This was my first foray into the “skinny” skiboard design that dominated in the early days and was resurrected by RVL8 for the Rumspringa. At 6’1 and 210lbs, it was quite a shock to see how narrow they are compared to the much wider boards I usually ride. The Rocket graphics are great. I rode them at Sugar Mountain, NC in icy/rainy/slushy conditions and they performed beautifully.
I was a little concerned that as the day went on and the slopes turned more into slush that I would need to go back to the car and swap out for my KTPs. I never had to swap them since these things held an edge like a dream and shockingly pushed the slush around nicely. I tuned them at 1 base angle and 2 side, to give it a little more cushion in getting on edge and a little more bite. The Rumspringas also seemed quite stiff, nearly as much as the KTP’s I’d say. The shallow sidecut meant these things like wider arcs than other skiboards, and they bombed down the hill. I was nervous that the relatively small surface area would provide moments of instability, but shockingly I never felt out of control at all. They are so easy to get on edge and held so well, it was a blast flying by other riders on the mountain so effortlessly.
I’m sad these don’t get more love. They are not an all-mountain board, sure, but they excel at what they are designed for. Between the edge control and the shallow sidecut, these were made to rip down groomers and they did not disappoint.
Rider – Alec Estrada – Riding the Rockets – Intermediate Skiboarder
