120s at the Outer Limits

[jsinger]

Here is a review/impressions of the Spruce 120's by Bruce DeCesare who is a hard core Eastern through the trees skier:


"Jeff,
I've got some feedback for you on the boards. Mission accomplished! They
work great, in fact, for what I do, they have exceeded my wildest
expectations.

Anyway, I've got six full days on the boards in various conditions and they
are holding up fine so far. That being said, tree skiing in December is
sacrificial to the ski. Think rocks. In fact, your regular ski aficionado
(an idiot in my mind) would be horrified to see the bottom/edges on these
things. My point being, I've beat the pi** out of these things already and
they've held up fine. They roll along the flats magically, no longer do I
get dropped in these sections. They are much less tiring due to the length
which removes much of the fore and aft balancing necessary to keep the
shorter boards rolling optimally. They carve the groomers fine and the I've
yet to top them out speed wise. The extra length is great for jumps, they
still turn on a dime, I can still maneuver by walking in the lift line (or
trees). These things really float, I had them in about 15 inches of powder
in the woods and they just hammered right though. F****** awesome in the
woods. This is where these things are truly a revolutionary ski. You can take these things
everywhere. It has to be seen to be believed where and what we are skiing in
bounds on the mountain.

I had them out at Pico 2 days after it rained and then froze solid. ....no one short of Bode
Miller was carving turns that day. It was frozen solid. Super fast. I mean
the trails all sucked and were full of people so barely in control that it
made me wonder why they weren't in the lodge drinking hot chocolate lest
they kill each other. So, what to do, well tree skiing of course! Let's
just say that I scared 2 different sets of snowshoers on the Long Trail next
to Pico. Imagine walking through the pristine woods and all of a sudden some
dude goes skiing by through seemingly impossibly tight trees - on skis - on
pretty much solid ice. A hoot indeed. These things are really unbelievable,
boldly going where no one else goes.

As for bumps, this is where I will eventually get hurt, again the extra
length behind the foot allows jumps without pinpoint landings and the extra
length in front of the ski allows you to bash everything in sight without
fear of endoing. Therein lies the problem though, I'm really flying in the
bumps. Danger! I sense injury.

As far as the flex pattern goes, it is perfect for what I do. People who'd
use them in the park or on the hardpack may want more stiffness. I can carve
them on anything short of ice.


Bruce"

[Klaus]

Great review! Just adds to my quandry of what boards to get though ;)

Klaus

[graham]

Indeed. I've read everything I can find about the 120s and am yet to read anything negative about them. Have any twini tip skiers given them a go yet?

[jsinger]

Twin tippers are threatened with excommunication from the Church of the New School if they are seen on any skiboards.

Long board skiers are consistently surprised at how stable the 120's are and how much speed they can carry. They are often hooked on the first run. My neighbor who skis on 150's says he can go faster in all conditions on his 120's.

[BrklynCarver]

I purchased my 120s for the sole purpose of hitting the back bowls and going through powder. Did that on Thursday at Vail and all I have to say is, the 120s performed perfectly.

It was snowing hard on the backside, horizontal snow. A friend and I were the only ones going down the China Bowl due to 10-15 ft visibility. There was no one in site at this bowl, the powder was fresh, no tracks whatsoever. We bombed it down 3-4 times before hitting the glades. Previously, if I used my MNPs, I would need to lean way back and eventually do a faceplant. With the 120s, I leaned back and let them rip. I was going through knee to thigh deep powder and did not slow down a second. Didn't lose any control at all.