Swallow Tail Skis

[gooch]

Anyone try them? Feedback appreciated.

[NickS]

get twins its all the rage these days, all i know about swallow tails is it gives you more stability w/o swing weight.

[gooch]

that was a lob if I ever saw one

[Moocowsia]

swallow tail? Is that where the center kinda curves in a bit? If it is my atomics had it. I didn't really notice too much of a diff between them and my twintips though.

[ThE NoRcO]

Originally posted by Moocowsia
swallow tail? Is that where the center kinda curves in a bit?

haha no that is a shaped ski, which is just about every ski being maded today :P

Swallowtail is where the back end of the ski is split in two.
I haven't skied them, sorry GW

PS this is broken fusion speaking

[Sid-Vicious]

The Swallow tail is meant to sink into the powder better, so that you kinda ride in the back seat and not so leaned forward. It's probably for more comfortable riding, better control, stability. Only a few companies use the technique. I prefer a good ol' twin phat ski. I don't want to risk the chance of losing one of those swallow tails from a crash and later find it impaled in my ass , or something. It's like the jerky way of tying ropes to your boots to your skis to not lose them. My dad when he was younger had one ski split skin on his head. Crazy things we do.

[gooch]

From what I understand the swallow tail boards are way better on the steeps and the really hairy shit, so it would be logical to assume that the shis would offer the same control advantages. Will have to get some to demo I guess

[v 10 rider]

Originally posted by gooch
From what I understand the swallow tail boards are way better on the steeps and the really hairy shit, so it would be logical to assume that the shis would offer the same control advantages. Will have to get some to demo I guess

they flex torsionally very well giving better control and stabilitly in cornering

[gooch]

Originally posted by v 10 rider
they flex torsionally very well giving better control and stabilitly in cornering

You tried, or is this the written word?

[v 10 rider]

Originally posted by gooch
You tried, or is this the written word?
i haven't but a good friend demo'd them last season and he's riding them this season

[v 10 rider]

which swallow tails skis are you thinking of

[gooch]

Throwing around some options, looking to hook up some really fat heli skis, seand is gonna hook me up a ride on the Line Prophets, but I would like to see what the swallows are like, cause I love the steeps

[LeeLau]

Originally posted by gooch
Throwing around some options, looking to hook up some really fat heli skis, seand is gonna hook me up a ride on the Line Prophets, but I would like to see what the swallows are like, cause I love the steeps

I think vinnie at snowcovers has demo Saloman AK Rockets; I will check with him to see if we can score you a good guy demo.

btw i tried head Mad trix mojos out last year and they were awesom but only a 90 waist. I assume you want over 100 waist??

[gooch]

Originally posted by LeeLau
I think vinnie at snowcovers has demo Saloman AK Rockets; I will check with him to see if we can score you a good guy demo.

btw i tried head Mad trix mojos out last year and they were awesom but only a 90 waist. I assume you want over 100 waist??

I have the B3's already, 90 waist, so I am looking for a heli specific ski basically (for the 2 feet plus days) I would look for at least a 140 110 130 I think

[LeeLau]

Originally posted by gooch
I have the B3's already, 90 waist, so I am looking for a heli specific ski basically (for the 2 feet plus days) I would look for at least a 140 110 130 I think

I'll ask about the Gotamas and AK Rockets then and see if you can score a demo. If you ask Jacques nicely he may already have some AK rockets.

I can also ask julius about Atomic Big Daddys but those are really heavy skis

[gooch]

Thanks Bro, the Gotamas look pretty sick

[LeeLau]

I can line up some Gotamas for you. Its a guy who works there but he's not in. He'll probably demo them for a six pack. They're hard to find in demo fleets as they're pretty specialized but i know Source for Sports and Summit might have some. Just make sure you give me advance warning before you need them.

No AK Rockets to be found. I bet Jacques can get some though. I'll look him up over christmas

[gooch]

Originally posted by LeeLau
I can line up some Gotamas for you. Its a guy who works there but he's not in. He'll probably demo them for a six pack. They're hard to find in demo fleets as they're pretty specialized but i know Source for Sports and Summit might have some. Just make sure you give me advance warning before you need them.

No AK Rockets to be found. I bet Jacques can get some though. I'll look him up over christmas

Cool, no rush, I wouldn't even want them out there without 2 feet to play in anyways

[trouble]

If you wanna go really big you should go for the Volkl Sanouks man, 110 waist with the swallowtail. I have the old ak rockets right now, which don't quite have the full on swallowtail, but what I can tell you about it is that in theory it makes the ski seem longer in powder, but not increase the effective edge length on groomed. So the AK rocket Lab in a 195 skis more like 185 on the groomed (which from the sounds of it, it doesn't matter too much how it skis on the groomers). I can attest that this is works. Also, the split tail is supposed to add tracking in the pow similar to a fin on the back of a surfboard. (Not so sure about this one) Besides the AK Rocket Lab, and Sanouk, you should look at the Drake-Boinay Tabla Rasas. You can tell them how stiff you want the ski, and they make it that way. The drawback would be that you have to buy them without trying them. You have to order them off of the DB website. I think all three of these skis will be damn expensive, and the rarity of each of them would make it tough to find a deal also. Another thing to note is that the AK Rocket Lab isn't all that wide as far as heli widths go (95mm) the other two are 110+

As far as handling on the steeps, trees, etc., I would say a fat twin might be a bit more versatile, because if you get into trouble, its probably easier to get out of it. The swallowtail is definitely the weapon of choice for straightlining though, unless you want a huge roostertail behind you:D

[gooch]

That's for the beta ^ appreciate the input, just one question for you.

What's a "groomed run"?

[trouble]

I wish I didn't know either man

[Mr. Charles]

Gotamas... :drool:

[Moocowsia]

Originally posted by ThE NoRcO
haha no that is a shaped ski, which is just about every ski being maded today :P

Swallowtail is where the back end of the ski is split in two.
I haven't skied them, sorry GW

PS this is broken fusion speaking

Nope actually my atomics had a bit of an indentation in the back as well, it was only about 1/2" . I know they were shaped :p

Are these new for the year? I haven't heard of it before.

[rfoubi]

Originally posted by gooch
Throwing around some options, looking to hook up some really fat heli skis, seand is gonna hook me up a ride on the Line Prophets, but I would like to see what the swallows are like, cause I love the steeps

After the prophets, everything else will seem like toothpicks! :lol:

http://www.hellyhansen.com/images/wallpapers/eric_pollard_1024x768.jpg

[patrolskid]

hey gooch , i haven't skied them , but i can tell you that is going to be a very specific tool in the quiver . the idea is to allow the weighted edge to flex upwards , so that it describes a smoother arc without twisting the whole tail of the ski , gripping the snow better , and releasing from the exit of the arc without as much kick .

i have a winterstick snowboard that has a swallowtail combined with a double concave base , and i can tell you this : minimum 50 km before you even start to think about turning , long drawn out arcs , incredible railed feel , no way to slide / pivot turns ( forget trees ) and absolutely soft snow only .

lee , is that morel you are referring to ? you probably know he has left town , but i'm sure will make appearances regularly . . .. . .

[Broken Fusion!]

Originally posted by Moocowsia
Nope actually my atomics had a bit of an indentation in the back as well, it was only about 1/2" . I know they were shaped :p

Are these new for the year? I haven't heard of it before.

Ohhh I thought you meant the center lengthwise :P

[patrolskid]

hey gooch , i haven't skied them , but i can tell you that is going to be a very specific tool in the quiver . the idea is to allow the weighted edge to flex upwards , so that it describes a smoother arc without twisting the whole tail of the ski , gripping the snow better , and releasing from the exit of the arc without as much kick .

i have a winterstick snowboard that has a swallowtail combined with a double concave base , and i can tell you this : minimum 50 km before you even start to think about turning , long drawn out arcs , incredible railed feel , no way to slide / pivot turns ( forget trees ) and absolutely soft snow only .

lee , is that morel you are referring to ? you probably know he has left town , but i'm sure will make appearances regularly . . .. . .

[trout]

Originally posted by patrolskid

i have a winterstick snowboard that has a swallowtail combined with a double concave base , and i can tell you this : minimum 50 km before you even start to think about turning , long drawn out arcs , incredible railed feel , no way to slide / pivot turns ( forget trees ) and absolutely soft snow only .


The camber is reversed and it's convex across the waist too?

[patrolskid]

trout , it is relatively flat from tail to front foot , where it starts a long gentle upward curve to the tip . the base is concave under the front foot , then goes into a double concave from the mid point to the tail .
the top sheet is raised resin dimples , funky .

the board rides amazing , IF you know what to expect . you CANNOT slide this thing around . you must be in soft snow , you need to get up a head of steam , and then just tilt it up on edge , hang on and rail those arcs . i haven't ridden it in a number of years , but there it hangs , downstairs , ready to provide major thrills . . . . .

[gooch]

Originally posted by patrolskid
hey gooch , i haven't skied them , but i can tell you that is going to be a very specific tool in the quiver . the idea is to allow the weighted edge to flex upwards , so that it describes a smoother arc without twisting the whole tail of the ski , gripping the snow better , and releasing from the exit of the arc without as much kick .

i have a winterstick snowboard that has a swallowtail combined with a double concave base , and i can tell you this : minimum 50 km before you even start to think about turning , long drawn out arcs , incredible railed feel , no way to slide / pivot turns ( forget trees ) and absolutely soft snow only .

lee , is that morel you are referring to ? you probably know he has left town , but i'm sure will make appearances regularly . . .. . .
Thanks bro, I knew they were pretty specific, I've heard the beta (more from snowboard feed back) was that they gripped better on the really gnar stuff, I like my fatty, but find they do lack some hold on the gnarly unless you are in deep. Must say after getting used to the twins it would take some adjusting though.