 Poster: A snowHead
|
Some great points already - it’s a picnic bench / snowchair, especially in remote off piste deep snow, although some people do likewise in the middle of a piste - it is your mountain after all.
Good point about riding switch, although skiing backwards looks cool it’s bound to end in near death with practice.
Back edge slip sliding down any gradient is vital, esp if slightly lost off piste, one wrong turn can lead to another.
We all know boarding looks way cooler (be honest) and is a lot less faff….how many awkward pieces of gear do skiers need? including boots it's anywhere from 6 to infinity
But 2 points to elaborate on, one already mentioned is knee ligaments. I like the original ones I was born with, and haven’t been to a medical centre / hospital since I was a run over as a teen. A broken rib here and there is a small price to pay……I know too many skiers who couldn’t drive / walk / work for months after a little ligament snap.
And final point is touring set up. There are zero pages / threads to read up on when choosing bindings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
| polo wrote: |
And final point is touring set up. There are zero pages / threads to read up on when choosing bindings. |
Have a look at the fruit boots v soft boots debates on reddit and you might change your mind about that
Anyway- I’ll add to the benefits, snowboarders are far more likely to have an attractive significant other, far less likely to smell of wee, and far less likely to be a sex offender.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Not sure what the count is at, but another point:
Slushy conditions can be great fun on a snowboard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
And the pistes on slushy afternoons are devoid of skiers (exaggerating for effect).
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| BoardieK wrote: |
| And the pistes on slushy afternoons are devoid of bad skiers (exaggerating for effect). |
FIFY
Always makes me laugh when our skiing friend say "Oh we stopped at 1PM because the snow was rubbish".
Snow is snow, neither good nor bad.
What they actually meant was "We stopped at 1pm because we rely on EZ-Turn skis and have no real technique to speak of, so we cant ski if the snow is soft"
"It's definitely not our technique that's bad - look how we smash it on the blues of Les Gets every morning, it's definitely the snow thats bad".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
because the snow was rubbish
|
But we all know what that means, in context. I often say "the weather was rubbish" when explaining why I didn't go sailing. It's not necessarily that I can't handle the weather (though that's sometimes the case) just that I'd rather put my feet up with a cup of tea.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@pam w, Sailing is different, especially when skippering a boat where the lives of others depend on your decision making.
I totally respect the - "If in doubt - don't go out" maxim.
Sailing with big swell, 25kt winds & huge gusts is a little more challenging than a Sunny afternoon on the Rainfolly where the snow has softened up a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
On the subject of 'rubbish snow', there is snow that is on the cusp of melting, which is high friction. When you come across it, it's like the brakes have gone on slightly.
There is usually a band of this, e.g. reasonable spring snow from 2000m down to 1600m, and then high friction, not-quite-slush snow from 1600m down to 1500m, and then, lower down it's back to reasonable speed on low friction slush-puppie (until you get to grass).
It doesn't matter whether you have skis or board, that not-quite-slush snow is a right pain. High temp wax ameliorates it a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
Yebbut snowboard fences aren't very tall
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
You can swap to skis on days when the snow is hard and icy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@pam w,
| Quote: |
You can swap to skis on days when the snow is hard and icy.
|
That is so true, and leads me back to something @Richard_Sideways, said earlier...
| Quote: |
2. Our luggage is good for carrying more than spare sections of drainpipe or your pet python on holiday.
|
I can't fit both skis and board in my burton board bag but they all go in my dakine ski bag, something to do with 186cm AM skis and a wide board.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| OuatteDePhoque wrote: |
| BoardieK wrote: |
| And the pistes on slushy afternoons are devoid of bad skiers (exaggerating for effect). |
FIFY
Always makes me laugh when our skiing friend say "Oh we stopped at 1PM because the snow was rubbish".
Snow is snow, neither good nor bad.
What they actually meant was "We stopped at 1pm because we rely on EZ-Turn skis and have no real technique to speak of, so we cant ski if the snow is soft"
"It's definitely not our technique that's bad - look how we smash it on the blues of Les Gets every morning, it's definitely the snow thats bad". |
It's at least 1pm before the pistes are bumped up enough to be worth skiing
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
22) Sorry to ruin your day.....
But for the majority of you when you sail into middle age (whatever that is) you'll switch back to skiing, that's if you skied first, or you'll just give up 
We all have done it, except one of the crew, who never skied, continuing to tour with us as he became very genned up on all things touring / splitboards, karakoam or something, but this is the first year he'll not make it to the mountains due to feckin prostate C.
And we did in the day board pretty well and mildly extreme, with our first trip to La Grave in 97 and we all owned Swallow Tail powder boards and I think it was a Rossingnol Undertaker I had at 197 ?
So I think I'm reasonably qualified to make that comment as that's what happened to 4 out of 5 of us.
La Grave / Serre Che 2001 and at about 05:25 in still pretty amazing Swallow Tail kicking up a huge rooster tail 
Babylon - La Grave 2001 - Simon Bedford from Weathercam https://vimeo.com/37009823
And then 2003 all before the days of Social Media
2002 La Grave Heroes - short trailer by Simon Bedford from Weathercam https://vimeo.com/37019538
Why did we give up?
In my case and a few others, I switched back to skiing as it is just so much more flexible when touring* and then I really had to work at it, which I still am as it is so much harder to be able to rip all types of snowpack on skis as opposed to a board.
Do I miss it?
Sometimes when, I know it would be a whole lot better on a board
And I've just been watching some of our early Lyngen trips and they were damn good on the boards, and we were using approach skis to climb/tour on, good memories.
*after long chats with my guide mate, who whilst a great snow-boarder basically coached me away from boarding, in fact I should ask him when was the last time he was on a board?
And can't quite see his Godson, Max Palm pulling off the stuff he does to win a leg of the RedBull FreeRide World Tour on a snowboard
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
See, this is all making me want to learn to snowboard. Even though I think it looks akin to riding an ironing board down a mountain.
Though this did make me laugh and I related immediately as the skier in question.
| OuatteDePhoque wrote: |
| 14: you can hoon up behind people of narrow icy cat tracks and then perform the deafening hockey stop scrape, and watch their form change from behind as muscles freeze and their body becomes rigid, all the time while saying "For F@ck sake" in a loud voice. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Weathercam wrote: |
... we all owned Swallow Tail powder boards and I think it was a Rossingnol Undertaker I had at 197 ?
So I think I'm reasonably qualified to make that comment as that's what happened to 4 out of 5 of us. |
I'm surprised you all lasted that long on those boards.
Last century in BC we'd often get Euro guests wanting to ride helicopters with those massive boards - they were actually marketed as "powder" boards in Europe. To us they were useless, but the owners would never take advice. I never saw anyone ride one two days in a row, and I never saw anyone rip on one at all. Ever. They'd struggle for a day, then curse their big old wall ornament and pick up a Supermodel 1 or K2 Eldo from the rack and never look back. The closest North American boards I came across were the Lib Tech Dough Boy and some of the Rad Air Tankers, both of which perform like those old STs. Which is to say: wall ornaments.
Nils Degremont used to run a n ST website and rode La Grave last century at least ... he's one of the people behind Swoard these days - hasn't given up, although I'm not sure if he actually rides those monster boards any more. Regis went back to skiing, I'll give you that one.
None of my mates switched to skiing, despite aging disgracefully. I would expect snowboarding probably had a higher turnover rate when it was achingly fashionable, but I think once you can ride well, which many can't, then most won't go back. Here's a 1.44m board kicking up a wave from earlier this year, which I hope explains why. The ST is a poor engineering solution in my opinion - this board simply has a well designed tail.
(Seriously, did you try modern snowboards? They're night and day different from those old school boards which to my mind never worked in the first place.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@phil_w, I’ve seen loads of people in Japan riding big swallow tail powder guns - moss, gentemstick etc.
Roughly 50% no clue and obviously rented them to look the part but a lot of people charging on them. It’s generally very deep and low angle so they are probably ideal for that.
Had a chat with one guy riding a 190ish swallow tail who was going well and he said it’s a strictly Japan tool for him and useless on ice. I’ve been going fine on a 164 korua pencil at 95kg in 50cm + days - couldn’t see a need for anything more under my feet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<shrug> There was actually a US guy turned up in early January wanting to put his Dough Boy in a heli basket. His thing was 1.95m long. Everyone knew what would happen, and they tried to tell him, but they never listen. He dumped it after wasting that one day - it's so predictable it's funny.
Koura and Moss don't as far as I can tell build the sort of massive boards I'm talking about - it's a last century thing.
The Dough Boy isn't an ST, but it shares the design philosophy of those big boards: the issue isn't particularly the tail.
If you're riding a 164... I'd not expect you to refuse to ride your own board on day 2. FWIW I've not seen anyone riding a Japanese board in a heli, or Koura for that matter - I conclude nothing from that, I'm sure they'd work. I was actually surprised to discover that the big "powder boards" didn't work here, but that's the way it is.
I'm just saying that everyone I have ever seen with those big old boards gave it up after 1 day in heli powder, so the fact that someone eventually returns to skiing from riding those.... isn't really material as almost all of us ride boards which actually work 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I would happily ride my korua on a heli day and probably will be in few months time
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
You need to "Man-Up" @Weathercam, 
I didn't start until I was 52, I'm 65 next month.
Today will be my 12th straight day; first lift, ice and all.
23. You leave nicer curves on the slopes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@BoardieK, I'll give you chapeau for that, but on the whole I'd suggest that you're not seeing too many of our vintage out on the hill, and @hang11, is starting to push it
That said these past couple of weeks have seen some dudes (Grandfathers) from the last century doing Euro carve turns on a hard boot set up
And a blast from the last century, just took it off the wall for the photo.
@phil_w, check out where Swellpanik snow-boards came from 
Interestingly from what I can make out Kafi's son is now the designer, and the boards are 160's
Née d’une envie de varier notre gamme , pensée et designée par Mateo , le fils du shaper,rider de La Grave mais amateur de snowpark et de backcountry. Il fallait donc une planche capable de satisfaire ces exigences, inspirée du surf et de ses fish rétro et de toute l’expérience Swell Panik, voiçi la Karma !
Lenght 1600, width 311,270,295, Radius 7,8/8,5
https://www.swellpanik.com/snowboards-splitboards-monoskis/snowboard-karma/
Back in the day, as we always drove out I had a couple of boards and had access to others*, depending on the conditions and what we were doing, so the big boards were only for big days.
@phil_w, have you ever ridden somewhere like La Grave, or do you just heli with fat Americans and Japanese
* mate worked for Second Level Sports UK importers of Burton
24) you'd experience a bit of a challenge going over the back of La Grave to St Christoph (does depend on the conditions) - but I've been there seen it done it and earnt the badge much to the amusement of skiers in our group
Right going out to be really extreme XC skating
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
|
|
|
|
i can snowboard pretty well (Instructor Licence in GER), i can ski only blues (at least didnt try reds etc), and cross country skiing also.
I will be 47 in a few weeks.
I do not intend to improve my skiing, or change to skiing, and i dont care about splitboarding.
Ok, Splitboarding is in the future plans (when the kids will be over 18 and i have enough money) but as long as i can, i will keep with boarding / splitboarding.
Change to skiing is not in the plans.
And as long as i can see my p***s in the WC, i will use the usual bindings. If one day the beer belly dont let me do that, i will switch to step in, step on, Clew bindings or something like that.
Probalby that will be the only significant change. Hopefully...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| Doofenschmirtz wrote: |
| Warm comfy boots that you can easily walk around in. |
That's true, but it is an instrument of torture that they attach to
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| OuatteDePhoque wrote: |
| 14: you can hoon up behind people of narrow icy cat tracks and then perform the deafening hockey stop scrape, and watch their form change from behind as muscles freeze and their body becomes rigid, all the time while saying "For F@ck sake" in a loud voice. |
It was sooo satisfying to see the same reaction in a boarder that cut in front of me last week when I stuck the edges of my 110mm skis into the hard pack
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
@Weathercam, ill give you some level of Kudos if you have any idea what the Brand X sticker is for..
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
52 here, never dual planked in my life and never will as I couldn't handle the embarrassment
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
49 this year and closest I've ever come to wearing skis was the little snow-blade jobbers I had to wear trying sno-bikes. Lasted a morning, saw the error of my ways and returned to the One True Edge. Praise be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
I will be 47 in a few weeks.
|
What is the significance of this? Isn't mid forties the modal age for snowboarders anyway?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@johnE, especially among riders who've been doing it for 20+ years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@phil_w, I still have my Doughboy 6'7" Shredder, so moving to a Tanker 201 should either mark me as an incorrigible muppet, or indicate that i know the extreme delights of metre deep powder.
The Swoard is the most comfortable alpine board there is, i.e. by being wide and so not requiring race binding angles.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
57, except for my knees which feel about 30 years older than that most times, which is why I now have a whole 28 days on the board (and proud of it!) I still ski half the time but can't really see myself returning to it full time because of the knees. Ask me again when I can lay down a full 180° carve and manage steeps like in BC then I may finally throw the planks in the bin. Or maybe if they do actually learn to repair cartilage then the Verdamt Bugelbrett will end up as a downlighter.
I am a holiday slider though who now goes to play only 2 weeks a year: if I lived by the mountains as a lot of you do it might be different but I don't think so. Boarding is just so much easier and as I slip even further past middle age into the furry slipper years of old fartdom then "easy" is what I am going to need! Besides, I hate giving up...it's too much like, er...giving up!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
I will be 47 in a few weeks.
|
What is the significance of this? Isn't mid forties the modal age for snowboarders anyway? |
no idea...what exactly do you mean
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@turms2, I think he's implying that Snowboarders are aging hipster types who are trying to stave off the inevitable decline into cardigans, senility and telemark skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
