Need advice on a new powder deck.

Posted: 25 August 2010 10:36 AM

I’m looking to finally move onto something new after riding my 177 Timeless for the past 7 or 8 years. I’m a pretty big guy, 6’3” 250lbs. and stick to powder as much as possible. Basically I won’t go unless I get a good amount of new snow. The old Timeless is really a good board and I have tried many others over the years but kept going back. The problem is it’s certainly not a powder specific board but because of it’s length it does the job…. at the expense of my rear leg burning out pretty fast. even if I set the bindings back all the way it’s still a struggle to keep the nose up without leaning way back. Anyway, I’m behind the times with all of the new designs floating around out there and could use some advice to help me narrow it down and make a choice. I’ve read some reviews on the Ride Slackcountry which sounded good and after reading a few of the posts here it sounds as though the Rossi Experience is highly regarded too. My main concern is length because of my weight. I notice that a majority of these boards go to a max of 169 and I’m concerned about getting the flotation I need.  Since I ride mainly at the local resort here I want something that can handle groomers as well since you have to hit those to get back to the lifts. 

Thanks

Posted: 25 August 2010 01:48 PM

I have heard good things about the new Jones snowboard. You should take a look at the Jones Flagship and Jones Hovercraft. Rich can help you more on the technical aspect of things.

Posted: 25 August 2010 03:00 PM

Hi Snag,

Skip’s right on with the Flagship, but like the Rossi Experience these boards max out at a 168mW which if I’m honest for a man of your stature are probably a little bit small, especially as you’re used to riding a longer board. Same applies to the Hovercraft which will be far too short, nice idea though, and unfortunately boards like the Nitro Pantera which have a nice bit of taper and a similar flex to your old timeless are probably still a bit too short. However, do not dispair I’ve found a couple of choice boards. I think the trick is to keep the length manageable, but keep lots of volume in the nose for float in powder. In other words you can probably ride abord in the early 170s as long as you buy a tapered shape.

Boards that meet this criteria are:

Nitro Slash 177 - Check out the 2011 Nitro Slash 177. One look at it and you’ll be on a whirlwind cout of the internet to try and bag your self one! A nice tapere shape with a mini swall at the tail which means there’s plenty of effective edge for gripping on the groomers. Definitely one of the best looking boards of the season and it’s one of those boards that will have evryone talking on the lift!

Venture Storm 171 or 182 - Now which size you go for is upto you… I’m one of those people that tends to buy on the longer side.. I like the extra stability. Venture boards are made in some obscure part of the Rockies in a factory powered 100% by renewable energy sources. The split version of this board one backcountry magazines board of the season so it’s obviously built and designed well. Again a slight taper and Powder-S camber which will keep those nose out of the pow. Available in 4 different widths depending on the size of your feet, which should enable you to get an almost perfect match.

Prior Spearhead (172 or 178) or Prior Khyber 170- Prior are based just down the road from Whistler, so you know these boards are designed to deal with heavy costal powder and 9m November dumps! Both the Spearhead and Khyber have very directional shapes for riding powder with big tapers. Personally I like the shape of the Kyber more. There’s more taper and a deeper sidecut so it’ll be bit better for tight trees. Both boards use heavy weight 21oz glass and lots of carbon stringers so you shouldn’t have any problem with folding them in half on super heavy tail landings. I’m pretty sure these guys build customs too so there’s always an option to tweak the boards flex. If you don’t like either of these then the MFR 176 is worth a looks.

Just out of interest, what size are your feet?

Rich

Posted: 25 August 2010 07:24 PM

Thanks a lot for all the info Rich.
My feet aren’t that big. I can squeeze into 10’s. I’ve been using Salomon Malamutes for many many years now. Haven’t found any other boot that gives me the support and hold they do. I run Ride bindings always as well. I’ve always liked their design and certainly the strength of metal construction. (I broke non-metalic Salomon bindings before) I’m guessing at my weight at the moment also. I certainly hope I’m not over 250 but it’s hard to say. I’m into weight lifting/body building so it’s not all blubber but at the moment I’d say I’m 20 to 25lbs over my best weight. I do plan on leaning down to at least 230 by December which should help out with flotation a little. (we’ll see how that goes! :) I do have a 169 Timeless which is nearly new. I bought it for groomers and spring riding but find I hardly ever go then but it’s about as short as I like to go.  The 171 Fastback I have rides powder equally as well as my 177 Timeless because it is slightly tapered and there is a tad more nose. I can’t remember any specs but you can stand them side by side and see the obvious differences. It’s a real beast though on groomers…never had a board hold an edge like it can but you better have some strong legs to handle it.

I really like the design and looks of both the Jones and Rossi and I did read the review of the Venture Storm which sounded really good plus obviously it can be had in longer lengths. I owned a Never Summer Premier at one time and liked it although not as much as my Timeless. I see now they offer the Summit and it looks like a well designed board. Have you heard anything about this one? It’s available up to a 172. I only saw one posting on another site about it so far. They really liked it.

Well anyhoo, I’ll check out your other suggestions…especially the Nitro. Always heard good things about them.

Thanks again!

Posted: 25 August 2010 09:14 PM

Hey Snag,

Although we haven’t yet ridden the Rad-Air Tanker we’ve heard amazing things about it. There are lots of length options and the board has been given a rocker/camber profile for added float. I’m not sure how easy they are to come-by in the States but when you buy a Rad-Air you’re not just buying a board you’re buying into an exclusive club of big mountain enthusiasts.

Definitely worth a look,

Tom

Posted: 25 August 2010 11:47 PM

I didn’t mention yet that I do have a powder specific board at this time. It’s an Original Sin 4807 Swallow tail 178. I got it off of ebay new for about $175.00. I probably had it for 4 or 5 years before I tried it last season for the first time. I waited until we got a big pow dump and took it out for a spin. Let’s just say I’m really glad I brought my Timeless along with me. I made 2 nerve wracking runs and headed down to swap it out. It was sheer terror trying to get to the lift via the groomed runs. I figured it would be kind twitchy but not that bad. But what really sucked was it’s wrather lame powder performance. After all thats what I bought it for. It was worse in my opinion than my Timeless although not horrible. Perhaps I didn’t give it a fair shake being it’s such a radical change from the usual but I disliked it immediately. It felt really sloppy all around and didn’t have the float I was hoping for. Maybe I’m so used to riding such stiff boards that it threw me off.

Posted: 26 August 2010 12:53 AM

You had an O-Sin Swallow tail!!!!

Man I always wanted one of those. Those bad boys were built in the Dynastar factory in Chamonix.

This might sound ridiculous but those boards are built for riding super deep pow. If you were feeling any of the base underneath then that’s bound to make the ride feel a little sketch. And O-Sins were stiff boards, I bet it punished you for mistakes.

I can’t belive you bought a Swallow for 175 dollars brand new. Man you could put that on your wall and never ride it again and it would still be a bargain. You might find something like the Ride Slackcountry or Rad Air Tanker with reverse camber and a more centred stance works better for you. Personally I’m a sucker for taper, camber and an early ride nose…. or a Swallow for $175!

Posted: 26 August 2010 01:13 AM

Just read up about your O-Sin. Seems it has a scoop almost like a keel on a boat running through the centre. No wonder it was terrifying on the groomers. Bet it rules in snorkel deep pow, and with a 10m sidecut it probably flys down steep deep bowl faces.

Posted: 26 August 2010 01:55 AM

Yeah it was a killer deal. I remember some store was selling a bunch of them on Ebay and nobody was buying. I got it for the opening bid as I had no competition. Like I mentioned, I probably didn’t give it enough of a chance. I remember the last run back to the parking area I really let it fly down one fairly steep section and it pulled up on top and performed pretty well however this was actually in some heavier snow near the base of the mountain. here in Alaska our resort is right at sea level and we often get good fluffy pow which quickly becomes wet snow about a third of the way up the mountain. I was just surprised it didn’t seem to give me more flotation than my Timeless. If I remember right we had about 15 - 18” of new snow so I don’t recall bottoming out really but I can’t remember for sure.
Anyway, I still have it and it will be up for sale if anyone is interested. Like I said it has all of 2 runs on it so it’s basically brand new still.
I did take a quick peek at the Nitro Slasher and yeah it does look pretty wicked. I see their web site is showing only a 171 top length but I read that the 10/11 model will go up to 177. I’ll put that one on the list of possibilities for sure. we have a local shop here that specializes in Nitro and Arbor so I could probably get it through them. 
I’m getting excited talking about all of this! Can’t wait for winter.

Posted: 26 August 2010 10:28 AM

You’re completely right, on the Nitro site it says the Slasher goes to 171. In the Dealer PDF I toot from their dealer FTP it said the Slasher went to 177. You wouldn’t believe the number of mistakes in those dealer brocures.

I reckon you should keep your O-Sin until you get the perfect conditions. If it doesn’t perform then… then sell it. I’m guessing Alaska has got the right terrain for the Swallow!

Posted: 28 August 2010 12:11 AM

Decisions decisions!!

Well I’ve narrowed it down to three of the suggested boards you all had recommended. I can’t make up my mind on which one I want to go with. The 3 in question are the Prior Spearhead 178, Venture Storm 180 or the Nitro Slash 177. The Spearhead is the priciest of the group at about $750.00 US. The Storm and Slash are both under $600.00. I emailed all of the companies including Never Summer and got replies from them all with the exception of Nitro. I like that and it leaves a good impression on me about a company. Dean at Prior suggested I go with the Spearhead over the Khyber or MFR and also mentioned they can do custom widths if need be. I’m really torn. As for Nitro, my question for them was the availability of a 177. I assume their web site has yet to be updated with the 10/11 gear which would explain the abscense of the 177. The Gullwing rocker sounds intruiging too. I did look at the Rad Air boards as well but for some reason veered torwards my 3 top picks instead.

Anyway, what do you all think?

Keven

Posted: 28 August 2010 12:55 PM

What do you feel in your gut?

Honestly I can’t offer an opinion other then sometimes when it’s a close call you gotta let the gut speak… :)

Posted: 29 August 2010 04:12 PM

We’ll the Nitro freeride Gullwing is rocker in the nose (early rise) and setback camber in the rest of the board. Basically the Spearhead has an almost identical profile.

Oh man, I’d be torn. Out of interest, which graphic would you go for on the Spearhead? It makes it double hard when you get really good experiences from emailing the brands.

Be sure to let us know your decision, but you’re going to have to make it. Just to help you with your decision, I think the flat profile between the bindings that the Storm uses will give unreal float in deeps snow. I think the spearheads shape will naturally be a bit more slashy and the camber through the board will deal with afternoon chop a little better.

Both are going to be sick!

Posted: 30 August 2010 07:22 AM

Thanks for your input Rich.
Do you happen to know the specs on the Slash? Do you know if a 177 will be offered or was that a typo? I can’t seem to find anything on the Nitro website. We have a local dealer so I’m going to get with those guys and get a price on it. The Spearhead is very tempting but that high price is a little inhibative. However, the choice of base and topsheet design might just make it worth the extra price. I’m not sure which designs I would pick. If I go with the Spearhead that’ll be my next quandry :)

Posted: 12 February 2013 06:43 PM

I I know the last post was sent 3 years ago…

But I’m looking for a O.Sin 4807 178cm to cross a 200feets long   lake

I know it sounds weird but it’s a big competition here in Québec and IM the only girl almost crossing it

PLEASE HELP ME :)

I’m welling to pay wath you want for it

Posted: 12 February 2013 07:57 PM

Saw the post and did a quick search on Ebay. There is a 178 model 4807 listed on there for $400 US or best offer. Here’s a link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dynastar-OSIN-4807-178cm-Freeride-Powder-Big-All-Mountain-Swallow-Fish-tail-/221188761912?pt=Snowboarding&hash=item337fe0a938

I’m betting this is the same board I sold a couple years ago. The sellers ID looks familiar. Pretty sure it is anyway not that it matters.

And in case anyone else is reading this old post I’ll just update it a little.
Ended up buying the Venture Storm 182. Works fantastic. Pretty happy with it but I keep it shelved and use it only on the really deep days. Otherwise I use my Ride Slackcountry 168. Awesone board. Very versatile. I was shocked at how well it handles groomers. Snappy turner and carves reasonably well especially when you consider it’s shaped like a banana. No camber at all.Of course it rides pow incredibly well also….just lacks the size a big guy like me needs for those really bottomless days.
My old Ride Timeless is still the king of groomers for my taste though. Also tried a Ride Berzerker and Ride Highlife. Didn’t care for either of those and got rid of them both right away. Got a lot of chatter on heelside turns out of both of them for some reason. Upon switching back to my Timeless or even the Slackcountry it was instant improvement and a relief since on the Berzerker and Highlife I felt like an awkward beginner for some reason. Disappointing considering the rave reviews both of those boards get. Makes me wonder if there’s something wrong with me and not the board :)

And finally I was fortunate enough to get a super deal on that Prior Spearhead I was contemplating buying. Local shop had one on their rack for 2 years. Kept discounting it and when it got to $435.00 I bought it. Have yet to try it though. Waiting for the next huge pow day or back country trip to give it a whirl. Have high hopes for it. I think I’ll probably like it better than my Venture….not sure why…just a feeling.