xy9ine Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Again and again, the big question is: Do you want to ski or do you want to surf the mountain! i'm not sure if this is a troll, or real ludditic (that a word??) anti-new school sentiment, but i've never ridden a more surfy (ie, forgiving, slarve & tail slashing friendly) serious alpine board than my kessler. i'd personally classify traditional shapes and construction as more ski-like myself - not that i have anything against those designs. that said, snow sliding planks of all shapes, sizes and numbers are good. it's all about having fun, and there's no wrong, right, or morally superior way of getting the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterGold Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Pogokoenig and Hans, I was thinking the same thing! "Schneewurm" is everywhere! ;-) Very nice video!!! I think if you stop taking yourself as the center of focus and realize how many different mountains and slope conditions are out there and how many different people with different preferences and individual needs are out there, then you will find out that there are so many possibilities. We tend to take our preferences and think that they should also work for other people. Sometimes they do, but most of the time they don´t ... In theory the better edge pressure distribution of modern (race)shapes should be a perfect match for the smooth EC style (see Ben´s and other videos for prove ;-) ...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 In theory the better edge pressure distribution of modern (race)shapes should be a perfect match for the smooth EC style (see Ben´s and other videos for prove ;-) ...) This isn't theory. I have never ridden a board (JJ snowboards) with such neutral dynamic controlable edge pressure as my JJ SL and GS board. Perfectly for EC ing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLN Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 I'm glad to see that opinions as i'd go for a new board for next season and I'm looking into EC mostly and couple of amateur races. Looks like i can do it all with 1 board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Very nice video!!!... In theory the better edge pressure distribution of modern (race)shapes should be a perfect match for the smooth EC style (see Ben´s and other videos for prove ;-) ...) Every Kessler I had, or borrowed, could EC like a demon. Only adjustments needed is a bit of focus on finishing the turns, and being carefull about the turn shape which is more sensitive to "off technique" then radial cut cambered boards. They also slide and slarve great, too. On the down side, I'm always worried that I'll brake them (as well as my darling Prior metaltop). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokkis Posted March 1, 2013 Report Share Posted March 1, 2013 Bruce built me few years back NSR+ with 13/22/17 side cut board with 23.5cm center width, so it was just NSR+ with extra width. That was nice experiment and one could laydown ec-carves easily and it kept speed well also in not so deep sections, but one could stil ride it with quite modest boot angles. Since that day there are many more ec-oriented stuff what Bruce is puting, if requested, to boards. And i really like my this year Sleeping Beauty board. I just stupidly forgot request UPM inserts there so i need to run it with 4*4 hw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nils Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Sorry was on a mountain vacation without internet!.. "I just think it's very dismissive and short sighted to phrase things in a way that suggests that going to boards with new school tweaks detracts from that." You're right, and I'm using black and white / right / wrong argumentations on purpose: of course it's not all that simple and things are more complex than that..but like in the manifesto we published in 2002, it's better to make a point using different/radical views than to raise subtle differences... Yes there is guys able to ride EC with long titanal Kesslers/SG with rocker camber and VSR radii, I've seen them in Zinal, I've also noticed they are usually riding with a smooth slower style and that each time they pushed hard into the turns in order to make short linked EC turns, the result was less impressive...but still they do succeed....same goes with the Russian crew doing really nice vids on their almost flat home run that does not require hairy turns..( I'm also bored with vids of EC doing long slopes crossing before turning...I'm looking forward to see/ride tight slope, edge to edge EC turns that require lots of techniques and stamina and speed..but that's another subject...). As I said, since we've tested titanal in our first protos, we've noticed we lost the board's versatility, among which the way the board would be able to distribute the torsion along the edge, with the ability to twist the torsion longitudinaly during the turns if needed. Like a foil of paper you bend, if suddenly you adjust your weight or pressure on one foot tip, the board has ability to twist needing very little energy, and allows you to change edge bite, body placements, exit the turns if pressure increases etc.. What we got with a regular thickness titanal sheet was boards that lost that ability: boards that were locked torsionwise, stiff as hell despite their rather soft flex, making body placement difficult and making the ride not so comfortable ( this negative aspect is enhanced by the use of plate!) We've fined tuned the boards with Nidecker's factory gurus, and couldn't get back that versatility we had previously torsion wise...hence our hesitation and years of prototyping...Is the greater dampening worth the loss of versatility: until now we decided it was not worth it, and versatility was among the big assets a board should have, along with lightness, grip and forgiveness...anyway we experimented different things until now so dampening could be improved.. We are almost done with that research, having found a way to keep a cambered board and use titanal in a way it would give its dampening without killing the progressive torsion..It should be ready by next season... Again: it does not means all the titanal rocker boards are not working, but it's just that we figure its better to have a normal camber board with good dampening and confident grip and edge hold that gives bite all along the edge and is still versatile and easy...that's the path we're following!! maybe camber boards will be extinct, or rocker boards will disappear: time will tell... Nils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.