Author: Andrew

Revolts are awesome for riding the mountain…

This is a review of the 2013 Revolt Trees, I have these mounted with the Receptor Snowboard risers and I use Union Force snowboard bindings. I used these skis at Whiteface in NY for the first time last weekend. Conditions were primarily packed powder and loose granular. I can honestly say that this skiboard can handle anything. It was quick and stable through the moguls, held a great edge on the hard pack and handled well on the jumps. It was stable at high speeds and performed very well on all open trails. Unfortunately due to a low snowpack, I was unable to test the ski boards on the slides at Whiteface or in the trees. The flex on this skiboard was perfect for all mountain riding. This is an awesome skiboard for riding the mountain and handled great even with the soft boot setup!
Rider – Kevin – Expert Skiboarder (2013 Tree model)


Skiboardmagazine.com’s Jason Review the Dynastar 99cm Twin Board

The first thing I noticed from these boards was the big turning radius. At around 8.5 meters, it’s comparable to the RVL8 Rumspringas, but much wider, 13.5 cm wide at the tips and 11.5 at the waist, making its width up to par with boards made today (these boards are from the early 2000s)

Combine that turning radius with a pretty stiff board, and these are short carving monsters! They really can be pushed aggressively on steep and fast terrain like no other boards made today, but with much wider turns.

The stiffness makes them a little unforgiving, and you’ll definitely feel the terrain more than with softer boards.

In the park the big turning radius makes landings pretty solid, but the stiffness a little unforgiving. They are completely symmetrical, so great for fakie riding. The big turning radius was a bit of hindrance to getting spinney and creative, but if that’s not your thing you’ll might really enjoy them in the park.

They are not the longest boards so in soft snow there isn’t as much lift, but the waist underfoot is pretty wide giving them a pretty large surface area for their size.

If you want to bomb hills and do long aggressive carves, these are great, and are pretty impressive for their size! Dynastar really packed in a lot of punch with the 99cm old time size limit!

I’d recommend pairing these up with a fairly stiff boot, as a soft boot might have trouble keeping up with the boards.

Note: These usually come with 4×4 Dynastar bindings but I swapped those out for my own bindings are the quality didn’t look that great, so the review doesn’t include the Dynastar bindings.

Rider – Jason Roussel – Expert Skiboarder – Co-Founder Skiboardmagazine.com

Robert reviews the GGO Spine and Middleman Binding System…

I knew I didn’t want to spend another day on the slopes in ski boots, so off to snowboard boot skiboard bindings I went.

My setup: 2009 Ride LX bindings, GGO’s MiddleMan riser & Spine highback on Summit Custom 110 Woodies, and Salomon Malamute boots (one of the suggested “stiff” snowboard boots for this off-prescription use).

The skiboards got on edge as easily as they did in hardboots (good MiddleMan riser height), and I don’t know whether they were confidence-inspiring or I was just getting cocky, but I found myself being (even) more playful on the slopes than normal.

Additionally, I appreciated being able to adjust the rotation of the boards in relation to my feet. The option to have this adjustment allowed me to discover, that at least with my riding style/body mechanics, I felt more confidence, and felt as if I was “gripping the slope better” by pointing my toes toward each other 3 degrees in relation to the skiboard tips. Doesn’t mean that you’ll come to the same conclusion, but at least you get to easily experiment with this setup!

Regardless, I recommend this product. Thanks for the skiboard bindings, Gadget Geeks!

Rider – Robert – Intermediate Skiboarder

Skiboardreview.com’s Andrew reviews the Rocker Bindings…

During the 2011/2012 season I picked up a set of the new Rocker soft boot bindings for skiboards. I also bought a pair of soft snowboard boots so I could get the full experience. Right out of the box I was impressed with the bindings.

The solid construction and material used instantly made me feel like they were going to be able to hold up to my 6’ 2” 225lb frame. I proceeded to mount them onto a pair of RVL8 Revolts. I started using a regular socket wrench for attaching them to the boards, but quickly found that it was a little more difficult with the height of the back and side of the bindings to use that socket. So I got out the extended socket wrench and had installed them easily.

Also during installation I checked on the bumpers which are solid rubber secured with a screw so the base plate. Those rubber bumpers are really a great idea and help keep the screws in place during use of the bindings. I needed to tighten one bumper and that caused a problem. The base of the binding has a thick sole glued to it to provide cushion for your boots, and it’s a great idea because you definitely don’t want to be standing directly on metal when skiboarding, it would be quiet uncomfortable. It also covered up the screws for the bumpers making it difficult to tighten once they become loose, but it can be done.

Never having been a snowboarder I wasn’t sure how comfortable it would be to be using soft boots while on skiboards. But I took a recommendation and got the stiffest boots I could find and went out with them.

Bindings are now secure to my satisfaction, time to hit the slopes!

I took it slow and leisurely at first, but just like with the first time I was on skiboards, I quickly became comfortable and picked up the pace. The three straps on the binding that hold you in place are solid as a rock, and if tightened properly, hold you in place and give no wiggle room. This allowed me to feel the snow better just like I would in my hard shell boots.

As I got more and more comfortable I put myself on edge more and more and carved harder and harder on groomers. The bindings held true and did not give at all.

The real concern I had was with the long screws from the base of the binding down to the skiboards. I thought with such a long screw that getting on edge and pushing hard would cause the board to separate from the binding and the screws would rip out when given so much side pressure. But that was not the case, they held true and I was as comfortable carving with the Rockers as I am with my Spruce Riser Pros. That’s saying a lot from a soft boot binding system.

I did take them to the Midwest Meet last year up at Mount Bohemia, which is all powder backcountry skiboarding. That is where my comfort ended. I found out quickly that I ride on my heels a lot, not knowingly, almost too far on my heels that I was no longer comfortable. Not being a veteran powder rider I wasn’t prepared for it and lost my footing a lot. Since that trip I’ve learned that the Rockers are prepared for goofs like me with the ability to adjust the back leg rest of the binding forward. Had I been aware of that at the time it could have very well made a huge difference, but I wasn’t able to try that feature out last year during that trip. And the rest of the year all I have are groomers to ride on.

I don’t do park, so I can’t speak for the bindings there, but with as solid as they are, I can’t imagine there would be any issues.

The more I used the Rockers in weeks and months throughout the season, besides Bohemia, I really enjoyed the comfort of a soft shell boot and the knowledge of knowing the Rockers are tanks and would not release on me in any way.

I’d comfortably give this product 4 out of 5, great job Rocker!

Rider – Andrew Deehr – Intermediate Skiboarder – Webmaster@Skiboardreview.com

The Summit Marauder is a great board…

The Summit Marauder is a great board. It has very nice construction quality. It is sidewall construction as opposed to the cap construction of the Spruce long boards… but I can’t really say I notice much difference performance wise in sidewall vs cap construction. It has great float in pow and definitely more float then the Spruce 120, and has good edge hold. BUT it in no way matches the performance of the Sherpa. The Sherpa beats the Marauder on every count hands down, in stability, powder performance, ice hold, stability in crud, speed, even on turn ability and carving. A lot of the carving performance difference has to do with the more relaxed side cut of the Marauder vs. the very tight turning radius of the Sherpa. The Sherpa’s 160 tips are simply amazing in pow and crud and offer major improvements in performance over the 147 tips of the Marauder in those conditions as well.

Marauder in the backcountry and am using it more than the Sherpa for one reason. It is easier to climb with than the Sherpa. If I could get the Sherpa UP the hill as easily as I can get the Marauder, the Sherpa would be hands down my favorite backcountry board. The Marauder has two primary benefits for me in the backcountry. I travel in the company of skiers all of whom have smaller tips then me! We take turns breaking trail and following each other. If I am on my Sherpa. I cannot fit in their track because of my huge tips!!! I either have to break trail myself all the time or else break the trail again for my wider boards! Also , when climbing uphill traversing across icy slopes , the straighter side cut and smaller tips allow me to get a better climbing edge then the deeper side cut of the Sherpa so climbing in those conditions are easier .

The Marauder has a significant float increase over the Spruce 120 which I used extensively in the backcountry last season and so for these reasons it has become my go to backcountry board.

Rider – Jack Jue – Expert Skiboarder


Marauders are exactly what I was looking for…

I have ridden boards ranging from Head Shape 94 and the RVL8 Tansho to RVL8 KTP, Condor, Mary Jane, Revolt, ALP and the Spruce 120. My favorites, by far, have been the Condors. However, I was really wanting an all-mountain board that would give me easy setback for powder and chop and have bindings that would be easily adjustable to different sole length boots when I wanted to loan them out to a friend.

The Marauders have turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The direct mount Tyrolia railflex binding has all the on-the-fly adjustability I wanted, and the Marauder is just a perfect board for me in the deep and soft stuff. If I intend to spend an entire day off the groomed runs, this is the board I take. I like it over the Spruce 120 due to the extra width and surface area. I am a heavier rider at around 185-190 lbs and I prefer wider boards.

I typically prefer the shorter boards (specifically the RVL8 Condor and KTP), but until I can devise a way to get on-the-fly setback and sole length adjustability on a release binding setup on the Condors, the Marauders have to fill this niche for me. They are as long as I would ever want to go, have great float, and great edge hold. In all, it’s a good setup and a good choice for heavier riders in pow and for those who want some flexibility in binding adjustments.

Rider – Robert Oshea – Intermediate Skiboarder


Custom Woodies are ultra stiff…

A great unique board which is no longer made. Ultra stiff, ultra solid, plows through anything is how I’d describe it. It has great edge control and works well in pow.
The Custom stiff all wood Summit 110 from last year is much, much heavier then the ALP and very much more stiff. It is uniformly stiff through the board which leads to a weightier, more mass like feel on the snow. It takes more rider effort to get on edge but once there feels extremely stable.

Rider – Jack Jue – Expert Skiboarder

Custom Woodies take on all conditions and can handle them all…

I’ve owned the Summit Custom Woodies stiff version for several years now. Going from 98cm to 110cm took about a couple of runs to get used to, especially the speed. These things are super fast. The Summits are as stiff, if not stiffer, than the MNPs, which make them accelerate like nothing else I have tried before. They may rival the Line Bullets as the fastest skiboards around. Most prefer skiboards that has more flex and more give to them, but I prefer to feel every single detail of a mountain, and the stiffness of this pair of skiboards really launches me out of a carve. Of all the skiboards that I own, this is the pair I go to all the time and is my all time favorite. Love the speed, love the grip, love the control, and they also perform in thigh-deep powder without missing a beat. Since they are so stiff, they don’t really float over powder, instead, they plow right through powder.

Have taken these skiboards on groomers, backbowls, backcountry, boardercross, ice, powder, slush, bumps, east coast, west coast, Canada, Europe, South America, etc… and there hasn’t been a condition where they cannot handle, with full confidence that I am in full control.

Rider – Edward Ho – Expert Skiboarder

Custom Woodies are confidence inspiring…

This is my first pair of skiboards – I’m 6’4″, 195lbs. I chose 110cm because I wanted to use non-releasable bindings with a longer skiboard.

Background: I switched from skis because although I was decent on skis (spent three seasons, ~6 times per season on Colorado mountains), I never became great at it. I would push myself too much on some steeper slopes, gather speed, cross my tips, and inevitably faceplant. I grew sick of this, and when I went to Snowshoe, WV last year, I asked for the shortest rentals they had – think I spent the weekend on a pair of 135cm skis and was overjoyed – magnitudes more control was enjoyed by me, and they were forgiving – if I was dragging the wrong edge, it didn’t hurl me down the mountain, I just removed pressure from that edge and kept going.

Now that I knew shorter meant more control and more forgiving, I wanted to buy my first pair of boards. I probably should’ve thought about this in the off season so that I could’ve picked up a pair of Condors with a serious discount, but I was able to pick up a pair of these “woodies” at a decent price. The first thing that struck me was how beautiful they were – I look forward to refinishing them when they get a bit of wear and tear – the fact that they have a wooden topsheet means that I can take a bit of sandpaper to them in the offseason, then refinish with a couple of coats of polyurethane.

These boards are very confidence inspiring – I like that their stiffness grabs high speed carves that I previously wouldn’t have felt as comfortable on, making irregularities in the terrain of little notice. They also feel like they accelerate quicker than the shorter skis that I tried out last season. I stayed out of moguls (never did like them), but did make short excursions in and out of the trees on the edges of groomers without worry. I think the last thing that I can offer some opinion on is their ability to handle “crud”. Fake snow in piles, slush, piles of powder on groomers – I had expected to worry about pitching end over end due to other skiboarders’ advice on setting inserts back, or moving your center of balance so that you don’t dig your tips in and pitch forward as if hitting a curb. I shouldn’t have worried about it – After I went through the first crud, I began aiming for them for the sheer joy of charging through and continuing without worry.

Add-ons: Snowjam Extreme 2 non-releasables – heavy, but very sturdy. Had read about the possibility of screws backing out after the first day, but I had no difficulties – tightened them all the way down, left them for a couple of days, and then tightened a little bit further – they’re not coming out. Line skiboarding boots were used – they worked fine, didn’t tilt me forward so that I could maneuver my balance more easily, but I’m done with hard boots. Looking forward to a RVL8 Receptor Soft Binding, a Rockerbinding, and a pair of stiff snowboard boots to make my days on the slopes confident AND comfortable.

Rider – Rob – Beginning Skiboarder

Custom Carbons are fast…

Since I own the Summit Custom Woodies 110cm stiff skiboards, when the Carbon version came out, I just had to get them. I’ve found for myself, the 110cm length is my perfect length. Why did I purchase the Carbons when I already own the Woodies? I was looking for a skiboard with the same shape and characteristics of the Woodies, but in a slightly lighter version as the Woodies are really heavy.

Performance-wise, they have more flex than the Woodies, which for me, isn’t a great thing since I do prefer a skiboard that is super stiff, but aside from that, they perform just like the Woodies in various conditions, being a bit more forgiving than the Woodies with more of a flex. They are fast, they grip on ice, they are fast, and for me, they are almost just right. If they were stiffer, they would be just right, but I think for the majority, this is the right combination of flex with all-around mountain performance.

Rider – Edward Ho – Expert Skiboarder