New Extremecarver Gen5: preview

[Swoard team]

Are you ready for a crazy season? Here is another new Swoard model! The 5th generation of the legendary Extremecarver! Wow, it has been a long way since 2002 when we released the first extremecarving boards in the market after several years of development in parallel to new ride technique.

We are now very excited to introduce this new generation. We made and tested many prototypes to still improve the performances as well as the easiness. We modified our technology once more. The increase of pop has been our principal axis of work. So we get now the Carbon-Kevlar ATC Matrix as exclusive technology by Swoard.

For a fluid style, close to the surf spirit and with bindings angles not too high in accordance to Swoard philosophy, the characteristic width of the board has been kept. Magic and innovation are inside. The board is perfect for progressing in EC from beginner to expert.

Again, special thanks to Lionel (the artist) and Patrice (the perfectionist) for the graphics. We hope you like it.

The Swoard team

[Matti]

That´s so cool .

[fivat]

And you can cut sausage too, not only apple!

See Fanfoué in action last weekend in Tignes:

Gen5-knife.jpg (90.44 KiB) Viewed 32259 times

Patrice Fivat

[tali]

It seems that some of you guys have got an early this year.
Riding in Tignes... and on a Gen5!

[GrimReaper]

I was planning on treating myself to a new Swoard this year...

Are there plans for an upgrade for the pro too?
And can you comment on the different characteristics between the gen 4 and 5, and the pro and gen 5?
By the brief description I guess more pop from the 5 and a more dampened ride for the pro....

Oh and pre-orders?

[fivat]

I was planning on treating myself to a new Swoard this year...

Are there plans for an upgrade for the pro too?
And can you comment on the different characteristics between the gen 4 and 5, and the pro and gen 5?
By the brief description I guess more pop from the 5 and a more dampened ride for the pro....

Oh and pre-orders?

There will be an upgrade of the Pro model because the unique supplier of Titanal has stopped producing the thickness we were using (some snowboard brands have taken this as a pretext to increase their price; this is not our philosophy: actually the price of the last Pro boards in the online shop is reduced by 10% , what is a great opportunity for some riders). We anticipated the problem, developed prototypes with thicker Titanal and tested them at the end of last season already. More news later.

Concerning Gen5 vs Pro, I try to translate what I wrote in the French section.

The two boards have different characters, though we retrieve common points and the Swoard signature. On the snow, when switching from one board to another, I say to myself every time "wow"!

I really enjoy riding both boards. The Gen5 brings a little more pop (an increased dynamism) and is more toy. As explained, the technology has evolved and the Carbon-Kevlar ATC Matrix works really well.
The Pro is always incredibly stable and dampened: it makes the difference on heterogeneous snow or on ice for advanced riders. Our Metal ATC Matrix technology, involving a set of metal parts and not simply sandwiched Titanal sheets (as other brands), allows to get the advantages of metal without the disadvantages (one of the major disadvantages being precisely the lack of pop in common metal boards).

I will take my winter having fun with both boards in all possible conditions and on all inclinations of slopes.

No pre-orders, sorry.

Patrice Fivat

[rcrobar]

Hello Swoard Team

Really great job on the new top-sheets for the Dual 2 and the ECer Gen5. I like how the new top sheets are fresh and interesting, but at the same time they do not forget the heritage of the original top sheet graphics and colors.

Well Done
Rob

[BJBusa]

Hmm........I really like my 168 Dual (with hardboot setup) but now thinking of moving up to a 175 EC5 What should I expect in ride difference and turn shapes??
I can EC the Dual but get alot of leg soreness on my rear leg/thigh the next day. I'm running 55/60 angles Would the EC5 and/or a longer length make any difference with this soreness issue??


Also..how do you decide between Medium or Hard flex models......(as a comparison I had a Virus UFC 168 and that was too stiff for my legs) I'm 105 kilos, 187cm and mondo 28

[Swoard team]

For Swoard boards, the choice flex is not really a choice, in the sense that we "decide" for you what is adapted to you. Our charts have been developed for years and confirmed by the team, the riders and the participants to our meetings.
Check this out: "choisir ma board" in French, or this in English: Dual models and EC models.

Your Dual 168 is really soft for you, because your weight (105 kg) is out of range. Moreover, for your height, on an Extremecarver we would recommend 175H or 175XH. Since you are used to soft board, the 175H would be the best choice. Your feet are not big for your size, so you could reduce your binding angles (for example to 52° front / 45° rear) and thus get powerful turns on toes and heels. Note that we have one Pro1.1 175H still available in the online shop, with price lowered by 10% (though other brands increase the price for the last 0.3 mm Titanal boards): this is a good opportunity for you.

For more info, write us to orders@swoard.com

The Swoard team

[BJBusa]

Hey Swoard Team

Thanks for the reply. Well your recommendation of 175 "H" concerns me.....would a 175H EC5 be less stiff than a Virus UFC??
Really don't want another board where my legs are dead after a couple of hours of hard charging....should I mention I'm 60 years old?

Also what should I expect in ride difference and turn shape going from a Dual 168 to 175H EC5

[Swoard team]

It's very difficult to compare boards from different brands, as this is subjective and our technology is different. When one speaks about stiffness, one has to distinguish longitudinal stiffness and torsional stiffness. Moreover static measurements at home can't be totally compared to dynamic behavior on the snow. This is really a science.

That's why we organized 34 events since 2004 to:
1) let people test the flexes and board sizes to find what matches them the best (95% of the time they confirm our charts)
2) give advices and informal lessons on the snow to teach our ride technique (and setup) which suits well our wide alpine boards; we noted that the problem of "dead legs" after a few runs often comes from a bad timing in the push-pull technique...

There are 1000 things to tell/show, and the best is to do it on the snow.

That said, we are quite confident that the 175H will be comfortable for you (weight 105 kg). Swoard boards are known to be not too stiff longitudinally, so the flex of 175H made for weight 87-100 kg should be fine for you.

The Dual 168 has a shorter radius and, for you, it should be more a toy for playing around (powder, bumps, carving). While the Extremecarver will give you more if you want to push the limits on the slopes. Of course it is excellent for standard carving too. The Gen5 has an excellent pop for this purpose too (fast carving, small turns), while the Pro2 has an excellent comfort and dampening.

The Swoard team

[BJBusa]

Thanks Swoard Team

What if I went with the 168XH EC5??? Also any "Events" planned for the US this winter??

[Swoard team]

The XH flex exists only for Pro2 model.
Next winter Bomber should have some demo boards, but no XH because of small demand for this flex.

The Swoard team

[joemzl]

Well your recommendation of 175 "H" concerns me.....would a 175H EC5 be less stiff than a Virus UFC??
....should I mention I'm 60 years old?

I have tested several Virus´ and found them more demanding than the Swoards (but did not test the UFC).
The Virus´ want a more sportive rider (especially the UFC, what I heard from a friend)
The EC-style is more fluid with elegance - so the right one for me.

(written by a 53 year old rider)

[Hans]

Well your recommendation of 175 "H" concerns me.....would a 175H EC5 be less stiff than a Virus UFC??
....should I mention I'm 60 years old?

I have tested several Virus´ and found them more demanding than the Swoards (but did not test the UFC).
The Virus´ want a more sportive rider (especially the UFC, what I heard from a friend)
The EC-style is more fluid with elegance - so the right one for me.

(written by a 53 year old rider)

Agreed fully here. The small carving VIRUS boards are totally different from Soward boards. Except for their wider carve boards. But they are of another build composit as the Swoards here. More hightech composit materials in it like Titanium Carbon Kevlar Zylon and so on. The VIRUS UFC model is not an extremecarving board but an allmountain ultimate freecarve board (powder, carve, on and off piste in one package) so not to compare with a Swoard. For extremecarving of Virus with wide boards you can test the Scalpel and the Xtremecarver models. Good luck with your choice. Swoard or Virus, as long as you have fun with it. My advice: TEST, TEST, TEST!