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Powder surfer/ No board/ Snurfer

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search4freshies
Posts: 358 - Karma: 1,335
I started out snowboarding about 20 years ago, then wised up and switched to skiing about 18 years ago, and never looked back. Last week the resort conditions were shit, so I swapped with my room-mate, my skis for his snowboard. Holy shit did I have fun! I was able to link up all my turns, Nose butter flat to my face, 50-50 a box, method/ nose grab, and tail tap a slow skiing sign. My skills on a board were a perfect match for the less-than-ideal conditions, allowing me to have more fun than I probably would've on my skis. Not so much fun that I'd be interested in picking up my own snowboard again, but the idea slashing some surfy turns on a board is really growing on me.

So, I've been thinking about picking up a pow surfer to keep in the back of my car, or to throw on the sled just for fun. Seems like I can scoop one up for about the same price as a snowboard, and it would be killer to be able to pull over, shred a line, then be on my merry way.

Question is, do any of you have any experience on one of these things? Do my newly recovered boarding skills translate? Any manufacturer, model, size recommendations? I'm a big guy at 6'5" 200lbs, and I always ski a super deep (continental) snowpack.
Dec 26 2017 3:11PM
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DayMan
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 8,748
I've always wanted to try powsurfing but have never gotten the chance, Grassroots makes some cool looking boards: http://www.powsurf.com/

Having a sled and a powsurfer sounds like the dream setup.
Dec 26 2017 10:38PM
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search4freshies
Posts: 358 - Karma: 1,335
Those are sick! Just need to sell some gear I have lying around so I can scoop one up!
Dec 28 2017 1:34PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51652 - Karma: 162,279
I'd like to try it but I'll just make my own.

Snowboarding is a very cool feel to pow turns. And a different bounce even in groomers.

I stopped skiing regularly a long time ago but I have a blast when I throw on some skis and take a few runs, get that nice dip in my turns and rip the acceleration out. It's fun to do something that's different. A mix of feeling less pressure t be any good, trying something that may feel weird, and also the fast progression makes it a blast.

If you ski only, you probably aren't progressing much when you go out each time. If you pick up a board, whether you're decent or shit, you're going to progress a ton every time you ride. Same for me when I ski now.

Its just fun to change it up. I might be done skiing park though. Too many serious injuries. I'm not very keen to fall.
Dec 29 2017 5:49AM
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bikerocker
Posts: 1427 - Karma: 461
Hey man

I think you're in a place a lot of us are. I used to work in the ski industry, but I kept getting frustrated with the fact that only big resorts were making progress while little ones keep shutting down. And beyond that, there is still a lot of snow that falls on places that aren't accecessd by chair lifts.

I picked up powder surfing while I still lived in Montana, and when a job change brought me back to MI I brought a surfboard with as a deluxe sled at best.

My first run here while everyone else was struggling with the tight trees made me never go BC skiing here again.

It was too hard to get people to ride with me so I started making my own, designed around maximum maneuverability from the least possible soft snow up. Surfboards work on water, so if they float in a little, they float in a lot so i started out with a 117 cm board and am just finishing up a 97 cm model that acts more like a thruster that you can kick flip...

Out of respect for advertising(I know how this works) I myself am not gonna post any hot links to SyrupTree Board Co, but if you look for them, you'll see posts from MT, MI, and Japan all in the last week from different sources on Instagram. Feel free to PM me any questions. They are cheaper, better designed, and more fun than even I knew at first.

No matter what, surfing is a good choice. But I started making surf boards after I wrote this article years ago : http://bombsnow.com/archives/can_snowsports_be_saved

**This post was edited on Jan 13th 2018 at 7:25:34am

**This post was edited on Jan 13th 2018 at 7:35:20am
Jan 13 2018 7:18AM
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