420calvin

pic of the Rossi for good measure sorry to hijack this thread :rolleyes:

Nils, could you explain further why you feel the Undertaker is the best production swallowtail? i'm not questioning the fact, just looking for some specifics. i'm torn between a Nitro 181 swallowtail and an Undertaker. i can get either one for pretty much the same price. the Nitro seems a bit wider, it's lighter, and it's a bit shorter. the Undertaker seems stiffer, very durable, and narrower at the waist. i'm really curious how they will ride. they seem like very different beasts. the Nitro would probably be super fun for resort riding on pow days, but that's just a hunch. it seems like the Undertaker might be a bit less forgiving and require much more open area (and speed) to shine. my regular riding is some open areas above treeline giving way to fairly tight trees. tree riding is not why i want a swallowtail (i've got a 4807 for the tight stuff) but it would be nice to have some flexibility in case i wanted to spend a bit of time in the trees on a pow day. the Nitro and Rossi seem like they'll ride very differently. i'd love to hear other thoughts on these two boards.

Thanks for the feedback, great info. Matt D -- very generous offer! I'll email you w/ my snail mail. I'd like to return the favor and will speak about that in my email... Now I just have to convince my wife!! (that's the crux)

I didn't know Prior would adjust the flex - that's great. I have spoken w/ them before and they've been extremely helpful.

I agree it's best to compare apples to apples, which means the $600 price compared to Arbor's $500 is fair. This is because Arbor and Prior both use quad-glass in their construction for this price. Also, the materials used are the highest quality for both manufacturers. When you talk about Prior's custom options, that's a wonderful quality for a board builder to have, but that doesn't have anything to do with the present argument. As you say, they charge for that service in addition to the base price. What I'm looking for is viewpoints about Prior's baseline boards (with no custom options) relative to the industry in general. Why are they so expensive? Or is that part of their "marketing niche"?

I'm interested in Prior snowboards, and am trying to get to the bottom of something: what makes Priors so expensive, and are they worth the price? Before getting into this, let me qualify that I'm open to hearing all views and am NOT bashing Prior in any way. They are quality boards, that can't be argued -- I'm just curious why they're so darn expensive. Example: I'm looking into buying a Men's FreeRide (MFR) and would like the Quad-glass upgrade (a higher quality fiberglass that's woven in 4 directions instead of the traditional 3 or even 2-cross). If I buy this board, with quadraxial glass, it's going to cost me $600. Now, if I went with a comparable board from Arbor (the A-Frame) -- sandwich construction, quadraxial glass, and made in California -- it would cost me just over $500. And I'd get a 2 year warranty instead of a 1 year warranty from Prior. Go with Never Summer - a quality board maker - and you get a great product for under $500 with a 3 year warranty. So what makes Prior snowboards worth the extra price? And is it a problem that they don't back up their product with a better warranty? One quality I love is big radial sidecuts, something the MFR has (10m). I know it will rail carves, something the A-Frame does very well too with a +/- 8.5m radial sidecut. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experience on this... basically I'm trying to convince myself that I need to buy a Prior. But I keep coming back to that price... and there's gotta be a factor that will sway me one way or the other. And not just cool factor, which is a legitimate reason but not something that matters to me.

Couple general observations on Tankers. Yes, killer longboards. Kinda skinny at the waist, which gives the board a tendency to feel tippy side to side... very different ride. The combo of skinny waist and longboard with nice nose shape makes the boards ride different than anything I've tried. Very solid build. I own a 181 and it's an amazing ride but requires a totally different technique in deep snow. It wants to drop you on your toe or heel side turns unless you change your turns to compensate. Really different and really sick sick ride. Highly recommend. All this said, it is amazing at high speeds and you can rail turns like you wouldn't believe. Cheers

I've got a couple snowboards to sell: Forum Elite 169. Like-new condition, ridden for 1 hour. Perfect base, perfect edges, perfect topsheet. $175 Burton Supermodel 173, 2001-2002 model with gray topsheet. Fair condition, some wear but nothing major. Small base scrapes that don't change the ride. Slight dimpling from t-nuts on bottom. $110 Rossignol Levitation 161, this is the old red/white/blue classic board that inspired legions of followers. Very stiff w/ a directional shape. Cool design. Poor shape, large gouge in base that needs repair. Should repair fine, good candidate for splitting. I'll let it go for $50. adam@veloclassics.com thanks adam

I'm interested but would like to see a pic first. Here's my email: adam@veloclassics.com thanks, adam

the Project TM does sound like a cool board, i haven't ridden one or even seen one but would love to hear about them. i tried to track one down but Nidecker has stopped distributing to my home town i guess. i just got a K2 Instinct for similar type of riding. it's a fun little 165 machine - very quick and nicely stiff. handles firm conditions great, adequate in pow. that's not what it's designed for though. i still haven't found much to rival my Tanker. although it's 182cm in length i think of it as being in a similar class to the Project TM and Instinct. carvey, slim waist, quite a bit of backbone for holding an edge. it has to rank as one of my all-time favorite shapes.

okay now we've all convinced ourselves and each other that we are NOT excessive in board buying. :) how about storage? i built a home storage system out of 2x4's and large dowels. the 2x4's are vertical on the wall about 50cm apart w/ the dowels inserted end-first into the 2x4's every 12 inches or so. the boards are stacked on the dowels horizontally. problem i have is that i need to stack boards on top of each other, and i worry that it's not good for them. especially when they've got bindings mounted and they're upside down -- you can actually see the board bowing in the center when it's on the shelf. i'm not sure if this can do any harm or not...?

My quiver: RadAir Tanker 182 - carving Burton Supermodel 173 - open powder Burton S-Series splitboard 170 - off-piste Arbor Mickey Munoz 170 - all arounder O-Sin 4807 168 - treed pow K2 Instinct 165 - all around rally racer Rossignol Levitation 161 - Cascades spring corn machine And I still want to buy a Prior MFR 168, which will replace my Arbor and make it the rock board. That will put me at 8 boards. And I could still use a super long swallowtail for wide open pow. Yes, I'm a dumbass. Yes, each one gets ridden lots and lots. Now don't get me started about binders... My fiancee definitely thinks I have a problem. She can't understand it, probably for the same reason she can't understand why I need 3 or 4 bikes - singlespeed, full boinger, commuter, fixed... I keep telling her, it's all about the right tool for the job!

i got the 168 as a Fish-type of board... shorter for steep pow filled trees. sounds like it will rule in that environment. i've got my Tanker 182 or Nitro 196 swallow for the deep open stuff. it's all about the right tool for the job! (or is it that i'm addicted to buying snowboards?!) -adam

Killer deal online: Dynastar (O-Sin) 4807 dovetails for $199. Regular price is about $600. I have no connection w/ the shop other than I bought one. They have the 168 and 178's. http://www.wavejammer.com/snow/boards/boards00_os.shtml -adam

I'm looking for a Nitro Saber POW (their swallowtail). Preferably last year's model, the 196, but this year's would be good too. Has to be in excellent condition. thanks, adam adam@veloclassics.com

yeah me too! i'm gonna be there late Feb, then Peak Adventures for cat action, then Silver Mt, Fernie, Whitewater and Red, then White Grizzly for more cat action. just thought i'd brag a bit... i'm stoked!

cool thanks Jeremy! good to hear. i'll have to try one soon.

Very helpful reply, thanks! I've also just looked into the Nidecker Project TM, I think I'll try one it looks interesting too. -adam

Can you give me a bit of insight into how that Prior Freeride performs? I'm seriously considering one of those, they look great on paper and have an excellent reputation. From what I can tell, the board is pretty stiff, has a big 'ol radial sidecut for easy carving, and is fairly moderate in width. Should be a great all around board that can also rip up the hardpack. Thanks for any insight. -adam

I'm curious how this board will ride on firm snow. I'm sure it will be sweet in pow, but I've heard that it has a softer nose which is a bit worrisome. I was hoping it would be pretty stiff all over for the hardpack. I want something that will rail firm while also handling soft conditions well. Wondering if it will fit the bill... it's been pretty heavily praised in the few (short) blurbs I've found. Thanks.

Tanker 182 K2 Ambush 175 Mickey Munoz 170 Arbor Crossbow 167 APX Kevin Jones Ride EX binders the boots have a solid, stiff feel for a softie. handmade in italy, very quality and durable. do not pack out. they have a thin (but not too thin) sole which combined w/ torsional rigidity creates max sensitivity and feel on the board for me, which i really like. Superfeet liners. bindings are personal things, but the EX are solid, simple, durable, relatively cheap and hard to beat. plus they fit my boots and feet. Ride has a huge line of bindings, but the Team, SPI, Flite MIG, etc all have bells and whistles that i don't care for. don't like toe ramps on my pow setups. don't need "dampening" stuff under the binder, don't need leather straps... now i just need a winterstick swallowtail.