SES/ECES-- Whatcha demo? Howd 'it ride? Will you buy one?

[scrapster]

Saw A LOT of boards going out of the tents at ECES. If not here, it would be great to hear peoples' thoughts in the gear review section! I'll be adding my own soon.

[Ian M]

Great question! I was only able to try two boards before it softened up on Thursday (ECES), but I loved them both.

Kessler KST 171cm

This was the best-handling board I've ever ridden. Precise and secure, with amazing feedback. Super damp ride. Despite being toward the top of the listed weight range for this board, I had to work to bend it on hero snow. A wonderful board, but a little too intense for a freecarving plank. I'd buy this if I were racing, but I'm not.

Coiler Nirvana 177cm

Very familiar board to me, because I ride a 171cm Stubby. According to Bruce this is the updated Stubby, with even tip and tail stiffness and more flex in the middle. What I loved about this board was the balance of comfort and performance. Super easy/forgiving to ride, but could get me right down to the snow in a heartbeat. This balance is exactly what I look for in a free-carve board, and yes, I think I'll be buying one :)

Still on my list of things to try:

Jasey-Jay's boards

A plate

Prior FLC

Cheers!

[scrapster]

I saw the Kessler flag and I'm now kicking myself for not realizing it meant there were demos. Did they have any of the BX boards available? Thanks for the post, Ian. Keep 'em coming everybody!

[GeoffV]

Mark we had several Kesslers: 160, 171, 180, 185 and 2 BX 163 and 167

I'll post my reviews later of what I tested.

[scrapster]

Mark we had several Kesslers: 160, 171, 180, 185 and 2 BX 163 and 167

I'll post my reviews later of what I tested.

Cool. I'll know for next time then. BTW, I walked away with one of JJA's little bx boards. Well, that is I bought one, cause walking away with it would be, well... not right. ;) Props to Jasey and his family. They're really good people.

[RobertAlexander]

I rode the nirvana 174 w/13scr and ptex top, comfortable in the rough, ptex top made a very damp ride. due to my ride style and what I am used to, a 10.5 single rad, I will get the 10, 11, 12 scr, this is my pick for the lucky dinner I had. Maybe a red ticket #8881084 for the topsheet graphic? Thanks to all, Rob

[Mike T]

Demoed @ SES:

Coiler Nirvana 174, 177 and 182. Loved them all. Extremely intuitive to ride, very friendly, livelier than most Coilers. Behaved equally well in soft snow, and hard snow (think Jerome @ Highlands, late in the day... bottom of Ajax right near gondola, early AM... I will be getting one, either this spring or for next season. Will get either 174 or 177 in low-taper version.

Coiler softie 167 (green snakeskin): Don't be fooled, this is a carving board, not an off-piste board. But carve it does, and very well. Best carving soft boot board I've been on, even though it is probably ideal for 200 pounds and I am 175. Crazy grippy, some pop in the tail. Will get one of these too, softened by 25 pounds.

Coiler Angry 160: Another very fun board. Need to weight-shift to get the most out of it, like riding a Madd. Rode it in soft snow, which it handled far better than a Madd, only a few turns on harder patches, which it did great on. I prefer my SL 161 because it likes to be ridden more centered and less like a Madd.

Coiler NSR 182 with Magic Carpet plate: WOW. All the performance of a plate but felt more like one piece of equipment than two. Crazy grippy, crazy damp, but more natural feeling than similar boards with Boiler, Apex, Donek plates. Could really turn the NSR tight. I see one of these setups in my future too.

Donek Saber 164: Very damp, grippy, very stable. Couldn't believe I was on a 164, felt too stable to be that short. Rode it in hard boots but would enjoy it more in soft. Less carvy the the Coiler softie, but I expected that as this board is meant for BX, and I would indeed rather take the Saber down any kind of course than the Coiler. I could be very, very happy with one off these. My wife has a 156 and digs it very much. BTW both the demo and my wife's are standard construction, not metal, not Carbon. My favorite Donek to date.

Kessler BX 168: Felt like it was built for someone weighing 240 pounds. Damp, fast, but not a lot of fun at 175. Had to work very hard to bend it. Rode it i hard boots, BTW. Really quite unimpressed, especially given the price tag. Strongly prefer the Donek Saber and Coiler Softie to this.

[WEBSIGHT360]

Hey Mike T, why would you get the low-taper version of the Nirvana? What is the benefit?

[Corey]

My favorites/highlights:

Kessler 185 - big board that wants to be ridden aggressively. It was highly comparable to my 182 Coiler NSR, so much so that I was immediately comfortable on it. It did almost nothing I didn't expect. My only complaint was that I found it tended to rotate (yaw) whenever flat between turns. Maybe I was doing something wrong, but I had a few surprises/near misses with caught edges. There was something about it I liked a little better than my NSR, but not enough to justify the price difference in my head. If I were racing for paychecks, I'd go with the Kessler. Riding for fun, I'll stick with the NSR.

Donek Proteus 180 - snappy freecarve board. It has a ton of pop, but still some of the metal dampness. It's a pretty wild (and grin-inducing) ride after spending most of my time on a race-inspired board lately. I piggybacked my impressions in another review thread. I found a late prototype of this board for sale in another thread, it's on the way to me now. :)

Plates - I rode Donek and Bomber plates back to back for much of Friday. Each had it's positives and negatives. I convinced myself that the performance of either didn't really justify the cost. I returned both and went for another run. By part-way down that next run I had decided I was going home with a plate. Oh wow, how they eat up small bumps in the surface! Donek was the winner for me, based on price and torsional softness.

[Jonny]

I had a fantastic time trying out boards for the two days I was at ECES. The only problem really was that the conditions on Tuesday/Wednesday were so perfect that I had to be disciplined about going back to my own board from time to time, just to be sure that what I was feeling was because of improvements in board technology, not just the result of the best snow I'd been on all year.

In 2002 Bruce built me a Racecarve 180, which has been my principal ride since. It's very turny for a longer board (11.5 scr) but also very stable and pretty stout, at least for a Coiler, accomodating my 220 lb very well. Bruce was amazed at how well it's held up, but I've thought recently that the improvements in design, especially the use of metal/rubber, have made it a little dated. They certainly have.

Boards I tried at ECES were Coiler 182 FC (more Taper) Coiler Nirvana (less taper - I think also 182), Coiler 185, Donek Proteus 180 and 170, Donek FC "Mistake", Donek Carbon Proto 179, Donek FC 185, Pureboarding 168

The big winner for me was the Proteus 180, which was the first board I tried. I kept going back to it just to be sure it was really as smooth and solid as I'd found it to be at first. I'd expected, based on its description on Sean's site, and my experiences with his designs from ECES 10 years ago, that the powerful tail would be blowing me into the woods on every transition. None of that, ever. I did feel that it wanted to finish the turn, all the way uphill in fact, and was a little reluctant to let go and change edges, but the main feeling was of total confidence to drive as hard as I wanted, wherever i wanted. One often hears about boards that want to be ridden right from the middle. The 180 probably does want that, but it's not an issue because that's right where I found myself all the time - it just created a very balanced, confident ride.

Next was a carbon 179 proto, which Sean described as his "most fragile" construction. Great. But if there's ever a time to ride one of those it's at a demo event. Much more of what I think of as the Donek "DNA" - REALLY poppy off the tail, but still very very smooth compared with my own board, given that there's no Titanal in it. Very narrow board at just over 18 cm which I'm used to and like, rewards aggression, very nimble, but again. more challenging as the slope gets steeper.

Next was the FC "Mistake" - Todd's personal board which apparently no one else much likes but Todd, and now me too. Longer SCR in the tail than the Proteus, and stiffer nose than either the Proteus or the production FC, so it's a faster board, but also smoother, if that's possible. I really enjoyed it but found it cumbersome at the lower speeds which my age, girth and timidity demand on steeper terrain. For me also (not for Todd) it felt just a little dead, which Sean said was a feature of the way the rubber was laid in.

Wednesday I started on a Coiler 182, the version with more taper. Very smooth (I know I keep saying "smooth" but coming from an older glass board that's really the first thing that jumps out), but not as lively as some of the Doneks had been, and it had a tendency to just track out at the end of the turn. This was good information, because one of the things Sean and I had talked about with respect to the Proteus 180 was how to give it a little more release at the finish, and he'd suggested that increased taper might work better than decreased sidecut. Not so successful for me with the Coiler. Later in the day I was able to snag a similar Coiler with less taper, and that felt much more comfortable, in fact it was one of my favorites altogether.

Then I got on a 185 Donek - pretty much I think the production version of Todd's Mistake board. This was the only board where I knew right away it wasn't for me - too wide, it really wanted a lot of fore and aft movement from me to get it working, not really turny enough for me to charge on anything but very gentle terrain. Really I suppose a board for a more aggressive rider.

Next was a Coiler 177 21cm, which was fun but really I think just too soft, on top of which I couldn't seem to get out of my own way heelside. Toeside was great, so it was probably a setup/cant issue, but there was little time left in the day and too many other toys waiting...

The Proteus 170 was finally free, so I grabbed it. Very different from the 180 for me - extremely lively and turny, like a slalom board really. Wanted to be bashed back and forth near the fall line, although it was possible to stretch it out for longer turns. Again it had what I think of as a Donek feel - cross-unders would bounce me into the air as the edges released. If my main hill were steep, narrow, and often crowded, this would be my first choice probably, but on very crowded days I tend to get my skis out instead anyway, so...

At this point it might have been wisest to try one of the JJA boards, but Joerg had been generous enough to offer take a couple of us fairly experienced riders on a more focussed and perhaps more advanced introduction to the Pureboarding approach than would have been possible in his clinic - not the kind of offer I could turn down, since that style is taught so rarely hereabouts. (If there's a better exemplar of this sport, or any sport, than Joerg, btw, I'd like to meet him). Soooo, on to a 168 Pureboard, 24 cm wide and softer than anything I've been on in years, maybe ever - looked like a snowshovel or a cafeteria tray. It was amazing, though, how little the width got in the way - an active edge change was still plenty quick. The board is obviously designed for the technique - REALLY responsive to a lot of back foot toeside, which felt really fun right away. Heelside it wanted a lot of forward commitment and I struggled between too little which created a dead feel and too much which spun me out badly. I wished I could have spent another couple of hours working on the technique, on perhaps a SLIGHTLY narrower board, but the road was beckoning as the snowstorm moved in. Last run was on my own Coiler and like a nightcap with an old friend.

Overall favorite was the Proteus 180. I would have bought the demo right away if it had been for sale. Perhaps not surprising because I'm so used to a constant-radius, fairly narrow board with little taper. Second and very close was the reduced-taper Coiler 182, which was slightly wider and had a more complex VSR and I wish I'd had more time with it. Third was the Proteus 170, which would be first if I knew I was only going to ride in conditions like we've had most of this year. I'm planning to buy the Porteus 180 if finances allow, and will have to decide whther I'd like it modified at all for a little less turniness and/or more pop like the 170 offers.

Again, I can't thank Sean, Bruce and Todd enough for all their support and generosity - I've posted more fulsome thanks in the ECES folder:

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?36942-Changing-the-vibe-of-the-world

[Mike T]

Hey Mike T, why would you get the low-taper version of the Nirvana? What is the benefit?

Mostly to balance out my quiver... Aside from rock boards, the rest of my carving quiver has 15-20 cm taper. Thinking it will be fun to have one board that hangs onto turns longer. The low-taper version is still 6 or 8 mm, not like an old-school board... still very user-friendly.

[powdahbonz]

I had the benefit of being at ECES for 4 days so I got to try plenty. I wanted to find the missing link for what I am enjoying now...Coiler Schtubby 173..13.7scr 20 waist and a 182 PRT 19 waist 13.2...

The board I didn't get to ride in 2010 was one of Sean's 185 Metal FC's so I started there...12-16scr and I really liked it. It was was fast and smooth and you could feel the input changes. I regret not spending more time on this board-I didn't get to get on the 180 Proteus so opted next for another Donek.

Next up, 175 REV w/o plat13-17scr.....buckle up...I'm glad I went here instead of the 185...enjoyed riding this on some easier terrain to try and figure it out...on Standard at Stratton, had to use most of the run to feel like I could handle it. I didn't like the tail vibration at higher speed and noticed it watching my friend Chris on it earlier on the same run..again, no plate..surprised that it was turnier than the 185 Metal FC but for my riding style, I like the 185 FC better. After talking with Sean, he said these boards were designed with plates and not ridden w/o them so maybe not fore me.

Next, towards the end of the day, rode a 175 Metal FC, 11.5-13.5scr...I may have been beat but didn't particularly enjoy this ride. Found it heavy and less enjoyable than the 185 Metal...should have ridden it again on Wednesday. Just didn't feel like I was getting alot out of the input I was putting in.

Wednesday, hopped on one of Bruce's new Nirvana's-182, i think a 13-14 VSR with 20 waist....it felt like what I was used to and what I expected. Precise and fun-enjoyed this and was definitely a favorite.

Until I got on Sean's 179 Carbon fiber FC-18cm waist-12/14scr....loved it. So light and though narrower and making me tweak my binding angles up, still loved it. Poppy, super fun and knew I was going to take this out again. Wicked, wicked fun!

Rode next a Nirvana 177 and don't remember what the scr was---legs shaking but again very similar feel to the 182...I like them much more than the single radii in my 182 PRT.

Thursday was the powder dump day so went out with Joerg for a clinic and took out one of his boards-I think it was the Two-what can you say with 16" of fresh snow trying out PureBoarding style...felt like I was a mess but had a blast with our crew and Joerg is uber-fun so all was good. Switched up to the Schtubby and felt better but was spent early.

Friday went back to the 179 Carbon FC-much different in the soft cord-got tossed over the nose and was worried about breaking it so rode more in the back then center which felt more comfortable..but I think this board what be so ripping fun at Sugarloaf on firmer stuff.

I switched up next to Donek 172 Metal AX, 10.5-12.5scr...in the conditions we had, this was a great pick. Really enjoyed it and it surprised me. Had no expectations but found it quick, snappy and held transitions awesome even with a shorter scr. Got to take my first run in the race course on this and had a blast. 2nd and 3rd run, switched to my 182 PRT...and with that, I was toast.

I am very thankful and appreciative for all the support Sean, Bruce, Fin and Michelle, Jasey Jay and all the organizers put into this event. Without them, we couldn't have the opportunities to try the newest and greatest toys. Thanking them doesn't go far enough-I look forward to them coming back again and making the event a huge success again. The vibe and good feelings are gone long after everyone leaves but not forgotten. Thanks again for everything.

[Helmut Karvlow]

I rode two, a Kessler.....nothing new here it's a Kessler.

Then I rode JJA 170. I found it soft under foot with a lot of life, even though it felt soft I hammered on it hard, and it held the edge and launched me into the next turn I really liked it.

After Jasey put a new plate on it. it was a completely different ride, it was firm and damp, no more spring.

My 2 cents.

[Surf Quebec]

At ECES, Wednesday morning, I've tried the Coiler 174 Nirvana VSR 13M with the ptex topsheet.

Very good edge hold, easier ride than I thought since I'm below the target weight range and that I've seldomly ridden a board longer than 164cm. I rode many runs that I did not had time to try on the previous days and I was able to ride well.

Right after, I've tried the Coiler 171 VSR 11.5 T AM, this time I was in the target range of the board. Agile board but I prefered the stability of the Nirvana.

On the afternoon, I've tried a JJA board, 170 whistler with a GS whistler plate. It was snowing since morning but thanks to the plate it a very smooth ride. It seems there was no snow bump. On the other side, the board was heavier to manage compare to the Coilers.

I'm in contact with Bruce for a new board and it will be something similar to a Nirvana 170.

[digger jr]

I demoed a 177 Coiler Nirvana (12-14m 13m avg) in Aspen and loved it. Had Bruce build a 180x21 with same sidecut and after riding it 2 days still love it. Like MikeT said ,very intuitive and easy to ride, but it's also an exciting ride as it has some pop to it. Just ridden it in softer snow so far, most fun board I've ridden yet. Better watch out Macdougall!

[jskyhawk]

I tried the 175 and 185 Donek Rev, I was impressed with the board and tried to finesse the sale of the 175. I ended up placing my build order the next day for a 180 Rev.

I also demoed the plate systems for my first plate experience. Contrary to what I had read about isolation plates on this forum, both plates were easy to ride (no trouble at low speed, or hockey stops). Also, I felt the plates definitely can take away certain types of instability while extending the ability to edge the board. Ultimately I think the BP is the better plate due to the axles being removable (simplified setup/breakdown), while the Donek is definitely a contender at its price point.

Thanks Donek and Bomber!

[scrapster]

I demoed the tiny, 156 Jasey-Jay "Molina" BX board. Big fun in a little package! I feel like I left the analytical side of my brain back in my boot bag at the lodge during my four runs on the board. Luckily, the WOOOOHOOOoooo! side of my brain was present and fully operational. What can I say, the board fit me really well--a little guy with little feet. It was designed to work with either hardboots or softboots and risers, and my Driver X's and new Bomber Power Plates were perfect. It was nimble (as you'd expect from a short board with a 23cm waist) and very intuitive, providing an amazingly solid interface without any "nervousness." I couldn't believe it had a 9-12-11 SCR. It turned really quick. This was actually the first VSR board that I've enjoyed riding--it didn't punish me for bad body position and reacted to my sometimes fumbling inputs within parameters that ranged from fantastic to totally manageable outcomes (ie. it gave me quite a ride at times and never dumped me on my a#$.) In fact, while I never felt like I found its "sweet spot" during the demo, it was more a matter that the board COULD do many more things than I'm used to, and that I'd have fun exploring its capabilities and figuring out how to unlock them.

This particular board had metal but no carbon and had a moderate flex (stiffer in the nose and tail, with a nice bend through the middle). Note: the Whistler and Cypress level BX models, with metal and carbon, were MUCH stiffer when I hand-flexed them, and seemed like totally different beasts.

I really didn't NEED this board in my quiver, but it was so spot on, I couldn't pass it up. It was great (and an honor) dealing with Jasey. I wish him the best of luck with his business!

Edited March 7, 2012 by scrapster

[Dave Pushee]

I started out demoing the Donek plate. It really did smooth out the carving, but I'm not sure I like the added weight and lift.

I rode the Donek "backward" VSR (tighter at back end). I enjoyed figuring out how to ride this, and once that was accomplished, it worked fine for me. Did anyone else give this a try?

My own Coiler 170 VSR T met an untimely demise, and my only other board at the mountain was the Madd 158. This proved to be a problem when I found myself on Polar Bear the morning after the dump. Trying to keep the nose up on that took a lot out of me. This led me to try the Coiler 171 VSR T AM. That handled the fresh really well for me and also was similar enough to my defunct board that I came to terms with Bruce so that I could take it home Friday afternoon.

The Donek Rev slalom was a fun ride too.

I know I rode some other boards but my old-timers disease has made me forget already.

[GeoffV]

OK, I am finally getting around to posting what I was demoed.

For those that attended the SES, I guess you'll just have to come to the ECES next time to demo Jasey-Jay boards and hang with a gold medal Olpympian :)

JJA 180- stiffest board Jasey had on the rack

Kessler 171

Donek Proteus 180

Oxcess 180 BX Shred Gruumer

Donek Plate

Rode the Kessler 171 on Monday in perfect carving conditions. I have always wanted to try a Kessler to see what all the hype was about. I was impressed by the board, but I think it was a little soft for my liking. What I liked about the Kessle, was there was no adjustment needed I felt home on it right away. I had to look for some ice, found a little and was impressed at the edge hold the Kessler gave, as I would have expected. I was flexing the nose a lot, either way I loved the sound the board made on ice, different than any other board I've been on. The one think I noticed on the Kessler that this was one of the fastest boards I have ever been on. What I mean by that, is when I was on the board and cranking out tight carves and would just let it ride, it would pick up some serious speed in transistions. I found myself having to scrup speed between carves if I relaxed. Given that the Kesslers are race broards, this quality made sense to me. Do I want one? Not sure yet, I wish I had time to try the SL 162 and compair the 185 vs. my Coiler 185 NSR.

Donek Proteus 180 I was really hoping to try the Rev 185, but it was a hot ticket at the ECES. The loved the board, it was very easy to ride, similar to my Coiler Schtubby 171 in terms of side cut. I didn't have to work the board, it was very stable, damp enough, but I could still get some pop out of the tail at the apex of a carve. Sean, I am impressed at the quality of your boards, you have come a long way in a short period of time. I really wanted to try the 180 carbon fiber board, but ran out of time demoing. I guess as one of the event organizers I do need to make sure attendees are happy before I can play.:)

JJA- 180. Great board, Jasey warned me that I had to work this board, I wanted to compare it to my Coiler 185, so that was ok with me. The tail radius felt a little tighter so I could take it down Tamarack and get some tight turns out of it if I was on it, but I expected it given how stiff it was. It was very stable and was easy to ride for me. All of JJA's boards come with his plate set up. I could feel the extra weight, and could feel my legs having to work the board, but I think that was also attributed to the stiffness of the 180. These are great boards, they do feel more like the would suit a racer better than for free carving, as did the Kessler I tested.

Donek Plate I have been waiting to try one of these to compare it to my Boiler Plate. I have discovered as did Jack that the Boiler plate works best on the bigger boards, in my case my Coiler 185. I had Sean mount his plate on my Coiler Schtubby 171 so I could really get a feel for it. Some people complain about the stack height, I had no issues what so ever. I just had to remind myself, don't look down, or change anything about riding with a plate. After my first turn my reaction was wow, that was easy. It was so easy to turn the board, there was very minimal delay in being able to transition quickly from edge to edge. I could actually pedal the board, yes pedal. What I liked about the Donek plate is that it was so easy to ride, it worked well with my 171, it didn't take away the livelness from the board. I could still get pops out of it but had to make sure I was timing the correctly.

Mark Brown was the person that really caught my attention at the ECES, he loved Seans plate. I was curious why, after my 2nd turn on the plate I knew. Sean has basically built a plate that works for all levels, it doesn't make it more difficult for beginners to ride a board (as long as you can dismess that you are on a plate and don't change your riding style). Yes I do feel a little difference in weight compaired to the Boiler plate, but it is pretty minimal. To sum it up, Donek's plate works for everyone and the price point is very reasonable. I can see adding one of these to my quiver in the future.

Oxess 180: Great board, I expected to have to get use to the board, but I didn't need to change my riding style one bit. I could load the nose, tighten up the turns, it was a blast. I was at home on the board after my second turn. It was very stable, poppy, but still damp. This was not a metal board but carbon fiber. At the price Oxcess charges I have no interest in buying one, but I would certainly not turn away the opportunity to ride one again.

To sum up my testing, I have basically come to the conclusion that I am perfectly happy with Coiler and Donek snowboards. They seem to work best for freecarving, Sean and Bruce make some amazing boards, that are great to ride and are durable, and best of all they are a lot cheaper than the European competitors. I see adding a Donek to my quiver in the future.

[dochalliday321]

I was at ECES Thursday and Friday, needless to say there was an interesting combination of conditions those two days. I demoed three boards and a pair of boots.

Board one- Donek Axxess. This board was really heavy compared to my Voekl. It was really nice on top of the snow, but when I went to carve a turn it dove down into the soft stuff and was a lot of work to get into the next turn, I took one run and went back for the next one.

Board two- Prior ATV. This was recomended to me after some discussion. I think if the powder had been a little fluffier I would have went home with it. It was nice and light, fairly responsive and fun to turn on. I took two runs and went back and waited for the next board I wanted to try.

Board three- Prior 4x4 174. At this point the snow had gotten really choppy, I didn't mind at all. It was all I could do to bring this one back, I went all over Stratton on this one and even took it into the edges of the woods to try out what little fresh powder was left. When I brought it back to the tent at 2 I asked for a price. There seemed to be some confusion as the person responsible for the price was still out playing. I said "no big deal, I'll go out on my Voekl and make sure things are ok uphill, I'll be back before lifts close." When I got back there was still no answer on the price. I wasn't too worried about it, Friday was another opportunity. Well don't you know that by the end of Friday I had managed to twist my ankle at the bottom and was more concerned with getting my foot out of boot before it had to be cut. Needless to say an e-mail to Michelle at Bomber was all it took to find out where that 4x4 went and it is on it's way to it's new vermont home. Can't wait to get that out on some packed cord.

[cliffh]

I rode the the Coiler 171 AM and the 182 Nirvana as well as the Donek Axis and Prior 4WD. I feel in love with the 182 Nirvana but wanted something more all mountain oriented so Bruce has made me a 174 x 21 x 12/14m sidecut Nirvana and to quote his email: "to make it more AM ish I will soften the mid just a touch as that is the flex pattern on the AM line of boards". I should have it in a few days.

Great event and a great opportunity to ride all the latest gear.

[Mark Brown]

I demoed Sean's plate expecting not a whole lot, more curious than anything else. I began by trying to take Todd Brown's advice to ignore the stack height and weight before getting on the lift. That was tough! I felt like Quasimodo skating up to the lift, with my right leg on a stilt. I could feel the extra weight on the ride up, not bad, but it was noticeable. Took my first run and didn't really feel much of any change - Sean had warned me to watch my speed as you can loose some of your perspective about how fast you're going. Took another and again couldn't really feel a big change, good or bad. One more on the blue cruiser and thought, OK I think I like it, now what about some more pitch? Headed down Upper Standard and really started cranking out some turns - and I AM LOVING THIS THING!!!!! I finish my run cackling like some crazed wacko because I'm having so much fun!!!

Caveat Emptor: YMMV - for me, the plate REALLY improved my riding. After chatting with Sean and Fin, I think it's because I don't feel all those twitchy little things the board does under my feet that keeps trying to tell my brain that "you are going to die!!!" As folks that know me will agree, I'm a wee bit risk adverse:rolleyes: Fin calls plates the "smoothenator" and he's absolutely correct.

So after a day of riding on the demo, I told Sean I want one NOW and bought one, that's how much I liked it. I admit that I didn't demo the Bomber version. While I admire Fin's engineering quality, I just couldn't justify the price uplift.

I also demoed Fin's "TD3 BP 2nd Board Kit" that gives you a slightly lower overall stack height by replacing the TD3 E-ring with a much thinner BP E-ring and reducing the thickness of both the cant and center disks. I liked it so much that when I got home, I ordered one.

I didn't demo any boards 'cause the boss would KILL me if I bought another one - you know what they say, "if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"...

[fin]

Mark,

Yea, I still use the term "Smoothinator" with the plates. If you have not seen yet, just did some video anal-ysis of a set-with and with-out a plate. In my opinion you can see the difference.

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?37126-BOMBER-Video-testing-of-plate-systems-at-Arapahoe-Basin-March-15th-2012