Official 2005 announcement > Swoard future

[nils]

After a difficult but enriching season, that has seen our subcontracting factory shut down, we have looked at the best solutions that would allow us to keep providing the best availables boards for freecarving. We searched in Europe the most appropriate factory and are happy to announce that our quest is now over : From now on, Swoard Snowboards are going to be manufactured by Virus Snowboards in Germany.

Virus Snowboards is a 15+ year old company started by shaper/owner Frank Dietzel, and provides mostly for german speaking customers alpine boards that are recognized as of the best quality internationnaly. Frank has accepted our tight specs, and we have started the making of the different prototypes of the Extremecarver. The goal is to reach and outperform the quality of the actual board, without sacrificing the performance we are used to on the snow. It will take time before we succeed in refining the flexes again, retest and accept each step of the processes before we can launch the full production again, therefore we will not be able to accept direct orders on the « Made in Germany » boards at the moment. We are trying to finalize the development of the boards before the end of the season, but since we decided to never sacrifice quality vs quick crap and refuse compromises, it is still uncertain when the boards will be ready.
Anyway, to make things short : we are still there despite our busy lifes, and work hard to have our boards continue their untypical history.
Thank you all for your interest !

Meanwhile,
We are happy also to announce that our partnership with Virus allows us to offer more quickly a new board model, derivated from the actual board. This new model is identical in shape, color, and sizes to the actual Extremecarver, but uses a simplified torsion control device that is more affordable to produce : The ATC matrix 2D.

The new board has only one flex per size, that is equivalent to a Medium flex with an extended - + weight range that allows for more people to ride it.
We have decided to give this model, that is here to help more people reach the pleasures of Extremecarving and a new kind of performance the now famous name of Extremecarver. The actual/existing High end board still under development takes naturaly a new name ; the Extremecarver Pro, and its sophisticated Torsion Control device the ATC matrix 3D name.

The Extremecarver 2D allows riders to enter fully the extremecarving sensations, with performances very similar to that of its 3D sister. It is a bit less precise and grippy on very hard snow, but still outperforms many other carving boards when it comes to comfort and the quality of its very smooth behaviour. Of course the quality of craftmanship for this board is exceptionnal and outbeats also all delocalized productions : Use of the best materials ( fiberglass, resins, inserts, core, bases…), Low temp press with long curing time (12-15 hours in the molds) that allows for better resin aging resistance and better mecanical performances, hand made finishes etc….Not to mention the exceptionnal Quality Control to German Standards.

We have the intention of distributing the 2D model to selected Snowshops, while we will keep the retail of the 3D model that is the ultimate board that needs a special customer service and tailor like selection.

We will soon and hopefully often publish the list of the shops where riders will be able to test the boards, as well as order/ buy them directly without having to contact us. We will of course need your help to help us find the right shops ( we are targeting 1-2 shops per country only) that will have to be carving commited shops of course, and/or motivated stoked shops !

Following chart allows for board model comparisons:

Extremecarver (2D)
Sizes: 161 – 168- 175
Flex: Médium and Hard flexes
Core: Ash-Spruce
Base: Ptex 4000 Electra
Dampener: Rubber
ATC matrix: ATC Matrix 2D Carbon
Finish: Urethane nose – tail protection- scratch resistant silkscreened topsheet
Price: public price through shops around 745 euros all taxes included
Direct internet sales: 650 euros excluding taxes

Extremecarver PRO (3D)
Sizes: 161 – 168 - 175
Flex: Adapted to rider’s Kg (S -M–H)
Core: Ash-Spruce
Base: Ptex 4000 electra
Dampener: Special Rubber
ATC matrix: ATC Matrix 3D – Full 3D carbon
Finish: Urethane nose – tail protection- scratch resistant silkscreened topsheet
Price: Unknown, via www.swoard.com

Both boards will bear the same color that is our flagship burgondy red, making it easy to recognize each others on the slopes!


Both models will of course be covered by the same one year warranty against all manufacturing defects.
Available quantities will be very limited for the 2D model, it will then be necessary to get in contact with the snowshop in order to test the board or purchase this entry in the Swoard world J. We have created this model to make the Swoard world available to more people, and the extremecarving sensations easier to reach, and we hope success will be there of course :!

The Swoard team
Jacques, Nils, Patrice
Jan 5th, 2005

[harald]

Jacques, Patrice, and Nils,
Congratulations! Excellent news! Your decisions sounds very good. Extending the line with two models, never compromising on running performance and improving the production quality should be a winner combination. Good luck!!

[Jakob]

Oh yeah, finaly!

I think that also explains the test Swoard vs. Virus Extremecarver!

Will there be both versions available for testing in Zinal?

Oh, and another question - any hints on which countries you ment when said that there will be shops selling Swoard 2D?

Congratulations, thanx and good luck,

Jakob

[István]

Cool - the best that could happen. Now we have the quality and experience of Virus and the innovative spirit of the Swoard team.


Kindest,

István


ps.: On the other hand I feel a bit pity for losing the name 'Swoard', it sounded so catchy.

[fivat]

I think that also explains the test Swoard vs. Virus Extremecarver!

No, people didn't know that Virus was going to be our new subcontractor! So it was funny to read people opinions
Note that we would not have accepted to see the name "Extremecarver" on any other brand!

Cool - the best that could happen. Now we have the quality and experience of Virus and the innovative spirit of the Swoard team.

Yes. We have tested the 2D and it rocks! Performance are still excellent, but now the "cosmetic" is great. Actually the bankrupt of our preceding subcontractor can be seen as a luck!

Patrice Fivat

[harald]

Istvan,

ps.: On the other hand I feel a bit pity for losing the name 'Swoard', it sounded so catchy.

As I understand Nils the Swoard name will be kept. In other words, the Swoard name is not lost but will live and be stronger than ever.
Am I right, Nils

[István]

Harald,

FYI: "We have decided to give this model, that is here to help more people reach the pleasures of Extremecarving and a new kind of performance the now famous name of Extremecarver. The actual/existing High end board still under development takes naturaly a new name ; the Extremecarver Pro, and its sophisticated Torsion Control device the ATC matrix 3D name."


Cheers,

Istvan

[fivat]

Of course the Swoard brand name is kept! "Extremecarver 2D" and "Extremecarver Pro 3D" are only the model names.

Moreover:

As of yet, Virus and Swoard both keep their own technologies, and the Swoard boards are using our tech, while Virus uses its own tech. It means no virus is using the ATC technology as for now

People often don't know that many brands make boards for other brands. For example Wild Duck was making boards for Nidecker in the past... It's very current for the small brands, but it's kept "secret"... business business! In our case, we keep no secret, because Swoard and Virus boards will be different, with their own particularities.

Important point: Jacques Rilliet is still the Swoard shaper! And I know very few brands (actually no brand, hehe) where the shaper is also an excellent rider... Jacques is moreover an engineer with inventor talents.

Patrice Fivat

[harald]

Patrice,
Good to hear and exactly what I thought. Swoard is the brand name, Extremecarver 2D and Extremecarver Pro 3D are the model names. With your passion for riding performance and quality, I think the new boards might be even better than the firs version. That is good to know when my current board is up to renewal.
See you in Zinal

[cmachine]

I think that also explains the test Swoard vs. Virus Extremecarver!

Hi Jakob

No, this does not explain the test. Our test was really done independent of the new swoard.
We even didn't know about the new swoard.

In fact, we wanted to perform a Virus Test already last year. But there was no time (and no Board)

Olaf

[SITO]

Hi guys,
Nice to see how swoard go ahead with the production of the new board!! .

Only, I agree with Istvan, also I feel a bit pity for losing the name 'Swoard' on the board.
Swoard was the brand and only there are one "Swoard" , as the same F2, Hot.

But extremecarver could be much more, Virus have also another model, extremecarver,and why not f2 or Hot can have another model which name-model will be extremecarver too in the next years?,

Would be nice that new the boards shown his brand SWOARD and the model extremecarverpro, or whatever, because Swoard is the flagname of the boards and also identify an riding style "EC"
(only is my humble opinion)

But the most important is that the Swoard will be on the market with all of us. given us fun a lot.

Sito

[nils]

Swoard boards stay swoard boards! We are not stopping our brand after all this work !

Franck is just making the boards with all his knowledge, but we keep going, and from 3 meters it will be very hard to see if its a new model or an old model . He is using the extremecarver name on very few boards but he is not pushing this similar board for he says he likes to make narrow boards better !
We are going to work together , Swoard at our small scale, and Virus at a larger scale to promote alpine snowboarding !

Nils

[cmachine]

Hi Swoard Team

Medium flex with an extended - + weight range that allows for more people to ride it.

What does this mean and how is this done? For me, the range is defined by the flex, that is given for a certain board. Or is there an other parameter beside the length flex that is responsible for the range?
Is there a constructive method to increase the range for the same flex (e.g. flex and range are indepent to determine)?

If there is one, why not increasing the range of the pro models too? Then you can have "overlap" in the range of the soft, medium and hard pro model. This should make the pro model even more universal, especially for those rides that are weighted between to models.

Regards
Olaf

[SITO]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeep, Nils!
I' don't see the pics of the new board! sorry!!!
I interpreted that the new name will be Extremcarver not Swoard!

Swoard is printed in both model, as I can see , perfect!

Only this is all what I want to said in my post, that Swoard can see since the chairlift , on the slope , so nothing more to say

All is perfect and since I have seen the pics of the new board I'm soooooooo happy!

Sito

[Marc Andre Panet-Raymond]

Guys!!! Congratulations!!!!! I'm very excited for you all and myself as well. All of us here in the carving community are waiting with great anticipation for the notice that orders can be placed. Give yourselves a good pat on the back for all the hard work, research and commitment to excellence.

Well done and thankyou,

Marc