SnowJapan.Com#3 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 A new 2-page Ocean's View feature, "DIRTSURFER REVIEW", has been put online. Hope you enjoy it. http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/oceans-view-8.html Discuss it here.... Link to post Share on other sites
IceEiji 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 That thing looks fun. Bet you get some stares! Link to post Share on other sites
rajeem 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 Nice stuff, sounds like fun. How's the sense of speed compared to boarding? Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 Ocean11. You used to be in the Communards didn't you? Link to post Share on other sites
brit-gob 9 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 Nice one Ocean, or should I say Mr Cole. Got me thinking this might well be worth checking out.... Link to post Share on other sites
danz 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 maybe I should chime in as well... I am the proud winner of the sj dirtsurfer contest!!!yay!!! and now own my very own ds as well...and as ocean says, it is a blast....my learning curvrve seemed to match oceans' description to a T... being a skier, this riding sideways thing was all new to me...and I recently found out from a friend that I am riding fakie,it just made sense to me when I tried to get on the thing... anyway, the feeling is quite like what I imagine snow-boarding would be like...the first time i lined a toe-turn with a heel-turn was quite exciting (the first few efforts resulted in some nasty scrapes and bruises...) unfortunatly, the kanto plane does not offer that much for riding...I am basically limited to a small hill at park near where I work...long enough to get enough speed and make 2 turns before taking a swim in the pond...and yes, it is an attention grabber...at one point I had a crowd of about 10 people watching and saying "sugooooiiii" in the unison fashion that only the japanese can do...although no pretty young girls in my cheering section... I have a long narrow winding road from my parking lot to my apt.. and have successfully navigated some sections...but have yet to make it top to bottom.... as ocean said, you spend far more time hikking with the thing then ridding it...summer ds resorts with lifts is a must....it is a bit awkward to carry, and is very big...the braking system is suprisingly intuitive, and like ocean, the better I got at using the brakes, the less I wanted to use them... all in all a fun toy, although not so practical without hills! I managed to really screw up my left knee though...some awkward dismounts led to that...and now I am resting, waiting for my powder turns in a few weeks! cheers! danz Link to post Share on other sites
dane 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 That's awesome. Link to post Share on other sites
cakehead 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 Does look cool. Bet there's not many of them in Japan right now. Link to post Share on other sites
BigSausage 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 How much is them things, the one you 2 have? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 Thanks for the comments. The speed compared with snowboarding? Well, you can get it going up to 70 km/h or more, not that I have yet. But I've been pretty fast on grass. If there's enough space, then going very fast is no problem at all. But if you bing at really high speed, there are going to be some consequences methinks. What you really need I reckon is a bit of organization - a few people buy boards, share a car, and go somewhere where you can get a really good long ride down. Tsugaike was good from that point of view (but meeting a kei-truck at speed was a sobering experience). It would be great to ride with other people. The other thing that would be good is if land-owners provided a few simple facilities like a good long slope with a few jumps and stuff, and a fast rope-pull to get back up. Wouldn't cost much to set up, and you could charge for use and rentals. If more places see Dirtsurfers being ridden, this sort of idea might occur to the right people. The price of the board I and danz have is US$399 including shipping to Japan. Footstraps, which you really need to get the most out of it, are $25. 'kicked around and pushed around, always a lonely booooooy, tralalaaa' Dunno what you're on about rach, liebling Link to post Share on other sites
lin 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 She means The Communards. Link to post Share on other sites
lin 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 He was the gayest person there was, bless him. After his partner Jummy Sommerfield. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 Thanks lin. I knew that. Joke. Humour. Link to post Share on other sites
lin 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 Oh I see. How were we to tell I wonder. Link to post Share on other sites
miteyak 0 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 reckon the one liner was a bit of a give away! Link to post Share on other sites
Wizz 11 Posted November 22, 2002 Share Posted November 22, 2002 That brings back memories. As for the DSurfer, looks like fun, expecially when theres no snow around Link to post Share on other sites
1 4 Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 Are you renting it for the day? Link to post Share on other sites
rachael 0 Posted November 23, 2002 Share Posted November 23, 2002 Can girls play too Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 Absolutely no reason why not. Link to post Share on other sites
oblivion 5 Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 Good read, and the thing itself looks real fun. Link to post Share on other sites
akibun 0 Posted November 24, 2002 Share Posted November 24, 2002 It looks fun, but also very difficult. Is it so? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 Getting on for the first few times is difficult, but after that, it's quite easy. Doing stuff like slides and jumps is obviously harder than simple riding. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 Curious looking machine there. WOuldn't mind a go myself. Link to post Share on other sites
oblivion 5 Posted November 26, 2002 Share Posted November 26, 2002 1 more thing...does the price tag seem reasonable to you guys? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted November 26, 2002 Share Posted November 26, 2002 Yes. My snowboard cost about the same amount, including shipping, and it's not a fantastic board. The amount of materials and engineering that go into the Dirtsurfer make it cheap in comparison. When my snowboard has gone limp, the Dirtsurfer will be the same as ever, and if parts do break, they can be repaired. And I can ride the thing all year, without necessarily going anywhere special. I think it's worth it. But I'd be interested to hear any other opinions. Link to post Share on other sites
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