Ellis Eecco Rocker 2011 Snowboard Review

2011 Ellis Eecco 153

So, we hooked up with the guys from Ellis Snowboards in Vail for an epic day of riding and trying out some of the innovative products they have in store for 2011. Ellis is a small shop operating out of Social that’s dedicated to putting some of the newest tech out there into their handmade, ride-or-die boards. I had a chance to try out their awesome environmentally-friendly Eecco Rocker prototype.

What: 2011 Ellis Eecco, $389.99

Where & When: Vail, Colorado, USA – February 2010

Conditions: Partly cloudy day, mild temperatures. Snow conditions varied from hard pack/packed powder to fluffy goodness and groomed runs.

Setup: 2011 Ellis Lithium Bindings, 2010 Burton Ion Boots

Technology Worth Mentioning

• Twin shape: This board is symmetrical in shape for easy switch riding.
• Full Rocker: The Eecco’s rocker runs from the center of the board between the bindings and extends all the way to the tips.
• Tri-Comb Core: The board features an innovative honeycomb-like core made through a combination of three kinds of wood; bamboo, poplar, and a combination of bamboo and poplar called X-wood.
• Bi-Axle Basalt Weave: Where most manufacturers opt for standard fiberglass to make up the remainder of their boards, Ellis introduces a weave made from basalt, which is a kind of rock found near and formed by volcanoes! 70% stronger and 20% lighter than standard fiberglass. It also acts as a natural dampener.
• Dip & Grip Contact Points: Ellis adds stability to this rocker with increased contact points that dig right into the snow at the front and back (toe and heel) part of the bindings.

Expectations: I tend to have mixed feelings when it comes to rocker boards. Although these things are usually ridiculously fun, it really depends on the conditions. Snow at Vail was plentiful and I was expecting to have a little fun on this thing. Maybe a little too much fun.

First Line: Our first run was down the front side of the resort from the Wildwood peak and into Hunky Dory (blue square wide groomer) connecting to Look Ma (black diamond narrow groomer) and into Lion’s Way (wide open green run) to the Avanti Express chair.

First Impressions: Wow. I’m not sure if it was the excellent conditions that day but my first run on this thing was incredible! The feel goes past forgiving and into do-whatever-the-hell-you-want territory. Pops, switches, and buttering around felt so seamless on this stick. Awkward landings off little booters had zero edge catch.

Flex/Pop/Stability: Initially, I was kind of surprised at how stiff the Eecco felt under my feet in comparison to other rockers. I slowly realized this was a blessing in disguise since it held a pretty decent edge at high speeds. I could also feel the contact points help me lay down some order on this unrestrained beast. The stiffness also gave it a really nice pop on ollies that lead into switch transitions. The board has a very “skatey” feel to it and it’s almost impossible to resist doing crazy spins. Coming out of a spin riding switch was natural thanks to the twin shape.

Park/Jumps: Not sure if the Eecco is the type of board you would want to mess around in the park with. I didn’t get a chance to try any rails but with only a 6mm rise on the rocker I’m sure you wouldn’t have too hard a time ripping some with it. The board is extremely forgiving on landings but you might find yourself sent into a top-spin if you don’t lean into the edge you want to use right away. In the air, the board had a really nice swing weight to it and spinning it around for 180’s or 360’s felt very natural.

Carving/Switching: I was a little hesitant to go too fast on this thing particularly when it came to groomers. When I did go fast, the board had a very nice damp feel to it, even in pretty choppy areas. As is the case with all rockers, unless there’s some nice fluff on the ground, you’ll feel a little bit of instability when transitioning into turns and carves. For something so playful though, I was surprised at how confident I was to try out some things I had never done before, like high-speed back-side switches. Overall, pretty snappy response and feedback from the board. This stick definitely brings out a completely different rider in you

Powder Riding: The Eecco felt very much at home in nice deep powder. Ellis features their “Cassette” tip and tail design on this board, which helps move snow very seamlessly around the board in deep conditions and prevent buildup on the nose.  I didn’t have to ride the backseat too much and the skatey feel of the rocker just makes you feel like you’re floating so much better than you usually would. I was actually having so much fun in the pow with this thing that I launched off a 2-3 storey cliff I completely underestimated just at the edge of one of the gladed runs. The board was 100% fine, my shoulder… 100% dislocated.

Pros:

• Extremely fun, free-feeling board.
• Excellent release from the snow, perfect for jibbing.
• Beautiful float in powder.
• Snappy response when initiating tricks.

Cons:

• Not really meant for high-speed riding.
• Spins are easy to initiate, difficult to stop/control.
• Hard to track straight/power out of turns.
• Too much fun sometimes!

Conclusion: I believe that every serious rider should have some sort of reverse camber board in their collection and the Eecco is a perfect candidate. Whether it’s a powder day at your local resort or a trek into the backcountry, the Eecco is the kind of board you want under your feet. Unfortunately most people’s riding is limited to groomed trails and while this board does perform well in the groomers, they’re definitely not its bread and butter. I would recommend this board for the intermediate to advanced rider looking to jump on the reverse camber bandwagon. Kudos to the Ellis team for making such an awesome environmentally-friendly board!

K2 Brigade 2010 Snowboard Review

According to the K2 team, the Brigade snowboard is an all-terrain exploration machine. I’m not one to fall for marketing gimmicks, but as my search for the ultimate all-terrain snowboard has not ended yet, it would be unwise of me to pass up a demo opportunity.

What: 2010 155 K2Brigade, $250-$300.

Where & When: Verbier, Swiss Alps in late March 2010.

Conditions: Sunny, clear as crystal skies, and packed powder/hard packed (some areas were hard pack while others were packed powder).

Setup: Burton C60 Bindings + Burton Ion Boots.

First Run: Verbier “Jumbo ” from the bottom of Mont Fort to the La Chaux peak for a combination of off-piste, groomed, corridors, and moguls in one go.

Technology Worth Mentioning

• Twin shape: This board is symmetrical in shape (equal length tip and tail), thus should feel the same whether riding regular or switch
• Dual Progressive sidecut: Sidecuts designed for any level of rider, K2′s DUAL PROGRESSIVE sidecut is a mistake-friendly, fun and forgiving sidecut, which allows for more consistent riding in all situations.
• Catch Free Camber: According to K2, the Catch Free Camber design translates into a small amount of Rocker in the tip and tail with a reduced camber for a ‘fun and easy’ ride. Basically, the tip and tail have been raised a bit while reducing how high the middle of the board archs (camber) upwards from the floor.

Expectations: I was told this was a more intermediate snowboard, so I’ve kept that in mind – though I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist speeding on this board. At one point I was going so fast on this thing, I knew I wouldn’t be able to make the corridor turn I was zooming towards, so I just went off the edge. Luckily, there was enough powder to soften my landing.

First Impressions: The K2 Brigade was most certainly a fun and laid back board and the Catch Free Camber was surprisingly evident. I didn’t think the Catch Free Camber design would have any impact but while preserving the feel of a camber, the reduced arch in the middle led to less edge catching.

Flex/Pop/Stability: K2 made sure the flex of this board was forgiving and fun. It wasn’t too soft, but it definitely wasn’t too stiff. If you’ve ever tried a Burton Custom, you’ll notice that they feel very similar. Popping the board was easy and soft on the knees (but just like any other board, make sure you land smoothly lest you hurt your knee). While a fun board, I didn’t feel too comfortable bombing down Verbier’s slopes aggressively. Chatter isn’t a problem under high speeds, but the board will give out if you need to stop quickly or turn sharply.

Park/Jumps: Don’t worry about taking this thing into the park every now and then, but you should be spending more time shredding groomed runs with the Brigade than making a fool of yourself on the rails. However, this board was a ton of fun taking off jumps and landing the m. 180′s and 360′s for anyone!

Carving/Switching: Any beginner and intermediate will find carving and turning with this board pretty easy to do. However, if you start picking up speeds, you’ll notice the board giving out more often than not. Moreover, K2 was successful at maintaining the board’s playfulness by doing a good job with the boards twin design. Long story short, switches feel as natural as possible.

Pros/Best for:

• Fun and forgiving all-mountain board.
• Jumping and on-mountain features.
• Good Value for Money.

Cons/Worst for:

• Not as stable under high speeds and increased riding aggressiveness.
• Rails and boxes.

Conclusion: If you’re more a beginner looking for a fun board that isn’t too expensive to take your riding to the next level, this might just do it. If you’re an intermediate (looking to progress), an expert, a park junkie, or an aggressive rider, this will not be a good board for you.

We Are Back!

So where have been the past 6-7 weeks? Well, aside from resort hopping in the Rockies and the Alps, we visited a few European cities, namely, Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, and London. If that wasn’t enough, there was Mo popping his shoulder taking off a cliff in Vail (I don’t know what he was thinking pulling that stunt off while testing out an Ellis Snowboards prototype banana stick), my other buddy attempting to body slide down a super steep Alps hill, which turned out hilarious and sad (I have the video!), and our asses being air lifted after getting ‘lost’ a few kilometers out of bounds at the Les 4 Vallees mountain range.

As we settle back in Toronto, we will resume filling this site with great content as you’ve come to expect from Snowboard Go! Here are some things to expect in the new few weeks:

• 2 Ellis Snowboards reviews (including the Banana prototype Mo launched off a cliff with).
• What to do during the off-season.
• 1 K2 Snowboard review
• 1 Mundaka Goggles review.
• Vail, Colorado resort review.
• Verbier, Switzerland resort review.
• Sunshine Village, Banff  resort review.
• How to 3 days in Paris and 4 days in the Alps on the cheap.

Absenteeism

To all our regular readers and the many new readers coming to SnowboardGo on a daily basis, let me apologize to you for the snail pace at which new content is being posted during this fine month of February. Mo and I have been resort hopping the past few weeks and have had very little time to post much. We will be back at the end of March and will resume our regular brainwashing activities.

Until then, enjoy this powder happy video:

Gretchen Bleiler Interview on the TODAY Show

It’s been pretty quiet on SnowboardGo lately but for good reason (read: mountain hopping). In any case, this was submitted to me via email and thought it would be a lazy way to update the site. Don’t be fooled though, the video is pretty good.

Yes, I know posting the interview this late is ironic, but better late than never.

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