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I know I'm gonna regret this . . .

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
But . . . Past three seasons I've spent little time on a board, instead I've lifted my telemark skiing to just above the 'providing amusement for others' level and exploring the weirdness that is the teleboard, (lots of fun but not a snowboard) . . . but this season I need to get back into soft boots, if nothing else to see how much my body's forgotten.
Now I'm old school . . . no not 'skool' . . . I mean I'm wrinkly, fast heading for 60, still got good leg strength and balance but I'm used to unidirectional, normal camber boards at the 160+ end but as I'm coming down from 110kilo to the 80 mark that may be a little long now.

Here's the ? I really can't be ar$ed to trudge through the magazines and just don't suck on the teat of latest gimmicks so . . .

Give me some recs for a good, traditional, all mountain board that'll float, carve and nibble at the edges of the park ?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've just realised I probably know more about what skis are out there than the current crop of boards. When I smashed my board last season I just bought the same model again before they put rocker and all that stuff on it. With a quiver of that as a dedicated do it all mainly Euro off piste powder to variable crud and everything in between board, the split board and a battered board kept in reserve I'm pretty happy so don't care about the new stuff that much.

That said if I was to go out and buy something that could get anywhere on the hill and do flippy spinny stuff I'd seriously be considering a Prior AMF, or with less flippy spinny the MFR or just another HSFC empire (although it has camber and whatnot now, Prior will get rid if you ask them).
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 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?
Prior MFR if I ever buy another board I'll buy another.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Don,t regret.. some very versatile boards about with a bit of camber under 6mm.More versatile than you think so just the job.

I think?? this one could be a very special directional twin at 252mm waist..... don,t say you have size 13 feet now ?
It won,t be trendy at a dome either being a Rossi.
I do not know exactly how stiff but its bigger brothers are stiffer .
I have not tryed it but fasinated by its differences and spec combo as a possible alternative to Hang11,s brd choice.Which is a wide job but not in uk as far as Iknow?

The Rossignol Experience 159cm directional twin with 5mm camber or less, exactly i,m not sure, softer flex than others in series (which are hardcore kit).

Has a very high nose height for pow/crud at 83mm, tail 74mm high ..That 74mm tail is high even by powbrd nose stardards but very narrow.So razors quick edge to edge.
Givern twins and directional twins are narrow and sink or don,t run out or give leg burn, this will help lift in deeper pow also with over a foot of early rise, like a Prior In the nose lenght .
The tail is long and high too so will ride switch well in clean pow.

Your not going to catch a edge on piste with all this end upturn .
A 159 never pushes what a 168 does off piste or lenght along the effective edge on piste.
So energy use should be low if fiftys to sixty years young.

The short running lenght will let it turn very easy at 1010mm at low speed....One meter on the hardpack flat.
Its got mervins magna wobble edges to help piste carving at Dtwin speeds.
And if the effective edge runs up the bendy end bits..... when/if... you bend it and crank it over enough, it will carve its 8.5meter sidecut on piste.
It also has a very sensible stance spread unlike alot of others.(ie think gangster or john wayne sitting on a toilet, stance riding style).
Its available in europe do not know about all Uk ,perhaps scotland.
Someone, needs to test this 2011 in Europe this season and give the reality,in 159 size only.

I think the 159 rossiginol Exp could be a versatile sleeping giant and perhaps far ahead of the bananas,gyrators with its similar camber/rocker that Priors and Jones use.
It may nibble in the park but no idea.

Xavier is on his third title chasing more and the big kid on the block so Rossignols development is one to watch .(Slater has ten by the way, now.)
I suspect jones/nidecker could be the burton of freeride sales but maybe toned down for the masses once the smoke settles and the dollars roll.
Ultimately its all good as they are all out the back and a more versatile product and range to come.

Another is Atomics Alibi Renu 159 which won,t be like this rossi but cheaper start and easy to get in uk but gangster stance....ok if tall or your a short fifty year old gangster.
If in canada Prior is the answer just bring a few extra back .
Someone will soon,its a no brainer.


Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 11-11-10 21:38; edited 1 time in total
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I had a drool over a couple of Rossi boards that were in a shop here over winter.

Think one of them was the experience - sexy wood top sheet, bit of a pow board look about it with magne edges? Certainly looked like it would go great, but hard to tell until it's had a few days of abuse.

Intriguing design though, like Tirol says, heaps of lift in the nose. If I could get a go on one, I would be all over the chance.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Never even had the luxury of seeing one.

Used to be a Rossi shop in milton keynes but may have been for... well I don,t know skis I guess.

I hoped some info might get someone interested enough in france this season, too run the 2011 Exp 159cm on a test, as in the uk market, thats the bigger end of board size.
The possible misconception is its pre Jones/Xaviers big mountain stick in all lenghts but they are not all the same clones.
Each lenght was for a different terrain,slightly different specs but looked the same.

The other Rossi,s like Onemagtek have this amptek camber and nose lift features too but little less setback, and not so super short running lenght.
So other choices in sizes and widths but the tails go wide around 306mm on the wide models for big foots.
Which I never liked on other boards tails in powder,its 2000 pow style and leg burning also slower edge to edge on piste.
A little board for alot of resort and more maybe.

I wanted to ask Hang11, when do they get new 2012 boards in NZ is it July/Aug 2011?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Generally in NZ we get the boards ahead of Europe for a few ranges - pretty sure Burton, Ride and K2 release their boards on us first, and my Smokin board was a 2011 one, fresh out of the factory, which I got direct from the guy who imports them. They start to show up about May usually, with most shops stocked up by the end of June.

But saying that the prices are usually ridiculous on new big name kit from retail shops, so I usually buy last seasons gear off Ebay and bring it in myself.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Tirol 164, I'm in the US but I have seen the Rossi magna edged boards, always thought it was an interesting concept and interesting that Lib-Tec released it (or did Rossi buy them?) but servicing has to be an issue?
Prior looks interesting, but pricy
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 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.
I would not focus on the wobble bits its only a addition to the "shape and rocker/camber profile" of a board.
Which is the important part along with flex.
They are all a compromise boards...its the best compromise for the rider thats important.
If you can have 3 or 4 boards and right boots and binding flex for each its very hard, costly and time consuming but not impossible givern ride time.
In england on a island we are snookered and ripe for the salesman though.

When you have around only 1100mm odd edge hold and the rest is in the air unless you bend it....and crank it over... its steep... hard on piste... you are moving weighing??....you will dig magna wobble .
I think magna wobble, its about the lack of edge lenght and the sub optimal angles for driving forward carving for starters... negative rear angles are for more park and spinning in a nutshell.
Some very flexy athletes can do all sorts and change up angles too but its tough for us.

Have riders noticed that these twins,d-twins ,carve best on your toeside on piste?
Ever wonder why?
Its another area but a powerful driving backhand turn is lacking and sometimes like watching daffy duck sitting on a toilet heading to his right or left backside,toilet and all.
You can see much in your tracks off piste too.
Compromise = magna wobble
On piste you ultimately need another less compromised tool.

The devil is in the detail and why it works where.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Masque wrote:
Tirol 164, I'm in the US but I have seen the Rossi magna edged boards, always thought it was an interesting concept and interesting that Lib-Tec released it (or did Rossi buy them?) but servicing has to be an issue?

Mervin is the parent company of Lib Tech. Quiksilver bought Mervin way back in '96. Quiksilver also bought Skis Rossignol in 2005, but sold it again (for a massive loss) in November 2008. So Rossignol never owned Lib Tech.

As noted elsewhere on these boards, I like Magnatraction. Servicing isn't that hard (edge sharpening is a bit more involved than with a regular sidecut when doing it yourself - although you don't need the 'special' tool that Lib Tech sell - but most shops are familiar with Magnatraction).

Tirol 164 wrote:
Its another area but a powerful driving backhand turn is lacking and sometimes like watching daffy duck sitting on a toilet heading to his right or left backside,toilet and all.

...

Compromise = magna wobble

What's the compromise? I'm not being difficult, I just genuinely don't understand what you mean by this bit and the rest of your post looks interesting. My toeside on-piste carve is strong, but my heelside isn't that great. Are you suggesting that Magnatraction may be partly to blame (ignoring my technique which is probably crap)? I'm open to thoughts on this, although I admit I would need a lot of convincing.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Shallimus, heelside carving requires technique whereas toeside just requires brute strength (not pretty if that's all you use), but essentially you can carve just as hard on your heels as you can on your toes.
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 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 reckon binding placement on a magne board makes a big difference to how well they carve. I haven't figured out the science of it, but shifting bindings on mine, to try to get the weight over the bumps made a noticeable change.

I find big heelside carves easy, but nearly 30 years of surfing is probably why.

Lib Tech license their tech to other manufacturers, and I'm sure it won't be long before a few other versions of it start to appear. Looks like Arbor are doing something similar on some of their boards.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Simple cheap allrounder board that's wide for balance. I would have to say the burton bullet
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Masque, Try a Never Summer! I've just got an Infinity R (girly board). Love it. It's so much easier to ride than my oldish Salomon. If you can get to demo one, do so. They are made in the US and are probably easier to get hold of over there than here.

By the way, Never Summer introduced the reverse camber/rocker/magne-traction thingy, not Lib-Tech. NS recently won a court battle in the US over the technology.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Dobz, Hi Sunshine, long time no see, you still bolting wheels to your board and getting grass stains on yer butt? Yup, I've a bent for a 'NS' board but I've yet to find an outlet on my travels. I've still got a month to keep looking Dobz,
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Masque, It's has been a couple of years!!! Still got my mountain board although haven't been on it for a while.

A number of my boarding buddies have got NS boards - the Evo and the SL-R are very highly rated. They aren't easy to get hold of over here - in fact, I've got the only 147 Infinity in the UK!!! I got mine through Born Extreme in Hinkley, Leics (not much good to you as I see you are still in the US though lol). Why not go to Denver where they make them!! lol

Hope you are keeping well Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Inca snowboards 1996... Dual camber snowboards

They say.... whats old is new and whats new is old.

Some of these are still floating about downunder .

Go check the old Inca snowboard site its actually refreshingly, sales Fun....I wonder if anyone in Colarado or from Mervin ever looked, probably not...or.. of course not!

I doubt if Tom Burt is going to take anyone to court over early rise = noserocker.... maybe they forgot who was first, 20+ years ago or he was too busy sticking hellmans lines.

Magna...as a sales feature not its effective function.
When Burton was growing very fast , they decided they did,nt need a race program or to make 168cm boards and bigger,CK left, things changed aimed towards youth, they refocused everything lower down the mountain where the $$$ and bigger market are.
Resorts needed parks to compete with other resorts,so they were built, as that is a money spinner for everyone involved. It went ballistic and short on brd lenght.

Thats where the Magna$$$$ designs will be... camber is still further up the mountain,although less $... in general terms on steep piste and high varible snowconds off piste, its holding and will not go away.

My sales opinion of Magna wobble is like,... (if you had to put it in pictures).. like those old burton catalogs,boards on a mountain picture.
At the peak would be Johans cambered board,race boards, pow brds,BX and further down the mountain towards the park more magna boards and the $$$$.

I think to a large degree we are sales led more than we would like too believe, myself included... but now I try to look into it much more, than ever before.
I also know I could have used some of that Magna wobble in very bad vis, windblown boiler plate, on my own around invisable rocks.
If it gives confidence which can be translated into control,its going to get used.. just as a better base and wax will float you out further.


The New NS Raptor all mountain lightweight charger interestingly.... has longer rearward camber....more than other models in the line this season,its first season.. after its former model the cambered Titan....Camber hanging on... in the market.

I will try a couple of early rise to flat boards this season both with different flex but expect to gain something and also lose something.(Probably ride time via money spent on gear)
Sounds like a circle does,nt it. I am certain I could be just going round and round with this stuff.

That guys post how he tryed ski,s,snowshoes,splits...then went back to skis over many years and places... as the best effective kit, was very informative,more so than givern credit.
Where ever we are on the mountain riding, via the sales circle, camber seems to be getting pushed up it and magna is finding its effective $$$ niche.
Never Summer was a smaller home grown brand,now its on the growing band wagon ,its direction is anybodys guess.
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 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?
Well, I was having a mooch in Backwoods Boards in Auburn Maine (think Bicester but with bear poo in the back garden and shire horses with antlers . . . I've seen my first moose and FFFFFFF**k they're big!!!) anyway, had a natter with the owner and he dug out a new Rome Anthem from last year and let me have it for 300$ A good middle of the road board that should suit my purpose nicely. Thanks for all your input and hope to see some of you at the BB and EOSB where I will have to find out if I can still walk the walk. Confused
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