skwal

[Dr D]

any one know a source for reasonably priced skwal specific bindings?

[fin]

Dr D,

Hold tight for about another week. We are just finishing up a modified lower assembly for the TD2 binding that is made just for the Skwal boards. Should be ready in the next week or so and on the website.

Just out of curiosity, what is the width of your Skwal where the bindings mount?

[Dr D]

Originally Posted by fin

Dr D,

Hold tight for about another week. We are just finishing up a modified lower assembly for the TD2 binding that is made just for the Skwal boards. Should be ready in the next week or so and on the website.

Just out of curiosity, what is the width of your Skwal where the bindings mount?

I will check for you. I want to say its right at 12 cm but it has been a while since I looked at it that close. Its an old thias that was made pre insert. I had inserts mounted in it myself.

Are you saying I could order something along the lines of a second board kit that my new TD2's I just ordered would transfer To?

what about the canting etc.

I currently have an old set of wild duck snowboard bindings on it. they are not much wider than the four whole disc and they fit perfectly . a burton race plate hangs out over the edge considerably if that helps.

[Badger]

Good news Fin. I'm also in a need of a pair of skwal bindings for Völkl monocarver. Her waist is admirable 11,5 cm.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by fin

Dr D,

Hold tight for about another week. We are just finishing up a modified lower assembly for the TD2 binding that is made just for the Skwal boards. Should be ready in the next week or so and on the website.

Just out of curiosity, what is the width of your Skwal where the bindings mount?

That's good news Fin, so it should fit on the VIRUS Black Death (15.1cm) and Cyborg (14.1cm) plus some others as well.

[Dr D]

mine is also 11.5

[fin]

Yep, you could definitely make a "2nd Board Kit" from it.

However, one thing to realize, the Skwal lowers will not have an E-Ring on them or be a 2 piece mount like the regular TD2 lowers. There was just not enough room. So it is a one piece lower that mounts directly to the board. It is 11.5 cm in width so it should fit most of the Skwals out there. Your Virus will also take'm Ray

They will be available in 0, 3, 6 degrees.

[Dr D]

sounds great. Its been my experience that its a whole defferent set of forces involved on the skwal than on a board. I don't think the lack of an Ering will be a big factor. the ability to move my td2's back and forth easily from board to skwal will be a big deal though. whats the price factor going to be or do you know yet? I need to figure it into my budget for the year!!!

[BobD]

I have an older model skwal, set up with what looks like 3 and 3 degree lift.
It is a very different ride from an alpine board in that it requires your weight to be very centered. Put your weight too far forward and it'll hook up and carve right out from under you. Just mentioning this as I might have been tempted to go 0 and 6 degrees like I do on my boards, if I were buying bindings for a skwal I hadn't riden. Newer skwals may be different.

BobD

[fin]

Price for the entire binding will be the same as a TD2 "normal" bindings. The Skwal Cant Disks will also be the same price as the TD2 bindings.

The lateral firmness of the bindings will be its strength on the Skwal in my opinion. Being used at the high angles (80 degrees and up) you are using the lateral side of the boot almost exclusively. With the Skwal TD2 bindings, you should get some excellent power to the snow

[Dr D]

Originally Posted by fin

Price for the entire binding will be the same as a TD2 "normal" bindings. The Skwal Cant Disks will also be the same price as the TD2 bindings.

The lateral firmness of the bindings will be its strength on the Skwal in my opinion. Being used at the high angles (80 degrees and up) you are using the lateral side of the boot almost exclusively. With the Skwal TD2 bindings, you should get some excellent power to the snow

I am confused. It looks like you are selling an entire skwal specific binding for the same price as a TD2. So if I want just the lower part will that work? IS that the cant disc you speak of and I assume you mean the same price as the TD2 cant discs. I have ordered a set of TD2's and suspension kit for my board I was hoping you meant that the skwal cant disc would accept the uppers from that. OR do I need to buy a whole second set of bindings for the skwal? surely you don't mean to charge the binding price for just the cant disc?????

[fin]

Let me try this:

TD2 Skwal Binding price = TD2 Snowboard Binding price

TD2 Skwal Cant Disks price = TD2 Snowboard Cant Disks price

The TD2 uppers will work on the Skwal lowers, no problem. They are the same.

[metjeep]

... we will need a set too...

[Dr D]

Originally Posted by fin

Let me try this:

TD2 Skwal Binding price = TD2 Snowboard Binding price

TD2 Skwal Cant Disks price = TD2 Snowboard Cant Disks price

The TD2 uppers will work on the Skwal lowers, no problem. They are the same.

outstanding sign me up for a set of the discs

[Dan]

So...what stances are all you skwalleurs using?

Do you actually go to 90 degrees (pointing straight ahead) with your front foot, or do you use a little bit of offset? How much splay do you have between right and left feet?

What's your "stance width"? (For a Skwal, maybe "stance length" is more appropriate )

[metjeep]

Fin-

We just measured our Skwal. Width is 4.5" (`11.43 cm) where the bindings would be.

Metjeep

[Skwalleur]

Originally Posted by Dan

So...what stances are all you skwalleurs using?

Do you actually go to 90 degrees (pointing straight ahead) with your front foot, or do you use a little bit of offset? How much splay do you have between right and left feet?

What's your "stance width"? (For a Skwal, maybe "stance length" is more appropriate )

I go with 90/83. Can't really adjust the "lenght", but it's really tight. You shouldn't be able to open the rear binding with the front foot in if you haven't got intecs.

[Skwalleur]

Originally Posted by Badger

Good news Fin. I'm also in a need of a pair of skwal bindings for Völkl monocarver. Her waist is admirable 11,5 cm.

Watch out with the Monocarver! It hasn't got standard 4x4 so I had to drill (Fin cover your ears/eyes!) extra holes in my TD discs to make it fit and can only use three screws per disc. Even then the fit was assymetrical. E.g. it fits a bit like this:

Nose

|___|

|oo_|

|_o_|

|___|

|_oo|

|_o_|

|__ |

Tail

But the monocarver sure deserves the TD!

[Dr D]

Originally Posted by Dan

So...what stances are all you skwalleurs using?

Do you actually go to 90 degrees (pointing straight ahead) with your front foot, or do you use a little bit of offset? How much splay do you have between right and left feet?

What's your "stance width"? (For a Skwal, maybe "stance length" is more appropriate )

Its heel to toe and the only offset is in the back foot. Its really a functional thing so that the toe bail will clear on the rear binding. If I was using intecs I think they would both be straight ahead. At 11.5 cm its almost overhanging just to get the binding to clear the front boot. I actually prefer to clip out of the front boot on the chair rather than the rear. It doesn't seem to affect control at all since both feet are so close to the center of the board. It feels like a ski on either foot. Very easy to control on and off the lift. think slalom waterski as far as binding placement and feel.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by Dr D

Its heel to toe and the only offset is in the back foot. Its really a functional thing so that the toe bail will clear on the rear binding. If I was using intecs I think they would both be straight ahead. At 11.5 cm its almost overhanging just to get the binding to clear the front boot. I actually prefer to clip out of the front boot on the chair rather than the rear. It doesn't seem to affect control at all since both feet are so close to the center of the board. It feels like a ski on either foot. Very easy to control on and off the lift. think slalom waterski as far as binding placement and feel.

Thanks Skwalleur and Dr D for the feedback. I noticed that I couldn't get my back foot out when the front was clipped in, and wondered if that meant I was doing something wrong with my setup. (Yes, I'm a befuddled new owner.)

I'll go with leaving the back foot clipped in on the chair, and the front foot at 90 degrees. I probably won't have a chance to get up on the Skwal for a few weeks or so, but when I do I'll post here and let you know how it goes.

[carverbob]

I have an all-mountain Skwal (FreeCarve 180). Waist 125mm. I bought it in Switzerland with stock Skwal bindings (toe-bails, not step-in). Ramped (raised toe in front, raised heel in back), no canting. I am riding 85 degrees in back, 87.5 degrees in front. No toe-drag even with my ski boots (314mm boot sole).
Bob

[Dan]

I had my first day on my Skwal Easy Jungle 165 last weekend. I spent about 3 hours on it at the beginning of the day on a sunny day with good grooming and fairly firm snow: perfect conditions.

Verdict: it's pretty easy to pick up. I was able to carve turns pretty much right away, though I wasn't able to get as low as I can on a snowboard, even after 3 hours. I like the quick edge-to-edge time: it feels nimble. On the bad side, it feels very unstable, and any time I needed to skid it was like walking a balance beam. When I bent my knees, my back kneecap touched my front knee - don't think there's any way to adjust around that.

And after 3 hours, my right (back) knee was aching a little bit. I've had knee trouble in the past, but I've been mainly free of pain for the last few years, so this was kind of a red flag for me.

All in all it was an interesting ride: all about finesse rather than power, and offering really quick edge changes. I'm sure that spending some more time on it would yield dividends, but I prefer my snowboards, and the knee pain just confirms my decision...you'll see an Easy Jungle in the Classifieds as soon as I get back from Montana (leaving on Wednesday!).

[Dr D]

Originally Posted by Dan

I had my first day on my Skwal Easy Jungle 165 last weekend. I spent about 3 hours on it at the beginning of the day on a sunny day with good grooming and fairly firm snow: perfect conditions.

Verdict: it's pretty easy to pick up. I was able to carve turns pretty much right away, though I wasn't able to get as low as I can on a snowboard, even after 3 hours. I like the quick edge-to-edge time: it feels nimble. On the bad side, it feels very unstable, and any time I needed to skid it was like walking a balance beam. When I bent my knees, my back kneecap touched my front knee - don't think there's any way to adjust around that.

And after 3 hours, my right (back) knee was aching a little bit. I've had knee trouble in the past, but I've been mainly free of pain for the last few years, so this was kind of a red flag for me.

All in all it was an interesting ride: all about finesse rather than power, and offering really quick edge changes. I'm sure that spending some more time on it would yield dividends, but I prefer my snowboards, and the knee pain just confirms my decision...you'll see an Easy Jungle in the Classifieds as soon as I get back from Montana (leaving on Wednesday!).

I am sure that setup affects these as well. I had trouble with toeside turns of all things. my back foot is at about 85 degrees so my knee doesn't hit my leg. I don't have any trouble skidding but they are definitely more stable the faster you are going. slow speeds on flatter ground feels like a balance beam. I also used some old wild duck bindings that had a slight cant to them. they were mounted such that the cant leaned outward. I found that to be very comfortable vs the TD2 with zero cant. the cant sort of makes up for the fact that you feet are so tight together and central. I am tossing around the idea of hitting fin up for and upgraded plate set complete with 2 or 3 degrees of outward cant.

[carverbob]

I have also had the problem of my rear knee hitting the back of my front knee. My solution has been to wear a "volleyball-type", soft knee pad on my back knee. Low-tech but seems to work.
Part the differences in experiences has to do with the model of Skwal. The dimensions, lay-up, flex and handling of Dan's Easy Jungle, Dr. D's LaCroix Contest and my Free Carve, are all very different.
I consider them fun, but somewhat terrifying on "flatter ground", the balance-beam anology is appropriate, but would modify it to a balance beam not attached to a base or to the ground (a log in a pond?).
Cheers,
B

[Dr D]

actually I am the proud owner of an easy jungle as well. It is a totally different beast than the lacroix. the lacroix contest is a full on speed demon and quite frankly scares the hell out of me

[Badger]

My humble opinion is that you get no knee pain if you keep your angles at 90 degrees -this forces you to ride the skwal the way it was designed = like a slalom water ski. This also explains the knee touching the other one - the only right position on the water as well = the back knee tucked behind the front one.

[carverbob]

I agree that would be ideal (as I come from a slalom waterskiing background). However, the two issues are: I have Skwal brand bindings with toe-bails (not step-in), and do not have enough room to get in and out of the back binding at 90 and 90. I have tried releasing the front binding for chair lift rides, but it creates pain in my rear knee as the board hangs. The other issue is that I do not have canting under/in the bindings, or enough canting in my boots, to allow me to put even pressure on the inside and outside of the ski when at 90 and 90. When water-skiing, I have high-wrap bindings, but not hard-shell, which allows my ankles to flex sideways enough to keep even L-R pressure on each foot. What are the options for correcting this? canting the bindings? Getting a Bomber Skwal "second board" kit and using my TD1s?
Thanks.
CB

[Badger]

I also use standard skwal bindings and the only way to get the back boot off is to first release the front one, but I find this OK as you normally only need to get the front foot out = opposite to the boarder practise. I never thought about ankle flex in water skiing - I figure it's all about weight transfer sideways and I've been applying this to skwal as well