UKC

Hi just wondered if any of you have tried snow blading / ski boarding?

Looks like fun and I was thinking you could easily carry them on your sac whilst climbing then ski down after (bit like ski mountaineering just you don't do the uphill bit).

Can you just use your climbing boots?

I was thinking descents from the likes of the Northern Coires or Aonach Mor could be quite good fun!

Any information or experiences much apreciated.

Thanks

Don

In reply to Anonymous: All though in the past i might of slagged them off. They are quite cool to have and im going to get a pair in a year. With most models i think you have to have ski boots, but i would look in to it. They are cool for tricks and easy desents.

In reply to Anonymous: You can use them with ice boots but have a much higher chance of busting an ankle.

In reply to Anonymous: snowblades are pritty much useless on any thing other than piste as they just sink due to there surface area

as for boots unless there plastic boots i wouldnt of thought they would of offered enough support

In reply to djviper: yeah forgot that you would be off piste, they are useless and you stop. May as well get some powder skies,

In reply to mac_climb: you know you want the power of xscream chilli xtra hots mmmmm!!!

In reply to djviper: Nads to that it's A "to the muther fu**in'" K rockets that you want!

Not the wet new ones though, the old green ones from about 3 seasons ago...now that's a ski.

Or a Volkl Explosive...mmmmm...lightening

In reply to Maggot: dude there the same ski! the scream xtra hots are the ak's
or there was a sex pistol ski (cant remember who buy) thats like strapping a snowboard to each foot!

In reply to Anonymous:

do a search of the old fourums as there is a useful thred on there

In reply to djviper: Really? Well if that's the case; congratulations on a great choice of ski! I thought the rocket was only in the guise of the "AK rocket S914" pilot thing now, and looking at the salomon website it looks like there may be no rocket at all next season...the end of an era?

Once saw a pair of Team issue rockets in Whistler...Same top sheet as the standard rocket (green at the time) but when you looked closely there were subtle lumps in it, it had no in built camber, and according to the bloke holding them (who may, or may not, have been Dean Cummings, but probably not, looked a bit like him, but helmeted and goggled who can tell?) "they're stiff as a stiff thing with a stiffy!"

By the Sex Pistol do you mean K2's Monster The Seth Pistol. A great looking ski, though to my shame I've never strapped myself to a pair, I'd really like to though

In reply to Maggot: ive just looked myself and theres a few classics missing this season!
never owned a pair, my best mate used to run a ski mountain shop and i took a few pairs of "staff test skis" away on holiday with me

all i can remember bout the sex pistols thing is they lookes like the "never mind the bollox" cover on the bottom, they glide over anything! well worth a play

In reply to djviper: Aye, sounds like the Seth Pistol. Never been able to find a pair to try, only seen a few around the mountain.

A friend with a ski shop eh? Sounds like a valuable buddy to have!

In reply to Maggot:believe mate lol shame hes left was so much fun trying the new toys!

In reply to Anonymous: Go for Line Skiboards - they did invent the things afterall. You need a fatter option, the thinner, cheap variety sink in powder and are only good for on piste. They are fast, you can turn on a postage stamp but you do need good balance - if you inline skate it will help. We use standard ski boots so hard winter boots would work pretty much the same. However,if you fall, it's not ankles that normally get broken/hurt it's knees/upper legs - so you have to learn to fall making sure your ski tips are up in the air. We also wear basic body armour wrist guards,back brace and helmet, they have saved many a potential nasty injury, as most falls seem to be on your back, so your wrists and head get it or forwards as you are more likely to take a tumble before stopping. Fully recomend though we do alternate between our Lines and full size skis depending on conditions and who we are skiing with.

In reply to Tinpan:

Are you sure about that?

And also how practical is it to wear body armour and wrist protectors when decending from doing a route.

Also, have you come out to your parents that you are a snowblader?

In reply to Anonymous:
Ski blades are good in a limited number of off piste conditions. The snow pack has to be fairly firm. Spring snow is ideal. In other softer conditions you'd be better leaving them at home. They are undoubtedly a good laugh though. Good fun for arseing about on in spring and livening up a hillwalk. Not a serious bit of touring kit though.
matt

In reply to Chris Fryer:

Never tried hard winter boots - but the new flexible soft ski boot would seem to work in a similar fashion.

You don't notice the body armour when descending on ski hills so the same would apply, just modify it accordingly.

Also, seen the comments like this about Boarders years ago, we have an open mind and try different forms of skiing/boarding and accept that it is different some you like some you don't - just so you know I'm a 'Skiboarder' snowblades are a brand name made by Solomon.

In reply to Tinpan: feven the flexible soft ski boots are considerably more rigid than a conventional winter climbing boot.

Trust me you would notice body armour when sweating up a frozen up chimney, and I am well aware of the difference between the brand names and the generic terms, but snowblades are going the same way as windsurfers and hoovers.

In reply to Anonymous: Didn't salomon do a blade that was to work with snowboard boots at one point? I think they may have vannished without trace, but since they strap in (like a snowboard boot does) and will expect a soft boot they may work with winter boots.

Just a thought.

In reply to Maggot: winter boots and snowblade boots flex in a completely different manner, did you hear that??? *SNAP* thats your ankle trying to blade in winter boots tis all about the latteral flex

In reply to Anonymous:
I've tried to blade in winter boots and it is difficult. Ski boots are much better. High plastic boots are still not great but OK. Leathers such as the La Sportiva Lhotse are awful for blading in as they dont have enough stiffness in the ankle. Like I said earlier, dont expect blades to be a serious bit of touring kit or to make your life any easier, but if you can buy a pair cheap, perhaps off ebay they are a good laugh for arseing about on and, once you get good, may even save you a bit of time on a descent some day.
matt

In reply to mac_climb: I've had my blades for a year or so and absolutely love them, you can ski off-piste with enough practise although it's a lot more difficult and tiring. Managed quite a bit of off-piste myself with them (approx 1 metre long), you really have to lean back and keep some speed up.

In reply to matt25:

I Quote
"dont expect blades to be a serious bit of touring kit or to make your life any easier, but if you can buy a pair cheap, perhaps off ebay they are a good laugh for arseing about on"

I hope you know that Snow Blades are not a Gimicky bit of kit designed for arsing about on, once you know how to use them properly you can do 5 times as many tricks as on standard Skiis. I started skiing over ten years ago and it came quite naturally after the speed skating I had done for years before, and after year 3 was bored stiff of skiing, I bought my first pair of Snow Blades (K2 Big Airs) and it was th best thing I have ever done, recently upgraded to Heads 'Big Easys' becasue of the safety factor of the standard ski bindings which is essential for tricks etc.

Snow blades are just as extreme as snow boards and skiis, and depsire being easier to use it allows you to pull off some kick-ass trick and manevours you can only dream about on Skis, and I know because shooting down a black run at 104 on skiis is nothing to the possibilities of snow blades.

Dont Give Em A Bad Name Man...
They Are A Serious Bit Of Kit...

XSB

In reply to AJBlades:

lol - 1 metere off piste !!!

I have been off piste for miles on my sno-blades, the weight distribution is very differnet ot that of skiis due to the change in surface area, but it really isnt that difficult to ski off piste in them (Unless you are really on the large size)

XSB

In reply to Xtreme Sno-Blader:
"you can do 5 times as many tricks as on standard Skiis"

Such as?

On snowblades you cant hit jumps at the same speed for really big tricks...have any snowbladers yet matched CR Johnsons 1260s and 1440s from a few years ago. Stand up close and watch someone doing a 1080, the speed and size of jump required just isnt feasible with any degree of stability on blades.

Funnily enough I have literally just got back from Zermatt. Plenty of national teams training in the pipe. Skis, boards, but not a blade to be seen...

In reply to Xtreme Sno-Blader:
I snow bladed before I skiied and I'd choose skis every time. Get some monsters like the Saloman Scream Ltds. most sacks are perfectly capable of carrying them on the side although they weigh a ton and you wont be doing anything too technical on the way up and unless you want to carry all that gear fix it up with a touring set up. I think you should be able to climb in the touring boots and if your in the Cairngorms you can ski across the tops.

In reply to Maggot: You can't beat Atomic Beta Carvers - fantastic ski for small radius turns!

In reply to Anonymous: I have used snowblades with Asolo Plastics and also Salomon Ice Pros. If standard (non-ski) bindings are used, I have to remove the bindings and refit them (back to front). Difficult to break an ankle in them as they tend to come off quite easily; which may be a disadvantage at speed. They're great fun though, but hard on the knees. If used with ski boots, they're very sensitive to forward or backward pressure, which makes them good for improving technique. Only wallies use poles with them and a triple Salchow is difficult unless you get good air-time.