frunobulax

Have seen your tail already ;) but what about the board?

..uhm.. I've had my share of herbrenning for this season.. old bigmouth fruno is still a bit speechless.. but if it is your true will I am sure we can arrange sth. for next season.. :D I hope you got a real snowboard by then. Cannot beat an unarmed man..

Yeah ok you're right Max.. I know you were there (actually I do think you are the black spot on the left) and I'm sorry Katja didn't keep the button pressed. But if I remember it correctly you didn't go down the "stadium" after that but preferred the easier part of the slope :lol:

I'm sure there will be something like an official report, and there is a lot of work in progress concerning pics and vids. In the meantime I can tell you it was the most incredible event I ever experienced in my snowboarding life. There were some 300 hardbooters from all over Europe there which came together for a great hardbooting feast. Mainly perfect weather (except for the second day when the competition took place :( ), perfect carving conditions esp. in the mornings (ok from midday on it would be slightly too warm so the snow would be more and more slushy), smiling faces everywhere and some great apres-boarding parties which lasted - as I was told - until morning light. Couple of friends told me they were still drinking special Austrian wine out of the car trunk when Sigi Grabner came by on his morning jog... but 3 hours later they were all on the slopes. Imagine the Rettenbach glacier at 9 a.m. completely occupied by hardbooters on low level flight.. There are still pictures in my head which make it very hard to get back to normal working life... I've posted a small vid where you can see the Rettenbach competition site and the stadium at 3.30 pm Sunday afternoon which was pretty much the finish of the season and the CM. sorry no other hardbooters there at that time - they were all at the cafe drinking a farewell schnaps... Hoping to see you all there next year!! fruno

try spartan 175 or 185.

Psycho is 175 AFAIK. Viruses are very very different in Flex and character. The softest and the stiffest board I ever had in my hands were both Virus boards. The same goes for the board with the most and the least camber. You really have to testride them or at least tell Frank very clearly what flex and character you want. But if you do that chances are very good you will get the perfect board for your style and weight.

You're the one who bought this beautiful Tantalus? Congrats on that. I'm sure you will have lots of fun with it after having tuned the edges and changed the setup. The Tantalus has a very good reputation among the European riders.

I'd suggest you ask the master himself. give him the production nr printed on the board. Tel. 0049 (0)6022 65 55 53 only other way that comes to my mind would involve the use of a chainsaw.

190 lbs naked. Burton Physics bindings, Suzukas or Indys, unlocked. Board could be stiffer for my taste, but its ok. Lots of fun in pow, fun also on groomers if you treat it carefully and don't overload it. Would prefer HBs to SBs because I don't see any advantage of softboots at all.

Did anyone testride the Virus Spartan? I'd like to hear some impressions from overseas because everyone here (including me) is so excited about the Spartan.

What dou you mean by rear bail? There is no rear bail on physics bindings. I know of "normal" toe bails which are interchangeable with the "speed hook" system that's only attachable to burton boots. I agree, the carrier physics toe bails must be the same as the race physics toe bails. But maybe also the raceplate toe bails. Don't know. looks quite the same. These would be easy to get via ebay. Maybe www.klugriding.com has still got some.

The question may sound stupid.. have you experienced that metal boards are in general heavier (in terms of lbs, not the feeling) than "normal" boards or is this just the case with my two babies?

Phantom's now in ebay, if anyone's interested. No# 330289046152

I think there is something like a "metal-feeling" which is not easy to describe. It's mainly about dampness, but there is something more to it. The metal board feels like it's continuously building its own railway through the snow. Surprisingly, I've had the same familiar feeling on the Virus Raptor skis, which are Titanal skis as well. Quite different from other skis (esp. from SL-raceskis which are shaped similarly) , they behave more like my Titanal-Raceboard. But if you prefer lively, nimble boards you might have more fun with "traditional boards".

http://www.deeluxe-hardboots.com/ AFAIK no changes.

edit: oh, sorry, didn't get the thing about e-mailing... hope this will do as well... enough?

I think you have a point there, Nate.. scr shouldn't be a secret. On the other hand I wouldn't buy a board without testing it, so to me it wouldn't make any difference. But anyway, here's my review (more or less translated from frozen-backside.de; please excuse my bad english): It is black, it is beautiful, and it is onehundredandninetyfive centimeters long. And I'm one of just a handful of people who've ever ridden it. And the first one who fell in love with it and bought it. So I feel it's my duty to give you a few first impressions of this fabulous, uncomparable, priceless board. Data: length: 195 cm width: 18 cm name: Virus Spartan Evolution, serial number #001 ingredients: unknown. Evo construction. Presumably Titanal, zylon, carbon fibre, maybe also chewing gum, scrambled eggs, toilet paper. I don't care. Me and my new love met at Soelden, Austria, one week ago, on a very beautiful day with good snow, but crowded slopes, on a Virus testing weekend. I had been looking for something to do high-speed eurocarves with, stable but not too damp, torsionally stiff and a bit wider than Virus boards usually are. Weighing the board in my hands for the first time I was very surprised by its weight. This thing is really heavy duty, probably bulletproof. Est. 2 cm preload, very stiff, and very impressive overall. *gulp* Frank told me that he had done some quite tight turns with it, which I couldn't believe then. But after the first couple of turns I was infected, and got more and more during the day. I had been used to my Phantom III, which is a very good, very stable board, but this is even better. I felt at home very fast, since the "natural" turning radius is just slightly wider than that of the Phantom (for those who cannot live without specs, I would estimate the scr at about 15, maybe 16). More than that, the versatility seems to be greater, from short (ok, let's say medium) turns to very wide ones at mach speed. Turn initiation is very smooth and forgiving. At the first day of the season one drops into the turns either too slowly or too brutally. The Spartan would always catch me and guide me through the turn like a caring father. In comparison to the Phantom turn initiation is not exactly as quick, but on the other hand it leaves you more alternatives and more room for mistakes. Dampness and stabilty is beyond any of my previous experiences. Never had anything comparable under my feet so far. Monorail-feeling. If there were bumps out there, I didn't notice them. In laid-out turns I notice something new: when starting to skid, I can regain firm edgehold by just putting a bit of pressure on the rear foot (not on the front foot like I had to do on the phantom), and the board will continue the turn smoothly without losing any speed. This seems to be the difference in character between the two boards. The Phantom says: you wanna do curves? Come with me, I'll show you how to do it! The Spartan says: you wanna do curves? Go for it, I'll catch you if you do something stupid! Concerning liveliness: The Spartan is not a grasshopper, and quite different from some other Virus boards. A Berserker would be agile and nimble in comparison. The focus is on control and stability, not on snappiness. But if you give it a kick at the end of a turn, it will surely get airborne and you will always have this super-smooth landing. The Spartan needs some speed, but I was quite surprised how easy it is to control at moderate speeds. Not slow speeds, but moderate. What it can do at high speeds I don't know yet. I haven't been to extremes (too cowardly so far), but I would guess the possibilities are very impressive. Cons: Crowded slopes, bad weather, narrow slopes. Certain riding styles (cross-over turns which slow turn initiation will maybe lead to uncontrollable speed). Maybe the weight and the dampness of the board, as said before. Conclusion: I couldn’t test the Spartan on ice oder real bumps, so there’s still some uncertainty. From what I’ve seen so far it's the best board I've ever ridden, and fits my expectations and needs perfectly. Can't wait for the next snowfall.... fruno

ok, no problem... deleted the answer too. Of course I'm showing off... no snow over here, so what else can I do? :D:cool: Don't know exact measures yet.. and not sure if I'm allowed to talk about them if I measured them... shape is too new and Frank likes to keep his secrets. Maybe you should ask Frank if you're interested.

Your excuse is accepted ;) it's an interesting concept. Two rings in the heel, which form a self-locking joint with two vertical bolts in the binding. I'm selling the Phantom because it's too similar in character to the spartan.. Iand I need some extra money to buy myself something moderate for allmountain and soft-snow carving.. like a Donek Axxess. I know you have a different mindset.. owning TWO Gladiator Zylons at the same time, for instance. WC GS is correct. Mine is very very stiff and stable, but it's got a special nose which makes it more turny in compensation. Very fine board. I don't know exactly why it's called III, but Frank continuously adds some modifications to his boards.. the difference between II and III could be the nose, I suppose. I've read a review from Billy Bordy about the Phantom IV, where he mentions the III as quite different and forgiving in character.. somewhere on hardbooter.com, I think.

What a bunch of ignorants... ;) talk about my board, not about my bindings of which you don't even know the type!! These are of course the world famous Burton Race Physics bindings. The Physics system was in every respect superior to any other step in system (any other.. ok I see.. there is only one.. the ancient InTec quick-release system.. ) although I have to admit that they are a bit weak and flexy in comparison to Intec Titaniums or - of course - TD1-2-3s. On the other hand I don't need complicated suspension systems that add flex to the binding... :p Smart, easy, self-locking.. I would still buy them, if only to state my respect for aberrant technical solutions... In 10 years of using them I didn't break one binding.. ok and then 4 during the last two seasons... :( ok back to topic: I do think there haven't been any Viruses longer than the Undertaker (192) so far... maybe in the 1990s.. or some prototypes.. 18 cm wide. You can have the full review as soon as I get home and can copy it from my other computer. Until then you may talk about my bindings.. :D uhmm.... or about something else: anyone interested in buying a Phantom III?

Here's the youngest - and longest - part of my quiver... The first ever built Virus Spartan 195 Evolution. I don't know how reviews are currently handled on the bomber site since the review site seems to be down. If anyone's interested I could give you a short impression of my first day on this superb new invention of Frank's... Please let me know. fruno (just to help with the scale.. the board in the back is a 185 Phantom...)

This must be the exact place where I lost my left contact lense yesterday... or I see why they call it dangerous - but what exactly is the benefit of "sniffing the white snow up my nose"?

How to improve your rotation technique, lesson three: the truffle-pig move.

I'm quite surprised that board twisting is discussed here only as a technique helping (or not helping) with turn initiation and edge transition. Furthermore, I don't think that you have to twist the board with your toes or heels. None of you remember the old knees-closed-knees-open-thing? I'm not referring to old style. I do think everyone of us uses at least a bit of "knee-steering" throughout the turn. When I want to tighten the turn and get more grip on the rear part of the board, I bend my rear knee inwards, i.e. in direction of the snow. When I want to loosen the rear end of the board from the snow, maybe to do a couple of metres in drift style, I bend my rear knee outwards. This will cause the board to twist, and I definitely think this twisting is the reason for the steering effects mentioned above. I know, you can do the same with your front knee, leading to inverse effects, maybe also helping with turn initiation, but I think that this type of knee steering is used much more often. Maybe you don't realize that you are doing it (like most motorbike riders don't know that they do inverse steering with their handlebars), but nevertheless it's part of your riding.

If the loosened screw is more to the center of the boot it is ok. If it's one of the screws in the back you gotta replace ist, maybe use a longer screw and fix it from the inside of the shell.