Recent Trip to Stratton, VT.. board reviews

[BrklynCarver]

(Part I of III)

All,

As you know, I was probably one of the first to receive the KTPs and Condors last week. It worked out perfectly as I headed up to Stratton, VT last week Friday for two days on the slopes. Originally, I was going to bring up my Summit Custom 110s Woodies and the original Revel8 Revolts 105s since normally this early in the season, there are lots of bad patches on the slopes. Well, due to a dumping of 17 inches last Sunday-Monday, and constant snowmaking, I decided to bring up my Woodies and both the KTPs and the Condors. To my surprise, not only was I able to try out both KTPs and Condors, but the head of my ski group was able to get a demo of the Boardski Bulldog skiboards/snowboard hybrid directly from the manufacturer. Therefore, here are my reviews.


Background:
I started out using Sled Dogs way back in '94, then move onto the original Salomon Snowblades in '96, then onto MNP 98s in '99. These days, I am primarily use 110s as I feel at 5'5 and 170lbs, they fit my needs perfectly for getting the speed I want, not too big where they become clumsy, and still able to make quick turns like the MNP 98s. As you can see, I own a bunch of different skiboards and use them for different conditions, which are:

- Spruce 120s
- Summit Custom 110s Woodies
- Summit Custom 110s Carbons
- Revel8 BWPs 98s
- Revel8 Revolts 105s
- Revel8 ALPs 110s
- Revel8 KTPs 101s
- Revel8 Condors 110s
- Lacroix 110s

Of all of these, the only ones I haven't tried yet are the Lacroix, so that review will need to wait. For all except the 120s, I use non-releaseable bindings, either Bomber Elites or FF Aluminums, and center-mounted. For this trip, due to the great conditions, I decided to keep the Woodies in the hotel and concentrate on the new gear.


KTPs:

Saturday morning, got onto the very first lift operating at 8:30am, the American Express lift, which goes to mid-level. Made several runs down to the base, then took the American Express back up and headed over to the Ursa Express, that takes you to the summit. From about 8:30am till 12pm, did about 14 runs on the KTPs. Conditions were great, groomed but not iced, powder spots all over the place, etc... How did the KTPs react?

The KTPs reacted very very well. They turned very quickly similar to my old MNPs and to the BWPs, but with the added width, you can plow through powder spots without missing a beat. On the MNPs, and sometimes on the KTPs, when you hit a big powder spot, the skiboards would lift you up slightly, or even get caught, with the KTPs, they ran right through them. As someone who tends to gain as much speed as I can, the KTPs do show signs of chatter when making a fast turn, but they grip and hold onto edge without a problem. The added width also made them faster, on flats skating with them wasn't a problem. For anyone that uses 98s who feel that going up to 105s or 110s would be too much but want something that is more "all terrain", I would definitely recommend getting the KTPs. You won't lose the turning quickness of 98s, but have the added width and stability of a wider skiboard. Extremely nimble.

During the afternoon, my friend who now owns my old MNPs used the KTPs for 3 runs, it did take him time to adjust to the added width, but he also felt the benefits of the added width as he wasn't getting his edges caught when hitting powder spots. Going from the MNPs to the KTPs did make his skating a bit harder, and he did clang them here and there as I do see chips on the topsheets. He also used them on Sunday from 9am-11am before he got too fatigued.

The head of the ski group also gave them a go on one run, but they weren't stable enough for him, his previous experience are with the Spruce 120s, so going down to 101s is a big jump, and didn't feel comfortable using them, too much chatter for him, especially coming from using long skis.

[BrklynCarver]

(Part II of III)

Boardski Bulldogs:

While taking a break on Saturday for a quick munch down on several granola and energy bars, I saw the head of my ski group. He's a skier and snowboarder whom I'm gotten to use skiboards last season. He tested out my Spruce 120s with the Sprure Pro Light bindings and loved them so much, he said he may never go back to long skis. Keeping in mind that he had a MCL tear on his right leg 5 years ago and a Achillies tear on his left foot last summer, I would only allow him to use releaseables. He comes up to me and tells me he has a pair of Bulldogs in his car that he has never tried out and would I like to give them a shot. I said hell yes! They were sent to him directly from the manufacturer as a demo, he was somehow able to get them after much wrangling of emails and phone calls. He wanted to try them out because he still does snowboard, so the attraction of having something that will allow him to skiboard and snowboard was major.

First impressions.. they are pretty long. I put them up against my Condors and realized they are longer than them. At that time, I didn't know they were 112.8s, but I suspected as much from the difference. The shape is more attuned to the Lacroix and Summits than the ALPs. Rhe ALPs, Condors and Spruces have a broad tip/tail, while the Bulldogs, Lacroix, and Summits have a more tapered tip/tail. The Bulldogs are also heavy, similar to the Woodies, but not because of the material to make the skiboard, but due to it's binding system.

On each skiboard, there are 4 metal plates. These plates allow you to switch between skiboard and snowboard mode. These metail plates add weight. The bindings are all metal, solid. Since they rely on the metal plates for their skiboard/snowboard mode, you can only use the bindings that come with the Bulldogs, they are not standard 4 x 4 mountings. The bindings are extremely heavy, much heavier than the Bomber Elites, and almost as heavy as the Spruce Pro Lights. Unlike the FF, Elite, and Extreme II bindings, they are constructed very differently.

Both the FF Pros/Aluminums and the Snowjam Extreme IIs are constructed with a rubber washer-type material on the bottom for shock absorption that spans the length of the binding. On top of this is a metal plate, which is about 1/4" thick. This plate is used to mount the binding into the skiboard, and to also mount the heel/toe pieces to clip into your boot. Adjustment for boot size is made by moving the heel/toe pieces on metal teeth which makes sizing very easy.

The Bomber Elites are different to their approach. There is a 1/2" circular metal disk that attaches to a 1/4" metal plate. This metal is plate is attached to a skiboard throught the circular metal disk. The disk is used for the height needed for the shock absorption bumbers on the heel and toes parts on the bottom of the metal plate. The metal plate is also where the toe and heel metal pieces are mounted to clip your boot onto, and they adjust by having 3 hole settings on the heel and toe (total 6 hole adjustments) on the metal plate, plus the toe/heel pieces have another 4 adjustments available. This makes them also very easy for sizing up boots, though not quite as easy as the teeth method.

Using the two types of bindings above, I've never had a problem making adjustments for various boots such that buddies can use them. Not so with the Bulldog bindings.

First, there is no shock absorption pads/bumper on these bindings. Instead of mounting the bindings via a center 4 x 4 mount on the binding, these are mounting onto the Bulldog via skiboard mode with toe and heel clips. These clips are all metal, so there are no rubber pieces between the bindings and the skiboard. Second, the bindings are very heavy. It's a solid piece of 1" thick metal. One Bulldog binding weighs the same as two Elites/FF Pros/Snowjam Extreme IIs. Third, which is where the really big problem with the binding exist, is how to size your boot. Unlike the other bindings that basically have micro-adjustments for any size of boot where the entire heel/toe pieces move and the bails are mounted to them, the Bulldog bindings adjust by taking off the heel/toe bails and moving them in any four positions each, which are equally spaced about every 1/2" inch. This means there are four positions for the heel and four positions for the toe. This made sizing extremely hard because if you have a boot that doesn't quite fit right, the bindings are either too loose or way too tight. This was the situation with the ski group leader, the bindings were either too looks where he can slide his boot sideways and hit the bails with the sides of his boot, or they were so tight that they pinched the boots to the point where he can feel the pinching of the boot against his Achilles tendon incision, which was extremely painful. So he couldn't use them. I was able size them such that they fit my boots. Even though we both have the same foot size, our boots are made by different manufacturers and the shells can be bigger/smaller depending on the manufacturer. I use Tecnicas and he uses Nordicas.

Now comes the review of how they perfomed on the slopes. Since I don't snowboard, I only used them as skiboards. For the rest of the day, I dedicated my time using the Bulldogs in skiboard mode, from mid-mountain down to base and from summit down to base, made a total of 8 runs to get a proper feel of them. As skiboards, they perform very well, with the length and speed of a 110 such as the ALPs or Custom 110s. They flex similar to the ALPs and the Custom 110s Carbons, not as soft of a flex as the Spruce 120s and not as stiff as the Custom 110s Woodies. The added 2.8cms didn't seem to make them feel any less quicker/slower than the 110s, but the added weight of the bindings go make you have to push them more on your turns.

Overall, if you like something that can give you the option of both being able to skiboard and snowboard, and your boot can fit the binding system, then this can work very well for you. I do have to note, there is a pretty large gap when in snowboard mode in the middle, and I do wonder can powder get caught in there, especially when making a carve. When going on a flat, the tips are fairly tight so I'm sure they can plow through the powder such that it middle gap won't get caught.

I ended my day on Saturday feeling very good about the KTPs and mixed on the Bulldogs.

[BrklynCarver]

(Part III of III)

Condors:

Sunday rolls around. Despite having to get all my stuff together and checking out of the hotel, was able to hit the slopes by 9am. Heading straight for the gondola to go to the summit. Made a total of 16 runs between 9am-1pm before leaving Stratton, going from summit to mid-mountain, back up to summit, from summit to base, from mid-mountain to base.

After using the KTPs on Saturday, I had no problems with the width of the Condors, the only problem was skating, with the added lenght and width, there were a couple of times I did clang the tails. As far as how they performed compared to other 110s, they feel just like the ALPs, except bigger. They turn and performance just like the ALPs, but am able to plow through powder even better. I was able to made a few runs down an area that was roped off due to heavy duty snowmaking, with almost no visibility due to the snowmaking, I was able to go through the area in ankle-deep powder without any problems. With other 110s, I would need to sit back a bit more such that the tips can raise up and go through the powder, but with the Condors, I didn't need to do this. For me, this is definitely the skiboard I would use when I want to hit it out west, going to backbowls and other areas where there is lots and lots of powder. Previously, I would have used my Spruce 120s, but now that there is a 110 length with the added width for floatation, the Condors will take over that spot.


Finally, I did get asked a whole bunch of times about the KTPs and Condors all weekend long, from skiers to snowbladers to those using Bigfoots, K2 Fattys, Head snowblades, and others, including a group of teenage female racers who don't use poles. I gave them all my Revel8 brochures and ran out! (I had 10 brochures on me.) One person even took a picture of both the Condors and KTPs next to each other with her cellphone and emailed it off to her brother looking to buy a new pair of skiboards who currently use snowblades.

Oh, and Greco, don't be surprised if you get a call/email from the head of my ski group, he wants to talk to you about the possibility of a demo day at either Windham or Belleayre during one of our day trips for the members.

[Greco]

Right on. Great job Ed! I'll have to send you some more flyers.

G

[tyberesk]

holy amazing long and intricate reviews of the condors/ktps/boardski bulldogs. Im sure these reviews are going to help ALOT of people out there when making their decisions on boards. Nice Job:D Way to spread the word as well and id love to come up and ride during that demo day if it happens.

[jjue]

Yes ! very nice reivews of all the stuff Ed , thanks !!!
It is also nice to get different takes on the same boards from different folks , and it is nice that you and I both got to ride the KTP the same weekend and let people know how it went ,....

Jack

[tyberesk]

Originally posted by jjue
It is also nice to get different takes on the same boards from different folks , and it is nice that you and I both got to ride the KTP the same weekend and let people know how it went ,....
Jack

Amen to that...hopefully everyone keeps the review commin

[nate]

Great reviews, to bad you don't snowboard and couldn't review that part of the boardski.

[BrklynCarver]

Yeah, and my friend that used my KTPs who has snowboarded for over 10 years didn't even want to try to use them as snowboards.

[boardski]

Ed
Thanks for taking the time to test my Bulldog skis
Maybe this bit of info will help your friend
First the bindings can be fine tuned you can turn the Lugs one turn on one or all this will fine tune them.
The bindings have to by that weight because when they are in snowboard mode there are extreme pressures on them as you can imagine by bridging 2 skis that is the min I could make them so as to comply with the computer disgn software.

I also cannot snowboard so i have no idea how they feel but everybody who has always comes down with a big grin on there face not sure why maybe they think they wont make it to the bottom? Me i just think there having funas this is just a fun piece of kit , its always hard to get people to try something new and not the norm I know this as i to am a short ski skier and get looked down on buy long ski skiers as this maybe read by kids I wont tell you my answer to them but it starts with a F and ends with a F.

Let me know if your pal trys them i welcome all comments good or bad you can contact via the website


Gary Hagger Bulldog designer

[BrklynCarver]

I actually like how solid the bindings are, I never saw bindings more solid than the Bombers, and these definitely are. Everyone says Bombers are bomb-proof, then these are atomic-proof!

It was just tough to figure out how to get a better fit. If he brings them on my next trip, we'll try them out again.

[boardski]

Ed
Just let me know if I can help
In the package was a leaflet telling you how to adjust and fine tune the bindings your man just needs to read it although I have to say i personally dont read nowt just go for it so I know what its like
You realy should try to get your pal on them as boards they ride much better than people think.
Thanks agian and glad you liked them as skiboards

Gary

[BrklynCarver]

Gary,

Thanks for the info. I was able make the microadjustments on the boardskis today without a problem. This makes the bindings much easier to use and universal for all boot sizes.

Therefore, I'm putting this addendum to recommend the boardskis. Their bindings are easy to adjust for your boot, plus if you want, the boardski gives you the option to either skiboard or snowboard. They are slightly longer than the ALPs by 2+ cm, and they are capped constructed just like the Spruce 120s and Allz 94s. They are also wider than both the Spruce 120s and the ALPs, with similar widths to the KTPs, so they are super stable and can handle powder.

[Mark]

what starts and ends with an f ?

[mctwist311]

"Fluff" :) only thing i can think off

[BrklynCarver]

Yah got me!!

I'll be trying out the boardskis tomorrow in the waist deep powder of Morningside Park at Steamboat Springs. Will let you know how they perform.

[BrklynCarver]

Took the Boardskis out today in powder and they performed great. The boardskis are just as wide as the KTPs, but slightly longer than the ALPs/Condors. Condors are slightly wider than the Boardskis, but the Boardskis have less flex than the Condors and it also heavier.

This made them able to blow through powder. The powder today was a bit crusty because there was no snowfall yesterday, but the Boardskis were able to go through them without a problem. By the afternoon, once the temps went up and the powder became softer, the Boardskis were also able to handle the powder without skipping a beat.

After all that powder, I decided to take them to the terrain park at Steamboat Springs to go through the small boardercross track and hit some small jumps. Again, they didn't miss a beat!

The Boardskis are a great product!