Category: KTP

Skiboardreview.com’s Editor Andrew tackles the RVL8 KTP’s

Over the years I have tried many different boards and have found I really enjoy a stiff board as I sit back seat when I ride. For the past few seasons I’ve been using the Loken CT8’s which are 99cm and super stiff. I’ve always been told to try out the RVL8 KTP for that reason, as it’s just a bit longer than the CT8’s and they are nice and stiff.

I had my opportunity at the 2015 Midwest Meet in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula at Mount Bohemia, which is all backcountry tree skiing. The width and stiffness of the boards is what I noticed right off the bat. Several times I found myself sitting too far backseat and on softer boards I would have went down, but not on the KTP’s.

The boards are just .5cm larger at the tip and the tail than the CT8’s but the extra length and 1cm larger at the waist made them feel much larger. The width did surprise me at first and it took a good day of riding to get used to them, but by day 2 it had all come together.

Taking quick turns through the dense areas of Bohemia wasn’t a chore once I got used to these. I was able to point downhill and just go, and not stop or scrub speed. I’m in my mid 30’s and there have been times in years past I wasn’t able to keep up with the youngsters in our group, this year I did a lot better job of keeping up, and even over taking some.

The KTP’s were there pushing me to do more, pushing me to go faster, to cut turns sharper, to slide through that narrow tree opening, to take that steeper elevation with more aggression than I had in years past.

I’m not a cliff dropper or a park rat, I don’t grind anything, so I don’t need the KTP’s to do that for me, I was looking for responsiveness and stiffness to allow me to move seamlessly through the glades and to allow me to sit back seat and float if we get some Londer (Inside joke, but that’s referring to powder at Bohemia). We didn’t run into much der when we were there, but what we did find I floated nicely through.

Cutting through trees quickly and easily was the name of the game, and the KTP’s shined at every turn. I had borrowed a pair of 2011’s at the meet, but no more than 2 days after I returned I put in my order for 2015’s, which have arrived.

The length is right on, the width is big, but very manageable and the stiffness is where I need it. I don’t have any complaints about these boards, they are now going to be my go to board. For me, these boards are exactly what I was needing in a skiboard.

That’s my opinion, what’s yours?

Rider – Andrew Deehr – Editor of Skiboardreview.com

Skiboardmagazine’s Jason reviews the KTP’s

Probably one of the most innovative products for the 0708 season the RVL8 KTP skiboards are the first Kirk Thompson signature skiboards, feature extra wide tips and waist and have six inserts to give the possibility of setting back bindings by 4 cm.

At first I thought these where really too wide for groomed runs before I even tried them (15.5cm at the tips and 12.5 at the waist.) Although they do take more effort than mid-wide or narrow skiboards to get up on edge and turn, they do pretty well on flat groomed snow. The extra width makes them a little stiffer from tip to tip, but it doesn’t catch ice as well as narrower skiboards.

These mid-length skiboards are stable as hell when going big. For drops and big air they lock like bolts. High speed carving, if you don’t mind the extra effort is pretty stable as well. The tight 5.2 meter turning radius feels just about right for these boards, giving you a little extra push for those tight turns and compliments the extra width.

For butters and presses the width and RVL8 blunt tips makes them super stable as well as for rail slides, but again the width has a bit of a downside were you gotta put more effort to throw these skiboards around.

Now where these boards really shine and give a whole new riding experience is in the powder and soft snow. The width gives you the float of longer 110+ cm skiboards in a smaller mid-size 101 cm ride.

The set back feature. In my opinion, the most innovative feature on any skiboard made up until now. They have the industry standard 4×4 insert pattern, with an extra 2 more inserts behind them. This means that you can set back any binding by 4 cm with ease! This provides just a perfect amount of tail pressure to pop your front tips out of the soft snow, without much effort. I’d love to see this feature on more skiboards. Set back of course give performance boost in soft snow, but on the rest of the mountain, from groomed to park, center mount is much better.

I would definitely recommend these skiboards to rider who are going to be going big in the terrain park, and riding a lot of soft snow, maybe 40% of the time or more. Or if you’re looking for soft snow shredders to add to your collection these are definitely a good choice.

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





KTPs reacted very very well

From about 8:30am till 12pm, did about 14 runs on the KTPs. Conditions were great, groomed but not iced, powder spots all over the place, etc… How did the KTPs react?

The KTPs reacted very very well. They turned very quickly similar to my old MNPs and to the BWPs, but with the added width, you can plow through powder spots without missing a beat. On the MNPs, when you hit a big powder spot, the skiboards would lift you up slightly, or even get caught, with the KTPs, they ran right through them. As someone who tends to gain as much speed as I can, the KTPs do show signs of chatter when making a fast turn, but they grip and hold onto edge without a problem. The added width also made them faster, on flats skating with them wasn’t a problem. For anyone that uses 98s who feel that going up to 105s or 110s would be too much but want something that is more “all terrain”, I would definitely recommend getting the KTPs. You won’t lose the turning quickness of 98s, but have the added width and stability of a wider skiboard. Extremely nimble. These are slightly stiffer than the BWPs, but there is enough flex to be forgiving for those who prefer a medium-flex for their skiboards. I’m not a park rider, but I’m sure the added width is perfect for park riders doing rails, boxes, jumps, etc…

Rider – Edward Ho – Expert Skiboarder





KTP’s are a hoot…

Had a chance the other day to try out some things including a brand new pair of KTP’s and thought I’d pass along some comments.

These really are a hoot. I’m not a park rider, but at our modest local midwest resort, the lift lines are often long and the runs are short. It’s not Colorado but it’s better than watching reruns of “Mannix” on TV. To get the most enjoyment in these conditions, I like to maximize “dwell time” on these mini-runs by goofing around, stopping, starting, spinning, playing around switch, etc. I thought the KTP’s might just be the ticket.

The first thing I found interesting about these was how easy it was to, while barely moving, stand flat and spin or move any direction with just a slight weight shift and subtle edge pressure. It’s easy to see how, with some practice, these could be made to do almost anything. With some more speed and slope, tight arcs were super-easy and suprisingly stable. I thought the width might be a problem for skating but it wasn’t difficult at all. Ice hold here is always an issue here, but this wasn’t a problem. Like all skiboards and especially with this kind of width, it’s critical to always stay on an edge.

My snowboarder-nephew is always challenging me to “races”. I generally ride longboard-type skiboards and always beat him. If I ever lost there would be shame and humiliation involved. I won the first of these races on the KTP’s, but just barely. Subsequently I took him by bigger margins as I learned to ride these on the correct edge angle. I can see where there is the big upside to these for advanced riders. It’s too bad there’s nothing but ice here, I would have liked to try out the extra setback inserts

Once, when we got on the lift, the attendant hollered something at me using terms I didn’t understand. I didn’t know how to take it. My young nephew informed me, however, that it was a compliment in “skater-talk”. I don’t remember the exact phrase that fellow used, but several folks were complimentary and inquired about the KTP’s. There was another guy at the resort that day with a brand new pair of Revolt chickens with Spruce Risers, he seemed to really like them…we’re trending up!

These won’t replace my 120’s for general cruising on Colorado trips, but for a change of pace or just having pure-d fun these are a blast. Thanks, Greco and Kirk, for coming up with a really neat ‘board!

Rider – El Slurpo – Intermediate Skiboarder





KTP’s are super fun boards

The RVL8 KTP’s are super fun boards that are way maneuverable. These things skate like a dream and are very stable for a shorter board. That makes them a total gas on groomers. They hold an edge excellently on ice. Nice stiff construction. They work in set back position in pow pretty well, although I prefer the longer boards for that.

Rider – Jack Jue – Expert Skiboarder





KTP’s are a great board…

I am 5’4″ and 145Lbs female and rode these ‘o8 KTP’s with the pink/red Zero bindings and have heard a lot of people say they seem to wide, well they have not rode them; The KTP just might be the best all mountain skiboard I have rode, and I have rode the Revolt.
Solid, fast, yes some chatter, carve nicely, handle powder, handle grooms or non groomed runs, bombing down hills was great, and handled hard pack… I didn’t have any ice anywhere to try, but they will be fine in it.

Not too wide at all! That is a misconception.

A great board, don’t let the width steer you away from one of the best R8 skiboards made!

Rider – Shelley Bright – Intermediate Skiboarder





KTPs are stellar

This is my second season skiboarding and I’ve been on Head Shape 94s, Tansho’s with Bomber Elites, and now KTPs with Spruce Pro Light riser and binding set up.

KTPs are stellar. For those of you who may be concerned about the width, don’t be. These boards are a dream.

I’m 5’8″ and about 195 lbs. Conditions were varied. I rode all day… mostly on groomers and found some icy hardpack, some fluffy stuff, and some in between.

KTPs floated through the soft stuff well (surprising considering my weight), held a good edge on the icy stuff, and really felt pretty effortless to carve. I was expecting directional changes and transitions to be be more work and more difficult due to the extra width of the KTP, but that did not end up being the case at all.

Don’t know what all the fuss is about regarding the width. Maybe it didn’t seem difficult to me because of my weight or maybe it was just because I was piloting them aggressively. Whatever the case, I had a blast and the boards rode beautifully.

I have been contemplating ordering a pair of Spruce 120s for more all mountain an pow work, but now I think I’ll just be sticking with these KTPs until I run into terrain that they just can’t handle for me.

Wow … these things are just absolutely tasty.

Rider – Robert OShea – Intermediate Skiboarder





KTP’s are very responsive…

I finally have a chance to try out the 2008 RVL8 KTP with Zero bindings. My first impression was “wow these boards are wide”, I even email Greco about their exchange policy. But good thing I didn’t exchange for another board.

Today condition was machine groom but with 15cm of fresh snow and ice patches here and there on the slope.

I went down a black diamond and the KTP reacts very well and its very responsive. But when I was going down a black diamond very fast, the KTP did chatter a bit as I was craving really quickly side to side but even going through an ice patches, it grips the ice very well. Skating with the ktp were very easy and not tiring at all even with the added width. I did went off a jump today and man it made the landing seems so easy with the extra width of the KTP.

Overall I would definitely recommend this board to anyone that wants a staple and responsive board. Don’t be scare of the extra width of the KTP, the weird feeling of the extra width will be gone after going down your first run with it!

Rider – Tony Wu – Intermediate Skiboarder





KTP’s are amazing…

I have heard so much about how hard it is to ride KTP and how long it takes to get comfortable with due to its width.
I’ve ridden the RVL8 Revolt and i liked it. Today I rode KTP for the first time, not worrying about its width and all.
Man… this skiboard is amazing. It was so comfortable and I could do anything I want.

It carved great on groom. I tried rails and jumps. The boards are very stable and easy to control.

I’ve brought 2 other skiboard models and I didn’t even think about trying them, not even for one second. I was on the KTP all day.

It’s amazing. I will never give up this skiboard. I love KTP.. I can say this again and again…

KTP!!!!!

Rider – Jeahopark – Intermediate Skiboarder Riding the 2010 model