RJ-PS Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 Anyone want to tell me why there is a cult following for MADD snowboards? I would like specifics, not just "They rock!". I read a consultant's bio of the company with his recommendations of what is a good next step for them, but have not seen a MADD website or any other information except on Catek and here a few guys talking about how great they are. When I say a cult following I'm not kidding. There are some serious snowboarders out there who would probably give their right nut for a new MADD. What makes them better than donek, coiler, prior, volkl, rossi, etc.? PS I'm posting this on catekforum too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pre School Rider Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 RJ,they are really unique in several ways,and are almost unflappable on icy snow.That makes them the board to own if you dread skidding in New-England conditions.The construction is amazing,as the core was made in select,alternating hardwood strips so thin that up to 90 would make up the width of a board only 17cm in waist width.That's an unreal number of wood pieces,but in alternating the wood species,there's a certain dampening effect,while springiness was retined.The carbon-fiber topsheet was specifically shaped to 'tune out' certain resonances,thus providing edge-grip when other boards would be chattering out.I can't say just what plastic was used on the base,but it's the hardest material I've ever seen on a board(as hard as the Formica on Sandboards,but yet flexible enough to deal with winter cold,and porous enough to hold wax.Unique stuff indeed),and I've skimmed over rocks that've nicked my edge while not even marring the base.Go figure that out!The forward-placed camber was made for early edge-changes(the concept later appeared in Sims Burners and Daytonas,so MF must've liked it on his Madds),and the flex is right between the feet where it's easy to bend into the arc you want,not just the arc the board's sidecut has.The liveliness of the board makes for great 'pop' out of turns,and is only bettered in that regard by Hots and Priors,yet due to the dampening and resonance control,the board dosen't seem to have a 'speed limit' to it.I know I topped out at over 70 mph on my 170cm Madds a few times,just by doing the time/distance math at Sunbowl,which is 1/2 mile long;I've run it's length in less than 26 sec. For a board that short,it's an amazing speed to be comfortable at. These are demanding boards,no doubt.But the reward for riding well on one is being able to scribe lines no one else can match,in conditions no one would think of trying to carve in. And,NO,mine is not for sale,not as long as my knee can handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jeffnstefanie Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 There is one on eBay right now, Bid and you can know for sure. There was allot of talk about how much people were willing to pay for this board and it is only up to $400 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 6 hours left as of this post - lots of time. Everyone who's serious will be waiting to get the last bid in. Bidding now just drives the price up unnecessarily. I sold a few old skateboards on ebay a couple of years ago, the bid would usually quadruple in the last hour or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Dold Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 I know, and that kind of sucks. I have to admit that it is fun to watch when you;re the seller. There is even software that will bid for you at the last possible instant, with the ida that no one will be able to make another bid in time. A lot of people try to do it manually too. It's called "Sniping" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Buggs Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 One of the things the PSR said was the flex between the feet. This is something that can be found in Coiler boards also. Personally I found the Mads Ugly but have no time on them. It would seem to me if the design was that far ahead of the current offerings the smaller builders like Donek or Coiler would emulate some of the important things. Lets face it guys, there is no magic board that I can step on and suddenly ride like CMC, PSR, Gilmor or any of the top riders. Madd or no Madd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pre School Rider Posted December 24, 2003 Report Share Posted December 24, 2003 Um,no,Buggs,there probably isn't a board out there yet that can miraculously provide the experience of,um,let's see here,14+21+26=61,yeah,61 years of combined riding skills.CMC,JG, and myself have been here awhile...I've put self-proclaimed "good" riders on Madds,explained how to safely utilize the extra edge-grip,and watched several just self-destruct about 3-4 G's into a turn.It ain't pretty,but the humbling effect (especially when it's an AASI L-3 or L-2 who thinks they ride "great",but wasn't expecting flatland Mc-Twists to occur from an overleveraged carve!) was worth the show!The riders that get on,and stay on,well,they can easily pat themselves on the back,whether I had anything to say/show them beforehand or not.The level needed to ride these safely And fast is high,and it's why JG used to escort 'demo' riders with a personal coach at on-snow demoes.I had a wonderful lady who was in her late 50's get so good so fast she had both hands on the snow in both turns within an hour.She bought at least two Madds then and there!Personally,I don't think we'll ever see the likes of these boards,Coiler could make them,maybe Prior or Nidecker,but they'd have to pick JG's brain to do it.Donek might be able,but would need to except the idea of using Carbon-Fiber and better base material,both of which are too expensive if Donek makes boards stateside(it's a Kissinger/China thing-we used to innovate in the States,now we just ship the 'work' elsewhere).I would LOVE to see a refined version of the Madds come back out,but I know it isn't going to happen within the next decade,if ever.The ideas behind the build are not cheap to reproduce,and the 'crew' that put it all together,well,they're doing other stuff now. When a company steps up and is willing,I'll gladly help build something that functions similarly to a Madds,but even then,it won't be any better than buying a Prowler to own a Chopped+Channeled '32 Duece.Some things aren't meant to be done twice... BTW,You're close to ready to ride my Madds,Buggs,so keep that in mind this season! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted December 25, 2003 Report Share Posted December 25, 2003 Yeah, I remember Gilmour telling me that story about the old lady ripping on the Madd. $540 was not bad on the auction today, I think they were $700 retail back in the day. I had a short ride on PSR's Madd, definitely a special stick. There is something to that reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Are you guys all talking about the MADD alpine/race boards? My old snowboard club used to get free boards from them back in like 95-96 (I think they were free, or highly discounted, I wasn't there when we got them), but there were twin tip freestyle/freeride boards. They were like a camo army green with like a cartoon child on it, but purple on the bottom. There apparently were really good (I learned on one, but really couldn't tell back them) but the nose and tail sections tended to crack and break because they were separate pieces (I rode one with the nose section cracked and the topsheet completely delaminated) I think I still have them in my uncle's basement. However I've figuring your are talking out their high end stuff and I'm pretty sure we got the cheapest stuff since it was free and we were poor college students. I heard that MADD moved into raceboards and stopped making freeride stuff and I recall seeing a girl sporting an alpine MADD board at a Boardercross competition my friends were in at Killington. I'm attached a photo - just wondering if this is the same MADD everyone is talking about and whether I should I should pull it out and try it sometime (I'm pretty sure I have the really bad condition one - which was the only non-broken one left). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ken B Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 The boards in your pictures are MADD Still Life's. I have one (a 156?) that I picked up on e-bay last year. MADD made both race and freestyle boards (there was a BX model too). There is no comparison between the freestyle and the race boards. I tried the Still Life last year and found it soft and easy to overpower. The race boards have longitudinal and torsional flex patters that make for incredible edge hold and performance. Stiff nose softer between the feet and a slightly less stiff tail. The carbon top sheet boosts the torsional flex such that the board maintains its grip throught the carve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonerider Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Originally posted by Ken B The boards in your pictures are MADD Still Life's. I have one (a 156?) that I picked up on e-bay last year. MADD made both race and freestyle boards (there was a BX model too). There is no comparison between the freestyle and the race boards. I tried the Still Life last year and found it soft and easy to overpower. The race boards have longitudinal and torsional flex patters that make for incredible edge hold and performance. Stiff nose softer between the feet and a slightly less stiff tail. The carbon top sheet boosts the torsional flex such that the board maintains its grip throught the carve. I figured at much. Ok good, because I didn't really remember those boards being that great myself. I knew that there were race boards, but like I keep hearing so much about them, I was wondering if I just completely overlooked these boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ-PS Posted February 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2004 OK so there are finally Madd boards new and ready to buy, where is the website, where is the price, where is my sanity, these things are like freakin Leprechauns!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cmc Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 is a weapon. It will out arc anything on the hill. I own 4 of the 158s, best board ever....16 years of riding behind that fact...the 158 is very very versatile, quick edge to edge, and holds and holds...the harder it gets, the better it holds. Tracks well at high speeds. Takes a powerful loading of the nose and doesnt fold. The board is very demanding and takes skill to max its performance. Entry level riders will feel its pirahnna like grip augering its edges into the snow. The 170, owned two, one has no life(ridden to death) and the other was sold. This is the board if you want to become a better rider. As JG states" a luxury carving board" Not as demanding as the 158s. Has the pirahnna like grip as well. Flawless execution of gs and slalom style turns. Handles spring crud very very well. It's all about getting better, these boards will bring you there, it's your decision. I made mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeW Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 Well, I tried both version at Beaver Creek SES. -chuckle- Went straight to Fin and ask for Madd, and he said its here. Boy, did I had an eargasm when I heard him saying that. I was a bit late arriving. (what can you do when youre exhausted as a liftie at Vail?) I can't ask for a perfect timing. Lo and behold, Madd Mike was walking with 'em boards -FRESH- in the plastic bags. Tried out the 170... boy was it a killer! I enjoy the fluid-like senstation carving on it!! The 158... its a bit squirrely to my taste, but I enjoy it nevertheless. Just a bit of time to get accustomed to the quite "tiny" board and cawving arse! I'd say its quite impressive for its size... it held on as I went a bit more faster as I normally do on the Rossi 184 and Madd 170!! Both of 'em are on my list-to-buy-asap alongside those UPS boots (Dan Yoja, what's the scoop?). I got the pleasure to meet Mike, Sean (of Donek), Ultracarver, Fin (BIG thumbs up to him and Michelle for hosting the SES... wish the dogs were there), and the ever-elusive Dave Morgan (quite a nice fellah--now I know why its called YYZ Canuck linears!)!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shred Gruumer Posted March 1, 2004 Report Share Posted March 1, 2004 And this hole time I taugh it vus YYK Cannuck "Like the Zipper Manufacture!" HA!:p See ya soon Dave! should be a blast! Shred:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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