race vs swoard

[tomaz]

I ride already many years with F2 silberpfeil and RS; both are quite good boards. Now i feel the limit given of these boards; i try to go down as much as possible but i need some more?Swoard? Ich glaube doch!
I decided to partecipate to the ECS meeting in february next year to try and test the swoard boards.I have to admit that i'm very curious to see the difference between race boards and yours.I would ask if the partecipants will have the possibility to buy the test boards or even a new one. I really appreciate your effort to mantain the real carving still alive!

[fivat]

Hello tomaz and welcome!

Race boards and Swoards have different programs. You can enjoy both of them! For laying the turns down fully and linking them with ease, the Swoards are the best weapons because we have developed the extremecarving technique with them (and reciprocally the boards have been developed in parallel to the technique).

I like the following quote, from the Swoard Home page

The SWOARD Extremecarver is the key to laying down linked turns with ease. This model is the culmination of a unique construction and several innovations. No other board has been created specifically to carve with extreme inclinations and to control intense forces, without skidding or hopping, in almost any snow conditions. At the same time the SWOARD remains surprisingly versatile and easy to handle for all riders, from beginner to expert.

I think I would have stopped alpine snowboarding (for doing only freeriding with soft boots) if I had not known Jacques and his wonderful prototypes in the past. While the market was focusing on narrow boards, we were looking to another direction. Now some brands (who are often friends) try to follow, but the board width is only a small parameter... I'm often surprised to see how people focus only on the dimensions

A big advantage that Swoard has is that the designer (Jacques Rilliet), besides his 20 years experience, is an excellent rider. Both aspects, excellent engineer/designer and excellent rider, are rarely found together in the same person. This is the key of success: no problems of communication between the tester and the designer. Jacques knows exactly what he has below his feet, and can understand the links between what he feels on the snow and the engineer questions.

OK... Come to the ECS 07 in February to test the board! Last year we were about 150 participants. Many Swoarders (= Swoard riders) were surprised at start with the board. Some have handled the board very quickly and have improved a lot! For some riders, it can take more than one day to be used to the board and feel its unlimited potential.

It won't be possible to buy test boards of the last generation. But maybe there are a few test boards of the first generation you could get at a very cheap price (200-250 Euros depending on the state).

Thank you for your compliments and see you on the snow!

Patrice Fivat

[tomaz]

Thanks a lot Patrice for your answer and detailed explanation. I agree entirely with your observations regard the opportunity to have new challanges whit a new way of riding. I supposed also that the main difference between the race snowboard and ecarving one was the width - it seems i was wrong

yes see in february - finally test the swoard and i suppose that seeing 150 people carving is something...unbelievable...not to lose!

[e_wi]

ECS06 was my first time and I loved it, "the carve-vib" was at the max and diner up the mountain at night made us like a great family; it was fun to get to know different carvers from many different countries and I talked a lot about technique. It was funny to try the Swoard for the first time 'cause the board is a lot more wider then most of the carve-boards, but there was no difficulty to get used to this feeling...although it takes reflexion and training to pass from carving to extreme carving...in my case for sure...have fun at ECS07

[lenzilot]

hello there,

i'm quite in the same phase as tomaz is, and as well i´m looking very much forward to february. see you all there and let´s lay down,

greetings from bavaria

[Vitaly]

It won't be possible to buy test boards of the last generation. But maybe there are a few test boards of the first generation you could get at a very cheap price (200-250 Euros depending on the state).

Tell to me please, are there will be or not will be Swoard snowboards for sale during ECS 2007?
And if will, is it possible to reserve one-two one?

[nils]

we will have some demos, some will be for sale at the end, some not.. we have to decide which the last day.
Nils

[everts72]

It won't be possible to buy test boards of the last generation. But maybe there are a few test boards of the first generation you could get at a very cheap price (200-250 Euros depending on the state).

Tell to me please, are there will be or not will be Swoard snowboards for sale during ECS 2007?
And if will, is it possible to reserve one-two one?

so you say that only where we can buy swoard boards is on ECS or you can send me by post to Slowenia?

[everts72]

one more question... can you tell me -i am 183 cm - what size of Swoard i will need?

thanks

[Swiss Mike]

Have a look here

There is everything you need

[Felix]

I will write a nice report later - based on experience gained by properly getting to know EC at the ECS07 - Jaques and Bart will be able to tell a lot about it too. (Jaques took some racing lessons on the ECS - first basic ones by me and the great ones by Bart)

[joemzl]

It won't be possible to buy test boards of the last generation. But maybe there are a few test boards of the first generation you could get at a very cheap price (200-250 Euros depending on the state).

Is there a 175M left? I would buy it immediately.

[Felix]

Well yesterday I understood it more as a difference between styles and not boards but I'll try to give some explications about the difference with the boards.

Basics of Racing Technique:
No rotation or Counter-rotation. Rotation wouldn't work. Pull-Push possible on all slopes. Push-Pull (cross-under) if used then mainly on the flat sections. In general races will be held on slopes considered very flat by EC people. Training is done on steeper slopes too.
FS: You push your back knee into the snow. Once the knee is inside the snow you can still try to bring your hips to the snow but upper body should still be far away from the snow. Driven Radius does not depend on the slope gradient. Very hard forward flexing boots are needed in order to get the board angled against the snow. Usually Race Technique is Pull-Push.
The Push should come very late, just before switching edges. In a race the push will be made directly before the flag in order not to touch the flag with your body (excets shinebone). Some people that are very low like the Schoch brothers often take the flag down.

BS: You seperate your knees. Front knee pushes against the snow. Upper body breaks at waist in order to get the board angled higher and increase pressure. Rest as above.

Extremecarving:
First off all for a racer the speed will seem very very very low. It took me long to understand that Extremecarving can't work at the same speed as race style. You don't go along the fall line but even ride back up on steep slopes to decrease speed. Radius driven highly depends on the gradient of the slope. The steeper the bigger the radius in generall to what I've observed.

FS: Both legs give pressure to the board.
BS: Both legs pressure to the BS. There is no knee seperation. Heavy rotation in facts prohibits knee seperation.



All of this then leads to two different boards based on the style chosen. A EC board will not work for PGS (my opinion) and a 19-20cm GS race board is suboptimal for extremecarving. Being able to do both techniques is a very hard task. Everything what you do is the opposite. What works in one style doesn't necessarily do the same on the other style. Race technique uses much more force and power than EC and is more dangerous to your body in my eyes.

[rilliet]

Bart and Felix,

Thanks a lot for the lessons!
It was a great moment but was not easy for me to forget all my EC technique and make just the opposite!

Also difficult to give a judgement about race technique because 1 or 2 hours of training are definitively too short for having an objective opinion.

I could say it matches better a narrow board with high angulation, needs a lot of strength and very stiff boots because each turn uses one leg only instead of two. But for sure it is very efficient and fast for PGS racing.

Jacques

[fivat]

Is there a 175M left? I would buy it immediately.

Sorry, but there is nothing left!

Patrice Fivat