| Snowskate quiver...

This winter has already broken all the records in terms of cold, snowfall and ice storms, thank you El Niño! We have been snowskating quite a lot before Xmas and it felt great, now it is more difficult to find a good time because of the intense cold but hey, it's beautiful!

Now I recently went to Lake Champlain to test my latest gifts & gears :)

Alan Gerlach is probably the most accomplished snowskater on the planet right now and he rips on both bi-decks and single snowskates. He is also a nice guy and I wanted to support his new adventure with Hotdish, so I ordered his signature model :)

After playing with it around my van I realized how good those guys are because it so darn difficult to ollie a flat board!!! it'll take me a while before performing any cool tricks...

I fucked up my wrist a few years back skateboarding/snowskating and since then I always experience pain when falling on them so protection is now mandatory, especially for my right wrist which is my work insurance as well. The Burton Impact seems to offer what I wanted, practicality and a low-profile to wear gloves on top of them... and obviously a minimum impact protection, the quality is really good, they feel very solid and the size M fits perfectly (although it needs to be worn a little to be more comfortable). Despite being thin they won't go under all type of gloves but they work well with mitts!

After swapping my Harfang Claw trucks with the new Rocker Trucks double-ramp on my main setup (December/Ralston) I have noticed a huge improvement in the flex of my Ralston 41" Wide ski, it probably adds about 15% more flex-play and allows for better riding, pressing and ollieing. It take some time to get used to it but it feels so much better!

Now I can not wait to ride the powderskate in good deep snow conditions at Sutton or Jay Peak, knowing Mark's passion for powder-riding this should be awesome!

| M-7 snowskates...

Okay now i'm excited about winter again! Today I've just received a package from Kurt Zapata of Minus Seven Snowskates and guess what was in the box? The brand new 2016 Parkore snubnose 38" blades with the improved tip & tail skate flex. I already had some Parkore subs before but they were warped unfortunately (see review here) and he wanted to replace them, so i suppose that's why the box contained two models :)

Thank you so much Kurt, until today i was still into paddle-boarding mode but now you have activated the snowskate switch, damn!!! Those blades do look great, can't wait to test them, the shape of the tips is very intriguing and the flex seems so much better than my prototype. My cat Dim Sum doesn't seem to be impressed but i am, love the colors and raw punk style. #minus7snowskates 

| Harfang 2015...

Bye bye Lib Tech 43", we've had some really good moments but it's time for you to bring the joy to a new owner, have fun Edith and welcome to the family! I also had the pleasure to finally ride the Chillerdecks 135 at Sutton 2 weeks ago in some good conditions, it's a very well balanced board, as comfortable on the groomers as on a casual powder trail, it floats nonchalantly over the snow and goes fast. The funny thing is that it can ollie too, the deck is slightly too big for me so i have a new one ordered.

Lib sold, CD on sale!

I needed a good session with our ever growing crew to get back into the snowskate mood, until then my mind was still lost somewhere in the Keys. Now look at this neat new Harfang ski and trucks ^_^ review coming soon after tomorrow's testing ride!

On a different note, here are some pics of this late morning promenade in Verdun, i love this bike and it makes winter even more enjoyable. It's funny to imagine that it takes a good hour of paddling to reach the Rock island and today i could have covered the same distance in maybe 10mn of pedaling.

fishermen on the frozen river...

| New M7 Parkore...

Today i finally had the chance to go see the Rollin Boardshop and it is a great boutique, there is a good selection of snowskates and Boyd Hill sub-skis, i needed a few Extreme Grip packs to put on a deck and ended up buying a Triple Eight Bumsaver padded short .

On my way back home i picked up a package that Minus Seven sent me... a replacement sub for my warped Parkore. What you see here is a UNIQUE TWIN PARKORE oh yeah and i'm going to test the shit out of it to see what it's worth. This could definitely become the new shape for this model.
I've had some very productive emails and calls with Kurt at M7 concerning my review of this board and he decided to make some changes starting with my replacement (see previous REVIEW). This is really exciting and tomorrow we are going to St-Bruno for a good session. Thanks a lot Mr. Zapata!

You can see on the left the regular model, it is a very wide 43" (109cm) sub with an asymmetrical offset design, on the right you can see the "prototype" and its symmetrical design, there is a bit more length from the inserts to the tip which should help in controlling the board, same overall construction but different core (the Poplar seemed to cause some torsional issues). It came directly with some risers and new Rocker Trucks so again, thank you for this cool addition :)

newly gripped deck all ready to shred!

OK then, here are my 1st impressions after a very cold session last evening (about -20°C) with some friends. All our boards were painfully sticking to the snow and some areas were icy due to the wind, certainly not the best conditions (and not the right wax) but at least the resort was deserted:

- Control > The ski is warped again, it's very noticeable at the nose where the tip ends up very twisted, this definitely affects the ride negatively because it is not really possible to evaluate the quality of my turns and the overall board control objectively. Riding was simply difficult and there are multiple parameters to take in account here (weather, material, dimensions... etc.) it was clearly not as bad as the previous model it replaces but it wasn't pleasing.

- Flex > It is way too stiff, although the nose was barely more flexible than the tail. This means that you can forget doing manuals, ollies were very hard to pop in the contrary of the original 43". Nollies on another hand were quite easy and pop shuvits too (frontside/backside). I couldn't land any kickflips due to the difficulty to control a basic ollie. I think the stiffness didn't help in riding either because with such a large waist, you need to apply a lot of force on your toes/heels to initiate a turn and the board was quite bouncy when carving toeside, which can be scary at high speed.

I was able to carve well on mellow slopes and softer snow but with lots of focus and it wasn't possible to relax without bailing, steep trails were extremely frustrating. I was extremely tired after only 2 hours of riding. Playing with different thickness along the extremities and the center of the ski could probably help manage the flexibility.

- Following the width issue, it is now clear that there is a better balance to find between the deck size and the sub. Yan (Harfang rider) and i rode it and we do think it needs a larger deck so you can put more pressure on the edges (overhang). As soon as i got back on my Lib/Harfang everything seemed so easy which clearly indicates that the Parkore wasn't performing as it should be. As previously stated in the first review, the deck is nice and the proportions are good, increasing the width (~ 9.3") just a little wouldn't affect the feeling too much IMO but would definitely help controlling the skate. 

- Dimensions > Good, i definitely like the new shape of this ski, if it wasn't warped and had a more progressive flex i bet it would be really great. It is a short stiff stick and it does not absorb the shocks nor the distortions of the terrain very well for now. When doing tricks the new twin tip design makes more sense and is more pleasing to the eyes as well.

- Design and finish > This is a tough board, it can take a beating but despite the bulletproof construction there is room for improvements. The clear top sheet has some weird wrinkles near the inserts, the core layer and the cutting could use a little more polish. There are also some tiny gaps between the base and the edges sometimes.  It's nice to have the clear top sheet and base, i always liked the transparent construction where you see the core and different layers of a board however it would be even better with some cool graphics :-)

Kurt is probably a one-man-army so it's difficult to compare the control-quality of his products to a snowboard/ski company with hundreds of employees, technicians and super high-tech factories. It's very understandable that it's difficult to be perfect and i see similar things happening with other companies like Ralston, Predog... etc. Even LibTech has had lots of delamination issues on their snowskates, i'm very supportive of this amazing community and the efforts they are doing to create those products, that's why i spend so much time riding a warped board in freezing night skiing conditions!

So again this is a wrap up for the review of the twin version of the M7 Parkore and let's not forget it is a prototype which will probably evolve a lot. I really want to see this model reach its full potential and become a classic freestyle snowskate.

T.

| Winter and "fat bikes"...

So now i have to accept it, winter is here and it's getting really cold! fortunately we've changed the tires of the van the week before the 1st snowfall and i didn't miss the opening at St-Bruno despite being completely sick (which explains the donuts for moral support and my zombie face).

Yesterday I had the chance to try Sylvain's fat bikes, this is something i was eager to test for a while and it was the perfect day in Beauharnois to do so. We took a ride on the banks of the river where there is enough snow to give me a good impression of the "fat" experience. Honestly the 1st time i saw one of this bike, it didn't seem to be legit, i thought it would be another expensive gadget for a very niche activity. Two years later, the trend is on fire, big companies are starting to join the bandwagon and they are not one-season bikes anymore, you can actually use them as your primary vehicle, especially in cold countries like Canada.

I had to try because it could potentially replace our 2 folders which sleep all winter long in our living room, it'd be the perfect bike to bring on camping trips because it works on any terrains; sand, mud, snow, rocks and of course flat clean urban trails. Sylvain took his Surly Moonlander and i rode his GF's KHS 1000 (entry-level bike), the temperature was averaging -8°C, sunny and windy.

Just looking at the size of the tires makes you laugh, you would expect them to be very heavy but in fact the bikes are surprisingly light, they handle well, of course they are not as nimble as a regular mountain bike but it is as close as you can be considering the volume of the wheels.

Simply put, it's a BLAST!!! it's fun and makes the simplest trail look like an adventure, the tires can swallow every chunk of obstacles you throw at them, just look at the field of rocks below and it gives you a good idea... i need one.

the ultimate adventure bikes have fun anywhere!!!

thanks for the ride!

| REVIEW: Minus 7 Parkore...

I have received a new snowskate, the Minus 7 Parkore 43", a few weeks ago and wanted to write a quick review about it. Even if this harsh winter doesn't want to end, i had only rode it twice in different snowy conditions, at least just enough to give some early feedback.
My quiver is constantly growing larger but overall i keep coming back to the Lib Tech and this season the main change has been the swap from the Lib ski 43" to the Harfang 43", they are very similar anyway and the adaptation was minimal. Recently i took off the risers and my ollies improved instantly, that's the beauty of snowskating, the tiniest details make a big difference so keep experimenting!
Minus 7, a Californian based company has been on my wish-list for a very long time but they are quite difficult to get in touch with (FB is surely the easiest way), once in contact their service is great. They have a very wide sub and it's exactly what i wanted to test, unfortunately the season is almost over and trying new boards on the last days could be frustrating. On top of that Post Canada took almost 2 weeks to deliver it and made me miss a few good snow storms.
The board came in a well-protected box with lots of goodies inside (t-shirt, stickers, magazine and badges) so it was a nice surprise, the deck had no hole pre-drilled on the tail for the leash but the snowskate is ready to shred out of the box.

Next to the Ralston 41"/Rayne deck

• CONSTRUCTION:

The "new skool" symmetrical deck's dimensions are 9x36" (~22.8x91.5cm) with a smooth concave, steep nose/tail tips and clean round contour shape. It comes with the infamous closed-cell foam grip which is very comfortable and grippy but also quite fragile. You can always add patches of XtremeGrip if necessary (see on my other decks). I like the addition of the transparent grip bands on the side and nose under the deck to facilitate grabs and transportation, nice touch! The colors are basic but this is not very important for me in this case, though i think snowskating companies in general are really far behind on the art subject compared to any other snow-sport products, hopefully we'll change that soon and push it to the next level.

The Parkore comes directly equipped with the latest Rocker trucks Classics, they are solid and light and allow your ski to flex naturally, this is a must have especially if you count on doing tricks and save your board from early delamination. I really like the fact that without risers the board stands quite low from the ground (easier for balance) but you don't need extra clearance for hard turns thanks to the width of the sub.

The transparent base on the camber sub is a pleasant feature, you can see the wood core as well as the ABS sidewalls, it's thick and feels solid, dimensions are 43" (109cm) long and an impressive 5.1/2" (~14cm) in width (tips are 6.3/4"), see photos below. The only thing that i found weird is that pronounced asymmetrical offset of the inserts and edge cut, it didn't look that way on their website photos and sounds like a strange design choice. Despite having a thick sub/deck the board feels light overall, it's wide for sure and i couldn't wait to try it out.

• RIDE:

I went to St-Bruno for an evening session with my partner, it wasn't that cold but the snow was hard-packed, jumping on the skate gave me a good 1st impression and a large smile. However, as soon as we moved out of the chairs i almost fell right away??? WTF? ok ok it's a brand new board but man i have been trying new skates every year since 2009 and the differences were never that big. The rest of the evening was a mixed bag of emotions, from total disappointment (in my riding skills) to intense moments of satisfaction.

The board feels good on a straight line, it's comfy and quite reactive but you need to get used to the height and width which changes the way you put pressure on the edges as i expected, because the sub is so large it takes more time and attention to transfer your weight from one edge to the other.

The big problem is that i couldn't stop over-turning on my heel side like a beginner, GRRrr... you can't understand the frustration! usually it's the strongest side for skaters when you have to stop or rest and now i felt like Achilles, losing all confidence when going down and taking speed. I attribute that to the edge cut design and shorter tail, my back foot was putting too much pressure somehow. On my other 43" twin tip skis everything is centered and you place both of your feet in regards to the inserts and pockets of the deck, there are no surprises as the flex is well-balanced and the length of the sub-tips identical. Here everything is different, all your weight is put backwards on a very short section of the sub, it was very difficult to find some functional feet positions, although i was trying to move around like a longboard dancer.

During the second session, the conditions were different, softer spring snow and the experience was also much better. I kept over-sliding at low speed but it was easier to cut through the snow and to finally pushing the limits, but in the park aiming for the box or even the jumps was just too difficult so i went back to my Lib :-(

That day, the ride was quite stable and landing ollies was certainly easier, if only i could control this thing better!

On a more positive note i do like this board for doing tricks on a mellow slope, it kickflips easily and it's very easy to pop shuvit frontside/backside, the short tail isn't the most subtle option for controlling manuals but it works well enough (it reminds me of the Lib 39"). I personally don't understand why you would make such an asymmetrical design for a freestyle/park board, in my opinion it really is not a clever way to use the overall flex of the entire 43" length, it's probably better to offer 8 insert holes so you could move your trucks up and down depending on your preferences but at least you keep a consistent edge line between your trucks... anyway i really need to give it another go as it worked well in deeper snow.

• CONCLUSION:

I can see the wider subs beginning to be a pretty common option for park-oriented boards in the future, it's stable and more forgiving on rails, boxes and landings but you need to find the right balance of height /width with your trucks and deck, remember that it'll never be as nimble as a thinner ski. The Parkore has a really solid build, lots of nice details and an interesting shape, however i never felt really comfortable riding it at low speed on steep terrain - turning on my heel side - especially on hard-pack but that's a personal issue, i wasn't able to adapt my stance this time, am i simply too used to symmetrical boards and their predictable ride?

(UPDATE) I found out that my sub is actually warped a bit so it may be the reason behind the control issue! Kurt from Minus 7 is sending me a replacement soon (with a surprise).

My search for the perfect wide sub is indeed an ongoing adventure and I hope Minus 7 will make a twin tip version of their Parkore model because there is so much to like about it.

| Grey Area Snowskate Jam 2014...

Sunday we woke up at 5:00 AM to drive towards Gatineau for the 1st Snowskate Jam at Camp Fortune, QC. Despite the looooong trip (thanks Paly), we arrived just on time for the registration at the mini-ramp club house directly on the slopes. The event was nicely organized by Top of the World Skateshop and had many sponsors, notably Harfang Snowskates, our local brand.

Registering for the contest was free and it gave us a 20$ day pass at the resort which was a great deal thanks to the organizers, it was really exciting and 19 riders signed for the cross race, some came from as far as Toronto to meet up and it was a fun bunch!

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Format:
> Snow deck cross - Two timed qualified runs and bracketed elimination rounds for head to head racing with top eight qualifiers on a course with rollers and banks.
> Best trick - Afternoon Jam sessions on three separate features for best trick.

Schedule:
09:00/10:00 - Registration at the club house (you could bring your skateboard to hit the mini ramp).
10:00/01:00 - Snowskate cross race.
01:00/02:00 - Lunch & drinks.
02:00/04:00 - Best trick jam on the mini-parc.

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I honestly don't like racing and going fast is my least favorite thing to do when snowskating, so i was going there without any expectations, surprisingly i qualified for the final heat with the overall 3rd best time :) and later finished on the podium with a Bronze medal (alright just trying to make it sound better in this period of Olympics).

The semi-final was a blast, I enjoyed chasing Henry Siu but couldn't pass him as he was too fast. He finished second only behind the infamous Rookie. I have to say that i'm kind of proud as it was my 1st race against longboarders and it was really close, and at least it put an Harfang skate on the podium!

During the afternoon we all went crazy in the mini-parc, trying to land some stupid tricks and hurting ourselves on the 4 features prepared for us, Steve and Yan killed it as usual and there are lots of cool pics/vids now so enjoy.

I can't wait to go back next year and bring more people with us! what a great day, spread the love...