Powder Skiboards for Powder Ski training

A snowHead

Skiboards have hardly any surface area so they are even more horrible in soft/variable snow.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Spot on about the difference between skiboard (generic name) and snowblade (Salomon tradename) DaveC. Also spot on with your earlier post about how the OP got his eureka moment on skiboards, and how the requirements for powder are different-the OP should have another look at that post as it's a very good answer. I've messed around for years on 99.9cm snowblades (as well as skis) and they are hopeless off-piste, although it does make any journey into quite an adventure! But ski powder on wider skis, feet closer together, with smoooth transitions and you'll have great fun.

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ok, can i ask a straight question here, has any of the people who say skiboards are useless in deeper snow/powder actually used a proper set of skiboards, or have they just used snowblades or guessed at the answer. there is a massive difference in performance between a set of snowblades and a set of skiboards. i know this because i have used skiboards for many years now, both on and off piste. i have never had any issues with any of the skiboards that i have owned. please dont say that snowblades and skiboards are essentially the same, it simply is not true.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

graeme, I've tried a couple of different "skiboards" (well, snowblades and some head jobs that were just horrific). Here's the point I keep making - if I ski at a reasonably strong level off piste, and carvers are harder work than fatter, longer skis, surely skiboards are going to be less responsive than carvers?

Do you use poles with your skiboards?

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DaveC, i reccomend you actually try a set of skiboards, a set of summits or revl8's. you may not believe it, but they are not the same as the ones you have mentioned. i am not saying that boards are easy in powder, but with good technique they can be just as much fun. which is surely what snowsports is about. why do skiboards have to be similar to something, why cant people just enjoy it for what it is, all this comparing is taking the fun side away from the slopes. i think its just wrong to dismiss skiboards as useless though, thats just snobbery.
no i dont use poles at all

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graeme, i think DaveC is trolling wink

After all it is free

graeme, are your bindings releasable (just out of interest)?

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rayscoops, only so much as I was trolling you in the thread about Dr Nutt Wink

I just can't believe someone can argue that half a ski (it's not like it's new technology) can have anywhere near the same capabilities or use, especially without poles. I've taught pole-less with kids and skiied some pretty sketchy stuff, and it's really really not a good idea. pam w, the question wasn't about skiboards in powder, it was about using them as a training aide for it - and I did write a reasoned reply to it. I just question if my idea of skiing, off piste and powder are the same thing as graeme's

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So,

the answer to my question, it seems, is yes.

Yes because the only person who has used them and knows what they're talking about says so.

However,

also to note though is that I will need long and wide Skiboards.
I'm not confident enough about it to buy them, so I will go the effort to find the appropriate hire to experiment with and make that the priority... now that I know it's possible.

After that I'll hire some of the powder skis mentioned here.

And after that I'll also give Snowboarding a go, just for the sake of powder. Hope I got the patience for that.

Thanks for the help Happy

... next stop, find the right Skiboards for hire in Tignes (never been here before, not my choice...)

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jago25_98,

surface area (A) of "Ski Boards" (SB) is :
(length x max width) - (length x((d/y)max(d/x)min)(max)R1 - R2/Rmin. = surface area. =A(ski board) =or ASB.

Surface area of carving ski (ACARVE) which is double the length of (SB) has the same formula for surface area but equates to (7/2(ASB))

So, therefore, a simple carving ski has 7/2 times more floatation in powder than the Ski board.

This is now scientifically proven.

Ski boards are gay.

You know it makes sense.

I have used skiboards off-piste quite a bit, largely for the hilarity value.

One much underrated characteristic of skiboards in deep snow is that you can utilise a braking effect not by turning, but by breaking at the waist and pointing the tips skywards, in effect wheelie-ing the things.

This discovery caused untold fun in Jackson where we would camp out at the top of the resorts gnarlier runs and wait for a local hardcore to huff and puff a bunch of turns down in deep, heavy snow only to wally past going straight down the fall line on skiboards. You leave much more heroic tracks as well.

The locals got VERY annoyed.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I have some proper Skiboards, Ie the big fat wide ones from Revel8 not weeny little things that are really blades.

They are brilliant in powder, quick turning, they float well too. They are easier to ski in powder than regular skis. Great fun for playing in the trees or in the steep technical stuff.

I ski, board, blade & skiboard I love all of them equally. I ski on piste when it's freshly groomed or hardpacked, though I hate pistes generally, deep powder days I'll board & in between I'll Skiboard.

Proper skiboards are NOTHING LIKE blades!!!!!

A snowHead

The OP said he's off to try and do this in Tignes. In most of France the Salomon Snowblade is the only rental kit in what they view as novelty items like this. I've never heard of skiboards or Revl8 before reading this so guess it's a US brand?

The French beginner-low intermediate group had a minor craze recently for mini-skis where a six foot adult takes a pair of 140cm skis but I don't think these are the same thing as skiboards.

In large French resorts snowblades are almost uniquely associated with French chavs and idiots so you may experience some quiet mocking when hiring them, hostility on the slopes and abuse when attempting to go offpiste.

A snowHead

Well after some research i admittedly had not realised quite how wide you can get skiboards. However the width dimensions are no wider than a fat powder ski and therfore just cannot offer the same amount of float. There is a reason skis are getting fatter and longer (yes lots of skis are getting shorter but powder skis are going back to the 190s etc of yester year). I cannot see skibaords helping if you're already struggling with powder, unless perhaps you're currently on a set of very piste oriented skis. And as said i imagine you'll be hard pressed to find some of those 137 waisted revel8s to try.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

jago25_98, skiing powder is about staying balanced so skiing on short boards is likely to be more difficult than wide skis (length helps balance) particularly wide rockered skis which are designed to float and turn easily.

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Isn't the point that a short ski (call it a skiboard) is gonna be easier to turn in powder or on piste, as is a softer flexing one - but that in powder a fatter ski will be better while a shorter one is harder to keep balance

So when you start trying powder something a little wider, a little shorter and little softer will probably make it easier to learn - and how gives a toss whether that's a ski, a ski board or something else...

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

thebongolian, why would it be easier to turn?

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DaveC What does you it, refer to?

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After all it is free

DaveC because it's shorter there's less of it to manoeuvre round and all things being equal it will bend into a shorter radius

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You know it makes sense.

thebongolian, wider yes, softer flex yes, shorter only up to a point and less important with rockered skis. Shorter length typically helps you turn but will give you less balance and any variations in underfoot conditions or aspect will be harder to absorb. This is much less of an issue on piste where edge is more important hence the OP may not find his on piste experience with ski boards translating in powder. The beauty of a rockered ski is that even at long lengths it is easy to turn. I have never used a wide ski board and I'm sure it works and is fun but it's very short length must result in less balance so I suspect it requires more skill to ski well than a longer rockered ski. As the OP wants a solution to help him enjoy powder a rockered ski seems the obvious solution.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

DaveCIf I had skiboards they probably would still flex but that's cause I'd be extra stupid and mount tele bindings - each to their own perversion and all that... wink

Basically what I'm trying to say is two is things:

1. Don't matter what you call the things you strap to your feet as long as you have fun

2. For the benefit of the OP, something wider, softer and shorter will probably help to learn to ski in powder

That doesn't mean going ridiculously short - as you and others have observe this has problems with fore-aft balance - but maybe knocking 10-15 cm of the ski length while stepping up to 85-90mm underfoot and a softer ski is definitely going to help someone learn

bobinch Rockered skis are interesting - in conceptual terms I tend to think to them being pre-bent into an arc which as you rightly point out makes them easier to turn (well so I'm told - not tried any yet but probably gonna get some Coombacks based on reviews / price). Not sure whether they are good for a powder debutant who sounds to be still getting to grips with carving on piste (based on OP) - can't think of any rockered skis that are still narrow enough to be enjoyable on piste but my knowledge of what's out there isn't encyclopedic

A snowHead

thebongolian, Why would rockered skis not be good for someone learning to ski powder? They make it easier. Exactly what the OP is looking for! I bought a pair for my wife and it made a step change to the level of terrain she could cope with, her speed and her enjoyment. I reckon rockered skis have brought to powder what carving skis brought to piste skiing.

A snowHead

bobinch I think they could be but the only pairs I've seen are >100mm underfoot (but as I say my knowledge of skis is not encylopedic)

For a beginner who cannot properly carve on piste (as with the OP) I suspect that's gonna be a bit of a handful for the inevitably large amount of time they're gonna spend on pistes going from between suitable pitches for learning - they might enjoy the pow more but at the expense of the rest of the day

If there was something around 85-90mm (i.e. narrower than a ski boot) I'd agree - or if they were a hard charger who knew how to set an edge and ride it

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Just out of interest I think anyone agreeing with the skiboard thing should search out revel8 skiboard team on youtube.com, occasional serious moments with mucho gaperage....

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the_doc, that just sucks...

Can someone point us to some footage of people using skiboards in powder and looking good?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Have a look at this: [/url]http://youtube.com/v/gHhHg2T868U

This geezer is in 3cm of fresh(at most) and still can't handle it.

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http://youtube.com/v/DJP2FzEP8w4 there's a couple of little bits in this vid but its basically going in straight line and looking like he's needing to put a reasonable amount of effort in compared to skis. That or he just has a pretty rigid style. Considering its the revel8 team i expected better.

After all it is free

Pretty much backs up the assumption I had that if you think snowblades are good off-piste you're just a bad skier... even their park segments are only unique because they can do rollerblade-esque tricks - but best of luck stomping the 70ft zero air on your blades...

*edit* - I give up using the "skiboard" term. You know what I mean.

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Maybe I'm just not very good -well actually I'm pretty sure of that! wink

, but I'd have thought whilst it is possible to make almost anything look good in perfect powder (and if you find that you'll be somewhere hard to get to, have touring skis, or can borrow skis from the cat/heli operator your with so ski choice wont be a problem) , snowblades/skiboards would have real problem blasting through less than perfect powder? Since this requires many subtle backwards/forwards adjustments of the feet/balance, doing this on something short regardless of surface area is surely going to be harder - since the op wants something to make it easier I wouldn't have thought this was the way to go?
I'd say rent some decent not-too-stiff-fronted (is that the right technical term?) mid-fats/all-mountain skis and go with the lesson option.

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Powder Skiboards for Powder Ski training

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