Powder-Gun, Freeride, Big-Mountain, Hypersonic Piste-Weapon Selection

Posted: 27 August 2011 03:08 AM

Thanks powdog…... still sounds like the Flagship is the weapon of choice until proven otherwise. I want a behemoth that will storm through anything on the mountain (minus park/pipe) and is still somewhat nimble, though won’t entirely replace the all-mountain versatility of the Omen.

Any YES or Nidecker riders out there?

I’m particularly curious about the Nidecker Legend, as the YES Pick Your Line is new for 2012…

Posted: 15 September 2011 07:53 AM

Also any Ride Highlife riders out there?

The more and more I look around, it seems like the highlife might be a contender too

Posted: 15 September 2011 09:48 AM

Just a suggestion, how bout the Ride Berzerker? Jake Blauvelt’s shred stick

Posted: 16 October 2011 09:16 AM

Hey Cloud,

Hopefully you can post another update once you’ve had a chance to demo some of these boards. I’m in a similar position to yourself in that i’m really looking for a good big mountain board. Looking for something that will give as much float in the pow whilst still being able to hold an edge and turn when things get a little icy. This is a board that will be used on the big stuff. I’m talking BC and AK and so a full on powder board won’t cut it. (everyone thinks AK is all about the Pow but in my expereince you’ll often have to navigate patches of hardpack from time to time and you need confidence that you can keep an edge)

Biggest problem i have is i’m not gonna get a chance to demo any of this kit before i put my hand in my pocket and buy one.

I’ve looked at most of the boards you’ve listed and am really narrowing down to the YES PYL, the flagship or maybe the Odin from Venture.

The jones looks great but i know a couple of people who have had them and i’m not sold on the durability especially with the top sheet. The PYL is a bit of an unknown to me at the moment and i don’t know anyone who has ridden one but seems similar in some respects to the flagship. The Odin is the wildcard of the bunch. Only real issue is the lack of any mellow mag or equivalent

Decisions decisions !!!!

Posted: 02 November 2011 10:30 AM

Hi!

I’m in the same boat as well and have my eye on the Yes PYL. But I can’t find lot of reviews or comments about it. The Flagship is also on my list, so are some more powder friendly boards, but I’m not so sure about those anymore.

I appreciate all the input!

Posted: 07 November 2011 04:45 AM

I owned a flagship briefly.

my 2 cents:
8 years riding In colorado.
Mainly vail.

Good:
- hauls ass in pow
- quality build- no problems with top sheet
- Fairly fast edge to edge

Bad:
-Not a damp board - It will chatter and you WILL feel crud/chunder
- Mag is VERY mellow
- Not a ton of pop in this heavy board.

I had a 2011 and have no clue what changes were made on the flag for 2012

I’m going to throw the Gnu Billy into your mix - I have a 162
- It’s faster edge to edge and MUCH damper then the jones.
- The mtx is also a little more aggressive
- it absolutely slays deeps snow and has almost no speed limit
- lighter than the flag.

Good luck—-

Posted: 19 November 2011 08:28 PM

So here’s the synopsis:

By chance found a deal and ended up buying a 2010-2011 161cm Highlife with three days on it for cheap from someone cleaning out their quiver. Superficial scratches on the top sheet and a pristine base. The seller had more powder specific decks and was starting to prefer softer-flex flat/mild-rocker profiles for other types of riding, so the Highlife no longer had a distinct role for him.

Interestingly and conveniently enough, he also had a 2010-2011 Flagship, which he liked for pure powder, but preferred the HL for anything else. Reasoning being, the positioning of the nose rocker relative to the front binding (and thus shorter effective running length) lifted the nose prominently while under pressure, which was great for pow, but not so much for chop. HL was a much smoother ride and he felt like he could rip a greater variety of conditions more confidently. He also liked the power transfer from the tail of the Highlife better when carving.

I went back and forth between someone selling a 164 HL for the same price, but I think I definitely made the right choice. The length gap between my 157 won’t be as prominent, as the nose/tail rocker should ride a little shorter on hardpack, and it should ride a little longer in powder. It will definitely allow me to step up my riding several notches; and if I find myself eventually needing something meaner, I pretty much concluded that the board I was searching for in my original post doesn’t exist yet (which, short of going for a Prior, would be a damper Flagship after a few seasons of design iterations or a Nidecker Legend Camrock Ultimate Grip, which is new for 2012). I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

Other option would be a pure powder board with taper, or a longer cambered rocketship like a Burner/A-Frame/Undisputed. For right now, the Omen and the Highlife are perfectly suited for my 2-board quiver.

I came dangerously close to buying a 2012 Highlife, but got cold feet last minute. In hindsight, the addition of a *very* mild amount of camber, a little less weight, and some added pop wasn’t worth an extra +$300 for me. Plus if the 2011 Highlife doesn’t do the trick after a few days of riding, I definitely wont feel guilty flipping it for something else mid-season.

Only thing I really compromised on was the flat/rocker profile versus true camrock, which is why I was shying away from Venture/K2 in the first place. Might feel a little more stable flat-basing and maybe arguably a little better float in powder (and if anything, give me more reason to keep riding the Omen). After seeing the minimal amount of camber on the 2012 HL and Flagship, I don’t know if it would even make a practical amount of difference most of the time. My only slight concern is the flat profile might ride too dead, though I’m not really worried after talking with its previous owner. Worst case, I’ll just have to go bigger/faster to keep things exciting ;) I’m a little bummed about no mellow-mag/UG, though I’m planning on being pretty diligent on edge tuning anyways.

YES PYL is still a mystery for now