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Everything posted by snow_hippie2
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Seemore doesn't like long boards, so the hovercraft is better for him. But if floating on pow was the only consideration, I suggest that even an 85kg person would be better off on a 169 or 172 skunk ape than a 160 hovercraft. I'd love to see a side-by-side experiment to prove this. I'll challenge any hovercraft rider to outrun them on flat powder.
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Just to make sure I understand you correctly, you're only dripping wax onto one area and then waxing the whole board with that? I use paper too because, as you say, there's less scraping to do after. I might try your method. Another way to save on wax, which I haven't tried, is re-use the scrapings. Re-melt them into a block or sprinkle on the base and put it in a hotbox, or a hairdryer might work if it doesn't blow them all away. One thing I can attest to for saving wax is, melt it a litte on the iron then draw the hot corner crayon-style onto the board instead of dripping. Anothe
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it looks well made, and very light. But if anyone's thinking of getting one, be warned the sizes are BIG. I'm glad I got XL instead of XXL as I usually would. I also hope my one season old board and bindings will last for the rest of my life. Boots, on the other hand, will probably always disintergrate after a few seasons.
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Libtech Skunk Ape
snow_hippie2 replied to seemore's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
that makes sense, thanks. -
Libtech Skunk Ape
snow_hippie2 replied to seemore's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Yes, the effective edge for the 160 Hovercraft and 161 Skunk Ape are almost the same - 1220 versus 1210. So you'd expect the Hovercaft to do better on pow. But the 169 Skunk Ape's effective edge is 1270, and for the 180 it's 1370. I'm guessing that means the bigger Skunk Apes have more surface area than the 160 Hovercraft, which would help float on pow. So a heavyish person might be better off on it. I know there are other factors but I don't think effective edge should be completely discounted. I agree if you never ride switch, a twin shape needlessly adds some length. I'm not super techn -
Niseko <> Rusutsu drive
snow_hippie2 replied to gifugill's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
I did it this way in 40 mintures from Hirafu in the winter, not driving fast. -
Libtech Skunk Ape
snow_hippie2 replied to seemore's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
I found a 172 Skunk Ape great on Japanese pow but I haven't tried the Hovercraft to compare it with. I get the impression you shouldn't be comparing a 161 Skunk Ape with a 160 Hovercraft. 160 is the biggest size Hovercraft make, whereas Skunk Apes go up to 180. For your weight a 169 would be good. You might find it out-performs a 160 Hovercraft in powder. I'm dubious about whether shorter powder-specific boards can really give as much float in pow or stability on the runs as a much longer board. -
Choose a prefecture!
snow_hippie2 replied to mina2's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
Nagano and Niigata should count as one. -
Amber lift?
snow_hippie2 replied to muikabochi's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
A rope tow is easy because it has to be very slow to allow you to hold the rope directly with your hands. A nutcracker - a rope tow with a clip on chain and bar - is more difficult because it moves faster and isn't pulling straight in front of you. -
Thanks man, good info. I've just checked the spec for my Lib Tech and it's sintered UHMW (whatever that is). I'm kind of relieved all of that all that waxing last season wasn't a waste of time. But on powder does wax make no difference even with a sintered board? The thing that impressed me most about that board was how it kept moving forward even on almost flat powder. It's like it had an engine! Would that kind of behaviour not be helped by wax, even thought it's on powder?
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Flow bindings?
snow_hippie2 replied to tripler's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
If you're better than a beginner and still strapping up sitting down, you're doing something wrong. But, yeah, I love Flows! -
Flow bindings?
snow_hippie2 replied to tripler's topic in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
I've never noticed problems getting into Flows in powder. I've got a top of the range pair and rode plenty of pow in them last season. -
I came across this article http://www.gizmag.co...k-better/15402/ about research at a Sweedish university which says modern skis glide better without wax . It says the base alone is the best surface to make contact with the snow, and that wax attracts dirt which increases friction. They recommend just cleaning the base with a metal scraper. I've always had the impression I go faster with a freshly waxed board. But the article makes a good point about it being difficult to objectively assess because snow is a constantly changing surface. It says using wax is a throwback to wooden skis, when