How do you feel about slalom boards in DH races?

[sniffleless]

So what do you guys think about people that use slalom boards during downhill races?

[Brute379]

So what do you guys think about people that use slalom boards during downhill races?

Why would one object?
It is about going fast....would you have a minimun wheelbase and or deck length?

[guivans]

Same as for people using a Hellcat with Maguns for tight slalom...

[seabass101dg]

i dont see why not. Its more difficult to dh on a slalom set-up than a dh set-up isn't it?

[tomahawk]

So what do you guys think about people that use slalom boards during downhill races?

if you can rock it, rock it. some courses i can see em being very good on (maryhill), others that require more drifting, i can see them being less used. i'd say it depends most on the rider and what style they prefer/want to use on a given hill.

but i dont believe there are any requirements about length

[Wolfin]

Why the hell not? ;D

[urbanasultvehicleuav]

thts awsome im actually thinking about taking my slalom set up for some free ride

indy 169s
lemon zigs
some made deck with 19" wb

carvy but stable i like

[rosewood thief]

Just do what tastes right. It has its benefits, a tighter wheelbase will allow you to grip corners better than a double dropped board or a dropped board or an average sized top mount speed board, it will also help to actually make the turns, because falling off cliffs isn't very fun if i say so myself. Back slalom trucks are also usually very stable, I would trust one for downhill, and if the IGSA has something to say about it, I won't race with one. If the IGSA needs to fix something it's sure as hell not the fact Zak Maytum likes using his slalom board for Maryhill.

I think they should only be outlawed on certain courses for safety reasons. No matter who you are, having a board with high trucks, 70 mm wheels, and wedge/dewedge could result in a cluster#### when trying to footbreak.

[Reece Man]

i dont see why not. Its more difficult to dh on a slalom set-up than a dh set-up isn't it?

No way. I recently started riding a Slalom setup for DH and it's easily just as stable but SO much easier to take turns. Agreed that once you need to drift you are SOL but your drifting threshold is also increased. Footbraking is hardly any different.

[BoardDuDE630]

IMHO i think its just another way to show off and get attention similar to riding down gnar hills switched, but thats just me. I get it has it advantages but come on your pretty much rubbing it in the face of everybody by doing so. Its whatever though, if you can handle it, good for you, ride it, no one is stopping you.

[shorncliffe longboarder]

reckon its cool, it would make it way harder but a better time if the rider was good enough right>?

[Reece Man]

IMHO i think its just another way to show off and get attention similar to riding down gnar hills switched, but thats just me. I get it has it advantages but come on your pretty much rubbing it in the face of everybody by doing so. Its whatever though, if you can handle it, good for you, ride it, no one is stopping you.

Wow that was a really intelligent thing to say...

To all you young longboarders out there, follow this man's example if you want people to ride with.

[beigebomber]

I think it's all part of a wave-like progression that we see in all boardsports. People get comfortable going fast on standard length boards, then they start to see the benefits in manouevrability(sp?) that shorter boards offer, and are willing to compromise some stability (and often lose some 'thrust', or momentum). The trend tends to peak at the point where it all gets a bit silly (1980's surfboards going down to 5'5'', for example) and that for all the benefits of extra agility, the guys on 'old skool' length boards (which become a little bit shorter than the starting point, but are still 'long' compared to the new shortboards) are the ones that are on the podium most often. One of to things happens at this point: a)races/competition are dominated by guys on more traditional boards but the guys blowing minds on freerides/videos are riding shorter equipment, and the sport splits.
b) The ruling body changes the type of race/competition to reflect the progress being made on newer style equipment.

I think the IGSA seems to be moving away from big sweeping speedruns and toward more tech races.
The 2009 Avenger, for example, is shorter than the 2008 version.
You've got guys like K-Rimes complaining that if the course can be skated on a slalom board, then it isn't a viable DH course.

So, there might be a movement in progress here (no, I'm not writing this on the toilet).

Before we get carried away. Remember, P-Swiss rode some Maryhill runs on a slalom board, but when it got to the point when he was getting close to winning the thing, and needed to go fast, he put away the slalom board and took out the DH setup.

[keef]

This reminds me of a similar thing that happened in the UK in the early 90s. I was into the motorcycle club racing scene, and track days, just when they started, before being really popular. You know turn up and charge around the track on your road bike. Guys started getting more and more tricked up bikes, then they started turning up with bikes on trailers coz they weren't road legal. Then, to most peoples amazement, some one turned up on a motorcrosser, with road rims laced onto motorcross hubs, with the stickiest tyres you could imagine, others just laughed at him, but that all stopped once out on track, and no one could keep up with him through the bends. It wasn't the quickest in a straight line, no fairing, high up sitting position, but mx bikes are designed to go around the twistys as quickly and nimbly as possible, hence blowing all the heavy hard to turn road bikes away. I can see a similarity here in many ways.
Oh, except that they banned MX bikes from entering club races, and gave em their own category, called supermoto.
Maybe we will end up having DH for DH boards, and DH slalom minus the cones for the guys that go quicker on slalom boards. I wonder if they'll call it superbordo???

[rivers]

mini speed boards with tiny wheels is the future. Im rockin a 8ply 32x9 inch deck with indies and 60mm OJIIIs at the moment. It is the sickest board ever.

[beigebomber]

If you look at some of the bigger GS boards (say Fullbag, as Switzer used one at Mary), they're not that different in wheelbase to a DH board. Trucks are another thing though. Really narrow hangars, with a near-zero angle on the back. No idea how that would feel, but obviously some people like it.

[Looptail]

It's all progress.
Some new things will come from it, while other ideas will turn out to be non-starters;

You never know until you try. Good luck to all those people pushing it forward by trying new stuff.

Anyway, it only ever matters when you're riding in sanctioned events. The rest of the time, what you ride is totally irrelevant.

So long as the IGSA (or whoever) doesn't take the same line as UCI in cycling and ban many innovations, thereby keeping sections of the sport in the stone-age.

Apart from safety-related issues, I don't have much time for "rules" in skateboarding.

[edit]
And BTW, there are WAY more interesting things happening re. riding styles/ techniques crossing over from slalom to DH. When these guys get a bit more DH experience, board designations or arguments about wheelbase will be the least of your worries.

[Tagsrover]

IMHO i think its just another way to show off and get attention similar to riding down gnar hills switched, but thats just me. I get it has it advantages but come on your pretty much rubbing it in the face of everybody by doing so. Its whatever though, if you can handle it, good for you, ride it, no one is stopping you.

What the are you rubbing in people's faces? The fact that you want to try something different? What is wrong with riding a board that has advantages? Every board has advantages. if you have the money to buy precisions and ceramics and new wheels and a deelite you have an advantage over me with my entry level setup. So why should it be against the rules for me to ride the board i want? Because you think slalom is gay and are embarrassed when you loose to one?

[Petary791]

I actually made a thread about this a couple months back and got some great responses, if you search "DH on Slalom Boards" or something like that it should show up in the speedboarding section.

I personally love smaller wheelbases, and for anything that you for sure don't have to drift I can see it being killer.

[BoardDuDE630]

What the are you rubbing in people's faces? The fact that you want to try something different? What is wrong with riding a board that has advantages? Every board has advantages. if you have the money to buy precisions and ceramics and new wheels and a deelite you have an advantage over me with my entry level setup. So why should it be against the rules for me to ride the board i want? Because you think slalom is gay and are embarrassed when you loose to one?

No need to get all riled up man, I was just giving an opinion.
No I don't think slalom is gay, I think its pretty fun and actually want to try it legitimately instead of just setting up some cups and messing around. I could care less if some one was to beat me on a slalom board, if anything I would give them props. I'm not saying it should be against, like I said "if you can handle it, good for you, ride it, no one is stopping you". I know most people who do this aren't intentionally trying show off and rub the fact that they can do dh races on a slalom board in peoples face but there are going to be people who will take it that way, and those are the type of people who will get mad when they are beat by slalom boards and complain to get the rules changed. If you've found something that is different and works for you, good for you i give you props. There is nothing wrong with a little creativity, it will up the competitiveness of the sport and hopefully help it grow.

I didn't mean to piss anybody off, if I sounded like a punk or kook or whatever I'm sorry.