hans
01-20-2011, 10:15 AM
I finally upgraded my SJ90's to the Revolt Flow this year and just got out this past weekend to Mountain Creek, NJ for my first runs of the season.
My first impressions are that the Revolts are much different in the ways I hoped they would be and not very different in the ways that I was afraid they might be. The major difference is how much more stable these boards are. I'm 6'1" and on the 90's I felt I was constantly adjusting my body to get that fore/aft stability. The Revolts were so much smoother. It's as if I went from being in a rowboat in choppy water to a speedboat with a big outboard motor powering through the waves. That stable feeling carried over to powder piles which were suddenly not an issue. No more faceplants!
On the other hand, the fears I had about the jump to a bigger board were not an issue at all. I agonized over every extra millimeter in length and width when I was picking out boards, but on the trail I had all the maneuverability of the Snowjams. I knew that the turning radius was nearly identical, but I couldn't imagine that a board 15 cm. longer could be as nimble as a short board. I was dead wrong. These boards were lightning quick going edge to edge.
I think the moral of the story is that you can not go wrong with R8 boards! Of course, take your height and weight into consideration, and what kind of riding you're going to do but once you've narrowed it down to one or two boards I really don't think you can go wrong. There are big differences between the boards to be sure, but the upgrade in quality and design from most of us jumping from starter boards is so profound that you should not hesitate to make the move.
My first impressions are that the Revolts are much different in the ways I hoped they would be and not very different in the ways that I was afraid they might be. The major difference is how much more stable these boards are. I'm 6'1" and on the 90's I felt I was constantly adjusting my body to get that fore/aft stability. The Revolts were so much smoother. It's as if I went from being in a rowboat in choppy water to a speedboat with a big outboard motor powering through the waves. That stable feeling carried over to powder piles which were suddenly not an issue. No more faceplants!
On the other hand, the fears I had about the jump to a bigger board were not an issue at all. I agonized over every extra millimeter in length and width when I was picking out boards, but on the trail I had all the maneuverability of the Snowjams. I knew that the turning radius was nearly identical, but I couldn't imagine that a board 15 cm. longer could be as nimble as a short board. I was dead wrong. These boards were lightning quick going edge to edge.
I think the moral of the story is that you can not go wrong with R8 boards! Of course, take your height and weight into consideration, and what kind of riding you're going to do but once you've narrowed it down to one or two boards I really don't think you can go wrong. There are big differences between the boards to be sure, but the upgrade in quality and design from most of us jumping from starter boards is so profound that you should not hesitate to make the move.