poutanen

Unfortunately I haven't been on the Avalanche yet to judge it. All Virus boards are handmade in Germany, and every review I've read has judged them VERY highly.

The nice thing is if your size is a good match for a certain length board, but you like something stiffer/softer, he can make that too.

They have a traditional camber profile with a lifted nose for powder float, so they are very similar to the Custom X with the exception of the nose.

Right now I'm riding the angry brother of the Custom X (Burton T7) and I think the Avalanche will be a step up, otherwise I wouldn't be buying one!

If it's something you're interested in, have a look at that thread and Virus' website and get back to me. I want to put the order in soon as they'll take a few weeks to make the boards and snowboarding season is upon us in Calgary.

LMK

BigmountainVMD

If you do spins how are you not riding switch often? Only 360s and 720s? And if you really don't ever ride switch, then you WANT a directional board.

protechjump

I'm interested, but are all their boards freeride only? I'm not sure I'd like that. If they have more of a Freeride/All mountain then count me in.

poutanen

Yeah they're primarily freeride boards. I suppose you could always ask for a softer flexing board. I think flex and a more relaxed camber would be the main differences between freeride and all-mountain.

They are designed to be ridden hard though so not sure if it's what you're looking for...

protechjump

I ride hard, don't get me wrong, but I'm looking for something that's not targeted for racers. Imagine doing jumps on one of those boards. Also, I don't want a thin board where I need to place my feet close to vertically to avoid drag. Do they have any board who's shape is similar to the T7? Or even wider like the Custom x? I don't head up to whistler much (3 times a year) so it'll be ridiculous if I use a freeride board on grouse or cypress. There's no room for carving like that. I'm interested in the group buy idea though. Thanks man.

lonerider

Looks like racers seem to being doing jumps just fine (considering you are pushing and shoving with other people as you go over the jump). Check the last couple of jumps they do around 1:00



Wanting a board that isn't super narrow is a reasonable preference but the Avalanche freeride boards variants specs look pretty normal in width

FR 50 150 cm 24,8 cm 115 cm
FR 56 156 cm 25,2 cm 120 cm
FR 62 162 cm 25,6 cm 125 cm
FR 68 168 cm 26,0 cm 130 cm
FR 50 FLP150 cm 24,8 cm 115 cm
FR 56 FLP156 cm 25,2 cm 120 cm
FR 62 FLP162 cm 25,6 cm 125 cm
FR 68 FLP168 cm 26,0 cm 130 cm
Avalanche FLP „AFT“ Freeride 160 / 168 / 176 30,0/25,3/28,0 149 cm

protechjump

They do look very stable on jumps and at high speeds. Do they need special bindings and boots?

lonerider

Nope... they take a regular 4x4 bindings and standard boots... you probably should get a stiffer boot like the Nitro Select or Burton Driver though.

protechjump

Sounds Great! Now do I have to change my stance at all? Do I need to set my feet close to vertical on the board or can I just use a regular stance without drag. Can you link me to the board? And are you part of the group buy thing? Thanks for your help

lonerider

Here is a link to the boards. Based on the specs... I think the Avalanche series of boards by Virus (there are several other models they sell) have a normal width profile. I checked and the Burton Custom X 160 cm board is actually narrower than the Avalanche FR - so you should be able to use the same stance as you would a regular freeride board (provided you don't have size 12+ feet... but since you are 5'9" 130lbs, I thought that was unlikely).

PM poutanen for final details soon (like tonight)!