Review Aboards snowkite/snowboard

[tomchx]

Here a little review on the 158 Aboards kitesnow & snowboard.
Been Snowkiting and Snowboarding all winter long with that board and here what i think about it:
First i want to say that i been snowboarding for years now, since 87 in Chamonix France, and i use to work in R&D at Rosssignol snowboards.
I had not much expectations on a kiteboarding brand putting out a all in one, kite specific snowboard, as well has a snowboard ready to shred the park and even the steep mountain of Chamonix.
But now has the winter is finishing i can say that i was quite happy with that board, and here are the positives point has well has the negative points:

+points:
_Good soft flex for snowkiting, make the board really easy to use in all type of snow, nice soft landing, feel like a Libtech Banana, really easy to do manuals rails and jibing and to keep the nose out of the pow.
_Nice wide (26,5cm) and long effective edge board, good for fresh pow snowboarding and up wind ability snowkiting and stability on rails and park jumps.
_Nice round and sort tips good for freestyling.
_and finally good all around durability.

-negatives points:
_A little too soft when it come to fast snowboarding or kiting.
_May be next year a better tips shape for off piste riding.

To resume,good job to the Aboards team to manage putting out quite a good all terrain and all use snowboard, It 's best terrain or use is definitely snowkiting and a really easy snowboard for snowpark jibing...

Aplus, and sorry for my poor english writing

[maggie]

I've got an A boards snowkite board, which I'm really looking forward to getting out on this winter.

My first impressions of the board are really positive, but so far the conditions haven't been great for snowkiting in Scotland this season, we have had a lot of snow but either with no wind or with way too much wind.
For now I'll just put up some pics of the first session Mark and I had in November, just enough wind for a light wind cruising session at a spot we usually kitesurf!!

[FredMurphy]

a light wind cruising session at a spot we usually kitesurf!!

It is possible to ride a snowboard on the water if you're brave enough. You just HAVE to try going from snow to sea and back again. Probably near the end of your session, with a change of clothes to hand.

[maggie]

a light wind cruising session at a spot we usually kitesurf!!

It is possible to ride a snowboard on the water if you're brave enough. You just HAVE to try going from snow to sea and back again

Aye that has to be tried! Guess you need a fair amount of power and speed to not sink
When we get good snow on the beaches again you'll see the pics up here i promise!!

Shame we don't have icebergs, that would really make it - across the beach, onto the sea, handplant transition on the iceberg... Any takers in the arctic/antarctic?!!

[gshahram]

Hi Tomchx.

I hope you are still on this forum. I'm a beginner kiteboarder but I have kited on water, on a landboard and on skiis. I want to buy a used snowboard to try that as well next winter. Although I can snowboard farely well down alpine, I don't know anything about board setup.

Can you give me any direction? It seems like you are an expert and knowledgeable. I just need an idea of what size, dimensions, binding styles or anything else you can tell me as I sort throught the used gear available online.

thanks in advance,
shahram

[Kobrin]

This looks like a great deal gshahram...

http://www.brackleshamboardriders.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_138&products_id=991

Freestyle snowboardbindings from most brands will fit this board.

Look for a baseplate on the bindings with 4 insertholes.

[tomchx]

Hello, Gshahram

yes still here lol,

here a few tips videos that i did this winter, that will answer a few of your questions, i think any way (ep.nº1).
Those are just tips not a school tutorial, it allways best to go to a kite school to learn it from 0
ep.1(board, spot, wind's)

ep.2 (set up, take off....)

ep.3 (kite-loop's)

[tomchx]

I think you will have no problem to take it to the snow, has you al-lready kite on water and snowboard...
The nº1 tip is that you find the right spot (flat, nice snow, good wind's...)
The snowboard need to be twin-tip, like my aboards board, wide TTsnowboard works great and if you can go revers camber (next season aboards) or banana better, it helps a lot...
Binding are an other story, lot of diff. opinions, the main idea is to get some thing really confortable, like i allways say "that where you want to spend your budjet, in boot's and binding..."
Cheers

[sol-flyer]

Super Stoked on the Aboard snowboard