Personnal dilemma, maybe a debate

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raphael
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Personnal dilemma, maybe a debate

Post by raphael » Tuesday 1 March 2005, 10:32

I can't ride my GS board outside of groomers without pain, so i think of a second board. I hesitate a lot between a swallow tail and a short SL board. Here's for the dilemma. :?

:idea: It leads me to the debate: what do you think is best in the bumps ? short board or long board ? :?:


Now for my arguments i'll just translate what i wrote in french forum:
I'm the proud and happy owner of a Free Surf Highlander 167. It's a very stable GS board with very good edge grip, but far from being a multi purpose board. 15 m sidecut radius, narrow, very stiff, very short and high nose, you get it: when she gets out of groomers she gets real bad temper and makes you suffer.

In early morning, on hero groomers, i get the time of my life. But just for an hour. After that my legs hurt so much and the slopes get so crowded and bumpy that snowboarding becomes just a painfull experience.

This is partly due to the resorts where i go. The pistes tend to be narrow and rarely well groomed. So here's the menu: bumps, moguls, and every kind of off-piste-like snow, plus ice (of course, how would it be without ice ? :roll: ). Except for ice, it's all that my GS board hates. Well working the technique i made it better (thanks to J&P and the forum, i thank you all ;) ). but it's not enough. :cry:

I think time as now come to complete my quiver with a second board.

I hoped to buy a Swoard, but i don't have enough money, and by the way i don't think it would but a complement to my Highlander. With two boards for the same use, i would still have the same problem. Anyway, i'd better stop dreaming, it's way too expensive for me right now, i'll by one another year. I promise 8)

After browsing, reading and thinking i've reduced the possibilities to 3 boards. They are very different and i can't try them. So the choice is difficult. If you have any better idea, i'm open, but keep in mind 400 euros is the maximum money i can spend (and I live in Europe). And by the way, i intend to carve on it with my hard boots... So here they are (all discount or second hand):

1 - F2 Speedster SL 163 ou 166, less narrow than mine, easyier too turn, more progressive nose, good torsion stiffness, less a "rail".

2 - Rossignol Undertaker 185, so i don't get affraid of fresh snow anymore, more human angles, carving on piste with a shorter sidecut radius (12m instead of 15m).

3 - Dupraz D1, maybe a good compromise, and sure enough very different from my board. But not my first choice, because more expensive, and i'm frightened that it is too much of an intermediary board.

I first thought of an Highlander 160, wich is an SL board (the 167 i own is a GS). But i can't find one (if anybody sell's one i'm still interested).

What do you think of my choices ? Did you ride theese boards ?

P.S.: I'm interested in other boards (Donek Axis, Pogo Renegade, Boheme 182, Pogo D day or Pogo Shaman...) but i can't find them in my price range (less than 400 euros)... well, pretty normal, considering the quality of the boards ;)

P.S.S.: precisions: i'm 1m80, weigth 70 kg and my hardboots are mondo 26.
Swoard 168M / Undertaker 185 + F2 Race Ti + tuned Raichle 324
Resorts : St Lary / Peyragudes / La Thuile
Carver toute l'année : carveboard.fr

schatten
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Post by schatten » Wednesday 2 March 2005, 23:12

As you mention the Dupraz D1 and also the Pogo Swallowtails (D-day, Shaman) I can only recommend a Pogo Longboard even if it's out of your price range. I have a 175 and it is as Pogo says the uncompromising compromise. You can carve hard on piste and float through the powder on the next run.
I ride it with a Snowpro Race binding and Raichle 223 boots.
Another Board I found very versatile is the F2 Eliminator Ltd. (and it is affordable, too). I tested this one with hardboots and ist went well on a bumpy slope and in the fresh snow. Edgehold is also convincing. The Eliminator was my first choice as an allround board before I came across the Pogo Longboard.
So don't hesitate between a swallow tail and a SL board but take something in between, otherwise you would need three boards.

Greets

Frank

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Post by gdboytyler » Thursday 3 March 2005, 1:56

I would highly recommend an O-Sin 4807. It is the best board that I've ridden in bumps and powder. On hardpack, it carves like a freestyle board. It's a hybrid swallow tail. It works great with plates and hardboots.

In the US, a new O-Sin 4807 168cm can be had for $100.

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raphael
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Post by raphael » Thursday 3 March 2005, 11:28

Thanks for the advices.

After all, I think everybody is interested in this kind of topic, so the price is a point for me, but it may not be the same for others. So, keep proposing.
Swoard 168M / Undertaker 185 + F2 Race Ti + tuned Raichle 324
Resorts : St Lary / Peyragudes / La Thuile
Carver toute l'année : carveboard.fr

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Post by raphael » Thursday 3 March 2005, 11:32

Nils finally convinced me on buying the Undertaker.
Well, I'm a bit surprised he did. Because I tend to think he is a little biaised towards swallowtails ( ;) ). But the decisive argument was, he said he was easier in the moguls with his swallow than with the Swoard. And the final argument was the price : 371 € brand new. It was in my price range, and it's not expensive for what everybody says to be the best industrially made swallowtail.

Now i just have to wait a year or two (to refund and fund) before i can buy the Grail-Swoard. :twisted:
And i'll have a quite good quiver 8)
Swoard 168M / Undertaker 185 + F2 Race Ti + tuned Raichle 324
Resorts : St Lary / Peyragudes / La Thuile
Carver toute l'année : carveboard.fr

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Post by raphael » Thursday 3 March 2005, 11:47

schatten wrote:Another Board I found very versatile is the F2 Eliminator Ltd. (and it is affordable, too). I tested this one with hardboots and ist went well on a bumpy slope and in the fresh snow. Edgehold is also convincing. The Eliminator was my first choice as an allround board before I came across the Pogo Longboard.
Well i heard from the guys of the shop ('au vieux campeur' in Paris), that the Eliminator Ltd is not supposed to be ridden in hardboots. And that it may ruin the board. So i totally abandonned this option. By the way i thought it was too large for on-piste. Even to go off-piste i still have to pass on-piste.
Hum, the waist size argument seems ridiculous when you know i picked an Undertaker which is 24,8 at waist. Well, at least it is less than the Eliminator Ltd 167 (wich would have been the right for my size and weigth). By the way i've examined the Eliminator Ltd in the shop and didn't feel at home with it. The general shape of the Undertaker definitly looks more alpine-friendly to me (but it is more like an intuition, i may be absolutly wrong). :wink:

here is how it looks (the top sheet is model 2005's, i bought a model 2004, but the shape is the same):
Attachments
ros-undertaker.jpg
ros-undertaker.jpg (8.28 KiB) Viewed 9135 times
Swoard 168M / Undertaker 185 + F2 Race Ti + tuned Raichle 324
Resorts : St Lary / Peyragudes / La Thuile
Carver toute l'année : carveboard.fr

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Post by drcr » Sunday 6 March 2005, 5:14

raphael, how much did that undertaker set you back?
gdboytyler wrote:I would highly recommend an O-Sin 4807. It is the best board that I've ridden in bumps and powder. On hardpack, it carves like a freestyle board. It's a hybrid swallow tail. It works great with plates and hardboots.

In the US, a new O-Sin 4807 168cm can be had for $100.
I'm on east-coast hardpack, but next year I'll hopefully be going out to Colorado for a week and so I'm thinking I should look a getting a board for the powder conditions usually found out there.

I've heard of the O-Sin 4807...but where can I get it for $100? FYI I'm 5'8", 150lbs., Mondo26. I assume the 168cm would be the right length O-Sin for me?

Edit: http://marius.potes.free.fr/ambiance.html#PageTop
The pic on the far right, the board in the center of the photo. Is that a 4807?

Thanks,
DrCR

_________
On the side: Well, really, I guess if I had the money to spend it would really be getter to get a Arbor A-Frame and a pair of Solomon Malamutes? Why hardboot in a land of powder, right?

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nope :)

Post by nils » Sunday 6 March 2005, 9:02

its a Rossi Undertaker 198! The best rossi made, until they went down to 185 :)

Nils

I remember there is a scary shot on Orthovox CD ( if you buy an orthovox beacon ) that shows a french rider getting involved with a scary avalanche, he is riding on that board!

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Post by raphael » Sunday 6 March 2005, 13:03

drcr wrote:raphael, how much did that undertaker set you back?
I'm sorry i don't understand your question. :huh:
Swoard 168M / Undertaker 185 + F2 Race Ti + tuned Raichle 324
Resorts : St Lary / Peyragudes / La Thuile
Carver toute l'année : carveboard.fr

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Post by drcr » Monday 7 March 2005, 1:40

raphael wrote:
drcr wrote:raphael, how much did that undertaker set you back?
I'm sorry i don't understand your question. :huh:
My bad. How much something "set you back" is American lingo for "how much did it cost." So in more plan english: How much did the board cost you? Just curious. Wouldn't mind getting a true swallowtail rather than a fishtail. :D


nils, a while back I was digging in your site, and I read something about a pretty big demoing event you guys had and there were a lot of comments concerning the differences in the ride of the swallowtails being demoed. I thought I bookmarked it, but now I can't find it. Got a link? Thanks!

DrCR

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Post by raphael » Monday 7 March 2005, 10:03

drcr >
I didn't know that expression, it's a quiet a funny one (if i guess the origin right). But it's very hard to understand this sort of lingo when you assume most people here are not even from english speaking countries ;)

For the answer, i thougth i told it already, but maybe it was in the french forum. So, it costed me 391 euros shipping included. By the may i received it today. I am very ... hmm ... excited :angel2: :evil2: :angel2:

If you consider buying one, you can certainly find one cheaper, for mine is last year's but it's brand new and direct from shop.

And about the question you asked Nils, you must be asking about the 'Swallow Mania'. 8)
Swoard 168M / Undertaker 185 + F2 Race Ti + tuned Raichle 324
Resorts : St Lary / Peyragudes / La Thuile
Carver toute l'année : carveboard.fr

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Post by drcr » Monday 7 March 2005, 14:42

Yeah, like I said, my bad. I know english is a second (or third, etc.) language for most guys here. :)

Sure, maybe that's what I'm talking about, "Swallowtail Mania", I really don't know. You got a link to what you're talking about? Thanks!

DrCR

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nils
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yep

Post by nils » Monday 7 March 2005, 15:40

www.swallowmania.com

haven't been able to attend the last two times, since its held the same week end as our ECS in Zinal!

Nils

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Post by gdboytyler » Monday 7 March 2005, 19:44

drcr wrote:I've heard of the O-Sin 4807...but where can I get it for $100? FYI I'm 5'8", 150lbs., Mondo26. I assume the 168cm would be the right length O-Sin for me?
EBay is the place to get the O-Sin cheap. Last week, there were some that had a "buy now price" of $79, no bidding needed.

EvoGear.com has occasionally had the O-Sins for sale on their website for $99. I think Evogear is the same people that had the O-Sins on EBay for $79.

I'm sure the 168 cm board would be fine for your size.

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Indeed ;)

Post by skywalker » Monday 7 March 2005, 19:49

Yes, Evogear was offering the boards on ebay.
Yes, 79,- is the best price I've seen so far for the O'Sin.

They only want to ship for about 100 USD to Europe. This is not so nice :(. If there was a cheaper way of shipping, I already would be a proud owner of one of these lovely toys ;)

Regards

Tom
free extreme carving

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