Nov. 11, Mt Baker, WA

So, did they work, and how were they? Show everyone proof that your ride was a success (or even a complete failure)!

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Greg
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Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 11:41 am
Location: Sweden but home is NW Washington

Nov. 11, Mt Baker, WA

Post by Greg »

Well, three days after opening day, Baker was a totally different story. It started with a couple inches of fresh powder over a really brutal layer of crust underneath. As the day went on, the powder got deeper and deeper to the point that it was about 8-10 inches deep at the end of the day, and the groomers had turned into nice soft packed powder.

I took my first pair of skis, the Bremallows (pictures and full write up to follow). The Bremallows are about 130mm at the tip and tail, with about 150mm in the center. They also have a short section of normal shaped sidecut in the center of the ski. I had them tuned up before I took them skiing and I was really glad that the edges were sharp.

I was really impressed at how well they actually skied. I was expecting them to be really terrible and fall apart after a run or two, but they skied remarkably well on all of the gnarly crust and sticky snow that Baker is famous for, and they lasted the entire day! By the end of the day the tails had delaminated a little bit, but I had already riveted them together because I figured they would delaminate.

As far as how they skied, they were awesome in the powder, no hooking, and totally predictable. In the crust under the powder, they seemed to do as well as any other ski. Finally, they were really sketchy on the groomers that were hard packed. As a side note, I tried to do a 180 and ski backwards with them, and the reverse sidecut caused my legs to spread really wide, and then I fell over backwards in a really awkward feeling fall.

The best part, though, was all the comments I got from people. Everyone was amazed that I built my own skis, and I couldn't believe how many questions they asked.
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hose-man
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Post by hose-man »

greg that is awesome. I can't wait until I get my first pair together. Congrats on the successful build. Looking forward to the write-up.
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littleKam
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Post by littleKam »

sweet! i'm glad to hear that someone is actually getting to ski. where the hell is the snow?! can't wait to see pics of the skis ...uh, i mean snowboards.
- Kam S Leang (aka Little Kam)
collin
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Post by collin »

I also can't wait to see the write up. They sound a little similar to the DP Lotus 138 that were being discussed else where on the forum. Are they any better on hard snow than a regular reverse camber/sidcut ski?
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bigKam
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Post by bigKam »

Congrats on a job well done Greg!

http://www.skibuilders.com/gallery/subm ... llow.shtml

keep up the good work, and we hope to see more skis....
Alex
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Post by Alex »

Great job Greg! It's fantastic that there are some guys bringing the reverse sidecut skis forward :D
Greg
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Location: Sweden but home is NW Washington

Post by Greg »

I skied these again today at Snoqualmie Pass. It was pretty much spring like conditions with slush and corn snow over harder stuff underneath. I started the day on some old straight skis (salomon 8's I think) to see how the conditions were. After skiing in the fog for about 2 hours I was ready to head home (for those of you from outside of the northwest, Snoqualmie has about 200m of vertical, and is extremely boring). Anyway, I walked back to the car, saw the Bremallows sitting there, and decided to take a few turns on them.

As before, they skied really well. They were a lot more fun to ski than the straight skis I skied earlier, and I am totally sold on the reverse side cut.

I figured out today that with reverse sidecut, if you lean forward really far when you turn, the skis will turn easier than any ski I have ever skied. With a little technique change to your skiing, you can make a huge ski feel like a snowblade!
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bigKam
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Post by bigKam »

Greg, i agree that the reverse is nice, and of course, fun! i've managed to make them work (The Doinks) in the backcountry. what i found most intriguing is how easy they are to maneuver. it's true that they do require a bit of technique in varied conditions, but if you're willing to accept a slight change in style (as you have mentioned), reverses are exciting. they add another dimension...
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