Special

To Whom It May Concern:

I ride the 163 and have a size 13 boot. The '63 is 25.3 in the waist, so what I've done is set my stance @ 24" 15/front -9/rear. It's perfect. I feel no need to manipulate my stance in any way.  In the pic below, you can clearly see that I've got some toe/heel hang'in, but I never have drag issus....ever.

So the regulars have probably seen me salivating over this thing for a while.  I order it the moment 50% off hit, picked it up from Sierra last night, and finally got to take it out today at Rose.

First things first, the Special is FAST.  Not boarder cross fast, but I strapped in and immediately I could tell that it wanted to be let loose; it reminded me a lot of the Palmer boards I demoed.  This was on factory wax too, I basically tore off the shrink wrap, threw on my bindings and took it to the hill.  I don't know that it's necessarily the fastest board I've ever ridden (that'd probably be the T6), but when you strap this thing to your feet, you can just feel it champing at the bit to rip down the mountain (whereas the T6 kind of took me by surprise).  It was actually a little unsettling today, since it was mondo icy at Mt. Rose and I didn't have a helmet.  So unfortunately, I didn't get to fully indulge its need for speed.  I'll update on that when I get the chance.

The ERA technology seems to work just as well as it did on the Benedek I demoed a few weeks ago.  The board stiffened up when I took it to speed, yet at slower speeds it was  soft enough that I could tail press without a great deal of trouble and easily maneuver.  It's a great board for someone like me, since it's fairly aggressive (which I am most days), but not so much so that it's all business all the time.  You can definitely still play around with it a bit.

It held a great edge at medium-high speed (again, I didn't ramp it up much today).  The only times the edge washed out on me was when I failed to scout my line ahead of time and adjust to the terrain properly, and when I freaked out because I suddenly hit a patch of ice.  Very very competent freeride stick, certainly at least a good a ride as my Decade so far (and thanks to ERA, it's easier to flex too).  However, I wouldn't really consider using it as a pure high end freeride stick... it wasn't quite as damp as I'd hoped (though that might have just been the ice).

In the park, the pop was great (like basegrinder said, "Maximum return on effort") and I liked it off jumps.  Purely in the park I'd rather ride my Axum since it's more forgiving and playful, but the Special certainly held its own.  Unfortunately I'm just getting into park (ollieing into straight airs off kickers, occasional grabs, no jibs), so I can't comment that heavily on this.

It was on natural terrain features that the board impressed me the most... charging rollers and little mini-kickers on the groomers (Rose has a lot of these) was a blast.  The Special gives me great pop off a roller, is just forgiving enough for a comfortable landing, and is aggressive and fast enough to just go and charge the next one.  While I prefer the Axum off the man-made stuff, as far as all-mountain freestyle I think the Special is the clear choice.

I didn't notice any of the "hookiness" that Basegrinder mentioned in his review... though I don't typically detune my boards, so I may not know exactly what he's talking about.  The only time I've ever REALLY noticed serious drifting and hookiness was was with Brody's 162 Finch, and that might have had to do with the fact that the board was a bit too big for me.

Anyway I'm holding off on the final word until I get a chance to bring it up to bomber speed, but based on my initial impressions, I think it's definitely my go-to stick.  So far it's been at least as solid as my Decade freeriding and it seems versatile enough for anything on the mountain.  Compared to the  famed Custom... more aggressive, less park-oriented (definitely not as jib friendly in flex and construction), and cheaper.  I'd<

^^
I think it'd be a little much for you.  On other boards I've been able to link turns switch down greens, but the Special just kicks my ass... definitely not an ideal beginner board.

Anyway, further review... yesterday I took it out again for what's very possibly the last day of my season.  First hour and a half was icy, but thankfully not so much so that it was difficult to hold an edge to if you knew what you were doing.  It was a good test for edge hold and the Special definitely kicked ass.  I never once lost an edge even booking it down a run (Lower Main at Sierra) that was pretty much ice top to bottom.

I've been on a board that is supposed to have extraordinary, one-of-best-on-the-market pop in the Salomon Benedek and I think the Special is comparable, though not quite on the same level.  But you still get great loft and everything you give up in pop, you gain in versatility.  I don't know if it's the board's ERA spine or something else about the construction, but it's lofty and playful when you want it to be, and it's a beast booking it down the mountain.  It holds a great edge, even on ice (again, far superior to my old Decade, which was freeride-centric).  I am certainly a big believer in ERA technology now.

Few minor drawbacks, though.  First, I noticed it's considerably more difficult to ride switch than my Ride Decade, my Atomic Axum, and the Burton Custom I demoed.  However, I don't know if that's necessarily a fair assessment since both times I've been on the Special snow conditions were far worse than when I rode those boards switch and yesterday I set my bindings to the most responsive setting for the first time ever.  I'll need to reserve final judgment on that until I get more days on it.

Second, it's not QUITE as damp as I'd like.  On the ice it held its edge like a dream and in the slush it performed admirably, but when the snow got sticky and heavy towards the middle of the day, I could definitely feel the crud.  Again, still need to see how it performs in proper conditions with at least SOME real snow.

Finally, my foot went numb once on the lift (it's supposedly a heavier board), but that was when mechanical troubles forced me to sit there with the Special hanging off my foot for at least half an hour... never once noticed it while I was on the mountain.

In all, I think it's an exceptional board and would certainly make the same decision if I had to pick all over again.  Anyone looking for a solid, versatile board, the Salomon Special beckons.

Mine just came in 159 (green) mmmmm... yummy!

Originally posted by shop_28860 Just got my 2008 159cm Special and Burton Cartels from Sierra today.  Can't wait to get up to Tahoe and put them to the test.  I'll make sure to post a review as soon as I get back.

Ive got the 07 of that set up. tell me how it goes.

Not the best board for you, the Special is relatively aggressive.  Rather stiff longitudinally, though not that much torsionally.  I'd take a look at the prospect instead.

Is the patrol really just the wide version of the special or is it stiffer and less poppy due to the extra width?