East Coast USA Swoard owners....
Moderators: fivat, rilliet, nils
I'm on the eastcoast. More southernly than most snowboarders. Have to drive a good bit to board anything decent.
I've wanted a swoard for quite some time now, haven't had the cash. The exchange ratio has gotten better over time though. Right now I'm saving up for a Coiler AM. 680CAD isn't a bad deal for such a good board! But I'll still be longing for a 168M until I finally get my hands on one.
I've wanted a swoard for quite some time now, haven't had the cash. The exchange ratio has gotten better over time though. Right now I'm saving up for a Coiler AM. 680CAD isn't a bad deal for such a good board! But I'll still be longing for a 168M until I finally get my hands on one.
I'll hopefully be demoing Donek's G-Force (along with an Axis) this winter if that counts.
Haven't riden a quality alpine yet, so the test is really to see which board will suit me better: an Axis/Axxcess shape or EC shape.
Can't afford both so I'll really be happy if I am indeed able to demo both shapes.
Haven't riden a quality alpine yet, so the test is really to see which board will suit me better: an Axis/Axxcess shape or EC shape.
Can't afford both so I'll really be happy if I am indeed able to demo both shapes.
Axis vs Swoard
@drcr
The Swoard is perfect for what it's designed : EC !! But good snow / slopes conditions are requested.
The Axis is a very fun board for other conditions : bumps, wet snow, or powder. Not very good for EC because the sidecut radius is too small.
In summary, I use Swoard early in the morning when slopes are perfect and switch to Axis after lunch.
I own both (Swoard 168 and Axis 172) and the're both great boards, but not intended for the same use.which board will suit me better: an Axis/Axxcess shape or EC shape
The Swoard is perfect for what it's designed : EC !! But good snow / slopes conditions are requested.
The Axis is a very fun board for other conditions : bumps, wet snow, or powder. Not very good for EC because the sidecut radius is too small.
In summary, I use Swoard early in the morning when slopes are perfect and switch to Axis after lunch.
Swoard EC Pro2 168H - Swoard EC12 Boots - Gen5 168H - Stoke 162 M
Yeah, I know owning both is ideal due to the changing snow conditions throughout the day, but I can only afford one or the other right now.
The test really is which one I'll take to more i.e. If I enjoy a board with a lower/higher SCR and if higher if I'll still be overall happy with the higher SCR choice when the snow conditions drop below ideal. So far my HBing experience has been with a noodle Nitro Range 157cm I got of ebay for $50 and a few days on Mt.Hood with my OSin 4807 168cm.
So you have the Axis in 172, hum. Thinking about demoing the 172 for it's classic AM 10.2 SCR, but I'm not entirely sure whether I have sufficent body weight for it. I'm down to my lean running/soccer weight, weighing in at ~68kg (~138lbs, 168M range). What is your body weight?
Thanks,
DrCR
The test really is which one I'll take to more i.e. If I enjoy a board with a lower/higher SCR and if higher if I'll still be overall happy with the higher SCR choice when the snow conditions drop below ideal. So far my HBing experience has been with a noodle Nitro Range 157cm I got of ebay for $50 and a few days on Mt.Hood with my OSin 4807 168cm.
So you have the Axis in 172, hum. Thinking about demoing the 172 for it's classic AM 10.2 SCR, but I'm not entirely sure whether I have sufficent body weight for it. I'm down to my lean running/soccer weight, weighing in at ~68kg (~138lbs, 168M range). What is your body weight?
Thanks,
DrCR
My weight is about 74-75 kg (size 174 cm) and this board is perfect. Initially I looked for a smaller board but Sean from Donek advised me for the 172.
I understand you already have gear with soft boots for bad snow conditions. So if you switch to hardboot to make intensively EC, don't hesitate and take a Swoard !
I understand you already have gear with soft boots for bad snow conditions. So if you switch to hardboot to make intensively EC, don't hesitate and take a Swoard !
Swoard EC Pro2 168H - Swoard EC12 Boots - Gen5 168H - Stoke 162 M
- fivat
- Swoard & EC founder
- Posts: 3012
- Joined: Thursday 21 March 2002, 13:13
- Location: Geneva, Switzerland
- Contact:
Arnaud and jeanma on Swoard
I just want to say here that Arnaud and jeanma are very good at extremecarving with the Swoard: I have seen them personally on the slopes, and they have improved a lot thanks to this board (and nothing else)
With the Axis, they just seem "normal" snowboarders like many others The program of this board is simply different.
I don't agree with Arnaud: the Swoard is not only perfect on good and groomed snow in the morning. I also love it for the bumps, the soft snow in spring, or the iced snow of course. In the powder I use soft boots and a freeride board.
Patrice Fivat
With the Axis, they just seem "normal" snowboarders like many others The program of this board is simply different.
I don't agree with Arnaud: the Swoard is not only perfect on good and groomed snow in the morning. I also love it for the bumps, the soft snow in spring, or the iced snow of course. In the powder I use soft boots and a freeride board.
Patrice Fivat
I didn't say the Swoard is not good on these conditions. Yes, Swoard works fine also in soft / spring snow and it's a versatile board , but when the conditions are not perfect, it's frustrating not to take advantage of its great potential.fivat wrote:I don't agree with Arnaud: the Swoard is not only perfect on good and groomed snow in the morning. I also love it for the bumps, the soft snow in spring, or the iced snow of course.
Simply, in this case I feel the Axis much more fun.
Absolutely !fivat wrote:The program of this board is simply different.
Swoard EC Pro2 168H - Swoard EC12 Boots - Gen5 168H - Stoke 162 M
I simply think we got better in our EC understanding by riding the swoard and sharing live experiences in Zinal. That helps us when we try other carving boards but Patrice, you're simply better than we are. At your level of practice the swoard surely IS the better compromise for powder, bumps and carving. I just said I had a lot of fun with the Donek. Does it mean I can have fun now with any other carving boards ? Maybe. I found the limits of the Donek on icy slopes though, I haven't with the swoard, still scared sometimes . The swoard and the Donek are both good carving tools on well groomed slopes. Depends on your level of practice. I feel safer on my swoard though and that' why I still keep trying pushing my limits when I ride it (when I'm on a good day )
I suppose I shouldn't be suprised to now find myself wanting to just go with a Swoard lol, and yeah, I know what you mean about looking like a 'normal' snowboarder.
Seriously though, I'm hoping to just simply demo the two Doneks' for my few days of riding this year and purchasing a board next year. And to be honest the 1k+USD final price tag is a deciding factor for me right now. Maybe I'll be able to poney it up (spent the money, US slang) in the next couple of year, though I feel I own Sean for letting me demo the boards. Maybe I'll end up with both an Axis and a Swoard after all.
DrCR
Seriously though, I'm hoping to just simply demo the two Doneks' for my few days of riding this year and purchasing a board next year. And to be honest the 1k+USD final price tag is a deciding factor for me right now. Maybe I'll be able to poney it up (spent the money, US slang) in the next couple of year, though I feel I own Sean for letting me demo the boards. Maybe I'll end up with both an Axis and a Swoard after all.
DrCR