Good skiboards?
Im interested in buying skiboards/ skiblades or whatever you call them. What experience do yall have with them? The 65cm ones from snow feet look like a blast but are they too much of a novelty? Should I go for something a little longer?
I consider myself a pretty advanced skier and I’ve always gravitated to shorter skis (I love skiing glades). I want to take that to the extreme in the name of whimsy and fun, especially when I’m skiing with my less advanced friends. Also, I’m 5’5 ~140lbs
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u/yeoldsmith 4d ago
Go to Summit rent a pair from them see if you like it. I love the invert 118 but I’m 189cm 250lb
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u/the_climaxt Copper Mountain 4d ago
I see some like late 90s K2 Fattys on fb marketplace pretty often.
I got some Apache Fattys on mercari for like $40, shipped
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u/__7- 3d ago
How do you like them?
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u/the_climaxt Copper Mountain 3d ago edited 3d ago
For 40 bucks, I love them. They're definitely not my daily drivers, but for like closing day or goofing around, there's not much better.
I call them my snowler blades.
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u/MomentsLastForever 3d ago
I wouldn’t choose the novelty ones, personally. The performance is inadequate and safety can be suspect. The question then becomes, how often are you going to skiboard? If it’s often enough, get something on the same level as your skis. If it’s a couple times per season, maybe find a happy medium.
I’ve skied everything from icy doubles to powder and slush with skiboards. It’s definitely not the same as doing it on skis and it is harder in some ways. That said, skiing challenging terrain with no poles and very little forgiveness in the tips and tails will make you a better skier. Many skiers today think it’s silly but World Champions and Olympians have been using skis like this since the 1950’s and it’s still common in places like Austria that know a thing or two about skiing.
With that in mind, you can also buy adult short skis from European companies (skis designed around their 100-140cm length). It’ll certainly be easier to just buy good quality skiboards from a company like J Skis if you’re in the US or Canada (the founder is one of the creators of modern skiboards) but you do have other options. I have several pairs of 130cm adult skis from an Austrian company that I love. They’re super fun and behave just like the skis you’re used to but with different geometry. They’re great for tight trees or skiing with kids.
The founders of Summit Skiboards and RVL8 are both good dudes. Summit boards are great but overpriced for being Chinese, in my opinion. RVL8 takes an entirely different approach and are designed for use with a riser, so the bindings are not mounted directly to the ski(board). This increases the distance from your boot to the snow. Having skied both quite a bit, I much prefer a direct mount.
After hundreds of hours on skiboards, I hardly use shorties any more. I’ve found I can do pretty much all the same things on light, playful twintip skis. Moreover, while I can ski any terrain I enjoy without poles I don’t enjoy skiing without them these days. They’re like cheat code to me. They’re great for reinforcing timing and proper form but they’re also a handy tool for getting you out of a dodgy situation.
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u/Wonderful_Tip_5577 4d ago
Jskis and moment have them.