Since the mid summer I had been looking for a new board and flitted between one idea and another. Did I want a long board again for hooning down pistes or a shorter one for spinning off little hits or something purely for powder. Then I started reading stuff about the banana rocker technology. You can ride a shorter board in powder due to the inverted camber – sounds good … Magna traction (wavy serrated side rails) cut into ice better – Hmmm .. yeah that might work Nose and tail presses easier due to the softer flex in the mid part of the board – to be honest you couldn’t get much worse than a stiff 166 board for that .. Ok, so I was sold on the tech … and the fact that after boarding for many years I was looking for a bit of a new thrill. I looked for a place to buy a T.Rice 157 for ages, but no one had one. Then by fluke saw one in a shop in Albertville that was having a 20% off promo ……. sold !

Val Thorens opening day 14th November 2009 Val T opened a week early due to great snow conditions. Should I try out my new board ? Could be lots of rocks … might wreck it …should wait for a couple of weeks in to the season for better snow … so obviously I took it .. along with my ski bunny – Andrea (Legs) from Snow Retreat. Like finishing with your old girlfriend and going out with a new girl who was younger and fitter and into music that you were unfamiliar with it was a bit daunting (the Na-nar not Legs). Would you get on with the new version ? Would you look like your dad at a rave trying to look cool ? Could you dance to the new tune ? Strapped it on and whey hey ! It was different alright.

Very fast on the turn – to be expected I suppose with the inverted camber and the fact I normally ride a big board. On the early morning hard pack of VT the magnatraction worked a treat, gripping and holding it’s edge better than anything I’ve ridden before. Crank it right over and the serrated edge cut right into the hard snow and brought it to a stop on a gentle gradient. 360’s of the edge of the piste – easy ! Over rotation if anything and no feel of catching an edge on landing. Nose press – I’m not good at them … but felt much easier than my old monster. But the big test (as far as I’m concerned ) – could I ride powder as easily on a much shorter board.

There was loads of untracked off piste off the top of Peclet gondola. About a foot deep and had settled. Headed off into it knowing that my bindings were set for piste and, prepared to lean right back … but not necessary !! This board just floated over it. Normally I’m like a dog with it’s leg up a tree even with my bindings set right back on the old Nitro, but now I was riding with an almost central balance .. brilliant ! Hope it’s the same for the deep January stuff off the top of Col de la Loze in La Tania.

By the end of the day I was loving the Na-nar, having taken a little while to get used to the new turning speed and balance position I found it fun and springy. It was even stable enough at the ultra high speeds it takes to keep up with Legs after she’s got a glass of lunchtime red coursing it’s way around her respiratory system.

Downsides – expensive – 540euro marked price in the shop (before the 20% discount), not too stable on marbles – but what is ? And it won’t euro carve – crank it over too far and the magnatraction digs in and the back end washes out – sorry one piece boys this ones not for you !

Hairy Phil http://www.snowretreat.co.uk

The London Ski Show’s two main retailers Ellis Brigham and Snow & Rock have load of new skis on show it really does look a minefield. We noted that EB have place big “Best on Test” stickers on their favourites – we’ll share this with everyone next week.

For all-round I love the Fischer Watea 84 which I am skiing in a 184, it is the fastest edge to edge of anything i have skied over 78mm in the waist which added to fantastic balance and edge grip make it the perfect all rounder, well almost perfect….. could you sort the graphics out Mr Fischer!

Then I am also riding in really deep snow the Armada ARV in a 185 thin tip, nice on powder days and not too wide. There is no need for anything wider.

For bindings , confident with top of the range Look, Salomon or Tyrolias, forget the rest.

phil@skihigher.com

www.skihigher.com

Amer Sports Group own:
Salomon, Atomic, Dynamic, Volant

Quicksilver own:
Dynastar, Rossignol, Lange, Roxy

Tecnica own:
Tecnica, Blizzard, Nordica

K2 own:
K2, Line, Marker, Volkl, Armada

I reckon that leaves these….
Head, Line, Fischer, Scott, Elan and Kastle (now rescued from Benetton).

There are of course still hundreds of very much smaller independent, highly specialist brands, some more famous than others and some that disappear and reappear – examples are Liberty, Wagner, Lokomotiv, Goode, 4Frnt and Zag.

Finally there’s the designer labelled ski and boards available in Courchevel 1850 from the likes of Prada, Chanel, Versace and Lacroix (a pair of the latter owned by a certain La Tania entrepreneur – they ski pretty well too he reckons!).