It's on, two weeks in Laax next March. I'm looking forward to this big time: great park, great terrain and The Brits is on while we're there. Sick.
I'm going to mention the chalet company that we're going with - SnowMotions - because the owner has been really helpful. We'll be staying in Flims. If you're thinking about riding in the Laax area it's worth checking the website out. I pretty much knew nothing about staying in Laax, so all the help I received was great.
"More" was the film that I was most looking forward to watching this season. Mainly because I really liked Futureproof, but also because the trailer looked so good. So how did it stack up against last year's production from Absinthe?
Opening
The opening sequence with Gigi Ruf, Nico Muller and Travis Rice riding huge pillows really sets the precedent for the rest of the film: lots of powder, great shots and great riding. There isn't a park kicker in sight. If you like the powder scenes in Futureproof you're sure to like this opening. I do think it would have been cool to see some of those lines in normal speed, but you can't complain, the riding here is great.
Stand Out Sections
All of the riding in the film is good - but these are the parts that stood out to me:
Erik Christensen's section is full of great shots and for me it probably represents the best editting in the film. Add in some sick, varied riding and a cool beat and it's just so good to watch. One of the better sections I think. You've got to check out the extra in this part with Philip Damianakes, just after Eric 50-50s the gnarly kink both regular and switch...
Wolle Nyvelt has some excellent back country action: impressive powder terrain, pillows and big, natural jibbs. Sweet style in there and it really is hit after hit after hit - impressive. I'm just not sure about that black and white getup...
Mark Frank Montoya. Nice powder riding. His nollie cliff drop is beautiful and there are 3 box hits that I can easily put on rewind and watch again and again. If you like smooth lines and slashes in deep powder you're gonna love Kurt Wastell's part. I think they filmed this really well - some of the moving camera shots give you a perfect, smooth view of the sweet, floaty style on display.
Chris Coulter and JP Solberg have some awesome shots and locations, including some lovely back country follow-cam clips. Matt Beardmore is riding to the same tune in this part: his FS 5 off a back country hip is mint, and I also really like the tweaked, off-axis 7 to close this part.
Justin Bennee and his friends bring a real urban, jib-heavy feel to the film, with loads of street and concrete jibbs, varied and gnarly. There's two great displays of style from Justin hitting a park rail. Mikey LeBlanc continues the urban vibe with a lot of skate-like, aggressive hits in his section.
Any Bad Bits?
Of course it's not possible for each section to stand out as far as the next: different riding styles, shots and locations are going to appeal to different people. The super-urban jibbs aren't totally for me - but I do appreciate them. That said, there's no riding in the film that I don't like. However I do think the the song for Mikey LeBlanc's section represents a low point on the soundtrack.
Favourite Sections
Although the best riding may be elsewhere, there are two sections that really stand out to me.
Gigi Ruf. He brings a funky tune, awesome powder and such an easy, smooth, fun style to this movie. The reason I like his riding so much is that despite how big his tricks really are, it still manages to come across as just 'playing' around in the powder, filming with your friends, which we all love to do. Sick riding, sick angles and the way Gigi closes the film is pretty clever. That front flip looks wicked!
Jules Reymond's part, to me, brings so much to More. To begin with it's introduced really well with them all skating through the street. His frontside 180 from the piste over the barrier tape and shed is the type of shredding that I love to see in movies - a glimps of pro riders doing something a little more normal and making it look so good - great style.
There's some popup text that reads "Jules 1st AK Line" - things like that really help you relate with the rider. I swear it looks to me like he went to Alaska for the first time, was so happy to be there and decided to start jumping off everything. The editting flicks to show some of the other riders hitting the same lines and it really works. It just looks like they're having so much fun - which is what it's all about. I liked Jules' riding in Futureproof and I like it more here. It's all aided by what I think is the best tune in the movie - great section.
Best Riding?
I'm not sure how, but it took a second, maybe third viewing before I realised how good Nicolas Muller's section is - that's got to be an indication of how good all of the riding in this film is. I can't really say anymore than Muller's riding is insanely good, freestyle anywhere and everywhere, he never dissapoints. It's better to just watch it yourself.
So for me, it's between Muller and Travis Rice. Muller's ability and desire to use all the terrain around him puts him so close to the ideal of all-mountain freestlye. But Travis has similar qualities, and honestly, his part in More is full of hugely impressive riding. It seems like there's no end to it. There's a boned shifty that has so much style, followed by a sick double backflip. Check out the double corked frontside 10 - which has a funny-as-shit hidden extra to back it up. Travis goes huge, with sweet moves on big mountain steeps. His level of riding in More is pretty amazing!
Soundtrack and Filming
The soundtrack to More is pretty good. I'm not clinging to it the whole way through, but there are some good sounds there and I like the way Absinthe match the music to the video.
The filming is again, top notch. Absinthe really push the production side of things and the results are good. Not every shot from a hanging wire stands out, but the majority do and there are some truly great clips that enhance the whole experience.
Extras
There's a lot and they're pretty much all good, but for me the best two are:
Conclusion
Great riding on varied terrain. You've got big mountain stuff, back country kickers, natural back country, pillows, trees, rails and urban jibbs. Lots of powder.
The film is excellently put together, a good soundtrack, maybe with one or two exceptions, and progressive filming. There's also lots of it. Lots of riders, a long film, good extras, even a free music CD. It's what I'm coming to expect from Absinthe - a top class snowboard movie.
More Soundtrack
If you're after some of the music from More, here's a list of the tracks, with links to iTunes:
"Gangsters" - by The Specials
"Code of the Streets" - by Gang Starr
"Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" - by Arcade Fire
"Mutual Slump" - by DJ Shadow
"Don't Need It" - by Bad Brains
"Random" - by Lady Sovereign
"Sugar Pill" - by Ambulance Ltd
"Hard Times" - by Baby Huey
"Retreat" - by The Rakes
"Aerodynamic" - by Daft Punk
"Remote Control" - by The Spits
"Map of the Problematique" - by Muse
"The Killing Moon" - by Echo and the Bunnymen
More Teaser
Here's Absinthe's teaser for More.
Last weekend was a success: snowboarding on Friday night and then the Metro Ski & Snowboard show on Saturday. It was a tough schedule but it worked out.
The jibbing at Xscape was nice. I wanted to try some frontside shifties which is something I've never done before; not sure why, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. They turned out to be easy enough, though I'm not sure how smoothe they looked. What was more difficult was trying to grab stalefish... this needs some more work. Check out Absinthe's new film, More (review coming), for a perfect frontside shifty stalefish by Nicolas Muller.
I then hooked up with Martin and started hitting the rail/box line, which consisted of a flat-down, a long flat rail, the long box and a rainbow box. I tried quite a few new things, some were successful, others weren't... Either way, it's always easier when you're riding with someone else.
50-50 to switch 50-50
So I wanted to try hitting the flat-down 50-50 and then frontside (FS) 180 to switch 50-50. With the rail being kinda short I figured hitting the down part after a 180 wouldn't be too bad: if I got it wrong there would be no rail left for to fall and land on.
Well I was right about that bit - I didn't fall and land on the rail once. But the FS 180 in the middle wasn't happening - I just wan't committing to it, I kept landing in a boardslide, or not landing at all. I should probably start practicing hitting the rails switch 50-50 first...
Boardslide on the flat and down
Pretty basic, but up until now I've only gone either 50-50 the whole way or 50-50 to boardslide. So boardslide on the flat and then down was a step forward, albeit a small one. I also managed to tweak it a little, pressing the first part of the trick a little on the back foot and then popping onto the down so that the boardslide was more on the front foot. It felt pretty sweet, but I've got to confess that the first time it kinda happened by accident; after that it was by design.
Boardslide to frontside boardslide
Boardslide on the flat and then front boardslide on the down. It's worth pointing out that I struggle with front boardslides, so this wasn't anything spectacular. A little pop off the flat and then touch the down rail in FS boardslide. With the down part of the rail being short this wasn't too bad at all, and it gave me a feeling for hitting the rail frontside.
5-0 on the rail, 180 out
Long flat rail. Again, beginner stuff. This rail is pretty long but you can ride on. So here I'm kinda riding on, starting to 5-0 and then beginning to rotate ready to 180 out, frontside. I'm gald I tried this because trying to hold the position for the length of the rail was fun. I got one or two that felt good. More practice, stop riding on...
Nose press on the rail
Nose pressing the long, wide and flat box is ok, but the rail is much narrower. The ride on is perfect for practicing, but I didn't really get this. I'm pretty certain that the one time that I made it to the end of the rail the tail of the board was like 1mm in the air. But still, it felt like trying new stuff was progressive and the learning part is fun.
180 to nose press on the box
This wasn't happening. Simple as that. However Martin was pulling some sick 180 to 5-0s. Sweet.
Frontside tailslide to frontside noseslide
Hmm, I don't know how to describe this trick at all. In fact, I think the majority of my rail definitions are sketchy, so if anyone can correct errors just leave a comment. Anyway, here's what I was trying to do: hit the box regular into a frontside tailslide. Pop out of that, spinning frontside into a noseslide, at which point I've got my back to the end of the box.
It wasn't really going anywhere, although I was at least getting some practice at popping from one tip to another. I reckon there are easier rotations to try first.
So, mixed results. But some of the new stuff I tried felt really nice which was enough to give a big sense of achievement! Like I said before, feel free to correct any bong rail terms... I can't wait to ride again.
I'd like to give a shout out to Big Dreams, a snowboard company in Dorset, UK. During the search for a new snowboard I was pointed in their direction. I gave them a call to enquire about the possibility of a last season's Jeenyus Eddie Wall; from that point onwards I received nothing but good service.
The staff that I spoke to clearly knew what they were talking about, but not only that, they were interested. Interested in taking the call, interested in what I was asking about and, simply interested in snowboarding. That matters.
The only reason that I didn't buy the board from them was that I like to support my local snowboarding shop, LD Mountain Centre, because the staff in there have the same qualities.
So thanks to Big Dreams.
So I decided to go with the T2. The more that I thought about it the more I wanted to try something with a little more all mountain performance. That's not to say that I don't like the jib board, far from it. To be honest I'm not entirely sure that I'm going to prefer the T2; all I know is that it's going to be a different ride, and I'm just going to have to try it and find out. Besides, I've still got the Kink, damaged as it may be.
Earlier this year I took both the Kink and a 158 Rome Anthem to Meribel. I rode each of them during the week to compare. I remember preferring the Kink, mainly because I was jibbing around a lot and it was fun. But I also remember thinking that the Anthem was simply an excellent board, it felt so good to ride: fast, solid, stable, aggressive and lots of pop.
That's why I decided to go with the T2. It's stiffer than a pure jib board and a little more aggressive. I had it laid down on the floor in the shop next to a 55 Ride DH and the differnce in side cut was noticable. So it should bring me some of the qualities that I liked in the Anthem: stability, speed and pop. However, unlike the Anthem it is purely freestyle orientated, having a shorter and twin-tipped design.
At the last minute I contemplated the DH or the Agent, yet the T2 prevailed; it's the board that I've been drawn to. In the end I opted for last season's model rather than this year's "Eero" T2. Nothing against Eero of course, it's simply that the old one came with a sweet discount and I have a tendancy to go through boards at a fast rate...
The Metro Ski & Snowboard Show opened today, London, Olympia. I've got to say that the first I'd heard of it was in this month's WhiteLines, which is strange given that it's a huge show. After checking out what's on, I'm really intruiged. In fact, I'm heading down there this weekend.
I've decided to combine the London visit with some Friday night jibbing at Castleford. I'll hit Xscape first and then continue on down to London, ready to see the show on Saturday. It's gonna be tight, but what the hell. After all, with the season knocking on the door, the more snowboarding action I can get the better.
The quarter pipe setup sounds pretty impressive, so I'm really looking forward to see that. I'm also stoked that Blue Tomato are going to be at the show; I really value them as an online shop having always had good service, so I'll be checking them out in person. What's more, it seems that I'll get a chance to see this year's ChunkyKnit film, sweet.
In fact it all looks good. I'm just gonna walk around and soak it all in.
Of the boards I've been looking at, I've decided to group them into 3 categories. Yeah, I know, I'm probably over-analysing this whole thing, but what's wrong with that when winter is around the corner and you're waiting for snow? Besides, these boards do have varying characteristics so it's worthwhile thinking about it, at least a little.
Stiffer, all-mountain freestyle boards
For the likes of myself, this type of board will give me a freestyle-orientated stick that's got better all-mountain performance than a pure jib board. More basic freestyle tricks and jibbing around are gonna be a little more difficult. Based on what I've read I'm gonna class the TP Texas as being a 'stiffer' freestyle board.
The T2? Well I'm not sure about this. According to the Nitro blurb, Eero likes the Misfit for back country and the T2 for park and rails (hence his two pro models this year). Seems as though Nitro have the T0 and the T1, and also the fact that Mr. Ettala does insane things in the park and pipe, I reckon the T2 is gonna be stiffer than the other boards that I'm looking at here. And let's not forget the good old "flex" test I did in the shop.
Eero T2 >>> Travis Parker Texas
I'm gonna rule out the Travis Parker here for the simple reason that the T2 is a twin tip. I prefer a twin tip, so if I'm gonna go for something a little stiffer, then I may as well get the T2.
Softer, pure jib boards
Artifact and Evolution >>> Evil Twin
It may be folly but I'm going to discount the Evil Twin here. Based on a few test runs I think I prefer the flex design of the Kink over the Evil Twin. I'm pretty sure that the Artifact is gonna have a similar feel to the Kink, and I can get it in a 153 whereas the Evil Twin is either a 51 or 55 - I prefer the 153.
The Sapient Evolution. I've got a mate who rides for Sapient and his favourite board for all-situations is the Evolution. The Evolution also did really well in the Transworld Good Wood Test - which should count for something. It's an appealing board.
Something in the middle?
The Agent isn't a pure jib stick but I know it's not that stiff. It's an excellent board, fast base, good in the pipe, smooth and buttery, probably just what I'm looking for. Something in the middle of the two. However I have owned one before and I'm kinda keen to try something new. Maybe I should consider the Ride DH?
Nitro T1
I've just noticed that I missed out the T1. I guess I haven't been thinking too much about it. For that reason I'm gonna just leave it out. Besides, I think I'd rather go for another Kink ahead of the T1... in fact, I'm going to add the Kink onto the list just in case, I like it a lot.
Short-list
So here's the slightly shorter list:
Off the list:
2005/2006 Ride Kink, 152cm.
I've had the Kink since the beginning of the 2005 season, riding it for a week in Meribel, a week in Chamonix, two weeks in Tignes, a week in Deux Alpes and a handful of times on the indoor slope at Xscape, Castleford, UK. This riding has included jibbing around, hitting rails and boxes, hitting park kickers, riding around the piste and a very small amount of powder.
Shape & Flex
The Kink is a freestyle board - but more specifically it is a jib board. Twin tip and twin flex design - it rides exactly the same in both directions which is pretty standard for a jibbing board. I wanted a true twin so naturally the symetrical aspect of the board's design was appealing. However it's not just the shape that I have liked, I've also been impressed with the board's flex pattern. Despite it being advertised as buttery (I recall some slogan like "20% more butter"), it has always felt lively, with a good amount of pop, which you get evenly from both nose and tail. It's buttery and easy to press, but that softer flex doens't bring a flat, washed out feel with it. It's springy. This makes it fun to ride, and easy (easier) to learn new tricks on.
Rails
I don't have much experience of riding rails and, the Kink is the first board that I've hit rails/boxes on so I don't have a reference point for comparison. However, I can say that the Kink feels nice to press with, and, when boardsliding on rails the flex is forgiving and leaves room to shift your weight around. A lot of jib kids are gonna dull their edges down, but I've done nothing with mine and I haven't had too many hang ups... This little clip of the Kink being ridden on boxes/rails might be useful.
The rest of the mountain
The Kink is the shortest board that I've ridden; others include a 154, a 155 and a 158. Yet I haven't felt too let down by its (relative) all-mountain performance. Although the edge hold hasn't been great in some situations, I think the board does pretty well at speed: not too gittery, not wanting to wash out all of the time. I wad worried that with a pure jib-stick I'd be sliding all over the place, but it's simply not the case.
It's probably more accurate to say that I haven't felt held back, around the mountain. The difference between it and my Rome Anthem for example, is significant. But if you're looking for a jib board you already know you're going to be making compramises in this area. It functions, but don't expect something that's gonna eat up difficult terrain and float on powder.
How's it compare with other freestyle boards?
I've owned a 55 Rome Agent, a 54 Squad Flex 4 and recently had a quick test run on a 51 Evil Twin. I thought that the Squad Flex 4 had similar feel/design with respect to soft flexing tips, yet it lacked the pop of the Kink. It felt a little flat in comparison. Volkl stopped calling it the Flex 4 and opted for Squad Jibster, so maybe they changed things a little.
Some jib boards, like the Evil Twin for example seem to be softer in the middle and stiffer at the tips. So they have a slightly different ride. Which is better is a matter of preference. What kind of flex do you like? Softer in the middle should be better for connecting with rails; softer tips easier to press, butter and pop. It's up to you. I thought the Kink was lighter than the Evil Twin.
The Agent is marketed and designed to being a little more all-round freestyle than a pure jib board. It's not a true twin and sticking to weight ranges will give you a longer board, therefore a little heavier a little slower to spin/move around - but we're probably talking small differences here. I certainly found the Agent to be better all mountain, it definitely had better edge hold in the halfpipe and it had a smooth, buttery ride to boot. So is it just like the Kink but better? Maybe. But then again it is considerably more expensive and probably doesn't ride rails as well. You may also crave a true twin, a real jib-stick...
Durability
This is my only issue with the board. I've done around 6 weeks of riding on this board and I need to replace it. I think the edges have been pretty weak and I picked up a crack near the nose. It wouldn't have lasted a season. I do hit rails and boxes but that represents a small amount of the action that this board has seen.
Maybe I've just been unlucky? Maybe my next board will fare the same? I just don't know. Given the choice of boards out there I kind of feel it's worth trying another once just in case.
Conclusion
So what's my overall take on the board? Well, I've really enjoyed riding a true twin board - but this feature isn't unique to the Kink - there are many twin tip boards to choose from. The board's flex on the other hand is part of the Kink's design, and this I am impressed with. Easy to butter with whilst at the same time having a lively, poppy feel. In fact, as I've written this review I've realised how much I like this board. There's not a single thing I don't like about the way the board rides. It's a lot of fun and it performs. And don't forget that the Kink is very competitive when it comes to price. Perhaps I was unlucky with the durability of the board, perhaps not; this might be the only thing that stops me from buying another one.
The Kink is a good board - the fact that I'm probably going to buy a different board now shouldn't count against this one, I simply want to try something different.
I've added a music section to the site. You can access it via the menu at the top right.
A short while ago I posted a thread on GONEboarding inquiring about albums/bands that people have discovered through a song from a snowboarding film. I figured it would be a good idea to collect my findings here on afterbang. If anyone has any recommendations I'll be happy to check them out and then list with acknowledgement.
I've also started a soundtrack reference as people seem to find these useful!
First things first - I haven't used this board enough for this to qualify as a "review". This is simply my brief experience of a "test drive" - four or five runs on the 150m, indoor slope at Castleford.
In fact, there is only one comment that I'm confident in making - so you're welcome to stop reading after the next sentence. If you're thinking of buying Bataleon's Evil Twin - try it out before you buy, because it feels different to other snowboards.
Courtesy of Simon, a rider from Castleford, I got to strap into a 151 Evil Twin. The base design that Bataleon are using is certainly unique, but we'll come to that in a moment. The first thing that I noticed was that the board seemed a little heavier than the Kink (152). Nothing major - but heavier still.
This was followed closely by the flex pattern - which is different to the Kink. Relative to the Kink the Evil Twin is stiff in the nose and tail, being softer in the middle. I believe that Bataleon's intention here is to make the board really good for locking onto rails whilst still maintaining some rigidity for good pop and stability. Conversly the Kink's tips are much softer - designed to be easier to press and smooth to butter.
How did I come to this conclusion in 5 runs? Well, you know what it's like when you strap into a new board. You start popping off the tail here and pressing on the nose there... I also tried a few butters on the flat, nose press, tail press and popping out of the butter. It is stiffer than the Kink in the nose and tail, but it's still a jib board that you can do all the usual stuff on.
Which is better? Well that comes down to personal preference. How do you want your jib stick to flex?
So, triple base technology? You feel the difference straight away! I hear/read that it's better for edge initiation, better for riding straight/flat and better for not catching an edge when jibbing (check it out - yeah for it!)
I experienced some of this. Riding straight felt kinda weird, but I can see how with time, the base would lend itself well to this. The base design also seemed to help with sketchy landings, providing a small window before an edge makes contact.
However, my only substantial comment regarding the triple base is that my first impression was "this feels like a board that's gonna take a little getting used to". And like I said at the top, I haven't ridden it enough to be used to it.
So what the board really rides like I can't say. Nor can I say how long it takes to get familiar with it: maybe it's an hour, or a day, perhaps longer. It has however had good reviews, and nothing about the board made me think it wouldn't be really sweet. It was just different.
To anyone thinking of getting one, my advice is this: try it out, use it for longer than I did. Maybe when it comes down to it, it's not that different - but find out. Either that, or speak to someone who's opinion you trust and who has ridden the board on the terrain that you intend to ride.
Personally I'm not sure that I want to "get used" to a different base design, but maybe that means I'm missing out. The Evil Twin has a good following, it "feels" like a quality snowboard in the hand, I've heard nothing but good things about it and the graphics are sick...
Increasingly over the last year I have become more interested in the UK snowboarding scene. Originally I had seen one or two movies, but it was when I saw the talent on our indoor slopes, and some clips from Standing Sideways that I was really grabbed.
Do other people know how good some of our indoor riding is - specifically rails? Do they even know that we have indoor slopes? How will our riders make the transition to international snowboarding? And how will they get on?
Since then I have seen first hand some British action in the Protest Jib Vid contest, earlier this year in Tignes. And of course, there was the Winter Olympics...
We have a strong scene here in the UK, with talented and dedicated people.
So, I was really happy when I read Document Snowboard magazine - there is a lot of focus on UK snowboarding. What's more, the article on Team GB is pretty inspiring.
The stoke continued as I moved on to White Lines. The editorial hits the nail on the head - with what it's like to be a British rider. And the interview around the new UK flick The Playground tells of a UK crew taking a different direction for British film making - it's exciting!
It's good to see our magazines focussing on our home scene - it can only be good for British snowboarding.
I'd like to get more involved myself...
