That’s an awesome looking board
Kijima Gerende Kata 159
I decided to pick up a new carving deck and wanted something special. In the past few years my carving decks were a Nitro Pantera 163 and Fullbag Diamond Blade 163. They were very different decks but both seemed to be a bit too stiff, the former too lively and the latter too damp. After some discussion with Kijima by IG, I decided on his carving deck. If you look at Kijima's IG page, first impressions are beautiful wood topsheets. I have to admit I was seduced by them. His new carving shape from last season is the Gerende Kata (piste cutter). It's offered in 152, 154 and 159.
Given the icy conditions the deck was intended for, I went with the 159 length. The build was a cool process with discussions along the way. I went with standard waist of 27cm but you can pick any width you like. I was looking for a long edged carver for the typical NE fast track. So I didn't want something too wide so I could maintain fast edge to edge transitions. My prior decks were a little too stiff so I was happy to have something with a little more flex. Bamboo core for a bit of pop. When I finally got the deck in the mail, all my expectations were met. It's beautiful. The black and white sandalwood topsheet is really cool looking. All bases are blue sintered. I went with color matching sidewalls. And the edge tune it comes with is top-notch. I was scraping off the shipping wax and inadvertently dragged my finger over the edge. It cut me. Fuckin' scalpel sharp! I paired the deck with Now Pilots.
My stats, 5'5", 165lb, size 9 burton photon. stance 21" +27/+9
I consider myself advanced intermediate rider, an old dude who likes to carve fast.
I finally got a few days on this deck last week. First day the conditions were the typical man made snow with freeze thaw cycles--precisely for what the deck was intended. First impressions? It did not disappoint. It took me a couple runs to get the feel of how to dance around the deck. It was an empty resort on a Tuesday--first tracks. So I was able to open it up and lay it over as much as I wanted. It has a shit ton of edge and can lay lines. I'm not a big guy and I never felt like the deck was riding me. I could lay out wide super-G turns or fast S turns. I was a bit worried about the waist width but it was never an issue with edge to edge control. And if I wanted to scrub speed here and there it was pretty easy compared to the stiffer and damper decks I have ridden in the past. One of my favorite lines to take on icy days is the 15 foot swath at the edge of the trails, where the shaved ice tends to pile up. It requires much shorter and faster turns. The torsional flex of the deck allowed me to do some back foot steering and take that line with ease.
Two days later had about 2" snow on top of the soft cement. Morning runs were a little slower but much more fun, especially when people got out of my way. I really felt dialed in. Turns do not require a ton of effort. I wouldn't say it's a playful deck but certainly not a beast. The tail has a ton of grip, so if you get too much in the backseat it won't wash out. I'm a shitty switch rider but took some turns on low angle runs at the end of the day. I have to say it was my most successful switch carving ever. I rode the deck all day each session. First day 15 runs (19k ft), second 18 (22k) and didn't feel the need to swap out. So two days in on this deck and I am pumped to get back on it.
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Given the icy conditions the deck was intended for, I went with the 159 length. The build was a cool process with discussions along the way. I went with standard waist of 27cm but you can pick any width you like. I was looking for a long edged carver for the typical NE fast track. So I didn't want something too wide so I could maintain fast edge to edge transitions. My prior decks were a little too stiff so I was happy to have something with a little more flex. Bamboo core for a bit of pop. When I finally got the deck in the mail, all my expectations were met. It's beautiful. The black and white sandalwood topsheet is really cool looking. All bases are blue sintered. I went with color matching sidewalls. And the edge tune it comes with is top-notch. I was scraping off the shipping wax and inadvertently dragged my finger over the edge. It cut me. Fuckin' scalpel sharp! I paired the deck with Now Pilots.
My stats, 5'5", 165lb, size 9 burton photon. stance 21" +27/+9
I consider myself advanced intermediate rider, an old dude who likes to carve fast.
I finally got a few days on this deck last week. First day the conditions were the typical man made snow with freeze thaw cycles--precisely for what the deck was intended. First impressions? It did not disappoint. It took me a couple runs to get the feel of how to dance around the deck. It was an empty resort on a Tuesday--first tracks. So I was able to open it up and lay it over as much as I wanted. It has a shit ton of edge and can lay lines. I'm not a big guy and I never felt like the deck was riding me. I could lay out wide super-G turns or fast S turns. I was a bit worried about the waist width but it was never an issue with edge to edge control. And if I wanted to scrub speed here and there it was pretty easy compared to the stiffer and damper decks I have ridden in the past. One of my favorite lines to take on icy days is the 15 foot swath at the edge of the trails, where the shaved ice tends to pile up. It requires much shorter and faster turns. The torsional flex of the deck allowed me to do some back foot steering and take that line with ease.
Two days later had about 2" snow on top of the soft cement. Morning runs were a little slower but much more fun, especially when people got out of my way. I really felt dialed in. Turns do not require a ton of effort. I wouldn't say it's a playful deck but certainly not a beast. The tail has a ton of grip, so if you get too much in the backseat it won't wash out. I'm a shitty switch rider but took some turns on low angle runs at the end of the day. I have to say it was my most successful switch carving ever. I rode the deck all day each session. First day 15 runs (19k ft), second 18 (22k) and didn't feel the need to swap out. So two days in on this deck and I am pumped to get back on it.
