Apex Insider

The Kessler 168 is designed to be a men's all-round carver. It's stiffer than the 171. The 171 is meant to be a GS board for lightweight riders. It's a popular length for juniors and female racers. If you were riding a Coiler with 8.4 stiffness index, the 171 would feel way too soft.

You are at the top end of the recommended weight range for the 171. I think the 180 is better suited to your weight. And since you're coming from a 184, I don't think you're going to have any trouble with the length.

The width of an EC board requires a lot of commitment when transitioning edge to edge. If you are willing to work hard, it can be a good freecarver. But, if you're like me and want easy carving without breaking a sweat, look for narrower boards.

Sent a mailing yesterday explaining the demo program. If you didn't see it, check your spam. pow4ever, I've never used the SWers and I think you want to keep the stack height and weight to a minimum. The Geckos already raise you up 15mm. Going a much higher is not a good idea. Also the Geckos give you dampening so you don't need any additional dampening layer below the binding plate.

I should have done this from the beginning. Now I have an unmanageable combo of PMs and emails. I've created a mailing list for the demo program: http://eepurl.com/bb3hef You can sign up for updates here. You'll also get any general Apex Sport spam. Sorry about that. There's no way for me to segment it. We only send an average of one mailing a month. If I've already added you manually, you'll get a message stating that. *important*: Make sure you check off "Gecko Demo Program" at the bottom of the form.

Hans and others who are curious about the Geckos: We're working on a demo program for Gecko plates. After all, the proof is in the riding. If any BOLers are interested, send me a PM and I'll put you at the front of the list. You just cover the cost of shipping and we'll send a plate out. As for the Coiler Special Edition, we don't want to risk sending demo snowboards around the world, but they will be available to ride at SOS (Ontario) and we'll very likely be at Nakiska Expression Session and Mont Blanc, Quebec for a demo day. If you're wondering, Bruce rode the Geckos last season, hand picked the Nirvana VCam as the "right" board match and modified the flex on the Nirvana to suit the Geckos. Beauty Carbonium topsheet. The photos do not do it justice. Henry

F2 Race Titanium bindings with Intec receivers. Very light use. I've switched back to standard bails. All parts except the leash are there including manual and original box. I have optional cant kits and lifts if needed. PM or email me for details. SOLD

https://www.sbnation.com/2015/8/5/9041099/the-bat-doctor-is-in Hey Bobby, juice me up.

A bit of snowboarding history for you young 'uns. Jeremy Jones and Mark Fawcett were the first two snowboarders accepted into Carrabassett Valley Academy in Sugarloaf, Maine. Jeremy has a serious racing pedigree. Here's an article from Skiing Magazine, December 1998 where Jeremy and Mark talk about carving and racing. The best quote is from Jeremy: "When you're on an alpine board, you're making the best turns in the world, period. There's not one other sport, even surfing or skiing, where you can pull that many g's with your head two inches from the snow." That says it all, doesn't it? https://books.google.ca/books?id=9X6oBEkKEUwC&pg=PT101&dq=mark+fawcett&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xV6eVfufJsXItQWks5XIBQ&ved=0CB4Q6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=mark%20fawcett&f=false

I did a 3 day stopover in Istanbul on my way home from Sochi. It was one of my favourite cities, ever. May is a perfect time. The weather is great and the tourists thin. I had a friend go in July and he hated it. He didn't like the crowds and the many vendors hawking crap to said tourists. Istanbul is big but the old city is very compact. We stayed on the European side near the Blue Mosque and walked mostly. I think in 4-5 days you can see pretty much everything in Istanbul. I'm told Cappadocia is a must-see. I wish we had time. The food in Istanbul was outstanding. They take their sweets ultra seriously. I would weigh 300 lbs if I lived there. I had the best coffee of my life there as well. Even the kebab that is sold aggressively to tourists is delicious. I can give you restaurant and hotel recommendations if you like. My buddy complained he could not get an alcoholic drink but we had absolutely no problem. Other Istanbul highlights: Basilica cistern, hamans (Turkish baths), Istanbul Archaeology Museums, smoking shish, eating lokum and drinking tea in the many hookah bars. Watch your wallet in the bazaars. I'm not talking about pickpockets, I'm speaking of the merchants who are the sweetest talking, slickest salesmen ever. They'll have you buying crappy rugs and knock-off Nikes before you know it. Visit the Grand Bazaar and Spice Market for sure but don't actually buy anything except in the smaller bazaars like Arasta. Have fun. I'm jealous.

We were there testing plates but luckily on the other side of the mountain. It was my first time at Sugarloaf and I was falling in love with the mountain. The sheer variety of terrain was mind blowing. I loved the little chutes that formed into natural quarter pipes. And the fall line carvers with varying pitch were an absolute blast. But, even before the accident, I couldn't help but notice that the lifts were ancient. For such a world class mountain, it's a real glaring failure. I will still go back next year but I sure hope this accident is a wake up call for Boyne. BTW, great meeting Jack for the first time and all the other rippers there for the Banked Slalom. Henry

Nice reporting snowmatic. I was at the race since it coincided nicely with ISPO in Munich. Bayrischzell/Sudelfeld is a really nice place. Perhaps the mountain is not huge but there is a chill, low-key vibe to the whole place. The locals put on a fun bib-draw party the night before the race. There are free cross country trails around town and on the road to Sudelfeld, there are parking lots where you can leave your car and hike up for some non-lift serviced riding. How sweet is that. The best part about the race format was the qualifiers were on Friday. On Saturday, the finals started at 10:30 and it was all wrapped up by 12:30.

Sorry for the non-responses. The board has been sold.

Bought this new, rode it a lot for 2 years then it basically sat in my closet while I rode other boards. At this point, I'd like to see someone use it. Ground only once. Edges and base are good. The top sheet has some scratches and the tail area has lift line nicks. I'll charge actual shipping once I have an address. I can ship anywhere in the world. Probably best to email me through one of the links in my sig. SOLD

There is lots to read here: http://www.apexsnowboard.com/apex-kessler-gecko-plates.html To summarize, the primary benefits are: increased edge pressure from simple elevation pressure delivered closer to the edge and distributed along a greater length dampening We wanted the plate to deliver the same benefits you get from a VIST plate without the complexity and weight. Our analysis of the VIST showed that there was almost no sliding action. Most racers torque the insert screws as tight as possible to prevent them from coming loose. That's because to access the screws, you have to remove the bindings and *10* screws per foot. The last thing a racer needs is to worry about loose screws so they over-tighten, defeating the sliding mechanism. The Gecko has no moving parts to worry about and nothing to come loose. You don't need a slider because it's two piece. Installation takes 30 seconds. It translates to more time spent on the snow with peace of mind in the start gate. In the words of Colin Chapman, "Simplify, then add lightness" Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any other questions.

If you want an all around soft boot board, a BX board is not the way to go. Even World Cup SBX riders travel with a freeride board for off-day powder hunts. See Jarryd Hughes's travel quiver that I copied from his Facebook Page. You can see he packs his Burton Custom X along with his Kessler Cross boards: You'll want a reasonably stiff freeride board with camber for carving and occasional forays into powder. I ride a Kessler Ride/Gecko Free setup with Driver X boots and C60 bindings and I can lay it down pretty good for an old fat guy. When we get a dump, you can just plow through the piles of snow or ride with more tail bias and float.

Also at the finish area, Justin and Matt Morison were looking at the base of Justin's board and you could see Matt pointing out the base damage. Felt bad for Justin but then again, just being an Olympian is a hell of an accomplishment.

The vendor forum is for approved, fee-paying vendors. That's why there are only Donek and Bomber posts on there. As a vendor, I'm not allowed to start threads. I can participate, which I do when time allows, but I can't initiate. That's cool. It's Bomber's forum and I abide by the rules.

Lowrider: It means the V1 was never stiff to begin with. It was really the difference between our plate and a lot of others. We never talked about it early for confidentiality reasons but I think it's safe to say now that we always engineered a certain amount of torsional and longitudinal flex into our plates. For every production version of our plates, we go through dozens of prototypes before we nail it. Even with FEA and bench testing, we never really know until we field test it. That's why the guys who copied our plate (and I'm talking about European and Asian plates that literally traced our shape), never got it right. Because you can't tell what's going on beneath the surface. When you apply a traditional metal mindset to composites you end up with a 2D plank with isotropic properties leaving the only variable as geometry (contour and thickness). Out of respect for Fin, I don't like saying too much here but I'm glad to talk to you at SOS assuming you're going.

To set the record straight: If you think V1 was stiff, you've never ridden it. It's impossible for the plate to split at the axle point. And ahh... we can't say anything about the Canadian plates. I hope that clears things up<G>. We're blogging from Sochi on our Facebook page if you're interested in updates. Starting Feb. 16.

Baum in, Wescott out. Damn shame. Nick is deserving, of course, but you'd think there would be allowances for a legend like Wescott. http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/268754/2/Two-time-gold-medalist-Seth-Wescott-will-not-go-to-Sochi

I will mention it to Kessler because the chart is misleading. The 168 has both 4x4 and ASIP* inserts. I'm looking at a 168 right now and I can send you a photo if you like. I ride it with an Apex T1 plate mainly because I like the way it absorbs the chatter and micro-vibrations of ice and frozen cord. We get a lot of that around here. Plus, I get a pretty good deal on them. The board performs just fine without a plate. edit: Cons of a plate setup: 1) cost, 2) weight, 3) loss of low speed maneuverability. You can get used to all three though. I have never tried the SWs. They look really well engineered and the machining is first class. Most of the riders on the World Cup ride F2 because they want a bit of flex in their setup. The F2s are simple stupid with not much to go wrong. Plus, they tell me they are lighter. Me, I just like to keep things simple and the F2 works well for me. Actually, I ride Kessler Kplate bindings which are rebadged F2s. *Apex Standard Insert Pattern. Sorry, I don't use the term UPM because there's nothing universal about the pattern and I believe it's misleading. There are lots of other plate-specific insert patterns around - Hangl, VIST, All-Flex, for example. We developed the pattern with Kessler and the Canadian team. If anything, it should be called the Fawcett or Jasey pattern since they had as much to do with it as anyone. So I'm stubborn about it.

CP: All Kessler snowboards from 162 and up are equipped with Apex compatible and 4x4 insert patterns. Having been through about 15 snowboards in the past 10 years, I've settled on the 168 Kessler as my primary ride. It's a great all-around choice. Nimble enough for tight, crowded Eastern slopes.

Brian: Send us an email. We're glad to help. http://www.apexsnowboard.com/contact.php

They're not widely available until next season but the 2014 Burton Diodes are just unreal. We got a pair from Burton for an SBX demo day. A lot of World Cup SBX racers are using them. Stiff (carbon fiber high backs), light and comfortable and what I really like about them is their thoughtful engineering and simplicity. They are all business. Detailed review and pics here: http://www.apexsnowboard.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14 We like them so much, we're going to package them with SBX boards for next season.