Perfect Snow Board for woodworkers who ride!

[Dave Gaul]

So I recently tried snowboarding. Been out twice, hooked the first time! My youngest daughter (15) wanted snowboard gear for Christmas, and I've always wanted to try, so now's the time!! Been searching for the perfect board... and I think I found it!! Saw one just like this on the mountain yesterday, and I think I'm convinced!!!

[curtis rosche]

i got one last year for Christmas, a burton k2 got a season pass thing year. of course theres no snow. but i would love to have that board

[Mike Cruz]

I see an inherent problem with it, though, Dave... It is all one piece. :rolleyes: When things get strapped to your feet when you are on the snow, there should always be two of them. Now, take that board to the band saw, and cut it in half with parabolic curves on each of the two new edges, and we'll talk. ;) THIS is how it should look...222797222796222795 Yeah, these are of yours truly...:D

[Dave Gaul]

i got one last year for Christmas, a burton k2 got a season pass thing year. of course theres no snow. but i would love to have that board

I've been to Camelback twice so far. First time had fresh snow, 2nd time was just this past Saturday, no fresh snow but the conditions were just fine there.

[Dave Gaul]

I see an inherent problem with it, though, Dave... It is all one piece. :rolleyes: When things get strapped to your feet when you are on the snow, there should always be two of them. Now, take that board to the band saw, and cut it in half with parabolic curves on each of the two new edges, and we'll talk. ;) THIS is how it should look...222797222796222795 Yeah, these are of yours truly...:D

Haha! Great pics Mike!!!

You know, I have wanted to snowboard ever since I knew what it was, but I just have never had a desire to ski, sorry man!!

[Andy Muckle]

Dave,

I've had the bug for an Arbor snowboard longer than I've had the woodworking bug, but my old Burton just won't die. Maybe those boards are part of the reason I got into WW!

Andy

[Steve Griffin]

If you are a woodworker, no need to buy a wood one--make one.

My employee is an avid snowboarder and rides his homebuilt board several days a week.

[curtis rosche]

Dave, i wish i could get there. my pass works at roundtop, liberty, and whitetail. and i have to try to fit it around college classes. and i have no car of my own on campus so i have to find a ride with someone else whos going. im still hoping for a snowday so i can go spend the day boarding

[Mike Cruz]

Hey, Chris, meet me at Roundtop on Friday night. We race Nastar on Lower Exhibition from 6:30pm til 9pm (or until the course wears out...). I'll be in all black with a red helmet. I wear a race suit (black with a dab of red on the legs) and a practice jacket (padded). Oh, and I have a goatee. We have two weeks left of the league...this Friday and next. Unless, because of some canceled weeks, they decide to extend it a week or two...but I doubt it.

I'd say meet me at Liberty or Whitetail, but neither of them run Nastar anymore...bummer...they are the closest two resorts to me.

Oh, and if you haven't tried it yet, you know you can run gates on a board, right?

[curtis rosche]

Mike, im still learnin. i got my board for christmas last year and i had never been on the slopes before. hopefully i can get up there friday. i wear all carhart, no helmet and burton boots bindings and board

[Mike Cruz]

Dude, get a helmet. You are safe in your shop aren't you? A skull cap will save you... Hope to see you there...I'll keep an eye out.

[curtis rosche]

you dont happen to go anywhere near millersville on your way there?

[Mike Cruz]

Not sure where Millersville is... I come up on 15 from Frederick.

[curtis rosche]

oh, just looked it up, its way the otherway from you.

[Jim Matthews]

Snowboards are the ideal Spring Conditions boards. Deep and steep? The snowboard makes the going MUCH easier.

For ice, groomed corduroy and flat hills - I'll stay with the sticks. I'm on the fence, since 1986 (before many posting here were born).
I'm surprised anyone has sufficient snow to race, it's basically Spring here.

[Dave Gaul]

Dave, i wish i could get there. my pass works at roundtop, liberty, and whitetail. and i have to try to fit it around college classes. and i have no car of my own on campus so i have to find a ride with someone else whos going. im still hoping for a snowday so i can go spend the day boarding

Gotchya. Roundtop is as close to me as Camelback, if I get out that way before the season ends, I'll let ya know, wouldn't mind picking ya up, you'd pretty much be on my way to Roundtop...

[Dave Gaul]

Dave,

I've had the bug for an Arbor snowboard longer than I've had the woodworking bug, but my old Burton just won't die. Maybe those boards are part of the reason I got into WW!

Andy

Yeah I might not get the Arbor, from what I'm reading, they might be too advanced for a beginner. Plus, I'm only 5'7", so I should have a 151cm board, and the smallest arbor is 158 (i think). Burton does seem to make good boards!

[Dave Gaul]

If you are a woodworker, no need to buy a wood one--make one.

My employee is an avid snowboarder and rides his homebuilt board several days a week.

Steve, I believe all boards are made from wood. Plywood actually. Arbor just make a few that have a wood-grain finish instead of graphics.
I thought about venturing into making my own, and maybe someday I will, but there is so much involved, especially now, there's different ways the boards are shaped with camber, reverse camber/rocker and such...

[curtis rosche]

Gotchya. Roundtop is as close to me as Camelback, if I get out that way before the season ends, I'll let ya know, wouldn't mind picking ya up, you'd pretty much be on my way to Roundtop...



im game anytime after 5 tuesday thursday and anytime till 6 monday thursday

[Mike Cruz]

Hey, Dave, pick Curtis up this Friday afternoon and you can both meet up with a two-planker...;) Try your hand at gates. It is the most fun you can have with your clot...never mind. Anyway, it is a vortex of sorts. It is recreational racing. You don't have to be good, just willing to try. $5 for two runs or $10 for unlimited runs. Then, you can look up how you did on Nastar.com . You get a "page" that shows all your stats. Here's mine. http://skiracing.nastar.com/index.jsp?pagename=results&page=comp&compid=448818 My mom is in her 70's and has done it. Did last year as a matter of fact. You can be 1 or 101. There is a handicap system and you get a "pin/medal" for your accomplishment. I can't paint enough of a fun picture about it. Come join me this Friday, guys...

[Dave Gaul]

Mike, that sounds like a lot of fun, and I would love to try that someday, but I am not even close to being ready for that! I've only been out twice... I can barely link my turns, and haven't quite mastered stopping yet!!

[Mike Cruz]

Good thing about racing is that you aren't judged on your stopping ability...:D

Okay, okay, I'll stop egging you two on to race. When you feel comfortable, give it a try.

[curtis rosche]

Dave, i can teach you how to stop. i can kinda link my turns. we can try to teach each other. i got a lesson last time i was up but i wasnt able to stay after the lesson to try out what i learned. we can look like falling fools together :D

[Dave Gaul]

Thanks Mike, seriously, I would like to try that someday!

Curtis, I've taken two lessons so far, 2nd lesson my daughter & I leaped forward quite a bit in turning ability, but we still have lots of work to do!! That would be great man... but I gotta start falling less soon... not sure how much more my body can take!!!

[curtis rosche]

so is operation roundtop a go then? lol :cool:

[Dave Gaul]

so is operation roundtop a go then? lol :cool:

If we can get our schedules to match up once, sure! I'm a full-time single dad, so my time is limited too...

[Mike Cruz]

Are you guys talking about "in general" or this Friday?

[Dave Gaul]

I assumed we were talking in general... as much as I love to come out there this Friday, that won't happen for me.

[curtis rosche]

i was talking about anyday that there is snow on the slopes

[Mike Cruz]

I've been at Roundtop the last three Fridays. The conditions are remarkably nice. This past Friday it was a bit choppy, but up until then, it was unbelievable...

[Eric DeSilva]

+1 on the helmet thing.

I've given up on east coast skiing, but ski as much as I can in CO, UT, NM and WY--I can't remember a time in the last five years that I've seen anyone without a helmet. There's a reason for that. Heck--my personal belief is that snowboards are even worse in that respect than skis, since when you go over the top after catching a heel-side edge, you're going get slapped down hard--culminating in the rear of your skull hitting the snowpack with considerable force. If you are skiing mid-east coast hills, that generally means hitting ice. Ice is about as forgiving as concrete.

Helmets are a lot cheaper than a trip to the emergency room (or worse).

[Eric DeSilva]

I thought most boards--and skis--were made of composites these days. While you certainly can make a ski or board of wood, I would think--in addition to the challenges Dave points out with the camber--is getting the metal edge right and protecting the base adequately. I've managed, in years past, to put some serious core shots into the bottoms of my skis, and the skis that I've owned have been pretty tough composites. I'm pretty sure some of those little accidents would have ripped right through a wood laminate board unless it had some kevlar or something bonded to it.

[Dave Gaul]

Eric, I think you are right about skis, but every board I've looked at has some type of wood core, generally plywood. Many advertise a mix of high quality plywood, poplar, and/or bamboo. Some seem to have some type carbon rod reinforcement, and the steel edge you mentioned.

Just watched Arbor's video on the board in my OP. Looks like the bottom of the board is some type of composite, but the core and deck are definitely wood!

[Mike Cruz]

Eric, race stock skis (those made for and reserved for, the elite racers) have wood cores. And yes, they are laminates. The skis that the public gets are composites that are far inferior in performance.

I've thought about making a pair of skis...But the edge thing is what always stops me. And yes, there would need to be some sort of "base" to hold the wax. Of course, you don't NEED any of that. But if you didn't, you would be thrown back 100 years in technology and performance. I can't imagine carving a turn without metal edges. But if you made two skis out of wood, mounted some bindings, and started down a hill, I'm sure they would "work" and you would get used to them enough to "ski".

I did make a ski out of wood once...as a plaque for winners of a ski race that I've participated in for the last 7 years or so. It was made of walnut, was parabolic, and had camber...hehe, the camber was easy...I just used a board that was bowed.

[Thomas S Stockton]

Dave
I have an Arbor board they are really nice, in some ways to nice I'm a little paranoid someone will steal it so I always use board check. Mine has a bamboo top sheet.
Tom

[Dave Gaul]

Dave
I have an Arbor board they are really nice, in some ways to nice I'm a little paranoid someone will steal it so I always use board check. Mine has a bamboo top sheet.
Tom

Haha nice! Yeah I'm pretty much settled now on the Element RX! After doing some more research, I think this board will serve me just fine for quite a while!!

[curtis rosche]

its snowing.

[Dave Gaul]

its snowing.

Won't do me much good here... not even sticking! (although it probably will stick on the slopes!) Going to Bear Creek Sunday, supposed to snow saturday into sunday!

[curtis rosche]

went to ski roundtop today for an early birthday present with friends, i saw someone with one of these boards. they had the white one.

its amazing how nice the slopes are on a monday between 10 and 3

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, conditions were great on Friday, too. Though I did take a big wipe out! My right thigh is still sore... This Friday is the last Friday night for our league. If you guys want to meet up, Friday would be good...

[curtis rosche]

Yeah, conditions were great on Friday, too. Though I did take a big wipe out! My right thigh is still sore... This Friday is the last Friday night for our league. If you guys want to meet up, Friday would be good...

wish i could, but i got some party plans for friday night. i did a flip or two today, but its alot softer on the powder than the ice