Is a Skwal a snowboard?

[lowrider]

On 3/6/2010 at 10:44 PM, photodad2001 said:

Sorry, and I do agree this topic is not "OT". Actually I was a bit pissed about another thread after getting back from the bar last night and took it out on here. Others would argue that SB carving is "OT" and I was trying to bring the attention that this is a carving forum and gear doesn't change that unless for somereason you are on a Soft setup. Sorry for the unexpected surprise. But while I am here and it is up for discussion. The fact that the "hardboot" seems to over-ride and even negate the presence of a board according to those who've been hear longer. I'm a bit confused when it comes to the "mission statement" because this should be (just by on slope percentages and what the statement claims) primarily a skiers forum since of the hardboot community skiers way out number boarders.

I personally don't consider a skwal to be a snowboard (or mono ski) anymore than I would a slalom water ski to be a wakeboard (no offense, just basing it on the full on forward stance rather than the number of planks). [Notice I didn't say, "a skwal is not a board", but I consider it equal to the comparison of a wakeboard vs. a slalom waterski] I guess my question is this. "is this a hardboot forum or a carving forum?" If it is based on the boots I think I'll start a Boxers carving forum and if you wear Briefs it's off topic because you aren't wearing the gear.;) Again, my bad on pissing on your thread.:o

Revive a thread or start a war  lets have at'er. Have attitudes changed in ten years ?

[*Ace*]

For me it's always been a hybrid. A combination of both skiing and snowboarding. That's the genius behind it. The best of both worlds. Whenever I explain to someone what a Skwal is I always reference the two sports.

[Pusbag]

I consider it a hybrid. My reference is think slalom water-skiing for the snow and you get a skwal

[javajive]

A hybrid is fair enough. To my mind it isn't so much the boots or board profile that people like to point at as the body position imposed by the setup. There was an attempt to run a race series in France where each competitor had to use a skwal and mono ski because the technique is so different. There was a required third device, either telemark or alpine board, I forget which. I would have loved to watch. 

There are some funny comments on anything a bit out there. Jamie Barrow holds soft boot speed records in downhill and towed on a monster Kessler with predicable responses. 

Also this hardbooter: 

https://freecarvers.wordpress.com/2015/07/25/edmond-plawczyk-interview/ 

 

I lost the sound for reasons unknown. There are other search results. 

 

[Jack M]

I dunno, is a monoski a snowboard?

I think a good test for "is it a snowboard" is could a typical advanced/expert softboot snowboarder jump on it and link turns without instruction.  The answer is yes for alpine snowboards, so they are snowboards in my book.  FIS agrees.  I'm not sure the answer would be yes for a Skwal but I've never tried one.  I think the answer would be clearly no for a monoski unless the snowboarder also knew how to ski.  FIS says neither are snowboards.

[dredman]

Interesting...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowboard

and even more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skwal

[SunSurfer]

As an intermediate level carver a few years back I clicked into a Skwal USA Powder Skwal and was carving turns at an indoor ski slope in a run or two. Ditched my poles by Run 3 and had a ball. Binding setup is crucial for comfort, but using @Jack Ms test above, for me a Skwal is a snowboard.