Rossignol GS Boards

[surphadude]

Does anyone out there know anything about Rossignol race boards? I'm interested in purchasing a slightly used World Cup downhill board, but know nothing about it. Any advice?

[LeeW]

what color is it? if any, what's the year model of 'em ? Got will garrow-customized ultra stiff rossignol 185. it's a bit scary, since I broke my leg on that board.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Does it look like the second board from the left?
I think this was the last model Rossignol produced.
Couple 3 years ago now. Shame.

[LeeW]

Originally posted by www.oldsnowboards.com
Does it look like the second board from the left?
I think this was the last model Rossignol produced.
Couple 3 years ago now. Shame.

I think so too.

[surphadude]

The board is 159cm, cream colored. The board came in the following sizes: 155, 159, 170, 184, and 190.

Here is a pic. Thanks for the help guys.

[bobdea]

if its cheap and not beat up its a good choice I liked mine a little soft but it was damp and held a edge quite well

[LeeW]

Originally posted by surphadude
The board is 159cm, cream colored. The board came in the following sizes: 155, 159, 170, 184, and 190.

Here is a pic. Thanks for the help guys.

Ok, my advice is to just get on it and ride it to figure it out. It's not squirrely as the Madd's 158. That's for my 185 yellow board as oldsnowboardschool.com's photo.

[surphadude]

If I purchased the Rossi board (probably around 150 bucks) it would be my first time on a race board. I would like to use it to race collegiate GS on the east coast. Usually sub-par conditions with a lot of ice. Would this board be unforgiving?

[bobdea]

its most likely a SL deck I would go bigger if I were you mid 170 to 180s for GS
the 159 would want to turn tighter than a GS course demands and would be harder to ride at the higher speeds look on ebay you can find burton speeds new in plastic for about 170 plus shipping

[Kent]

Surpha -

Buy the board for $150...send it to me.....and I'll send you a 178 Volkl RT that you can ride for your GS deck....

I'm serious. I want that 159. If you don't buy it, please send me the contact info for the seller....

thanks
Kent

[spcarves2]

a rossi for a volkl 178 RT? that is the sweetest deal of a lifetime.........do it surphadude! the RT rules!

[LeeW]

how about Madd 158 ? :D

[surphadude]

Hey all. So I'm completely overwhelmed by all the products and information out there on alpine boarding. I'm new to the sport and looking for a board that is cheap, a good first race board, and something that will give me a competitive edge in collegiate GS. I've been told that for my size (5'8" 140lbs), anything larger than 165 or so would be really tough to pick up. Wouldn't a 178 be tough to ride? Also that something around 158-160 would be a good "race-training" board. Is this true? I'm a very aggressive rider on my freestle deck, finished 2nd in my conference last year on that board, but need something more now. Just trying to figure out the next step. Thanks for the help, gentleman.

[Hugh]

Dude,

The 159cm that you are interested in is way too short. Your decision to race/carve will need to be paired with lessons or advice from other racers. Alpine and freestyle are completely different. Freestyle (any style) allows for lots of arm and body movement, carving needs a quiet body that compliments your center of gravity with the board. Look at the photos of people that pinch their downhill hip with quiet arms, that is the sh*t. Learn not to pet the snow (my worst habbit).

My advice: get an alpine board in the high 160's to very low 170's, TD2's or Catek bindings, medium to stiff boots and learn from others that bomb the hill.

out...

[LeeW]

madd 158'd kill 'em snow rut and all.

[surphadude]

Hey Kent - if I hook you up with the Rossi 159, can you hook me up with a good GS board to learn carving on but also progess on so that I can clean up in racing, maybe between 164-172? Just don't know if I could handle a 178!

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3693523000&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

Here is a 170cm Scott that should fit the bill nicely.

[D-Sub]

Originally posted by surphadude
Hey Kent - if I hook you up with the Rossi 159, can you hook me up with a good GS board to learn carving on but also progess on so that I can clean up in racing, maybe between 164-172? Just don't know if I could handle a 178!

I think youd be fine...altho at 140 the flex of a renn tiger might be a little much?

others would know

[Kent]

Surpha -

I'll help ya any way I can...

I've coached alpine racing for the past 10+ years, and seen folks on all sorts of equipment.

The goal isn't what is "best", rather....what will make you BETTER. At your size, you still have some growing to do....plus, being new the sport you'll need to suffer through the training curve.

With that in mind, alpine boards are sized in accordance to the turn shape that you intend to make during a "carved" turn. However, the reality for new racers (and old) is that you won't be "carving" 100% of your turns. Therefore, you need a board which is handle the best of both worlds. During a race, many things happen...and the ability to correct mistakes is just as important as having a hero run 1 out of 25 times down the hill.

For "adult" sized racers...most are using a SL board in the area of 158-164cm. For PGS..around 178-184 and GS is around 180-188. Really depends on the course...so guys bring multiple boards. For years I've been preached shorter than standard, stiffer boards with a larger sidecuts and people thought I was crazy....

At 140, the 178 might be a lil too much board until you're able to throw around your weight. I'd say a 172 would be the best bet....but I'd definately steer clear of boards less than 168. Why? B/c that were originally built for large SL racers than small GS racers....

Also, I would certainly STAY AWAY from Bomber or Catek binding until you've mastered the carve. (Sorry Fin). Many newbies use them as a crutch. In this process, you want to be able to balance on your board and be flexible....after this process, a stiffer binding will allow you to be more aggressive.

kent

[surphadude]

Kent, what's the condition of the RT? I'm seriously considering the Rossi for the Volkl as long as you think it could work and given that the board is in good condition. I was thinking about buying a pair of the 413's on bomber's store site and setting them up with some flexier burton plastic bindings. Does that sound reasonable? (Don't want to break the bank, either.) Could you hook me up with some burton plates for cheap? Klug's site is soldout of everything.

I'm trusting you on this one!

-Brian

[Kent]

Well...I didn't say the 178 would exactly work. It going to be a lil on the long side. But, it's not like we're WAY off base.....just going to take a lil extra muscle, but eventually be the board for you after the skills catch up.

As for bindings...I'd recommend getting a pair of SnowPro Race Ltds. Forget the Burtons.....

I'll take some pix and send to you or post here...

Kent


Edit - Silly me....the other great binding out there to buy are the Phoikkas.
http://www.phiokka.com/bindings.html

[Scorpio]

Does anybody have any comments on the SnowPro Race Ltds? I was thinking about getting a pair for a second board not sure of its performance. Anybody use them?

[Kirk]

Some threads already started on Snowpro:

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2287&highlight=snowpro

http://www.bomberonline.com/VBulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2101&highlight=snowpro

(Man, I hope I did this linking thing right:confused: )

[Ghostrider]

Hey surphadude

Just a few thoughts on boards to help you out. First off..I race uscsa and am the student rep for the midwest uscsa. In the midwest here where its usually pretty icy, most guys are running mid 150's to upper 160's slalom cut boards.

Im 5'9" 170lbs and I ran a volkl 163 RTSL and a 173 RTGS and I only used the 173 for one collegiate race which was more like a super-G at searchmont. The divisional collegiate races arent set by pros as of yet, so they tend to be very tight courses and more like a SL than a GS.
From my personal experience, I've found the shorter SL boards to be much more fun to ride and much easier to learn to race so you can focus a bit more on your line instead of forcing the board around. Also, I'd find out what year volkl you are getting into. In the last few years, they have fixed the infamous volkl soft nose problem gradually. I had a 02 volkl and a 04 volkl and the ride was totally different. I believe the 05 volkls will also be slightly stiffer yet since they changed the reccomended weight range and ditched some size options.

About the bindings, make sure you match the proper equipment stiffness with the board. I ran TD2's with hard (red) dampeners on a '04 173 RTGS, and new Head Stratos w/ hard inserts and it was physically painful if i was out of a smooth race course. Instant shin splints for somebody not heavy enough to get some dampening flex out of the board.

And if you are planning ahead for uscsa nationals this season, it will be in Idaho where its not an ice skating rink like last years chemically enhanced super steep ice sheet at sugarloaf. So a bigger board might be nice if you want to bomb the course.

[surphadude]

Alright guys, I'm now the owner of a Rossi 159 WC board. From what I gathered from Ghostrider's comments, the board might work out for the tight GS courses I'm running out in Virginia! Still waiting on the pictures of the RT from Kent. I'm kinda split on the feedback I've gotten about the right size of board for me and the type of riding I will be doing. On the one hand, I should stay away from anything under 168, and the other, anything over low 60's would be hard to handle for a beginning carver in the types of courses I'll be running. Any final comments?

[Chris Houghton]

Still say a 159 is too short to work properly. May be OK to learn on, but after two or three days you'll be looking for something longer and more stable with less sidecut.

[Hugh]

It all depends what is going to work best for you. Try out the 159cm and adjust from there. Overall length, sidecut, width, camber, flex, etc, there are a lot of variables. A lot of first-time alpine riders choose to buy short boards, it didn't help me to buy a 156cm for my first alpine board, live and learn...I did.

I have two 171cm Rossi Throttles that are used to race, I don't know what type of race courses, but I know that they work well for speed and turning.

It really doesn't matter what board you buy first. If you like alpine, then you will want to collect a quiver of boards. It is fun to buy and sell equipment too. I have 5 carving boards and 3 powder sticks.

Check out the X-Bone bindings with Intec step-ins if you want a softer binding or maybe you already bought bindings.

Good luck,

Hugh

[surphadude]

Kent, send me the pictures at blove@virginia.edu. I've got the Rossi, let's set it up. I'm a quick learner and I can already carve reasonably well on my freestyle deck, so I think the RT should work out after a few weeks of practice.

-Brian

(Anybody out there want to sell some snowpros, x-bone, or phoikka's for super cheap?)

[Kent]

Just sent ya a note...

K

[surphadude]

Hey Kent, didn't get any note. Try again, or send to surphadude@hotmail.com. Thanks

-Brian