Hi All;
Some time ago I started getting into NoBoarding, or riding without bindings.
I promised to share it whan I had some video and now I do.
This film was shot last year at a resort near my home that is closed, but will reopen in a year or two. Obviously, when it is open again, it will be groomed, but for now, it's all powder.
The video is a mix of some skiing (by my Wife, Melissa) and some strapped in riding (courtesy of Chuckie). A bit of snowmobile action too, as that is how we get around without the lifts. The rest is me on the NoBoard (and my friend Marc trying it, without much success)
I really want to come to Europe and try it off the roads, in peoples fields and farms of the Alps. I heard that once there is snow on the ground, you can ride and not be trespassing. Is this true?
Anyway, enjoy and if a few of you get stoked to try it, we'll send you a pad for your swallowtail.
www.noboard.ca
Click below for the film.
Carving without bindings
Moderators: fivat, rilliet, Arnaud, nils
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Rob Stevens
- Rank 3
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Friday 25 February 2005, 23:22
- Location: Banff, CANADA
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fivat
- Swoard & EC founder
- Posts: 3035
- Joined: Thursday 21 March 2002, 13:13
- Location: Geneva, Switzerland
- Contact:
Re: Carving without bindings
Cool news from you, Rob! Thanks!
Riding without bindings is total freedom!
We also see this on water: "wakeskate" instead of "wakeboard".
I tried once: it's cool!
Patrice Fivat
Riding without bindings is total freedom!
We also see this on water: "wakeskate" instead of "wakeboard".
I tried once: it's cool!
Patrice Fivat
-
Rob Stevens
- Rank 3
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Friday 25 February 2005, 23:22
- Location: Banff, CANADA
My wife works for a heli ski company called CMH and one of her "benefits" is a week of skiing that she can share with me.
The guides on those past trips let me go NoBoarding for a few of the days.
The one thing that surprised me the most was the mobility and ease of movement I had.
One day, the snow was very heavy and we were crossing lots of logging roads with uphill exits off the low side. Most of the group would get stuck: Skiers and snowboarders. I could jump off my board beside someone, help them up and ride to the next person. The guide was happy to have me there, or he would have been helping everyone by himself, including me.
Anything uphill, any tree well or hole, basically anyplace you might get stuck, you can get out of very easily on this board.
On the board, there are other advantages while riding, like being able to "trim", or move your back foot forward to flatten the board on top of the snow at lower speeds, or moving the front foot back when the nose wants to dive under the snow.
From side to side, you don't have many options as your foot is best right in the middle. I have spent hundreds of metres of vertical fighting to get my foot position right, but I would say the same thing about surfing.
The "push - pull" technique works very well. You can push like a normal board, but when you pull you have to know where the board is going to go so your feet are moving ahead of the rebounding board. Most good riders will know exactly where this is, so for experts, the learning curve is very fast.
When it is tracked out, you can use the rope to hold the board to your feet and you can use the rope to help you jump.
Patrice... If you ever get back over here, I'll take you to the place in this video. It's very close to my house and we'd probably be a very small group.
I'm still very sorry I missed you on the last trip. It would have been great to watch you ride. Your style is unreal.
Oh yeah... Schneewurm's posts show him hiking around alot. I asked earlier if you can do this off the driving roads, through peoples land, coming back to a road to drive up and do it again.
Is this cool? If so, I'm coming to Europe!
The guides on those past trips let me go NoBoarding for a few of the days.
The one thing that surprised me the most was the mobility and ease of movement I had.
One day, the snow was very heavy and we were crossing lots of logging roads with uphill exits off the low side. Most of the group would get stuck: Skiers and snowboarders. I could jump off my board beside someone, help them up and ride to the next person. The guide was happy to have me there, or he would have been helping everyone by himself, including me.
Anything uphill, any tree well or hole, basically anyplace you might get stuck, you can get out of very easily on this board.
On the board, there are other advantages while riding, like being able to "trim", or move your back foot forward to flatten the board on top of the snow at lower speeds, or moving the front foot back when the nose wants to dive under the snow.
From side to side, you don't have many options as your foot is best right in the middle. I have spent hundreds of metres of vertical fighting to get my foot position right, but I would say the same thing about surfing.
The "push - pull" technique works very well. You can push like a normal board, but when you pull you have to know where the board is going to go so your feet are moving ahead of the rebounding board. Most good riders will know exactly where this is, so for experts, the learning curve is very fast.
When it is tracked out, you can use the rope to hold the board to your feet and you can use the rope to help you jump.
Patrice... If you ever get back over here, I'll take you to the place in this video. It's very close to my house and we'd probably be a very small group.
I'm still very sorry I missed you on the last trip. It would have been great to watch you ride. Your style is unreal.
Oh yeah... Schneewurm's posts show him hiking around alot. I asked earlier if you can do this off the driving roads, through peoples land, coming back to a road to drive up and do it again.
Is this cool? If so, I'm coming to Europe!
-
fivat
- Swoard & EC founder
- Posts: 3035
- Joined: Thursday 21 March 2002, 13:13
- Location: Geneva, Switzerland
- Contact:
The way you are talking about NoBoarding is enthusiastic and is pushing us to give it a try! 
Playing with the placement of the feet on the board makes this sport even closer to some water sports.
When it is tracked, or when the powder is not deep, the risks of falling are higher, right? And riding a steep couloir in the rocks must be crazy.
Yeah I would love to discover your nice spot with you one day! Too bad we could not meet in Banff. In Canada you are lucky to have some nice "tree skiing". In the Alps, the highest resorts have no trees...
If you come in Europe, you should go to spots like the ones shown by Schneewurm. This is the Pre-Alps, not too high, with many trees and more snow than in the center of the Alps. But most of the driving roads are closed and you can't drive up. Well, Schneewurm has obviously several secret spots. You should write him a PM.
Patrice Fivat
Playing with the placement of the feet on the board makes this sport even closer to some water sports.
When it is tracked, or when the powder is not deep, the risks of falling are higher, right? And riding a steep couloir in the rocks must be crazy.
Yeah I would love to discover your nice spot with you one day! Too bad we could not meet in Banff. In Canada you are lucky to have some nice "tree skiing".
In the Alps, the highest resorts have no trees...If you come in Europe, you should go to spots like the ones shown by Schneewurm. This is the Pre-Alps, not too high, with many trees and more snow than in the center of the Alps. But most of the driving roads are closed and you can't drive up. Well, Schneewurm has obviously several secret spots. You should write him a PM.
Patrice Fivat
Sounds good!Rob Stevens wrote:My wife works for a heli ski company called CMH and one of her "benefits" is a week of skiing that she can share with me. ...
I've played on no-boards at Wiegele's, but not on the more serious runs. I kind of think that if and when I can't buy hard boots any more, the No-board's where I'll go. It's just hugely more elegant than those soft binding things to my eyes.
But maybe I should put some more effort into it now.. it's just one more board to carry around after all...