Which DUAL?

[Jazzz]

Hi there!

Bought myself an Extremecarver last year, absolutely loved it on gletcher-type slopes, and absolutely hated it everywhere else. Too long to jump-change the direction, sitting on a slope is a pain (have to lay down on my side), hard to maneuver on narrow and uneven slopes, etc... So it comes down to my team (skiers and soft-booters) and me riding separately...

Went to Val Thorens last year - what a miserable vacation...

On top of all, damaged my knee in a skiing accident las year (why is this f*ck running across the slope, not down? lets crash into him! ))), so I will probably move to soft setup - to relieve pressure on them knees. But still would love to continue carving.

Anyway, my parameters:

weight 90kg
height 184cm

Hardboots - Head Stratos Pro
Considering Salomon Malamute
Previous soft experience: F2 Eliminator (loved it)
Previous hard experience: Oxygen Proton (loved it), Virus Black Death Evo 3 (hated it)
Riding: 2-3 weeks in the Alps, 5-8 1-day weekend riding on small slopes (less'n 1km long).
Prefer relaxed carving (kinda weak legs although I work out 2-3times a week).

The Extremecarver I am riding is a 175M. Like I said, it is great on specific slopes (wide, medium-steep, even velvet), but... See the above. Very un-universal for an amateur rider like myself.

However, to my mind, 175 is way too long to comfortably ride in all conditions (bumps, narrow slopes with too many people (end of day ski-in slopes). I tend to think that 165 is the longest a board should be: I prefer SL philosophy to that of GS.

So, how will the 163 DUAL fit my parameters? and will it? )

thanks in advance!

[fivat]

Hello Jazzz,

For your taste and on the narrow slopes, you would maybe feel better with a 168H. That's one of the reasons why we organize the Swoard Demo Tour and especially the ExtremeCarving Session (ECS): everyone can find the best size and flex for himself.
We don't know your feet size and bindings angles, but a narrower board like the 168H can give you more maneuverability. Another important thing is the technique for riding a wide board on small turns: I realized last winter that many riders who have improved a lot at EC (some are making great videos now) are lacking style and technique in small "normal" skidding turns on narrow or steep slopes. I will give some clinics about this in the future I guess, at the ECS probably.

Now about a soft setup:
Yes, in this Forum the Salomon Malamute soft boots have been said to be very good.
What's your feet size? With a DUAL 163 you could have some boot overhang if you use very low bindings angles. For your size and weight, we would rather recommend you the DUAL 168. But again, along to what you write you could be happier on a 163. The best would be to test both sizes of course. If you can't join the 10th ECS (26-27-28 January 2013), you eventually could test a DUAL through www.swoard.ru in your country: they have some demo boards.

Cheers!

Patrice Fivat

[Jazzz]

Patrice,

Thanks for your answer.

I am 28.5 Mondo.

Binding angles with hardboot setup are cvlassic 50/55.

Last time I rode soft, I think the bindings were at 15/30, or even 15/40.

will all this fit on а 163?

[fivat]

Because of your weight (90Kg), if you choose the DUAL 163 you would have to ride it only with soft boots. Indeed this flex is made for weight range 60-80kg... With hard boots you could damage the board, which is too soft for you.

I would rather recommend you the DUAL 168. For your height (1m84) it's better, and you will have only little boots overhang with your feet size and angles. The effective edge is shorter than an alpine board of same size, so it will be easier to maneuver. Moreover the radius is shorter.

Patrice Fivat

[Jazzz]

anybody doing softcarving on BX boards?

like F2 Eliminator?

how does it compare to the DUAL?

thanks!

Had an answer on a russian forum, but somehow not quite happy with this answer they're saying Eliminator is better - faster, shorter - and yes, 50% cheaper.

Anybody have any experience with both boards?

PS Oh,and Patrice, the http://www.swoard.ru is empty. Nothing in the store, no contacts, nothing. Just the nice pix and "About us" part.
PPS or maybe buy both the DUAL and the Eliminator? )))

[Silver]

Or... wait for the BX Dual by Swoard announced !!

Any news on this beauty?

Silver

[fivat]

There are already some riders who are using the DUAL for BX.
See for example the female Italian team, which is winning races with it.

Francesca

Francesca_2.jpg (49.93 KiB) Viewed 12472 times

Giorgia

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Giorgia

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Giorgia and Francesca

Giorgia_Francesca_1.jpg (56.45 KiB) Viewed 12472 times

For the male riders, we could develop a more specific BX board, which would benefit from the technology we are developing for new alpine models.

Patrice Fivat

[fivat]

anybody doing softcarving on BX boards?

like F2 Eliminator?

how does it compare to the DUAL?

thanks!

Had an answer on a russian forum, but somehow not quite happy with this answer they're saying Eliminator is better - faster, shorter - and yes, 50% cheaper.

Anybody have any experience with both boards?

"They" is not the entire planet. Probably 1-2 loud posters. More objectively, we read opposite feedbacks and have many examples of riders who have switched from the Eliminator to the DUAL. For example this rider in the French thread concerning the feedbacks. Please read also the English thread.

About price, please give real numbers. The DUAL is 580 Euros free of tax, what is better price than all other Swiss brands. If you want a board at 290 Euros, then don't cry on the snow. As we say in French: "Cheap is always too expensive".

PS Oh,and Patrice, the http://www.swoard.ru is empty.

During the summer this was not surprising, especially when the Web site is rebuilt. New version is online now!
Congratulations to Hugo, the Webmaster of this Web site.

Patrice Fivat