Revel8 Revolt Tested

I got a chance to ride the Revel8 Revolts yesterday, and they are amazing. I’m 6′ 3″, about 190lbs, and ride mostly park, but I also love glades, powder, and big carves. Until now, I was convinced that I would never find a board better than my old Line weapons. I’ve ridden a lot of boards: Canon M7s, Groove BGPros, Salomon SB10s, pretty much all old Lines, and a few others. The M7s, BGPs, and SB10s always seemed to be too soft and felt weak compared to old Lines. The only board that I rode that I could compare to the weapons was the Mike Nick Pro. It was a little longer, so it had more stability, but the weapons was very similar, and the advantage of the grindplate made it an easy decision for me.

Enter Revel8. I’m really partial to my Weapons and am generally skeptical toward other boards. When I first started hearing about the Revolt, there were a few things that worried me. First was the length. I love the skatelike feel of the weapons, and I wasn’t sure how 105cm would feel. Next was the flex. I loved the old line boards because they had a stiff feel that made them seem indestructible, and I was worried that the Revolts would have a soft feel like the M7s and others. The final thing was tip and tail height. I’ve been use to the 5cm tip/tail height of the lines, and I wasn’t sure how smaller tips would fare.

After an evening of riding, all of my expectations and fears were blown away. These boards perfrom amazing. Unlike any other skiboard I’ve ever ridden, these boards hold an edge on anything. They gripped to ice better than other boards grip to groomers. It was nearly impossible to get them to sketch out. They held a carve on ice so good that I actually ended up falling because i was laying on the snow before they would lose an edge. I couldn’t tell if I was riding on ice or soft snow because they felt the same over all conditions.

In the park, they performed great. A lot of the landings were choppy and carved out, and I was having trouble with them on my Weapons. Once I was on the Revolts, it was a completely different story. Their flex is strong and supportive. They feel at least as strong as the weapons. Besides the old lines, these are the only boards I’ve ridden that I feel like I won’t break them. But unlike the weapons, the flex has a little bit of give, that lets them handle rough landings amazingly. I finally found the successor to my Weapons.

The extra length turned out not to be a problem at all. I’ve always been a stong supporter of shorter boards, but these boards feel just as agile as any 99cm board I have ridden. The big change is the width. These boards are unbelievably fat. This makes them more stable than any board I’ve ever ridden. There wasn’t much powder at bear creek, but these boards feel like they will be able to handle the deepest pow and the nastiest crud. The tip and tail height that I was worried about ended up being perfect. They looked low at first compared to the size of the board, but they floated over everything with ease. I can’t wait to try these in some really deep and nasty stuff. I’m pretty big, but I definately think these will let me float through any powder.

“I really can’t imagine
a better board…”

Now for the real test: rails. I hit rails more than pretty much anything else, and I haven’t hit a rail on anything but weapons in a few years. I was a bit worried about the transition to riding a board without a grind plate, but after my first hit, I felt just as comfortable on these. Grinds were just as easy, and everything I could do on the weapons I could do on these. The only difference is it doesn’t have that buttery smooth feel of the grindplate, but with the added width and stability, it more than makes up for it. Also, the sidewall construction seems very solid, and there was no damage after a day of heavy grinding.

After riding these for a day, I really can’t imagine a better board. They hold an edge better than skis, handle choppy Pennsylvania conditions without a problem, float through anything, carry tons of speed, all while maintaining the feel of a 99cm board. I truly didn’t think I’d see the day that I’d retire my weapons, but I’m glad I have. These are the first boards I’ve ridden that seem like the perfect all mountian board. Park, ice, crud, groomers, powder: this board handles it all.

The only downfall is the length, only because you might have to use releasables if you are smaller. But for the bigger guys, this board will be just what you’ve been looking for in pretty much any situation I can imagine.

- Kirk Thompson

Get your own pair of Revel8 Revolts at SkiboardsOnline.com!

sbm

Picture from SkiboardsOnline.com

The Man, The Legend, Tom Greco Interview

Roussel: So how are you greco busy for the Xmas time?

Greco : Yeah very busy. It seems skiboarding is continuing to grow without any real advertising or support from the mainstream…all word of mouth, people telling other people how much fun it is.

Roussel : Where and how would you like to the sport grow in the future?

Greco: I like how it’s going right now. Underground, out of the mainstream, steadily growing and building a community. Even though SBOL would benefit if it were to get huge it would corrupt a lot of what I love about skiboarding right now, the riders and how everyone feels a connection because we’re doing something we love that is not what everyone else is doing. None of the riders go to events to win prizes or money, it’s because they love skiboarding and hanging out with other riders who feel the same way. Snowboarding and even newschool free skiing used to be like this but of course greed, success and money can mess up a lot of good things.

Roussel: True to the underground. Now for some of us who weren’t here back in the day, tell us a bit of history about SBOL, why did you start it?

Greco: The reason why I started SBOL was because I wanted to be a part of the sport, I loved it and still do. The idea for SBOL was conceived by myself and Dave Rees back when I was living in San Francisco and skiboarding in Tahoe (1997). Dave and I used to inline together and before we even met we both saw a [Kniessl] Big Foot video in a shop window in Palo Alto. The video sold us on the idea of trying skiboarding and neither he or I haven’t skied since. It turned out Dave didn’t have the time to start SBOL and I ended up opening it on my own August ‘98.

Roussel: So the Revel8’s are out this season, tell us a bit about them. The Revolts are 105cm long, what do you have to say to those people who won’t accept them as skiboards because they are 5 cm longer then the 99cm rule of the ISF?

Greco: Well first I should officially announce that Revel8 was created by SBOL. it’s our own skiboard company we created because we wanted to guarantee we would always have quality skiboards to sell since, as you know, there has been some problems with small, core companies staying in business and be able to provide boards. that “rule” on the ISF’s web site is really old and served a purpose at one time but really isn’t accurate anymore.

Roussel: Do you think that if the gap between regular skis and skiboards close that it would endanger the future of our sport?

sbm
Images courtesy of SkiboardsOnline.com

Loken Speaks

To everyone who have showed an interest in Loken skiboards

The last month, we have been having problems getting our skiboards shipped. One of our problems has been getting a straight answer out of our manufacturer about when they will be ready to deliver. We finally got the straight answer we wanted, but it is not what we where hoping for. Due to delays in production, and the upcoming holidays, they will not realistically be ready for delivery untill week four of 2006, the begining of February.

We where given expected dates of delivery, and where also told several times that our skiboards would be ready for delivery in just a few days. Considering what we where told earlier by our manufacturer, we are therefore extremely dismayed at this current development. Not beeing able to deliver our products untill well into the skiboarding season is something we did not believe would happen, even in our wildest dreams. But Loken Industries is a small company and a small customer to the factory, and we do not get priority in the production. We will work continously towards the factory to improve the situation. We have some extra leverage we will bring to bear on them, to make sure this kind of situation does not occur a second time.

We would like to offer you our most sincere appologies for this, and a promise to keep on working to get our skiboards ready for delivery.

Ain’t gonna die, gonna prosper.

Ola Loken Kalsnes, CEO, and Lars Hasvoll Bakke, Information consultant

SBM Reviews: White Dwarf

Having not had a new video come out in over 3 years, White Dwarf is defiantly refreshing to watch and great for the sport. To me this movie depicts the change and evolution of skiboarding. Don’t expect this movie to be like MMVM or the SB series with huge road gaps and flips. Skiboarding is now focused on technical precise tricks, mostly on rail, and it shows in this video.

The line up of riders is great, from frequent Internet forum visitors to some riders who have made a small comeback for the video like Neal Lyons or Andy Stewart. With footage from events from the past couple of years, this video really shows how riders can get together and have a great time even without the big stoplights and crowd you’d see at a mainstream event. The video follows Bent Films from Canada, USA and Japan.

The editing in the video is amazing, it is a work of art. This is one of the highest points of this video, Bent Films did an amazing job. This video is probably the most professional looking skiboard video ever made.

Being the first DVD skiboard video ever made is also a great plus. The menu let’s you select which rider section you want to watch, or play the whole movie. There are a few extra features. One is a section comprised entirely of twin tip skiing, the other lets you see Kevin Boate at his finest.

On the down side, the video lacks huge airs, some moves are repetitive, and I would have liked to see more footage of stuff off the slopes.

Seeing this may well be the last Bent Films skiboard video, you’d better get yourself a copy and support the sport! But don’t worry, the boys at Tip-2-Tip are planning on releasing a video in the future.

Roussel’s Score: 4 / 5

Skiboarding's New Ally?

Skiboarding may have a friendly ally on the slopes! Hammer Snowboards have created the Micro Board, a 121 cm snowboard made for adults. Now you might be thinking “What’s the different between these and normal junior snowboards?” well there are many differences. Similarly to skiboards, Micro Boards are wide. This is because adults have longer feet then kids. The flex on a junior snowboard is also much less stiff, because the weight of the rider is much different. Also, the stance is much wider then junior boards, again to accomdate for the overall larger rider. The Micro board is made for those who want a similar feel to skateboarding on snow (similar to skiboarders who want inline feel on snow). It is also for people who want a smaller board to do much more technical tricks with less air. They are great for urban tricks and where space is limited. Being much easier to ride there is also much smaller learning curve. All these similarities make Micro Boarders and skiboarders closly related. Hopefully Micro Boards will not be met with as much hostility as some skiboarders face, and hopefully Micro Boarders see the similarities between the two sports and embrace it. Check out the Hammer Micro Boards website for pictures videos and more information. Picture taken from HammeSnowboards.com

Tutorial: Spin Like the Pros

Introduction

The art of spinning in the air is all about physics and once you have a feel of it, you will be spinning in no time. Remember when you were a kid spinning on the tire swing and when you tucked in your legs or arms you spun faster? The same concept applys here.

Requirements

Make sure you have already feel comfortable when getting massive air. If you are still getting nervous while in mid air (flailing your arms), then keep practicing regular preload (explained later) jumping until you get used to it before attempting to spin. This is for your safety. I remember how weird and nervous I felt when I went off my first big jump, but it was quickly very exciting once I got my mind and body used to it and my mind trusts me that I will not hurt myself! Also, make sure you are able to clear the tabletop, that is land in the landing, the downslope after the tabletop. The down slope is what keeps you from hurting yourself, landing on top of the table top might get you in the emgency room because your downward fall is stopped too abrubtly

Testing

Before you try a spin off a particular jump, it is a good idea to go off the jump at the speed you are going to hit it at without spinning to check timing and height. This is to see if you can squeeze a 180, 360, 540, 720, etc. Landing sideways is not pretty unless you go straight into a hockey stop (that’s fun and possible you just have to really lean into it).

Practice

This idea might seem stupid and you might look stupid trying it but it helps; jump up and spin in place (at home or wherever without skiboards on) to practice spinning in the air. Remember that when you skiboard you have to lean forward slightly and that you carry extra weight ion you skiboards, boot, bindings and clothes. The direction that you spin is entirely up to you, clockwise or counter-clockwise. Whatever feels more comfortable to you, but being able to spin both ways is always a plus.

Approaching the Jump

• Preload by bending down (not too much, maybe a foot down) and winding the opposite way you are going to spin with your abs and arms out. You can preload and unload right before the tip really quickly, once you get good to get even more air.
  
• Right before you reach the tip (timing is key), move your upper body first by bringing your arms towards your body, unwinding in the way you want to spin and move your body up as you unload from your preload position. Look over your shoulder when you spin, this will keep you aligned and will keep you from going off axis. Finally, make sure you lean forward slightly since most jumps have an incline that tilts you backwards. Four movements at the same time. If you don’t lean forward this may happen. Seek to 1:38 of the video to see. Right Click and “Save Target As” if using IE or “Save Link As” if using Firefox. View Video. Also a nice 360 at 1:25.
• Once you leave the tip of the jump, move your lower body (hips) with your abs to continue to spin and slightly tuck in your legs (depending on your style or any grab you want to do). Tucking in your legs will keep you centered on you spin, preventing you from going off axis, you will also spin faster like this.
  
• At this point, be sure that you are not spnning out of control and that you are level to the ground to prepare for the landing. If you forget to lean forward, you may be falling back and might not make a pretty landing as you land on your back. Ouch!
  
• To prepare for the landing, spot your landing, untuck your arms and legs to slow down your rotation and orient yourself. Again, timing is key to make sure you end up facing the direction you want to land; forwards or fakie (backwards).
  
• Have your knees, slightly bent to absorb the shock. Landing with your knees straight and locked might very well cause injury and will send a jolt through your spine as your entire skeletal and muscular system is taking the shock. And don’t forget to clear the tabletop! If you don’t you might as well jump off a building with sneakers.
  
• Be glad that you are still in one piece.