*Ace* Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 (edited) I read it after being subdued by Colorado's finest medical marijuana/hash. There is certainly a lot of philosophy in it, but he does go over some good techniques. I think every carver should read it. I am so glad that you have taken a liking towards the skwal Art! You are doing fantastic for your first year on it. In talks right now about having a VERY SMALL LIMITED NUMBER production batch manufactured. A 165cm copy of the Thias Easy Jungle, and a 175cm copy of my Virus Chimera. Who out there is interested?? I can make sure they make a 'hello kitty' model for you Art. Edited June 16, 2013 by *Ace* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted March 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 having a VERY SMALL LIMITED NUMBER production batch manufactured. A 165cm copy of the Thias Easy Jungle, and a 175cm copy of my Virus Chimera. Who out there is interested?? Ace, any metal built into the Chimera and do the following specs look about right? Length: 175cm Nose: 18cm Waist: 12cm Tail: 17.5cm Sidecut: ~ 9m Decambered tip and tail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 I'm interested, particularly if "Hello Kitty" versions can be made. They just have to be pleasantly flexy, not emasculatingly flaccid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ace* Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 (edited) Those specs on the Chimera are correct. Doubtful that the first production run will be metal, but it could be an option! 165cm model will likely be glass/carbon. Things are still way up in the air. Thanks for the response! Edited March 28, 2013 by *Ace* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avante Posted April 13, 2013 Report Share Posted April 13, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted April 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thanks for posting vid, ya look mighty relaxed, care to share board specs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted April 19, 2013 Report Share Posted April 19, 2013 What is the common knowledge out there regarding skwal waist widths? My current skwal, the only one I have ever ridden, has a 12cm waist. From what I understand, this is the most common width. (is it?) But on occasion when the snow is good I like to try and throw fully extended laid out carves but this occasionally causes my boot to lever the edge out of the snow and I go sliding around. I think the skwal extreme carving vid in this thread mentions that at least a 12.5cm waist is necessary to pull off fully laid turns. On the other hand, I have seen 11.5cm skwals. What is so great about going this narrow? What widths do people out there ride, and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avante Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 Thanks for posting vid, ya look mighty relaxed, care to share board specs. It is Lagriffe RS176 Effective length : 176cm Overall length : 180cm Sidecut: 179-110-157mm Radius: 12 m tip - 10,5 m tail Twintip with rockered nose, one titanal layer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avante Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 What is the common knowledge out there regarding skwal waist widths? My current skwal, the only one I have ever ridden, has a 12cm waist. From what I understand, this is the most common width. (is it?) But on occasion when the snow is good I like to try and throw fully extended laid out carves but this occasionally causes my boot to lever the edge out of the snow and I go sliding around. I think the skwal extreme carving vid in this thread mentions that at least a 12.5cm waist is necessary to pull off fully laid turns.On the other hand, I have seen 11.5cm skwals. What is so great about going this narrow? What widths do people out there ride, and why? Most skwals I've seen and read about have 11-11,5 cm waist. It is quite enough if you don't do EC. Anyway, even if you go EC, it should not be a problem (check ObiOne vids at YouTube). The more waist you have, the slower curve-to-curve transition will be. I guess big waist may be good for EC in case you want to set bigger angles and for skwalling off piste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted April 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 <iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/55665020" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Not saying these are skwals, but their stance is skwal-like and the wider edge-to-edge carving sure looks like fun on the Virus boards - enjoy the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted June 1, 2013 Report Share Posted June 1, 2013 Not saying these are skwals, but their stance is skwal-like and the wider edge-to-edge carving sure looks like fun on the Virus boards - enjoy the video. Between 14 and 15 cm wide Virus boards and one Plasma board (16 cm widish I think) from Ben (aqua - greenish like jacket) with nice woodtop. I have learned a non-rotational technique from Ben this year, way better for my/your knees :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 Does anybody know the differences between the PHK SKW and PHK SKW F12 bindings, in particular how lift/cant is achieved? The PHKSnow web site doesn't go into much detail. Any comments on the pro/cons of these two models would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tufty Posted August 28, 2013 Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 I don't have either, but they look to be using the same end blocks as the Highlander alpine binding (which I do have), and which adjust cant and lift by wedging under the blocks. The phiokka bindings are very solid, but not overly or easily adjustable. I don't know if the bindings come with wedges from new, I got mine second hand and machined up my own wedges from HDPE chopping boards. The under-binding wedge looks too hard and sharp edged, I'd be much happier with a plastic one like the thias bindings had. To me, sharp edged alu blocks bolted to your skwal look a lot like a buggered board waiting to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Based on some email I got from PHK this morning, I think the SKW F12 bindings have an integrated 5 degree lift built into their mounts. This would explain the side profile picture on their web site. The standard SKW bindings lie flat, with lift achieved by under-block wedges as you described. A downside of the F12 model is that it is only available in an "L" size that is only good down to MP25. I'll have to ask if my short-sole MP26 UPZ will fit correctly. The standard SKW comes in an "M" size that wouldn't be a problem. Further, the F12 is really expensive in USD. I'm not sure if I need those 7 degree aluminum lift plates, although they would be nice to experiment with. The old Thias-branded Snowpros I have now probably only have 3 degrees of toe/heel lift, and it seems like it is enough. I figure that the SKWs can achieve a similar lift with the under-block wedges, and the SKW F12 has more than enough built-in. I don't understand why some of those Skwalleurs run those 7 degree lifts with their feet so close together. If I ran that much lift, I'd have to move my feet way farther apart, and my stance is already much wider than most Europeans. Hey Chris, are you reading the thread? Did anything ever happen with that special-order Easy Jungle/Chimera thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tufty Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 (edited) Lift plates are really easy to make anyway. 12" Plastic felling wedges provide a really good starting block (they give you around 4-5° of lift). If you get crafty with a belt sander, you can add some cant as well, and they're plastic, so they are a helluva lot softer on your board than big alu blocks. What's also worth considering is getting hold of a pair of snowpro "race" binders (6mm bales), ditching the base plate and machining up a new flat plate that more or less matches your sole length. The toe and heel blocks have canting built in (one leans left, one leans right, works a treat on a skwal), and with a custom base plate matched to t-nuts in your wedge, you can space your mounting bolts further apart than the stock 4x4 pattern allows. Basically, drill your wedge to match your board binding mounts, bolt that to the board, and then bolt your baseplate to the wedge. Custom binders for the price of a pair of old snowpros, a couple of felling wedges, some t-nuts and a bit of alu plate. Edited September 1, 2013 by tufty DIY option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 @ Excelsior . . . re: Price - mention Obi One name when corresponding with PHK. Also, you might be interested in this thread regarding Phiokia. Hope this helps - CHEERS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Japan Skwal Community [ on facebook ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Ace* Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 Still in talks about a production model, currently prototyping. I like to use 3 degree cant plates, it helps with the wider stance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted October 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2013 Hey skwallers, ordered Edge Skwal from Chad @ CODA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tufty Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 Oooohh. Let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 Hey skwallers, ordered Edge Skwal from Chad @ CODA I've looked at it on the Coda web site and it looks interesting with a good price point. Should it be considered a powder skwal? At tip/tail widths of 21.5, it is as wide as a 4WD. For a smaller person like myself, I'd be concerned that it is simply too big, and probably way too stiff. Has any one talked to them about custom building a scaled down model? Mike, did you order yours completely "off the rack", or did you make some of your own specifications? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 Updates on my binding experience: Recently I got a set of used PHK Highlanders. Near as I can figure, this standard snowboard model is almost no different in design from their skwal bindings. The first issue I found was the common problem that I have with my short-sole MP 26 UPZ RC-10 shells. In order to fit my boot, the toe and heel blocks have to be set so close together that they actually bind down on the center disk when tightened down. The effect is less pronounced when lift or cant plates are placed below the blocks, but it is still an annoyance. Next, I found that I wasn't able to achieve toe/heel lift by stacking two side-angled can't plates in opposite directions. Because this provides no slanting in the front/back direction, I wasn't able to put my rear foot with the lifted heel into the binding because the Intec alignment pin wouldn't allow the boot to lean downwards towards the toe block. The off-the-shelf solution is to buy the PHK lift kit wedges that are designed to provide this slanting. But I found that in order to buy them (or anything) directly from PHK, one has to wire funds directly. Since my bank charges $50 for an international wire transfer, the costs make it impractical. I checked a couple of US dealers, but nobody has these in stock. Even in Europe, it is likely that very few places stock these, and most of them won't sell to the US. Yes, if I was a real man like Ron Swanson I could easily manufacture some kind of under-block lift parts, or wedges that lift the entire binding. But certain obstacles are in the way: 1. I am too lazy; 2. I live in a shoebox; 3. I have no workshop; 4. I have no tools; 5. I have no talent or skill. So now I have a set of used, short Cateks on the way to try. Since Cateks aren't designed around a center disk, I shouldn't have the short-sole issues that bug me about PHKs, TD3s, and to a smaller extent, F2s. It seems like a number of European Skwalleurs like Catek even though they have decent homegrown options. I guess I'll find out soon enough. I just hope that I won't ever need customer service from Catek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted October 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 So now I have a set of used, short Cateks on the way to try . . . It seems like a number of European Skwalleurs like Catek . . .. I just hope that I won't ever need customer service from Catek. @Excelsior - I'm quite happy using Catek - invaluable for anyone starting off riding skwals for tweeking to find your own sweet spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monodude Posted October 27, 2013 Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 I love Cateks for my Skwals. So easy to dial any lift/cant you want. Don Feed the addiction... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel45 Posted October 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2013 Has any one talked to them about custom building a scaled down model? Mike, did you order yours completely "off the rack", or did you make some of your own specifications? Went with off-the-rack. Board is not as stiff as you may think. Contact Chad - he is open to customization. Alternatively, try out his rental-by-mail service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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