the conditions it performed beautifully. For what it’s worth it was also lots of fun in the park. The tail is soft and short so a little backfoot pressure would sent it whipping around and the big pow nose just floated over everything. Would recommend.

You should start a "John complains about I-70 and crowds" thread. Or move or something, idk.

Stop, you’re giving me anxiety. I’m sure the yahoos that think they’re Robby Gordon renting them from you caused more than a lions share of aggravation. I drive hard but I mind my Ps and Qs regarding the belt, axles, ball joints, etc. and luckily haven’t broken anything major yet. I’m sure my tune will change a bit when it’s time to rebuild the shocks and clutches.

I’m with you there. Where we live it’s all fast desert trails and dunes. I took it east one time and would have preferred a moto or quad on every trail. After getting busted up on the bike a few too many times I really value the roll cage and 5 point harnesses. Plus the wife can tag along now. Unfortunately Polaris really cheaps out in some areas that matter like the sprIngs and seatbelts.. A few hundred bucks here and there really makes a huge difference The industry seems to be moving away from the belts. The Yamaha and Honda offerings both have proper transmissions, but are out of my price range and are still too large for tight trails. Dont get me started on the maintenance though. The wrenching, wrenching, WRENCHING!

Getting some good air in Utah this week! Carved some good bowls too but neglected to get any video. YMMV, Bob. The first iteration of the RZR were glorified golf carts, but the new ones with trailing arm suspension are a huge step up in fun at performance. People love to hate the belts but I’ve got 1500 hard miles on my stock belt and they take five whole minutes to change. I suppose some people are better suited cruising a scooter around the cul de sac.

If anyone wants to brave a day at Arapahoe Basin we have a beach spot reserved on Sunday March 24th for my 30th. I was planning on Loveland that day, but Rachel informed me we have other plans.

That’s the problem. I haven’t been able to walk a straight line in years and can muster about 2 degrees of dorsiflexion on a good day, and now I’m getting hip pain on that side......on a 29 year old hip. Don’t get me wrong, I skated for 20 years and enjoyed every bit of it until the end. My true love is snowboarding so I’m just trying to mitigate risk. Nice turns btw!

For anyone curious this is what has been living in my ankle for the past four seasons. Don’t skateboard over 25 folks.