05/06 Fleetwood (Ride) 161

Description to come ...

05/06 Signal 163W

This piece of hardware is as good to ride as it is visually ugly. If you look beyond the pretentious artsy-fartsy-ness of the deck graphics (caked on dust with fingered lettering is part of the design), the board feels good and performs like a charm.

Neither light nor too heavy and not spectacular at first glance (no cut away view into the inner layers or authentication holograms that make the board look like it was spun from spaceage fibres in a lab somewhere), the board starts to feel good as soon as you start to skate on it with with your front foot in. It glides without any "noise" underneath (probably due to the sintered base and the great wax job done to the demo board by the TSA people).

Once you are stapped in and on an incline, it wants to go fast, it's up to you to slow down. It is not just fast but quick edge-to-edge and has enough pop for you to make quick decisons like "I've got one second to hit that drop on the right, no instead I'll go back on to my heel edge and throw up an ollie over that mogul to my left". It was so versatile, that I forgot that I was a big, flat-footed and rather un-nimble mid-intermediate rider.

It seems stiff enough to be super responsive in situations like the one above, but easy enough on the flex for you to bust out with the odd trick in the park without you feeling like you're on the wrong board for that type of action.

I had been looking to demo a Yukon '63 when I tried this instead. It felt faster, less taxing and more fun than the Yukon '59 that first got me interested in the wide rider genre. Now the Sig has edged its way up to #1 on my list.

Having ridden it all day last time at MK, the nerdy deck graphics seem welcome now. They have somehow been exonerated by the fact that the men and women of Signal invested their efforts in making aboard with performance that speaks for itself.

This board is good on the good, bad and ugly scale, and I am offering to buy the demo next time I'm in MK.

2002/3 Yukon 159

Legendary for its base graphics showing an image of Star Wars' Boba Fett, this Ride was alleged to have been pulled off the shelves after Lucas Films sent the snowboard makers a cease and desist letter. Apparently, this has made it a novelty sought after by StarWars fanatics - who I'm sure are all cool people with exciting lives.

History aside, I had the honour of renting one of these boards when I went to St Moritz in March. I found it:

• Fast and quick from edge to edge despite its wideness
• Had a very long effective edge. I don't know the specs, but carving up a big slope felt like I was riding a '63
• A big nose to keep heavier blokes like myself on top of deep powder off-piste
• Super stiff, which takes a bit of getting used to at first (takes about 20 minutes)
• The effectiveness of a '59 was impressive. When I went down tree runs at Corvatch, the shorter length was easily to manuoever between tight spots, but it didn't seem to affect the stability when speeding down hill in the open or make me sink into virgin powder off-piste.
  

I would buy one. In fact, I don't think I can hop onto my 04 custom '62 after experiencing the Yukon. You will soon find me selling my once beloved Custom on ebay.

Notice I said "would" above, but I am very cheap and want to feel like I am getting a real bargain, I also want to know what it is like to ride the '63 before I buy the '59. I also rode a 05/06 Signal '63 on demo the other day and absolutely loved it. I would say the Sig is better than the Yukon at first - but then I rode the former at the Milton Keynes Snowdome - and I have no idea how it would have handled the real life slope conditions I faced with my Yukon rental.

I would encourage big footed, free riders to invest in one if they already have at least lower intermediate level skills (I'm no advanced rider - I am just an intermediate myself). An advanced off-piste freerider would love this board and should always keep one handy.

Unanimously, I would rate this board as a good on the good/bad/ugly scale.

Armour: Men's Impact Short (R.E.D. Protection)

This piece of gear has become, for me at least, "essential riding kit". I wouldn't want my backside hitting any slope without it.

The shorts itself are so armoured up with padded and shell plastic inserts that I almost think it's overkill for the big mountain freeriding and groomed piste carving that I tend to do. Jib kids and daredevil mortuary air seekers who need whatever protection they could get, should all waer one of these.

That being said, I just remove all the padding except for the butt (bum) pad with plastic shell in the rear. Removing it is easy because the pads are fit into pockets with velcro openings. That is just right for me since (like many people at all levels) I almost always hit the coccyx bone hard when I fall backwards, this has probably saved me from having to walk around (and sit down!) with a cracked arse bone. In fact, along with my knee and shin guards, its the only protective kit that I wear.

Apparently, once the coccyx is cracked - no casting or any real treatment can aid the process. You simply just don't sit down or walk for weeks and apply ice til it starts to heal.

Can't have that happening.

On the good/bad/ugly scale this rates good.