philw Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 I've a feeling I may have asked this before, but I can't find it. This is now, that was then... I've seen a few no boarders, mostly on Fish or similar boards with the sticky pads added. I can see that would work. There are also other dedicated boards. The question then, is which is best and why. Perhaps I don't care that much about "best", which is inevitably a matter of opinion, but I want something which f-ing works. Failure to learn this needs to be my fault, not the gear's fault. Some ideas: Burton Fish or similar with sticky pad "noboard" conversion. To me "conversion" seems to be a poor engineering approach: a board which I can rip on in my hard boots with Intec bindings can't be the best thing to ride in Timberlands. There has to be a better approach. http://www.powsurf.com/ I haven't seen these used. They could be wall art or maybe they work. http://www.aesmo.at/ Terje is pretty good on these. The Burton plywood thing they did last season. I rejected Burton's edge-less stuff in about 1984 because European hard pack needs metal edges. I don't care about hard pack for this board, but still I want modern technology not nostalgic stuff. Old gear was junk, I was there ;-) Anyone got any experiences to offer good/ bad / indifferent? I run the billing system for a cat operator and they owe me a ton of time. Hence I thought I could try to burn some of that by learning to noboard.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 Paging @Rob Stevens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueB Posted December 12, 2016 Report Share Posted December 12, 2016 On a funny note, right now you could learn in my backyard or driveway! Last night it snowed more here, at 150 m altitude, then at freaking Cypress, which is spectacular too! I might give it a go a bit later... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Brammer aka PSR Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 I've done two 'no-boards', one with a 'rope-to-the-nose', one without. The one with a rope was a Burton Balance 148, and it's great in deeper snow, but loses agility on any moderate/beginner terrain (Golf Courses), due to too much camber for Sorels and no straps-over-the-feet to overcome. The second was a (luck-into-it buy!) Tech-Nine 153 Rasta with a decided rocker shape. This turned out to be pretty decent (it's a 'twin-shape, and soft, and narrow) no-binding board, using only Astro-deck foam (like what's on many surfboards) set about 2" aft of center, no skyhooks, no bungie/hook+pull, no nose rope. It can't do really steep stuff comfortably, but shines on moderate slopes, and let me 'butter' spins ala flat-spin, on a dime. Not a snow-skate, but surfy, and playful. I resisted the temptation to add Fins to either board, btw. But, fins can be very effective (in moderation) on a true powder board. Just don't expect to side-slip to a stop! Now, these ran last two years back, as last season was 5 months of November, not a winter at all. But, based on what I learned, I think that a few rockered decks out there are great candidates for the 'no-board' rubber mat. I also still think a rope/tether/bungie hooked near the nose (like the Original Snurfer) is better by far than hooking in 'tween the feet, as the nose rope pulls the nose UP outa the snow, adding to leverage and maneuvering when with no bindings or skyhooks, or, gasp!, bicycle inner-tubes bolted over your instep. I'm Pleased to see my old fiend Brew Moscallero putting Snurfers back out there (with proper ropes, something Burton forgot on the Backyard re-issues), and Jones snowboards deserves an accolade with their binding-less deck, as it uses Skyhooks, which can be easily moved to suit your stance. As I see it, 'snow surfing' is making a quiet, but impressionable, comeback. One can only hope for powder to be as available as it once was... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 Have you seen these? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted December 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 (edited) Thanks - that's helpful. Powsurf - yes, I'm considering those or Asmo at the moment... I'll look at the "Jones" too. Edited December 13, 2016 by philw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 11 hours ago, Neil Gendzwill said: Have you seen these? Great, something else to lust for... Back to the roots; I started standing on one of these before finding out that production snowboards existed: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 I would definitely go for Aesmo or Grassroots. Aesmo pioneered the turndown rail design, and it obviously works. Everybody else is basically doing their own version of that now, including Grassroots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Posted December 13, 2016 Report Share Posted December 13, 2016 On 2016-12-10 at 6:08 AM, philw said: http://www.powsurf.com/ I haven't seen these used. They could be wall art or maybe they work. They definitely work!!! Watch any of their videos!!! One of my riders was sponsored by them for a winter or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terekhov Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 another one: http://www.pogo.biz/snowboards/powdersurfer/asueto.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmorita Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 (edited) + saw + rope = $50 Hipster Snow Stick. Now go lay tracks in the pow pow. Edited December 15, 2016 by pmorita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Don't tempt me... That would be fun for playing in the snow with my kid. I can't justify multi-hundreds of $ for a few hundred feet of use. Is it possible to stick crazy carpet material to plywood? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 (edited) 51 minutes ago, corey_dyck said: Is it possible to stick crazy carpet material to plywood? I did it back in 1980 or 81. Shaped a board out of plywood. Bent the nose by soaking it in hot water and then placing it under a car for "pressing" the nose. Cut the shape in a crazy carpet and tacked it to the board. LOL!!! Edited December 15, 2016 by Mig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Tacks don't count! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 2 hours ago, corey_dyck said: Tacks don't count! Still worked better than just the wood... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 2 hours ago, corey_dyck said: Tacks don't count! In fact, they were staples. Sorry, English is not my first language... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Dude, you made segmented steel edges before they were cool! Magnatraction? Lame! Try Stapletraction! ;) I smell a project coming in January... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mig Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 3 minutes ago, corey_dyck said: Dude, you made segmented steel edges before they were cool! Magnatraction? Lame! Try Stapletraction! ;) I smell a project coming in January... Haaaa! Haa! Ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philw Posted December 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 I'm still prevaricating on this: they all look good, but there are so many to choose from, and with traditional snowboards at least, picking precisely the right board is night and day to me. I think I'll find somewhere I can try the things then work it from there. Unless I crack earlier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmorita Posted December 16, 2016 Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 (edited) = Pro Model Edited December 16, 2016 by pmorita 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 5, 2017 Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 Xmas money arrived, Sportcheck.ca had a 20% off sale with free shipping, and willpower was eroded by regret (Xmas baking!) and laughter. This was ordered at 3 PM on Dec 25th: Trying it out Saturday! Everyone I've mentioned it to thinks I'm absolutely nuts. If it sucks, it'll be wall-art. I think that I'll have fun either way. A 41-year-old guy playing like he's 12 again! Construction is about right for the price, with a nicely finished base and top with ridged-foam like the 1988 Burton stomp pad I thought was the best back then. The die-cut base letters have tiny ridges around their edges, but this is a glorified toy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted January 5, 2017 Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 14 minutes ago, corey_dyck said: this is a glorified toy. As opposed to everything else we talk about here? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 5, 2017 Report Share Posted January 5, 2017 11 minutes ago, Neil Gendzwill said: As opposed to everything else we talk about here? Wait; snowboarding isn't serious business? I'm going to bust a phat poopside slasher turn on this thing! Hoping I don't go full headside. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I took out the Burton Throwback yesterday. Umm, it's flat in the prairies, so finding a hill near home was challenging. The Winnipeg Floodway isn't too far from my house and was ok for the maiden voyage. Excuse the super-flat light picture: Verdict: Wow, it's hard! The snow was 1-2" of windblown styrofoam crust on top of softer powder, so that didn't help. I fell a lot, but it didn't matter on the soft stuff. My size 10 feet in -100C Sorel boots (It's cold!) hung way over the edge, so sometimes the crust would snag/lift my rear foot off the board. I got a few ok turns in; enough to fuel the stoke. I'll try again after the next significant dump! The pictured snowshoes were only slightly better than nothing at all in virgin snow. I want the traditional Huron-style snowshoes that I had used as a kid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wantok Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 (edited) Lucky Dog. The Jones Mountain Surfer includes foot brackets which might net you longer rides, especially if there are pillows. Here's an early board in Hokkaido with binders open to the inside. A bungeed leash is useful when dropping in but you can let go once you are planing. Edited January 19, 2017 by wantok More complete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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