After a weekend of not riding, we were down in LA for family reasons, Flavia and I finally got back on snow. On a side note, thanks to Neil and Loc for sharing a few beers, tequila shots, and many stories while we were in LA. 
While we were gone Utah finally got dumped on. Park City was super good over the weekend and now primed for next months (Thanks John for catching I said weekend and not month) WTC! I got to get out this weekend on a custom Kessler. Can’t remember who it was made for but I can tell you this was a nice ride. It really responded to being pushed hard. It was noticeably stiffer than the stock Kessler and rode accordingly. See you at WTC.
Archive for the ‘Will Garrow’ Category
Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Jan 17th
Sunday, January 17th, 2010Wow what a bluebird day up at Park City. For the first time since 1992 I got out on a SL board. Billy and I traded Sigi SL and Kessler SL boards with Dave ripping on the F2 SL.
It was a fun filled slalom day for sure. Definitely took me a while to get used to being on such a short board. After years of riding nothing shorter than 180cm a 167 is a completely different beast. The new boards ride a lot different than I remember. I was never a big fan of slalom but these boards might make me change my mind as it felt more like a mini gs turns at ¾ the speed. Give me a few more days like today and maybe, just maybe, I will start to like slalom a lot more. Also Billy gave Flavia a few pointers and she is making some improvements. It always amazes me that when I tell her something she ignores me but if Billy tells her the same thing she pays attention. Must have something to do with she is used to ignoring me most of the time haha. On our last run down we hit the NASTAR course…ask Billy who won. Anyway after a great day on the hill we hit Squatter’s for a beer and some food. If you are in the area and you like a dark beer 
make sure and try their new Outer Darkness brew, it’s a very tasty beer for sure. Looks like 7 out of the next 10 days are calling for snow so should be real good up there so get up there and make some turns.
Kessler 185 Video
Thursday, January 14th, 2010Here is the video for the Kessler. Sorry for the shaky cam. The next one will be better. I hope you all enjoy it anyway.
Kessler 185
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010Finally after a few seasons of listening to the hype about Kesslers I got the chance to use a 185 (thanks Billy and Dave at Hardbooter.com). My first reaction by the time I got down to the lift was “Holy Hell!” Here are my stats so you can gauge this review. Riding alpine for over 20 years, 5’8”, 165lbs, goofy foot, with angles of 55 in the front and 50 in the back. I have raced at all levels but much preferred to freeride. I used to get anywhere from 250-300 days a year on snow but now down to about 50 depending on work. The board was set-up with a Vist plate and F2 bindings.
Now on to the important part: the review. I have been riding this board now for about 6 days on snow and this is a beefy, powerful snowboard. Carving performance was unreal, to say the least. Power, energy, no speed limit. For those who are looking for tremendous “pop” from the tail then this isn’t for you but if you really load up the tail then you do get that sensation, just not like an old school glass board. I am not a huge fan of “popping” off the tail and getting sent into the woods so I like softer tail that gives some forgiveness. This is a straight up race board but not like the old race boards that kicked your ass every time you weren’t spot on, it is very forgiving. This combination of power and forgiveness lets you ride anything with confidence. On the first day it was perfect groomers and this board I could relax, or be aggressive, and it responded well to both styles. We ripped race inspired GS turns top to bottom and even through in some Eurocarves for good measure…not to mention some switch riding. The problem with such perfect conditions I can’t fully put this through the paces and it left me wishing that I was back at Whiteface on a blue ice day. On New Years Eve we got up to Snowbasin, which is usually perfect but that it definitely wasn’t that day. My friends from out here said they hit some ice but I just called it good ole hardpack. Coming down the “iciest” part of the run this Kessler didn’t skid a bit, made me feel like Jean Nerva in Chill “you carve, you carve, you carve, you carve…no skid even if it’s icy”
If I hade to have one board this would be it, no doubt. This is especially true with the Vist plate on it. I am going to throw that Vist plate on a Prior very soon to see exactly how much of the feel is influenced by it. I know some freeriders don’t want to ride the Vist or Hangel due to the weight or for whatever other reason but I can tell you that I love the Vist (easier to move from one board to the next) and don’t want to ride without some type of plate system.
This weekend I will be shooting some video to go along with this review and a Park City Mountain Resort review. I was supposed to get some videoing done last week but that didn’t work out. Look for the video being posted over at the Hardbooter.com blog site plus I will try to post it here. Again, a huge thanks to Dave and Billy. See ya on the snow.
Kessler 185 PGS Review: First Impression
Thursday, December 24th, 2009For the last two seasons I have been riding a slew of different boards like Virus, Prior, and even a pre-KST Kessler. With all the hype surrounding Kesslers I have been dying to get my hands on one to put through the paces, and finally yesterday I had my chance. The board is a new black top 185 that is mounted with a Vist plate and F2 bindings.
But before I breakdown the board let me give you some of my specifics:
Weight: 165lbs
Height: 5’8” (on a good day)
Stance: Goofy
Stance width: 20.5”
Front foot: 55o with toe lift
Back foot: 50o with heel lift
Years on hardboots: 20+
My first run was on a very easy trail and without much speed I was hesitant to how the board would react. Within a few turns it was evident that long gone were the days of forcing a board to turn. Unlike like some boards where you need to really move forward to initiate the turn you can just stay centered and let the board do the work. Back in the later part of the 1990’s my favorite board was a Rossi 193 but I remember how much fore movement was needed to initiate the turn. For me, the earlier and higher that I engaged the edge, the more that the whole board was pressured. Although I wasn’t lucky enough to have any ice to test this on there was plenty of inconsistent grooming. The suppleness of the Kessler combined with the lift from the Vist plate made for ride that felt as smooth as a Cadillac with the power and control of a Ferrari. No matter what type of snow or grooming I ran into this board had it for lunch. There was not one slip of the edge that I didn’t do on purpose. Even though we didn’t have any ice yesterday I could tell this board would rip through the bluest of blue ice days back at Whiteface. I couldn’t help but wonder what this board would do on Whiteface’s Mountain Run, Stowe’s front four, or Sunday River’s Obsession after one of the east’s famous freeze thaw cycles. The board railed turn after turn and asked for more. There wasn’t the need to make huge adjustments throughout the turn unless I wanted to or I got off balance. Again I just wish I had some blue corduroy to run this on. Overall, for pure carving, this is hands down the best ride I have ever had. I haven’t had enough time or variance of conditions to say if it is as versatile as the Prior (which I feel is the best all mountain race inspired board that I have ridden so far) but I am very impressed. For me the goal has always been to feel like water running downhill when I ride, finally I have felt that way. This board makes carving effortless.
FYI this whole set-up is now available at Hardbooter.com. If you are a weekend racer, an inspiring world cupper, or just someone who wants to ride what those girls and guys ride here’s your chance.
New Season
Sunday, December 13th, 2009Welcome back for the new season! Finally it’s started to snow here in Utah, looks like we have gotten almost 2 feet in the last 2 nights. I will get my first day on snow this Tuesday; I wanted to go up this weekend but just too much grading to do. I am looking forward to taking out the Pretty Good Stick with a pair of the F2 bindings. I will also be testing the UPZ boots for my first time. After riding the Deeluxe boots for 2 years I am looking forward to a stiffer boot but who knows, I might go right back to the Deeluxe. Been fun training with Throwdown Elite Training Center. Wish I would have had more time to do all the BJJ and Thai Boxing but at least I took advantage of the Renegade classes (a lot like Crossfit). On top of that played a lot of racquetball and even won Open Mixed Doubles (with Flavia) and got second in the Men’s Open Doubles division. 
March 8th
Sunday, March 8th, 2009Well its been a while since I have written anything because I haven’t ridden that much. Went out a couple of mornings over the last few weeks but finally got up there to ride for a while today. It was super nice out with the sun shining and a cool breeze. Rode all over the mountain with Flavia, Jared, Tiffany, Skate and Adam (welcome back from Costa Rica). Flavia is still getting used to her new Prior 173 but she is digging the metal board. Overall it was a real good day, riding was good and UNC beat Duke!! With snow in the forecast hopefully we can get some good spring riding in. Well I better prepare for my classes.
SES / Park City President’s Day Weekend
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009WOW, I am not sure where to start this blog ha. I got back from SES early Saturday morning and I am still trying to wrap my head around everything. First I must send out a big thanks to my friend Andy who graciously let me sleep at his place for the entire week. This was my first visit to SES since the PureCarve one 10 years ago. My how some things have changed and how some things have remained the same. The most important thing that stayed the same was the stoke everyone had just from being around so many like-minded riders. It didn’t matter if you were Eurocarving, pointing it straight, or riding switch everyone was just having a blast. I wish I could had more time to demo a few boards but I am the coach for the USA Deaf Snowboard Team. We held the tryouts for the team that will represent us in the 2010 AlpenCup (world cup event for deaf athletes) that is being held at Aspen March 14-18th 2010. If you are around please come out and support all the athletes. So far 15 different countries have committed to participating. Representing the USA will be Jeff Pollock of Layton Utah, Bill Loftus of Stratton Vermont, Greg Reger of Summit County Colorado, Brad Gibson of Austin Texas, and Nixo Lanning of Santé Fe New Mexico. Congratulations to everyone who made the team and good luck next year! This picture has the team plus Billy and Chris Prior.
Nice to see so many alpine riders all in one area. One thing that I thought was really cool was seeing everyone’s different styles. Each person brought his or her unique flair to ripping down the hill. You would have my team ripping race inspired freecarves right next to guys doing fully laid out Eurocarves then Billy rips it switch. Just great to watch of that unfolding before your eyes. Big props to Fin and Michelle for putting on this great event too! Without them this wouldn’t be the yearly celebration that it has become. Also having all the guys making the boards we ride there was great. Being able to talk shop with Chris, Sean, Bruce, Frank, and Mats is a rare treat. I could on and on about the riding and the camaraderie but I think enough is enough.
The last thing I want to mention about SES is not related to riding. One night after dinner at the bomber house (big thanks to the McDougall’s) I was challenged to a foosball game. I haven’t played foos in probably 10 or more years but I am not one to back down to a challenge. So Paul and I teamed up against the challenger, Brad and his partner Billy. Brad was trying to get me to make a wager but since I do not gamble Bill took him up on his bet. Without going into detail lets just say the by the end of the night Bill’s wallet was a little bit fatter! Paul was like a brick wall on defense.
After getting back from Aspen Flavia and I headed up to Park City on Sunday. We met up with Jared and Tiffany and had a blast in all the new snow. The whole week I was in Aspen they were calling for snow but we didn’t get much, I now know why, the snow gods left it all in Utah! I think Park City must have gotten close to 3 feet in the week I was gone and last night got another 10 inches. With all the new snow Park City is in the best shape I have seen it in all year but Saturday was windy as hell. I had looked at the forecast before we headed out and it said 29 and sunny so I was shocked by how cold it was in the wind, defiantly not dressed for it haha. After a few runs we headed to Mid Mountain to get some hot chocolate and warm up. This was the first time all year I have been in Mid Mountain and the renovations look great. I am looking forward to a warm spring day on that deck enjoying a cold beer and watching people fall down McConkey’s. By the afternoon the weather was much better as there wasn’t as much wind. All that wind left Silver Queen in very good east coast shape. I am pretty sure that I was the only person that wanted to keep going back to it haha. If I remember right Jared said something about ice but I don’t remember seeing blue so I think he was making something up or maybe just a little delusional. Anyway, after that we rode Flavia’s favorite run Assessment. We took a few runs down while Jared took some pictures. I need Jared to send me some more pics as I only have a few to include. 
After wrapping up a great day we capped it off by going over to Squatter’s for a well-deserved late lunch.
On Monday I got a chance to ride with a good friend of mine from NC, Matt “Skinny” Bagwell. He and I were freshman together back at UNCG. While I stayed in academia Matty became a tattoo artist which brought him here for the Salt Lake Tattoo convention. If you are into ink and ever down in Charlotte NC make sure and stop by Ace Custom Tattoo and talk with Matty, he is one badass artist. Just look at eh new piece he did on Flavia. 
He and his friend Stephanie stayed at our place then we all got to ride yesterday. I threw on an extra layer because of the weather on Sunday and I am glad I did. It was windy and snowing up there the whole day. It was Stephanie’s first day on a board and she rocked it with some help from Matty. After lunch (Buffalo chili at Summit house is the best) Matty came out and rode with Flavia and I. A few runs later he was ready to call it quits. I guess you kind of tired when you haven’t ridden in 2 years and the try to keep up with a couple of people on a Nidecker and a Kessler. Well that is a basic summary of the last week so now it is time to get back to work. The forecast for Park City is snow and more snow all week until Thursday and then more snow starting on Saturday or Sunday. Hope you can make it up there and take a run with me. We will be back riding Thursday morning then all weekend.
February 1st, 2009
Sunday, February 1st, 2009February 1st
Another bluebird day at Park City. No wonder everyone that moves here stays here. I was running a little late this morning and trying to catch up with everyone so right off Crescent I hit Silver Queen thinking I might meet up with Dave, Billy, Jared and Tiffany at the bottom of Bonanza. Silver Queen was in great shape for carving. No warm-up and just screaming down on the Super Good. Riding up Bonanza I see Dave and Jared headed over to Silverlode so as soon as I get off the lift I head over to Assessment. Well before I headed out this morning took a quick glance at the grooming report and Assessment was supposed to be groomed. I soon found out that it was not, full blast without slowing up I hit it and yup the board just chewed it up. This is without a Vist plate so I can just dream about what it will do. Anyway finally caught up with everyone we blasted some runs all over. One my favorites was over on King Con lift, I can’t remember the name of the run as it was the first time all year it has been groomed and my first time ever riding it. After riding off Con I headed over to meet up with Flavia and our daughter Ryssa. Flavia spent the morning teaching Ryssa as I ripped around the mountain and she must have doing something right as Ryssa is now linking turns! Looking forward to the day when she is arcing turns with all us. Well its now time for the Superbowl, let’s go Pittsburgh. Another great weekend for riding and sports in general, GSP winning UFC last night, Nadal winning his first Australian Open, the Superbowl, and of course riding with family and friends. Sun is in the forecast all week so get up to Park City and enjoy the epic carving conditions. See you there on Tuesday.
January 31, 2009
Saturday, January 31st, 2009January 31, 2009
Epic bluebird day up at Park City.
Sorry it’s been a while since I blogged but I have been pretty busy and not getting the time on snow. Anyway last week Billy loaned me the Super Good 200cm to try out. All I can say is hang on! This board is not for weak or timid but I can’t think a more user-friendly board at this length. Here are my stats so you have something to gauge this board. I am 5’8” (on a good day), 158lbs, with a stance width of 20.5 inches, 55 front foot and 51 on the back. I only ride alpine boards and have been riding alpine for the last 20 years (can’t believe I can say that now, getting old I guess haha). On this board I was riding TD2s with yellow rings, suspension kit, and lexan plates. Also I was using Deeluxe 700 boots. 
First run up was on Claimjumper. Nice easy run to see how this board turns. While it was ok cruising neither the board nor I were doing what we like to do. Next was Assessment, not too much steeper but enough to finally get this board up to speed. Once I stepped on it the thing turned like no tomorrow and plowed though everything. After this I headed over to Prospector. Three turns down the headwall without ever crossing the fall-line and huge smile on my face, this is what riding is all about, hauling ass! To really make this board ride its best I have found that if I really keep my knees apart and stand on that edge I could do any type of turn I wanted and never wash out. This board is super stable at speed, I hit a run down Widow Maker, which was groomed but had the funky ridges left over from the Cats, going about 65mph and all I could do was smile and laugh. There was no shaking this board. I got to ride it switch and like most other alpine boards it just ripped. Hopefully I will get a few more days on it and try it out in the park to see what its like going off some hits. Overall if anyone is looking for a real super g board, look no further, this is what you have been wanting. For me this is an everyday board, don’t know if everyone wants to push around a 200cm board everyday but the benefits of riding this thing far outweigh any negatives. Speaking of negatives, the only thing negative about this board is all questions you have to answer in the lift line, if you call that a negative. Well time for me to get ready to watch the UFC fights and then up and at it again all day tomorrow. 
Hopefully you can get out there and make some turns, Park City is in great carving shape. Tomorrow’s forecast is sunny and 29 degrees, it gets no better than that!