Category: Boards

First time on these boards for a New Zealand Trip with the wife and only 3 days under my belt before that. Got up on the intermediate slopes on the first day and tried the park too. Never would have done that on the old canons…

They fly across the grooms and have a nice carving circle, not too quick and not too slow. On ice I found that with a slight adjustment in stance you could carve that just as easily too. They also take up all the chatter from any crud and bumps and seem to make them disappear.

On the last day we decided to get an instructor and have a lesson, EEK!!
Really srprised when the instructor came out with his own boards. He said that it wouldn’t be fair if we had all the fun. Anyway he showed us how to work out the carving circle of our boards and got us down to 1 second carves to get our speed up. He had us on the black runs after showing us correct stance and how to stop in various situations. He then proceeded to show us how to do 360’s and all in less than an hour. Brilliant!!!

Anyway these are boards that will give you the confidence to go faster, harder and do more tricks than you have ever done and they stop on a dime too.

The only negative I have, but about skiboards in general is over this side of the world most adults seem to have an irrational hate of the things. Although this is well made up for by being surrounded and questioned by kids everywhere you go.

“Hey man they’re totally awesome, What are they? Who makes ’em? Do you need poles? Are the good for tricks? Are the good for the Pow? Where do you get them?”

First, unlike the Summit Customs in the same length, the ALPs have broader tips and tails, giving them more surface area. Also, they have more flex than the Customs. This added flex is perfect for park riders as they are more forgiving, especially on jumps. For those riders who want this flex to be more forgiving on their knees, but want the added length for more speed and stability, you can’t go wrong here. These are also lighter than the Customs, so for those who do park, they would be easier to jump with, whether they be going onto rails/boxes or doing a jump.

The first run was a little different but it wasn’t bad. The ALP’s carve on a dime and I wasn’t used to as much speed as they get. These things fly! I don’t know how many times I had to stop and wait on my snowboarding friends to catch up. I don’t know if it’s my style or what but for some reason I couldn’t get them to slow down much at all.

I went down 2 black slopes and those are still a little shaky for me. Again, my speed gets going too quickly and I have to stop myself. I was watching other people and it didn’t seem like anybody was going as fast as I was. I am a huge guy on ski’s though. My height and weight might have something to do with it. I’m 6’2, 270lbs….could that be why I was catching so much speed?

Concerning bumps, uneven terrain, and moguls: The ALPs are great because you can choose to flow with terrain, using your knees and shifting your balance to ride whales, moguls, and drift through the trees. When you don’t feel like working with the terrain, just go over it! The boards are long enough and flex enough that you can keep your knees loose and absorb the impact of choppy lines without wobbling all over the place or getting thrown. Your speed also is maintained and increases while doing this as well.

Crud: I don’t think the ALPs are so great at cutting through crud, but they get the job done. This is coming from a guy who used Woodies, which cut right through like nothing at all. Honestly, more experience is needed to make an unbiased call on this one.

Powder: The only powder I’ve gotten to ride through is New England early season powder, and I was dodging trees, so I can’t really talk too much about that. I did hit a line at Bolton through the trees, and there were a few drops (about 5 feet) which the boards landed no issue at all. That was something somewhat new for me, though. Definitely had more float than my 99s, which I actually thought handled powder pretty well themselves.

Speed: Properly tuned, your ALPs are fast. Not gonna be breaking any records, but on steeper runs you’ll be passing people.