surfinsmiley

Without going to check it........I think my Tanker is about 245mm wide. To be fair about my boot-out comment, I really don`t need to run angles much lower than 45 but if I`m having a "powder hunting" day I like the lower angles in the soft stuff. The drawback is that if I try to lay a few turns when I come across some hard pack I end up biting the snow:o I love it in the slow to medium range but once I get really moving it`s sidecut/softness seems to make it turn a little bit to much for my liking. Can`t wait to get my first dedicated carving board!

OH man, I didn`t know there were boards like that available from Coiler! I want exactly that same board. To me, it sounds like the perfect carving machine. I`ve had a go on a few "standard" width boards over the last season and nothing comes close to being wide enough for me, I get nasty boot-out on my Tanker 200 if I run angles under 45.:( They say patience is a virtue though don`t they. Thanks for the insight. Most gratefull.

Yeah I get the same sort of thing. My only answer has to been to learn to push with alternating feet. 100m using the left then the next 100 using the right.

Steve, Could you tell us the specs on that Coiler in the photo? Looks like it could fit my yeti sized feet on it without having to set the angles in the range of ridiculous.;)

My BX board has a 40mm set back which I thought might be a bit much but after riding it at all different settings the "sweetspot" seems to be right where the manufacturer marked it.

Is this going to be your first skateboard or first one in quiet a few years? If so, then I feel a limited flex is the best option. Don`t get me wrong, the Vangaurd is the most ridden board in my quiver but I think there are better alternatives for learning/relearning the basics. Flex is good once you have the skills to use it but it can be a little un-nerving to learn on because of the way it changes the turning circle in such a dynamic way. I also feel a dropped deck is more stable while getting the basics down pat, have a look at the dropped decks from Subsonic here. When you get really good you can use that same deck as a dedicated downhill bomber. http://home.pacifier.com/~buzzer/curvecode/subsonic.html You can talk to him and see what he thinks might be the best option for you. Also, have a read of Longboarding 101 here. http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/index.php?topic=101 Which ever way you go just know that you`ll probably end up with a quiver, just like snowboarding.

I`m pretty sure there is a good photo gallery on Oldsnowboards.com, that will at least give you a look at the different models from each year. I`m riding a 02/03 200 centered on the "sweetspot" but with the bindings pushed as far apart as they`ll go.

The Alpine carving site says that the old burton speed wide could be a poor mans swoard. You might have better luck coming across one of those.

My Tanker 200 fits in the back of the celica, no problems. I rarely even put the back seats up, they live in the lying down position. When I had a smaller car I could fit my eight foot surfboard in by just lying the front seat back and then putting the seatbelt on the board. But, now I`ve got a wife to transport as well;). I`ve now got a roofrack for the surfboards and I`ve tried putting the snowboards up there but I really don`t like the way the nose vibrates in the wind when your traveling at highway speeds. I think that`s probably aging/stressing the board more than me riding it. I`ll get a box on the rack for next season.

So.....I`m looking around the net reading about bamboo and I found this. "...the most exciting technology Hidalgo has developed is to deform the bamboo plant as it grows to create incredibly strong pre-stressed arches. A form of wood and plywood with a predetermined arc is placed over a bamboo shoot. As the bamboo grows, it assumes the shape of the arc, permanently. "You can make any type of construction member when you deform the bamboo," Hidalgo says. "To make one curved laminated beam could cost $25,000. But to grow the equivalent in bamboo would cost only $100." A cross and longitudinal section of a bamboo plant reveals its amazing properties and the strength and resilience the mature plant gains from its vertical fibers and horizontally reinforced chambers. A bamboo plant is fully formed as it starts up from the ground, its future chambers compressed against one another like an accordion. As the plant matures, the shoot expands and these chambers spread out, beginning from the lowest internode. And if the shoot is deformed on the way up, it assumes its new shape permanently. "The most expensive thing is the form," Hidalgo says. "But once you have a form you can grow many of the same arches for a very low price. You tell me what kind of a structure you want and I will deform the arcs for you." :D You could grow the camber you want into the bamboo! That is the coolest thing ever............Bring on the bamboo carving boards!

If the lumber grade stuff matures in 3-5 years maybe we just need to grow some in the backyard:biggthump.

You know I didn`t even think of that. Seems like the the biggest encyclopdia ever at your finger tips, and, I forgot to use it:o.

Cool! I`m not suprized that Abor is making one because they are also making the bamboo longboards I was reading about last night. The other longboard companies that are building from bamboo are Sector 9 and Loaded. Loaded has plans to move into the snowboard market also, so that might be interesting seeing they are pretty much focused on building skateboards for carving. I like that site. Treehugger:D

Hey, in Japan they have a similar idea. But..........14 th Feb the girls give the guys chocolates and then on 14th March the boys give the girls flowers. I think I`ll ask for the Americian version next year:rolleyes: :D:D:D

They actually had an interview with the guy that first came up with the idea for those suspension chairs on the TV a few nights ago. I forget how much money they spent on development but it was really really large amounts of cash. Apparently it was a world first, a three dimensional suspension system and it works so well that F1 has bought the rights to use the idea in F1 cars:eek: Anyway, as we can see it lets you rip:biggthump Fantastic stuff.

I just recieved my lastest copy of Concrete Wave (Longboarding/Skateboarding magazine) and I noticed that there are now at least three companies offering bamboo longboards. The advertising hype goes along the lines of, stronger than steel per weight, out lasts carbon fibre, more rebound/flex than wood and such claims that, like any new latest and greatest, makes it sound like the best thing ever. Jeez, next thing you know there will be titanal longboards.:rolleyes: Anyway, to the point, has there ever been bamboo snowboards? Is there any reason why not? Having lived in South East Asia for a long time now I`m always amazed at the way they use bamboo to build just about anything, it seems like a very versitile substance. There is a surfboard company in Australia that builds boards with mat woven from bamboo and I can atest to the longevity and strength of that stuff. Any thoughts on the use of bamboo as a core for snowboards or even as a mat for a substitute to fibreglass.

Check out this link. It uses the flow lab truck up front and a standard truck in the rear. Combined with a deck that is built in the same way a snowboard deck is built makes it much better than the original flowlab offerings. http://www.loadedboards.com/newsite_v1/hammerhead.html The other board to checkout for summer carving is the Carveboard. Incredible board with the one drawback of severve instability at speed should you let it get away from you on the steeps. It`s like finding yourself on the steepest ice double black diamond on a 140 slalom board with a 6metre sidecut. If you keep the reigns on it though it is a whole new world of road carving heaven. Check out www.silverfishlongboarding.com for everything you ever wanted to know about longboards and the like.

Having spend a good amount of time on the 02/03 200 Tanker this season I`m now drooling over that new shape. My only complaint about the Tanker I ride currently is I wished it had a bigger sidecut for the groomers. Viola, wha-da-ya know, the new one sounds like the perfect sidecut to me. My list of "must haves" is growing as quick as my addiction to the snow.;)

I had exactly the same experience in Japan this season. First season in Harboots and everytime I went to the hills it was DEEP powder. Nearly cried with the frustration of it all. I solved all my problems by getting a 200cm Rad Air Tanker. Now I can ride the same board no matter what the conditions are like:biggthump. Remember, there are virtues to owning a quiver and using it.

OK. Here`s my take on the current Kite designs. I am still flying one foil and one C style kite I am yet to purchase a bow kite. (maybe this season, maybe wait for the next generation if my current inflatable holds together.) I think that something like the flysurfer speed is unbeatable in the light wind area. Not because it`s a foil but because it`s a really high aspect kite and that means it will fly faster on the apparent wind available to it. In the medium wind ranges,say 15-22knots, I think that a traditional C shaped inflatable is really all you need, they have fairly good wind ranges if your flying in winds that are not to gusty. The design has become pretty damm good across the board no matter which specific style or brand of kite you try. Bow kites, I have only flown the 9m crossbow once so my opion is mostly formed from here-say. I think that this type of kite will rule in the upper wind ranges and especially so if the conditions are gusty. From my one test fly I can say that the depower makes it awesome and much easier to deal with if you get into one of those wrong time wrong place situations. Also I`m sure with a bit of practise you could use a bow style as a wave riding machine even in the lightest of winds, simply because of the speed of the kite though the air and the ability to power/depower in an instant. Coming from windsurfing I`d say you`ll probably be having the most fun on a kite in the middle wind ranges and keep the windsurfer for the light and heavy wind days, at least until your addiction grows on you. Talk those local lads into a few test runs on their new products. Hey, you might be able to convince `em that your the perfect test pilot to see how the Halo goes in the hands of a beginner. PS. Re. efficiency- I purposely didn`t touch on that because it`s a can of worms. Efficiency means different things to different people in the world of kites ...... my idea is, don`t worry about what anyone says and just fly whatever you can get your hands on. Then you`ll quickly find what is the most efficient kite in your hands/conditions.

My vote goes to the loaded Vangaurd for a great allrounder that you can ride in most conditions or the Dirtsurfer for the speed junkie SGS style. Skateboarding is great because it easy to put in an hour or two of carving practise after work every night of the week or wait till the traffic thins right out in the early hours of the morning and carve those hills that are usually filled with traffic. Surfing and Kiteboarding are the other two addictions that keep me sane during the warmer months. No wind usually means the surf will be good and if it`s windy then out comes the kite. There is just something magically healing to the spirit about spending time in the ocean. As a bonus, any boardsport will improve your all terrain carving abilities.

Hey there Kipstar, Thinking of turning to the darkside for a bit are ya? Kites are all good and I think would compliment windsurfing really well, esp considering where your living at the moment. Have a look at foilzone.com and kiteforum.com you`ll find endless discusions going on about the pros and cons of various designs. IMHO. The new flat style kites are fantastic for anyone just starting on the kites. I`ll get back to you tomorrow went I can chat longer.

I`ve recently jioned the Tanker 200 club. DEEP powder all season in Japan until I got the Tanker and then it pretty much stopped:(. I have had one day in really windy conditions that was blowing all the powder off the windward side of the ridges, making the leeward side of all the runs about 6 foot deep. The Tanker RULED! I was the only one that could actually access most places and where ever other people were actually making progress I was blowing past them at triple the speed. Admittedly I`ve not seen anyone else on powder specific equipment to compare it to though. DUPRAZ or a POGO Longboard is on my shopping list for next season as I think it will compliment the 200 well.

I only started snowboarding last year and this year I`m having my first season on plates. I`ve been totally focusing on just trying to do good carves when the conditions allow for it but the last couple of weeks has been soft wet bumpy crud an hour after the lifts start. I beat myself to pieces trying to carve in the bumps and finally gave it up to give the park a whirl. OMG:D.........Haven`t been through the park all season and I was immensely more confident and skilled than last year. They built a 500-600 Metre long boarder-cross track which emptys into the middle of the park so I spent most of the day just doing the same run on the LSD with Hardboots. The next day I swapped out the plates for my softies on the same board and although it was a lot lighter in the air just about everything else was noticebly slower and seemingly more difficult. Hardbooting has definately imporved my freestyle but I`m now a better rider in hardboot freestyle than softboot freestyle.

I just go back to the little green slopes and start trying to feel the carves at the minimum speed possible. Then move to the next faster level. It just makes it easy to deal with the fear factor of commiting to the turns. I`m at the level now where I can do carves really well at slow to medium speeds 100% of the time,but sometimes it just all goes down the toilet when I`m on the steeps and so.......... back to easy slopes until it comes good again.