I used my EMPs in the Canadian Rockies this last week for the first time in varied terrain, from 12 inch powder to freshly groomed trails. The skiboards exceeded my expectations and instilled confidence to try more challenging terrain.
Some background: I am nearly 48 years old, 6′, 195 lbs, non-athletic, and I have been skiboarding mostly green and the occasional blue groomed run for 2 years using SnowJam 90s. I upgraded to the 105 EMPs this season because I found that I had to be constantly adjusting my posture to maintain my balance on the SJ90s when in rough terrain. Greco’s recommendation to upgrade to the EMPs proved to be a perfect match to my ability (or lack of); the extra length provided the stability I desired, while maintaining maneuverability.
Per Valmorel’s recommendations for an all mountain setup in other forum threads, I modified my Spruce composite bindings to provide a 40 mm setback and I replaced the bindings with S810TIs to provide a more direct transfer from the boots to the skiboards.
My first day with the EMPs was at Sunshine Village ski resort. The first run was on a familiar and easy green run, that soon proved to be boring so I moved on to blues. By lunch, I was comfortable on short blacks and was able to join my teenage snowboarding children on runs I never dreamed of being on.
My second (Christmas) day, was at Kicking Horse ski resort and we were treated to fresh powder that reached depths of over 12 inches in the upper bowl. The EMPs carried me through the powder and they were effortless to control through the trees, which I struggled with in the past, and always avoided. Traversing previous tracks and other uneven terrain proved to be easy, and enjoyable. I could not get enough of the powder and the tree runs.
During the remaining three days, another two at Kicking Horse, and one day at Panorama ski resort, I progressively became braver. I did moguls, and let the skiboards max out their speed on familiar terrain while “racing” skiers and my children.
Thank you Greco and Valmorel for helping me find a skiboard and setup that has given me the confidence to step out of my previous comfort zone. The EMPs provide the ride that instills confidence.
Rider – Slow – Intermediate Skiboarder (2007 Ethan Mitchel Pro model)
