Sean
January 9th, 2006, 08:09 AM
I finally was able to spend some time on one of the new Donek Pilots, so here is my feedback. In the interest of full disclosure, Sean Martin provides our Snowperformance camps with demo gear and has been a great supporter. Nevertheless I think this is an unbiased review.
I rode the 168cm Pilot. Specs as follows:
Rider: 170 lbs (minus the Red Hook), 41 yrs old
Effective edge: 151
Radius:12.25
Waist: 18.50
Flex: 3.7 (Scale of ten)
Tune: 1 degree base/ 2 degree side (done in my shop before I rode)
The deck was an early production model and arrived with a pretty deep linear structure. Additionally, the graphics were somewhat faded. I talked to Sean about this and he was already aware of both issues. Since then he has gone to a different print process for clear fade-free graphics, and is working with a technician to lighten up the structure during production.
Test conditions were perfect- cool out with nice firm groomers on the main runs, and crud or powder in the fringes and trees depending on whether the sun got to it or not. Initial impressions were that the board felt very light under foot, especially compared to the normal Freecarve models. I started out just standing over the center of the Pilot and tipping it into some mellow turns just using my ankles and knees. The board initiated turns well and was very forgiving- could feel the nose and tail flexing even in slower speed mellow turns.
When I turned up the volume and started to apply higher edge angles and earlier pressure in the turn, the board remained responsive and predictable, but I could already feel it was not quite as snappy as the freecarve. This fact was borne out when I went on some steeper firm pitches- got the nose to twist away and wash out in very hard sharp turns at a point where the FC would have held on. Additionally, in really dynamic high energy cross under type turns, the board did not have the energy return- the "pop" when I released the edge- and I would occasionally get caught too far inside the turn waiting for the board to travel back under me. Neither of these facts is too surprising as the board was not designed to be flogged that hard. I was really trying to find the performance limits of the board, and was riding it in a manner that most entry level alpine riders would not be doing. For comparison's sake I also put a friend of mine who is another experienced alpine rider on the deck for a few runs and his feedback matched up very closely with mine.
In crusty chop and crud, the Pilot did not feel overly damp, so if that is your cup of tea I would look for something more beefy and sure-footed like an Axis or 4X4. It was light enough and soft enough flexing, however that it floated pretty easily over anything I rode in and handled powder and bumps pretty well.
The bottom line with the Pilot is that if you are an experienced rider looking to go to the next level, this is not your tool- simply does not have enough energy or stiffness built into it. If however you are an aspiring entry level racer or someone trading in your skis or softies for alpine gear, this is the ticket. Finally, when you consider the price of $375, I think Sean has done a commendable job of building a confidence building deck that is easy to ride, pretty forgiving and can appeal to a broad range of riders.
-Sean
I rode the 168cm Pilot. Specs as follows:
Rider: 170 lbs (minus the Red Hook), 41 yrs old
Effective edge: 151
Radius:12.25
Waist: 18.50
Flex: 3.7 (Scale of ten)
Tune: 1 degree base/ 2 degree side (done in my shop before I rode)
The deck was an early production model and arrived with a pretty deep linear structure. Additionally, the graphics were somewhat faded. I talked to Sean about this and he was already aware of both issues. Since then he has gone to a different print process for clear fade-free graphics, and is working with a technician to lighten up the structure during production.
Test conditions were perfect- cool out with nice firm groomers on the main runs, and crud or powder in the fringes and trees depending on whether the sun got to it or not. Initial impressions were that the board felt very light under foot, especially compared to the normal Freecarve models. I started out just standing over the center of the Pilot and tipping it into some mellow turns just using my ankles and knees. The board initiated turns well and was very forgiving- could feel the nose and tail flexing even in slower speed mellow turns.
When I turned up the volume and started to apply higher edge angles and earlier pressure in the turn, the board remained responsive and predictable, but I could already feel it was not quite as snappy as the freecarve. This fact was borne out when I went on some steeper firm pitches- got the nose to twist away and wash out in very hard sharp turns at a point where the FC would have held on. Additionally, in really dynamic high energy cross under type turns, the board did not have the energy return- the "pop" when I released the edge- and I would occasionally get caught too far inside the turn waiting for the board to travel back under me. Neither of these facts is too surprising as the board was not designed to be flogged that hard. I was really trying to find the performance limits of the board, and was riding it in a manner that most entry level alpine riders would not be doing. For comparison's sake I also put a friend of mine who is another experienced alpine rider on the deck for a few runs and his feedback matched up very closely with mine.
In crusty chop and crud, the Pilot did not feel overly damp, so if that is your cup of tea I would look for something more beefy and sure-footed like an Axis or 4X4. It was light enough and soft enough flexing, however that it floated pretty easily over anything I rode in and handled powder and bumps pretty well.
The bottom line with the Pilot is that if you are an experienced rider looking to go to the next level, this is not your tool- simply does not have enough energy or stiffness built into it. If however you are an aspiring entry level racer or someone trading in your skis or softies for alpine gear, this is the ticket. Finally, when you consider the price of $375, I think Sean has done a commendable job of building a confidence building deck that is easy to ride, pretty forgiving and can appeal to a broad range of riders.
-Sean