Allz 94 Review

People tend to shy away from shorter skiboards these days and I find its really a shame. There is a lot of top notch shredding to be had on shorter sticks. Allz 94 are the perfect example of mid-small skiboards that feels more like bigger mid sized alternatives.Allz 94 have a shape reminiscent of the late great Canon M7s but with a few centimeters off the top, giving a pretty big tunring radius of 6.5 meters, one of the biggest in the sub 100 sized skiboards. Combine that with a medium stiffness, and these feel and ride more like bigger skiboards compared to other shorter skiboards on the market.The 94s would rather you stitch your lines wide if you want to avoid tail scrappage. At 12.5 cm wide at the top and bottom, and 10.5 at the waist, they won’t keep heavier cargo sitting a top the soft snow, but small to medium sized riders should get some lift in not-so-deep snow with help from some pretty long and smooth tips. Setback feels less awkward on the bigger turning radius of these sticks on groomed runs, so you can allow yourself to set these back a bit if you’re going to be both plowing soft snow and riding groomed runs.

The width of these boards compliments the larger turning radius and stiffness, giving quick a quick edge to edge transfer for maximum edge handling of those wide turns. Keep the edges tuned and the 94s will cut through ice like skates, and the stiffness helps keep their mid-wide profile holding their edge.

The mediocre stiffness of the 94 boosts popping power off lips and on those tail/nose press/butters. Some might find them a little too small for big airs, but the wider radius keeps landings stiff and straight, and not twirly whirly. On rails they feel a little less solid than wider boards, but they are quick and nimble because of their size.

These classic skiboards are really going to please those looking for a different riding experience. Today’s skiboards tend to be wider, longer and with a super tighter radius. These offer up a different theory; mid-wide, shorter with a wider radius. East coast, icy mountain shredder would really enjoy the Allz, as well and those who like doing wider carves on groomed runs. For those looking for a ”back in the days” feel to their sticks might need to pick these up! Skier convert looking to go short will find the Allz an easy transition.

Allz did a great job on their first project, and really excited to see sophomore line up.

In North America you can pick these up at SBOL, for those of you across the pond in Europe, get these at Skiboards.lv

Revel8 KTP Tested

Probably one of the most innovative products for the 0809 season the Revel8 KTP skiboards are the first Kirk Thompson signature skiboards, feature extra wide tips and waist and have six inserts to give the possibility of setting back bindings by 4 cm.

At first I thought these where really too wide for groomed runs before I even tried them (15.5cm at the tips and 12.5 at the waist.) Although they do take more effort than mid-wide or narrow skiboards to get up on edge and turn, they do pretty well on flat groomed snow. The extra width makes them a little stiffer from tip to tip, but it doesn’t catch ice as well as narrower skiboards.

These mid-length skiboards are stable as hell when going big. For drops and big air they lock like bolts. High speed carving, if you don’t mind the extra effort is pretty stable as well. The tight 5.2 meter turning radius feels just about right for these boards, giving you a little extra push for those tight turns and compliments the extra width.

For butters and presses the width and Revel8 blunt tips makes them super stable as well as for rail slides, but again the width has a bit of a downside were you gotta put more effort to throw these skiboards around.

Now where these boards really shine and give a whole new riding experience is in the powder and soft snow. The width gives you the float of longer 110+ cm skiboards in a smaller mid-size 101 cm ride.

The set back feature. In my opinion, the most innovative feature on any skiboard made up until now. They have the industry standard 4×4 insert pattern, with an extra 2 more inserts behind them. This means that you can set back any binding by 4 cm with ease! This provides just a perfect amount of tail pressure to pop your front tips out of the soft snow, without much effort. I’d love to see this feature on more skiboards. Set back of course give performance boost in soft snow, but on the rest of the mountain, from groomed to park, center mount is much better.

I would definatly recommend these skiboards to rider who are going to be going big in the terrain park, and riding a lot of soft snow, maybe 40% of the time or more. Or if you’re looking for soft snow shredders to add to your collection these are definatly a good choice.

Revel8 BWP Review

Ben Wannamaker’s second signature board from Revel8, put to the test!

Fourth day on the BWPs for me, and they are beautiful. Graphics wise they are a true piece of art, stunning, complex, fun, thoughtful and unique, and reflect the man himself. The graphics are crisp and sharp as opposed to last years models which were slightly pixelated.

This review could be entirely based on the graphics themselves but let’s move on to how they ride! I usually prefer to ride short boards around 90cm long but this year I decided to go a little longer to test out other boards.

Turning radius wise these boards are tight. With a 4.9 meter turning radius they are perhaps a little too tight for some. Land these boards a little on edges and you’re going to be twirling around. If you are into big air or high speed carving, you might want to look for something with a bit of a wider turning radius.

On the plus side the tight radius worked great in the trees, and wonders for those butters and jibs. Soft snow floatation was pretty good for someone like myself at 150 pounds. With a width at 14 cm, they are on the narrower side for Revel8, but still wide skiboard wise.

Revel8’s inovative “blunt” tips continue to shine on these boards, making them increasingly stable on edge, and on those tail/nose presses. The BWPs feel and look like the big brothers of the Tanshos, which had really steep tips, these are more mellow, and create less drag in the snow on edge.

General high speed riding is good. As mentioned before the turning radius is a little sharp for high speed carves. They are quick edge to edge, easy to turn, medium flexing skiboards. At 98 cm, someone looking for mid-sized sticks that can handle medium powder, trees and creativity on the slopes/terrain park will love these boards.

Buggard Mouse Review

BentFilms latest flick, Buggard Mouse: A Kooks ‘A Changin’ mixes you typical rider section format with some trick tips from the pros and offers up a blended mash up of art/pointers/skiboarding/events footage/fun.

Buggard Mouse won’t teach you how to put on your skiboards or tell you the basics of taking off a jump, instead the trick tips given are more for style/trick variables/newer tricks such as butters, fakie, one footers, shifties, pretzels and a few tips on big powder riding from the Condor. The lingo is a little hard to get if your not familiar with director Ben Wannamaker’s particular manner of speech, but the important parts are easily understood by all. The trick tips are also really entertaining not boring as hellz to watch like some older trick tip videos.

On to the the rider sections; Some section are really focused on what the particular rider is known for/loves to ride. From inline inspired rails with Nils Jansons to big powder with Brett Connors. Combine this with some great lifestyle shots makes for great sections filled with personality.

The editing & shots captions and elements used throughout the movie give a rough around the edges/artsy/makeshift kind of feel so don’t be surpised if you left a little confuesed after the movie.Buggard Mouse also has a bunch of haikus/poetry inserted as quick flashses (pause button is key here) for all those of you who enjoy the artfully spoken word.

If you missed events of the few yester years, expect to see footage from Romania, Tremblant, Wachusetts & Belleayre. You might however recognize some shots from Internet edits, as they are recycled for this edit.

From Folk to Hip Hop, BM has got some great music from people you probably have never heard of, but might want to check out after watching Buggard Mouse.

The title says it all, times are changing for our sport left and right, from companies to style to tricks this flick encompasses it all. Overall this is probably the most entertaining skiboarding video ever made. Buggard Mouse is a must for any skiboarder so go get a copy now!

And don’t forget about BentFilm’s new project Cop Me And My Newb Joey!

Rub On Wax Test

Lub those sticks up for a quick fix. We tested out a few rub on waxes on the market.
Some rub-on waxes claim to be just as good as traditional hot wax, but in reality, they don’t even come close. Hot waxing lasts much longer than any rub-on alternative, which will last for little more than half a dozen runs or less in wet snow. But if you’re looking for a quick fix, or an extra glide boost to your skiboards, it might be a good idea go get some! We tested some out, and here is out take on them.

Zardoz NOTwax:

This actually, isn’t even wax, as you probably already guessed. It’s pure liquid Teflon! You get a little bottle of the stuff, and an applicator. The great part about this one is that you don’t need to buff after applying! The downside, it only work on sintered bases. This one was my favorite.

oneballjay Viper Paste Wax

Good deal for the money, 55g of highly fluorinated rub-on paste wax. The sponge applicator that comes with it, well, is total garbage, and it fell apart the first time I tried using it. But you can replace it with that old Line tee you were thinking of throwing out. Keep this one out of the cold because it turns into super thick paste that is really hard, but not impossible to buff and apply.

Test Pilot Mojo Wax

This smells more like candy than wax, but don’t try to eat it. This one comes as a spray, which works pretty well, and the 40oz bottle lasts pretty long. But if you leave it out in your car or outer pocket of your jacket, its going to freeze and be pretty much impossible to use. It also doesn’t come with any applicator, so you’re going to have to improvise to buff the stuff on your base. (Dirty socks work great!)

Test Pilot Race Past Sample Pack

This one actually is great for a quick fix! SBOL sells them for a buck each! This 2mL pack is good for one set of skiboards. Keep a couple of these in one of your jacket pockets, and the next time you forget to hot wax or bring rub on wax you’ll have an emergency lubricant to keep things nice and slippery.

SnowJam Extreme-II In Depth Review

This is my second season on the SnowJam X-II bindings, (known to some, as AX-1) and I figured I probably know them well enough to give you guys/gals a decent review.

Probably the best feature of these is what I call the “v-plate” feature thing. This is what houses the mounting screws. It is separate from the base plate, this gives you 1 inch of play to adjust your bindings forward or backwards. This is awesome because you don’t actually have to completely take out the screws to adjust them, just loosen those suckas up, and slide the binding forward or back. No handling of screws that you might drop in the snow, no need to take your gloves/mitts off! 1 inch doesn’t sound like much, but it really makes a noticeable difference when you are riding shorter boards in powder.

The “v-plate” and bail plates adjust in 2.5 mm increments, and it’s easy to get and quick to get them adjusted to the right size. There are even numbers you can match to your boot’s sole length to make it super easy and user friendly.

The board interface is a rubber sheet thing that matches the base plate. This won’t give you as much precise edge control as the Bomber Elites (those have metal board interface) but on the plus side, it does dampen some vibrations and allows for pretty decent edge control.

I’ve heard of some people having problems with the mounting screws loosening up, personally I haven’t had this problem, but the screw holding the back bail plate get loose frequently. If this happens to you, just get some lock-tite and put a drop on the screws! Not much of a problem!

There is one thing that I really dislike and is annoying about these bindings. The front clip gets caught in the bail if it slides to much to one side, and pretty much locks it in the open position. The more you try to force it, the more is gets caught. What you have to do, is slide it back to the center be able to close it. I never had this problem with any other binding.

So to wrap it up, these binders are pretty damn decent for the price! If you don’t want to spend a lot of dough for Bomber bindings, these will sacrifice a bit of performance due in part to the rubber interface, but you’ll save 75 + dollars!

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Revel8 Tanshos In Depth Review

In a day when the average skiboard is getting longer and longer, it’s nice to see that Revel8 has stepped up and made a truly high performance shorter skiboard. I’ve been riding these for the past month and a half now and they have exceeded much of my expectations.

Don’t let the shorter length of these boards scare you, they plow through anything. Having ridden other short boards before, I can really say that I feel much more confident on these boards on any kind of terrain.

Revel8’s innovative “blunt tips” combined with the high tips of the Tanshos give them great leverage when ridding through softer snow, and actually give more edge contact the harder they are carved. I do find that the tips give a bit of drag through the snow when carve as fast and as hard as possible, but it’s only a small complaint.

The flex on these boards is amazing. The Tanshos might take a bit more effort for the novice skiboarder, as they are a bit less forgiving then other short boards, but give the performance a big boost. They are stiff enough to hold their edge alomst anywhere. The flex in these boards really shines in the park and on jumps. The tails spring so nicely off kickers feels like it pops off the lip of the jumps.

Inline skaters will really enjoy the tight turning radius and skate like feel of these boards. I did find the turning radius might just be a little too tight at 4.8 meters. It would have been nice to have it maybe a bit bigger, at 5 meters maybe. The tight radius does come in handy in the trees or moguls, but slows down high speed carving a bit.

To to wrap it up, the Revel8 Tanshos give a lot of performance in a small package. They are not for everyone, but those looking for smaller skiboards now have a great high performance option, and don’t need to settle for entry level skiboards. And by the way, they look even better in person, the graphics are truly a work of art.

Kirk Reviews the Revel8 BWPs

After a very disappointing December of no snow, I finally got a chance to try out Ben’s new pro model.

This board amazing. After riding 105s for a season, it feels really good to be back on a pair of sub 100cm skiboards. They bring back that feeling that initially drew me to skiboarding. They are extremely light and nimble on rails, incredibly easy to spin, and have a flex I’ve never experienced on any other skiboard. I’ve never been a fan of butters, but the springy flex of these just makes me want to do them.

It took a little bit to get use to these after riding the Revolts all last season. They aren’t quite as stable at high speeds or big jumps, but they are extremely light and manuverable. I really liked like Revolts last season, but I think I’m more of a fan of these. Most of my time on the mountain is spent hitting rails, and I think that these are the best boards out there right now to do that.

As far as all around riding goes, they flawlessly handled all of the crappy Pennsylvania snow conditions you can expect: slush, ice, and dirt. Again, they aren’t quite as stable as the 105s, but personally, I like the manuverability of the shorter boards and I think that these will be my main boards for the season. The skatelike feel of these boards is something that really can’t be comletely duplicated with the longer boards.

Now I just have to get on the slopes again to try the EMPs and see if my mind changes.

- Kirk Thompson

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!

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Picture from SkiboardsOnline.com