jhcolman Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 Hi All My son and I have ofcourse read JCJ's raves about the benefit of his new aluminum core Coiler. I'm curious as to your thoughts on alpine race snowboards that have aluminum layers within their cores. Have any of you folks rode a board of this nature (Coiler, Donek or ??? ) Is this a refinement that is only noticable to folks at JCJ's level .... or is this a design improvement that will be of benefit to the rank and file racer? Is this a true "sea change" in alpine race board design? What are the pros and cons? Would this feature benefit both adult and young racers or only adults? Who manufactures these boards? Is this a new (2005/6) feature or has it been incorporated into past model years? Where might we check one out (on-line)? Where might we demo one (in Ontario, Canada)? Just curious. My son will outgrow his board this season. So well be hunting for something for 2005/06. Thanks for any comments. Regards Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 a damping sheet...as for the future of titinal sheets in snowboards I would guess that use of Titinal in mass produced boards it 2-3 years off at a minimum...for custom board Prior will likely release some next season and probably the same with Coiler though I would take this as a sign of prototyping...very few people have any experience with this stuff except for Kessler...I've heard mixxed reviews on the skill level needed to some say that these boards are akin to 2 stroke and require world class skill and others say that these boards are so easy to ride that anyone can ride on...either way I'm not shopping anytime soon and even if I was I doubt that good enough to notice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nils Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 On this side of the ocean, titanal sheets have been used in boards of a few manufacturers since ages, and skis have been made since the early 60's. While it has very good results on skis, the snowboard industry has not really been using since i believe costs and torsion control settings is rather hard with titanal. http://www.aluflexski.com/# Funny thing is to have a wood core sandwiched between titanal with no fiberglass in the process... So i'm not sure its going to be a full change in board design, but it might lead for a moment to new ideas and better competition boards for sure! Nils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 There are at least two manufacturers that have used aluminum for years in their boards, so I don't think that factor alone is what makes the new style *better*. Manufacturing and construction techniques, as well as the target stiffness for torsional and longitudinal flex are always evolving, and this may be more of the cause than any individual component. The new boards seem to be much softer, but with added torsional flex, and a different flex pattern compared to past designs. Why not talk to Bruce about it and get in line for a board next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 Years ago I had a pair of Spalding Squadra Course GS skis, which had aluminum in them. They were certainly very damp and even as a 22 year old idiot I never found the top end on those skis. Big downside - the metal makes them subject to taking a set. Bent one of them in the bumps. What was I doing in the bumps on a pair of racing GS skis? See "22 year old idiot" above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 Originally posted by Chris Houghton Why not talk to Bruce about it and get in line for a board next year? I am certainly curious to hear what some "mere mortals" have to say about these boards, especially a "mere mortal" who has ridden a "Superboard" Coiler. I am not putting my name in the hat for an 05-06 Coiler, but if recreational freecarvers dig the Titanal as much as JJ does, I just might have to for 06-07. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 kinda falls in line with what I expected would be the soonest mere mortals would see/use titinal boards...its also the soonest that I'll be ordering a new board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 22, 2005 Report Share Posted January 22, 2005 I'm sure Prior can build one for you, 4 weeks max. And they were using Titanal at least 4 years ago. But as I said, there's more to it than just a sheet of aluminum. If you want custom you have to know what you're looking for in performance, there are so many options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Varsava Posted January 23, 2005 Report Share Posted January 23, 2005 The trick with this material is going to be matching it to the riders ability and I believe they will need a certain skill level before it is useful to them It excels on steep icy and bumpy conditions. Most provincial or state level races are on slightly easier hills where it is not so much of a concern. I am already building a new GS board for Jasey with slight changes to the design as he found the first one a bit too powerful! Seemed to work OK in Whistler though. I did a few race runs on one yesterday and it didn't make a huge difference as the conditions were not that icy during my runs, I was actually just forerunning so the course was smooth. With some practice on rough stuff, I'm sure it would make for some better times though. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Coppercarver Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Haven't been on BOL for a while but thought I would see if anyone is talking about what I heard of new materials in Jasey's board making a big difference. I've been waiting to see if any of the builders would respond to this post and hoping they would be excited to innovate and try something new. In my eyes it seems like the new board materials and the added benefits are going to be the most useful for the riders who have to slough it out in the icy conditions and severely chopped up courses for multiple runs. These days that is mainly the top racers in larger parallel races. I hope these new boards can help raise the bar and redefine what is possible for the top competitors in the sport as well as give kids starting further back in a the pack a change to charge up through the ruts without getting thrown all over the place. As for rec carvers, I am skeptical whether the new material would be worth it any time soon or if you would even want a board with this kind of feel on an epic courdaroy day. I think it's similar to the way I feel about Bombers. On an epic day of freecarving or smaller races I won't leave home without them but in races where I know I'm going to encounter a lot of turbulence I might opt for my old burtons to give me a little more forgiving movement. On a related note, anyone know what kind of bindings Jasey was riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Originally posted by Coppercarver On a related note, anyone know what kind of bindings Jasey was riding. Catek Olympic's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Looked like the long version of Catek Olympic stepins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Originally posted by Chris Houghton Looked like the long version of Catek Olympic stepins. no since you are getting exact, according to Jeff Caron they are Short stepins...this was discussed some time ago...something about why more racers don't use stepins...with the addition of the titinal dampened boards it is likely that more racers will be moving to stiffer bindings whether the go to SI's is another matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhcolman Posted January 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Thanks for all of your comments. If I hear you all correctly, it seems that choosing the right specs in a well built custom board are much more important than the use of "titinal" as a stabilizing layer, for most racers. That being said, Bruce posted that Titinal may benefit those racers who race on steep and icy runs, or on rutted icy courses. We'll, that's pretty well what most Ontario, Canada racers run, especially those at the back of the pack. Lots of ice, lots of ruts, irrespective of whether the race is Noram or Provincial. We don't have a whole lot of powder (packed or not). So, question: would a board with Titinal benefit a racer runing Provincial level races in Ontario, where we have ice and ruts, but not long steeps? Thanks Julian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Varsava Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 I believe it would be of help if you are at the level of being on the podium or at least threatening at local level races. Of course the icier the better! Only time you do not notice much differnce is in real good snow. Of course those types of conditions don't usually last so you could see the benefits of it by the end of any typical day with average traffic on a hill. My view is that it isn't much different in good conditions and makes a definite difference in bad conditions so all in all you are getting a sizeable gain in performance. Only drawback is they will be quite costly as I'm guessing at $ 1000.00 cdn for the extra work and materials. Never thought I'd see boards priced like that but they are a lot of work to put together especially if they are custom sized on top of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Coppercarver Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Anyone know what boots/liners Jasey uses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartron Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Deeluxe Indy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedzilla Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Anybody know if Jasey wears boxers or briefs? Just kiddin' ;) :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 3, 2005 Report Share Posted February 3, 2005 Originally posted by Speedzilla Anybody know if Jasey wears boxers or briefs? Just kiddin' ;) :D Given Mr Anderson's use of modern equipment unlike most of the other racers who use OLD boots and bindings I'd guess something new and fashionable like boxer/briefs;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Posted February 4, 2005 Report Share Posted February 4, 2005 There is no doubt that Titanal is a great material (if used properly in the correct lay-up). As mentioned above, it has been used in boards and skis for years, so don't get TOO caught up in the hype. Having said that, it is always inspiring to see old ideas reinvented and improved upon...especially to get results like Bruce's boards are getting. I've never heard a product plug on TV quite like that before! To credit a World Championship win solely to the performance of your board is amazing, and it must have made all of those super long days in the workshop, stress, and headaches suddenly worth it for Bruce. Congrats! The majority of us have no real reason to ride such a specialized piece of equipment, yet we all want to anyway. I can't see Titanal being the Holy Grail we've all been searching for in board design, but it does have it's place........(don't forget that it also comes with negative attributes as well). Will it be a "sea change"...probably not, but it IS pushing the envelope of innovation, and I have nothing but respect for that. Broz 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.