New wide boards: Gecko, Firemove etc

[KC7777]

AND you better buck up with some o dat disposable income, don't see yer sorry name on the donations page this year.....or

Ya Kus I will. Good point.

Sorry if my conservative, capitalist, gear whoring personality offends any socialists out there.....I really don't care. I work my ass off for my cash (full time prof AND teach 45 - 50 days on weekends for the CA school....lots in the summer which kills my windsurfing...skiing is my 50 - 70 day a year sport.) Plus I keep the damn economy running! Gear is my crack. There are worse things to be addicted to. End of rant.

See ya on the hill. Now back to windsurfing.

Dave - kill this thread if you want. Kind of missplaced. I got too excited.

PS - just noticed I have 275 posts here in 9 years and 345 posts on tetongravity in 1.5 yrs.....

KC

[mark atkins]

Hey Joostio & KC,
Thanks so much for weighing in!!
I think the best would be to demo the skis...
I know the Blizzards rip hard in wide open spaces;-
I had similar concerns re:- the Cochise 185s in trees;- I thought that maybe going for the 177s would help with this, but I feel that going that short in a 108cm ski kind of goes against the purpose of buying a ski that wide...
BTW, I also heard the Sickle is just a great ski that could easily be a one ski quiver.
Ahh, so much gear, so little time...
Cheers,
Mark.

[more force 4]

Thanks for the snowdrift; I'm thinking of buying skis this year, after occasional rentals since i bought my dynastar equipe 210cm mv2s in 1972. I figure one pair every 40 years or so should keep me....
I tried some wide negative camber last year at Terrace and loved them. I'll be making notes from this thread before going shopping.

[nanmoo]

You conservative capitalist whore you KC7's!!!!

[nanmoo]

OK....one more "useless" Keith tip re winter gear.

For you snowboarders out there.....check out the "Now ipo bindings"

My son has been on these for 1 year. We met JP (french cdn dude in vid inventor) at the Baker Banked slalom race last year. Nice guy. Gave my son Scotty a ton of free Now swag and some new low backs for his ipo bindings. The low backs are sick in deep pow.

These Now bindings make snowboarding feel exactly like surfing. Caveat is once you try them you can't use anything else as it takes way less pressure to edge the board.

Expensive but worth it ($279 at Evo.com)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKpbb6QD8vE[/youtube]

Good for carving, not so good for park and pipe riding where you want to land flat. Just seems like a weird product though, if you want to carve like that just stick with a cambered board. I guess this might give you that type of advantage while riding a rocker, but still, makes no sense to me. 90% of the boards you see on the hill are twin tips that are not exactly designed to carve hard lines, this seems more suited for the hard boot skiier wannabe guys.

[KC7777]

Hey nanmoo,

I guess we will just have to slap a pair of these on your snowboard for a day (they work on 4x4 and the Burton channel) so you can try them at Baker and see for yo self.....you too mtm.

K

[eastside]

I thought I would wind this topic up with a review of the Firemove, even though it seems to have turned into a ski thread. Best thing is that KC could even use it in small waves at Tribune Bay as tune up for his Oregon Coast trip.

I tried David M's 110 Firemove and thoroughly enjoyed it. It took about 2 seconds to get the hang of it as it is so well balanced. It planes up fast, turns amazingly well for the width. Fast and ripped upwind. Rode a few small waves backside and frontside. Did well even though it had a 30 cm ? freeride weed fin. I would say it rides like at least a 10 litre smaller board. What's not to like.

[Brass Munkey]

So I know this thread has been inactive for a while, but are there any new thoughts on the wider, thinner boards? KC7777 did you get out this summer on a Gecko or a Firemove?

I like your "gear as crack" addiction. I want to use some cool boards and gear as a motivator and goal to improve my skills. Those wider, early planing boards sure look pretty cool.

What's the verdict?

[KC7777]

Hey tommy,

I ordered the Gecko 120L....$1499US from Gorge Surf Shop for the bamboo wood version. But after learning to sail more efficiently this year, and dropping 10lbs down to 170 lbs this summer my Fanatic FreeWave 105L is working well. I am sailing 4.7/105L or 5.2/105L now and planing when in the past I would have been on a 6.0 or 7.0 and a 120L Fanatic Hawk?

I recently sold my 120L Fanatic Hawk, my 460 mast, 7.0 sail, big boom and 150L Fanatic Viper. I just don't think I need stuff bigger than 105L? I can uphaul the 105L and if the wind is so low I need a Gecko I am probably SUPing?

So I told Gorge Surf Shop to sell it....it is there now....ask for Adam (1- 800.957.4978)

Another reason is Harrison Lake is not suitable for sailing due to the breakwater. And I only go to Nitinat when it is sunny/windy. And I bought a nice 12'6" flatwater SUP for when it is not windy.

So end result....I want one....but I don't really need one.

I am also thinning down my sail quiver from 4.2, 4.7, 5.2, 6.0.... am selling my 6.0....as it just feels too big and will just have 4.2, 4.7, 5.5.

Keith

[Brass Munkey]

Why don't you like the breakwater at Harrison? Kills the wind on that side of the lake?

[KC7777]

So....I was down skiing Mt Hood again.....saw my Fanatic Gecko siiting there at GSS. Adam said I could have it for $1,400US. Cheaper than original price. And I sold my flatwater SUP for $1,200.

Decided I wanted it for light wind on the island with a 6.1 Ezzy.

Frickin' wide and thin.

Will post a report when I sail it.

K

[BigD]

When I first read that I thought it said

"Will post a report when I sell it"

[nanmoo]

Are you still in Hood?

[KC7777]

Are you still in Hood?

Sadly no.

I am at SFU Burnaby for 2 weeks teaching stressed out accountants for 8 hrs a day how to pass their big CA final in June.

You heading down to Florence for a few days?

K

[KC7777]

Got to Nitinat last weekend and took the new 120L Fanatic Gecko out for a couple of days:

Purpose of this board was to replace my 120L Hawk/7.0M combo. I disliked 7.0M sailing (sail too big, often feels heavy when underpowered, need both a bigger boom (>200cm) and bigger mast (460cm) which is a waste of money). Also want this as a platform to learn tricks in light winds. And as a board for light days at Nitinat, Hornby Isl or Pipers when blowing <20.

Initial thoughts:

It works.

Sailed it with a 2014 5.7M Ezzy Elite and a 34cm and 39cm fin. It definitely likes the bigger fin, even with the 5.7M.

Sailed it underpowered (other sailors were on 6.5M - 8.5M) and overpowered (when others were on 5.2 - 6.0).

This thing does not need big sail, 5.7 is currently my biggest sail. Planes super easy. Better than the 120L Hawk and my 146L JP FreeRace did. Alain was on 8.5/117L iSonic and I was on 5.7/ 120L Gecko and we were both planing no problem.

With a few less lbs and a 6.1M I think this will go in 13-15....just like my 120L Hawk/7.0 did, but just easier, and with a 6.1 instead of 7.0.

There are three footstrap positions in front and two position in back....I ended up liking the middle position in front, and more towards rail in back.

The jibing was stunning, probably the best board for learning to carve jibe...it flies around and makes pretty tight, fast jibes. It feels like an idiot could jibe it (which I did many times).

Pretty fast when sailing, not as fast as my Fanatic Hawk, but not that much slower either.

The 120L looks really really big (wide), though it does not "feel" big on the water. When overpowered it does not feel crazy or pressured like the Hawk did. Cause it is so thin I guess. It is just fun.

Jumps nice........not that I jump, but it literally flew off tiny waves and floated through the air. 6" at least!

Easy to tack...though it is short but so wide not an issue.

Easy to uphaul.

Only issue.....probably coulda/shoulda gotten the 112L version?!

KC