Jump to content

Emdee406

Member
  • Posts

    557
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    12

Posts posted by Emdee406

  1. I have a 171 blacktop Kessler for sale, I think it is circa 09-10. It belonged to a female racer who didn't have it long before she retired through injury and decided to focus on College.

    I bought it from her but have only ridden it half a dozen times.

    Topsheet is in great condition as is the base. I will take some pics tomorrow.

    I think the stats are

    Nose: 248mm

    Waist: 195mm

    Tail: 232mm

    Radius: 14,3m

    I'm looking for $650.

    Thanks.

  2. I would love to show up in hardboot regalia and ask for a "lesson" here in So Cal. The funny thing would be to have/see the local instructors follow us turn for turn. I can see the skidding now....:barf:

    Sadly now the Visa regs have changed, it's not going to get any better. No more highly qualified foreign Instructors unless like me, they have Green Cards! The Aussies still had a hardboot element to their Full-Cert course and the Kiwis were encouraged to try it.

  3. Just want to clarify that there ARE options in Utah for Alpine coaching / instruction (besides FAST - working with Chris K would be incredible...) Both The Canyons and Park City have qualified folks that can teach hardboot lessons (The Park City instructor being the most qualified.)

    Maybe what Mark meant is that there were no AFFORDBLE options. Firsthand knowledge from The Canyons is that if someone wants hardboot-specific instruction, they are required to book a full-day private. I'm not sure about Park City, but more than likely it is close to the same. Show up with hardboots to a group lesson expecting specfic instruction, and you'll get some blank stares. Due to the extremely small demand for hardboot specific instruction, it's also highly unlikely that an instructor with the gear and knowledge to teach alpine would actually have that gear readily available without prior warning either...

    Back to your normally scheduled "Bomberonline Court TV" programming...

    At Park City I generally only get to teach a handful of Hardboot lessons a season, almost all are Private Half Day lessons with regular clients. I have managed to intercept some riders who were unsure if they wanted to spend that kind of money and told them about the "FREERIDE" group product. This is a normal group lesson price, but told them to say that they rode hard boots so therefore could the instructor be in the same. It meant they got a Private for the price of a group, I got to use my hardboot expertise, the resort got SOME money as opposed to none! Win, win. I did get paid half what I would have got for a Private, but a) they probably wouldn't have booked it and b)it's good PR for the sport and for me.

    Many resorts run similar programs so ask, but also give them some notice as Curt is right that most Instructors won't have their Alpine set ups readily available.

  4. I believe in recycling, so never have many boards, I pass them forward...

    Bottom to top...

    - Custom cruiser built by Munchh in the UK (signed by my old crew)

    - Gecko SLE Tight Slalom mounted with GOG trucks

    - Gecko Proto 34" Hybrid/GS board with GOG trucks

    - Old Roe 36" GS/6-wheeler test bed.

    Hopefully enough snow has gone that I can finally skate again! :biggthump

    post-9081-14184234434_thumb.jpg

  5. No not particularly they aren't very controllable compared to wheels with a driftier thane. In truth if I had to choose only one longboard wheel I would choose Abec11 Flashbacks they do everything well plus they are cheap

    honestly if you are looking for the same feeling that you have carving a snowboard use a wheel that will allow you to drift. Race wheels will more times than not, throw you, probably painfully (that said I have drifted corners on sticky race wheels but I was also skating at 35-45mph. I have a nice speed/race board that I sadly don't ride much these days as I prefer my freeride board it just feels better.

    As someone who has ridden both at high level for over 30 years, I would respectfully disagree, unless of course you like to skid a lot on your Alpine board ;)

    Anyway, each to their own... For me at least, carving on my Gecko GS board is the closest I can get to the same feeling on snow and definitely helps me maintain my skill level in the off season.

  6. SK8KINGS038 <b> SLALOM COMPLETE -- AXE II ORIGINAL-NOSE --

    OustMaint: NO RaceDayBushings: No RIDER-WEIGHT: 200 AltBushingCombo: No AXE-ARMY-SHIRT-SS: No-Thanks WheelUpgrade: BigZigGB$11.00 $11.00 AA-Tee-LS: None UpgradeFrontTruck: NoThanks RearTruckUpG: NoThanks BearingUpgrade: Oust7$20.00 $20.00 CHOOSE-WB: 20inch Color: Racy-Red

    Tpalka is offering me this board.

    Hmm, my weight is 72kgs.

    Would the board be too stiff?

    Tell your opinion please. :)

    You will be fine, these boards don't actually flex and their quickness of response comes from the lack of flex! However this is more of a loose slalom/tight hybrid wheelbase so not as good for long radius turns, like buying a 165-170cm alpine board. Blue is right, bushings make a huge difference, try stiffer in the rear to deaden the rear and soft in the front(for slalom) or both the same for GS. Shape to makes a difference, barrel shaped bushings for rebound, conicals for a looser ankle-turny style. Khiro do a huge range. Hope this helps.

  7. Great post Gecko (that's the name of my board sponsor incidentally! :biggthump), but I think is more wanting to carve rather than slide.

    Trucks definitely make a difference, for carving the more precise the better... I use GOGs which give me more of an Alpine board response. Ironically a lot of Tight Slalom riders use Indys due to their high angle of attack and maneuverability. Trackers too will make carving easier.

  8. Another factor to consider is also the durometer (hardness) of the wheels relative to the grip available given by the surface. My background is as a slalom skater rather than a longboarder per se. Therefore I am more grip-orientated rather than slide-orientated.

    Temperature is also a factor too, as in very warm conditions, a soft normally grippy wheel will mush out and slide like a greased pig, where a harder wheel won't deform and grip like poo to a blanket.

    Wheel profile too can decide whether a wheel will grip, slide and go or slide and lock back on.

    Technique-wise, it would be cool to see footage as if you are inclining rather than angulating, you will actually be applying lateral rather than downward pressure and forcing the board to slide. It would IMHO be almost impossible, without the use of an inclined bank, to EC on a longboard because where a snowboard edge is embedded in the snow, the wheels are resting on the surface of the ground and therefore cannot achieve the same level of grip.

    That's my gut feeling, but I'll give it some more thought...

×
×
  • Create New...