JCX
02-25-2007, 10:08 PM
02/24/2007
I recieved my new 2006/2007 Spruce 120 Friday. I took them out of the box and was blown away. What a great looking board and the quality was top notch. The board in person is simply impressive. It was well balanced and actually lighter than I thought it would be. I knew the dimensions of the board and saw pictures of it but when you see it, it's a beast. This is the widest board I have owned but not the shortest.
I have been playing on Volkl Double Troubles....supposedly 95cm but when I measured them they came out to 93cm. The Volkl dimensions are 10.8/8.4/9.4 in contrast to the Spruce 13.6/10.5/13.6. This was a big leap in width.
Today was a gorgeous day in Aspen so I had perfect weather to put the Spruce through it's paces. First on, a bit awkward and heavy compared to what I was riding. Got on the lift and took them to the top. Headed down through a tree trail....these aren't 98's that's for sure. They are way faster with a lot more board under foot. I had to look for places to cut speed with the longer length in the tight trees. I caught the edges a few times here and there due to the new width but no problems.
It took about 2 runs to get used to the width. By the third run I realized that this board was just begging to be man handled and the same technique and power that I used to ride the Volkl's were not going to get it done on the Spruce.
I headed over to the bumps and pushed it hard and it delivered right out of the gate. It has a nice flex and is very forgiving in the bumps. It powered over all the crud and powder on top of the moguls and allowed me to wip them around with ease. Next I headed to the groomers to see how they handled the steeper wide open terrain. Like most boards of this width and geometry they are the most happy on edge and I was more than happy to oblige. I was amazed when I really pushed the board that I was almost as fast edge to edge as on my Volkl's but with way more board underneath and a lot more tail it was a totally different experience. Very stable at speed though I did under great forces feel the board chatter a time or two.
I was able to hit some jumps in the park with my son and landing this board was a dream with the added real estate. I hit some black tree trails with bumps and this was where the board really shined motoring through just about anything that I could find. I found a few powder stashes and was able to float right through with ease. The board is amazingly powerful and can take whatever you give it in all conditions. Riding this board was fun but a lot more work my first time out as it really wants you to push it when you ride it. With a bit more time I can probably relax a bit and still attain the same performance.
I had my bindings set dead center to see how it would perform. So far so good but I am thinking of setting them back 2 to 3 CM just to see the difference as there is a lot more tail back there and it might prove interesting to compare the two settings. I talked with Spruce before delivery and asked about a pre ride tune up and they in fact were up front with the fact that this board needs a good edge put on out of the box. I put an 89 degree on the board but did not make it extremely sharp, just a decent edge to see what this board and my particular style really needs in the way of tuning. I lost an edge one time on the last run today down a very steep slope that was scraped off and icy hard pack. I do believe I need a better edge overall than what I put on and this was no surprise.
Tomorrow before I go out I will put a good clean edge still staying with the 89 degree until I feel I need something else. After riding the Spruce today I am almost of the mind that this is about as big a skiboard as I want to go. Shorter yes, wider, not sure, for my style of riding I don't think it would give my anything more with a wider board. The Spruce is a great board, a high quality ride that turned a lot of heads today. ( I typically don't see other skiboarders)
I would highly recommend this board to anyone. Just for the record I am 5' 8" and 210 so not a giant but not a small guy either with a moderate to aggressive riding style. I would love to hear comments from other Spruce riders and will post some follow up after I have had a few days on the boards.
The Spruce truly lived up to it's reputation as the SUV of Skiboards!
I recieved my new 2006/2007 Spruce 120 Friday. I took them out of the box and was blown away. What a great looking board and the quality was top notch. The board in person is simply impressive. It was well balanced and actually lighter than I thought it would be. I knew the dimensions of the board and saw pictures of it but when you see it, it's a beast. This is the widest board I have owned but not the shortest.
I have been playing on Volkl Double Troubles....supposedly 95cm but when I measured them they came out to 93cm. The Volkl dimensions are 10.8/8.4/9.4 in contrast to the Spruce 13.6/10.5/13.6. This was a big leap in width.
Today was a gorgeous day in Aspen so I had perfect weather to put the Spruce through it's paces. First on, a bit awkward and heavy compared to what I was riding. Got on the lift and took them to the top. Headed down through a tree trail....these aren't 98's that's for sure. They are way faster with a lot more board under foot. I had to look for places to cut speed with the longer length in the tight trees. I caught the edges a few times here and there due to the new width but no problems.
It took about 2 runs to get used to the width. By the third run I realized that this board was just begging to be man handled and the same technique and power that I used to ride the Volkl's were not going to get it done on the Spruce.
I headed over to the bumps and pushed it hard and it delivered right out of the gate. It has a nice flex and is very forgiving in the bumps. It powered over all the crud and powder on top of the moguls and allowed me to wip them around with ease. Next I headed to the groomers to see how they handled the steeper wide open terrain. Like most boards of this width and geometry they are the most happy on edge and I was more than happy to oblige. I was amazed when I really pushed the board that I was almost as fast edge to edge as on my Volkl's but with way more board underneath and a lot more tail it was a totally different experience. Very stable at speed though I did under great forces feel the board chatter a time or two.
I was able to hit some jumps in the park with my son and landing this board was a dream with the added real estate. I hit some black tree trails with bumps and this was where the board really shined motoring through just about anything that I could find. I found a few powder stashes and was able to float right through with ease. The board is amazingly powerful and can take whatever you give it in all conditions. Riding this board was fun but a lot more work my first time out as it really wants you to push it when you ride it. With a bit more time I can probably relax a bit and still attain the same performance.
I had my bindings set dead center to see how it would perform. So far so good but I am thinking of setting them back 2 to 3 CM just to see the difference as there is a lot more tail back there and it might prove interesting to compare the two settings. I talked with Spruce before delivery and asked about a pre ride tune up and they in fact were up front with the fact that this board needs a good edge put on out of the box. I put an 89 degree on the board but did not make it extremely sharp, just a decent edge to see what this board and my particular style really needs in the way of tuning. I lost an edge one time on the last run today down a very steep slope that was scraped off and icy hard pack. I do believe I need a better edge overall than what I put on and this was no surprise.
Tomorrow before I go out I will put a good clean edge still staying with the 89 degree until I feel I need something else. After riding the Spruce today I am almost of the mind that this is about as big a skiboard as I want to go. Shorter yes, wider, not sure, for my style of riding I don't think it would give my anything more with a wider board. The Spruce is a great board, a high quality ride that turned a lot of heads today. ( I typically don't see other skiboarders)
I would highly recommend this board to anyone. Just for the record I am 5' 8" and 210 so not a giant but not a small guy either with a moderate to aggressive riding style. I would love to hear comments from other Spruce riders and will post some follow up after I have had a few days on the boards.
The Spruce truly lived up to it's reputation as the SUV of Skiboards!