Snowboard Theory

Does the math playout? A pair of Noctas may be the surface area equivalent of a snowboard. But are they as fun?

A basic premise: Shorter, wider, and might be more fun. Call it snowboard theory.

Ok, hear me out.

This all started because Jason got a free pair of skis from the Teton boys, the Black Crows Nocta. Jason was skeptical. Not only are the Nocta Doodle Doos, as he calls them, 122 cm wide, the ones he was gifted are the shortest length (177 cm—he’s keen on longer powder skis). And also quite heavy. And soft. And damp feeling. Maybe not all bad things, but certainly outside of the ordinary for his tastes. But like all good things, he’s coming around. 

After a few days of skiing them, Jason brought them to my house so we could remount them further back. Jason has bigger feet than the skier who gifted them, so that, combined with his more traditional skiing style, he was hoping to garner better performance from a mount that was -6.5 from true center. Still plenty progressive, but about 3 cm back from the BC recommended boot center. 

Since I am sneaky and a good ski tech, I set the heel pieces up so I could squeeze my smallest boots onto them and take them for a spin as well.

Fast forward a week or so, and Jason left the skis with me after a day harvesting some of the excellent creamy pow we have been getting pummeled with. After getting home, I tossed the skis in the garage and went upstairs for snacks.

 Later, when I ventured back to the gear zone to tinker, the Nocta Doodle Doos happened to be laying on the floor right next to my splitboard.

I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the outline of the short-fat skis and my snowboard.

This got me thinking.

I have taken my split board out on some super deep days and always enjoyed plenty of floatation, easy tight turns, and a nice surfy feel. I’ll claim that in deep snow, snowboarding is more fun than skiing. A synapse fired: Would riding short-fat skis in deep snow translate to a similar experience?

I decided to find out.

If you ask google what the consequences are of having too-short skis, this is what the AI tells you:

“If your skis are too short, they will likely feel unstable at high speeds, making it difficult to maintain control, and you might feel like you’re ‘going over the handlebars’ when applying pressure to the front of your boot; essentially, they can be less stable and harder to manage in various snow conditions, especially when trying to make longer turns or ski at higher speeds.”

Key Points about Short Skis according to AI

Less stability at speed: Shorter skis provide less surface area to grip the snow, making them less stable at high speeds. 

Difficult in deep snow: They might struggle to float in deep powder, causing you to sink and lose control. 

Easier turning: However, short skis are generally easier to initiate turns and maneuver in tight spaces. 

Suitable for beginners or specific terrain: Short skis can be beneficial for beginners learning to turn or for skiers navigating tight tree runs.

Ok, let’s address these AI-generated issues.

Less stability at speed: Fair, but what if your short skis are fat, soft, and damp, designed for freeride powder like the Nocta? I’d argue this could help mitigate the “instabilities” and also, in this case, my objective is to surf deep pow, so high-speed stability is less of a concern. Going over the handlebars: see note on mount point and flex pattern below.

Difficulty in deep snow: Ok, sure, but the surface area of a 177cm x 122mm ski is a bit more than my 165cm split board, and I don’t have any flotation trouble with that in deep snow.

Easier turning: A perk. Most of the time, when I am skiing deep powder, it is storm skiing, and I am in the trees. Sometimes the trees are annoyingly tight. Easier turning sounds better.

So, I took the Nocta Doodle Doos out, and blasted around our typical touring terrain, from tight trees in low-angle terrain to bigger open bowls and even some steeper, tight terrain that is fun to ski if you find the right line but can be a bit bushy. I also did a tour inside the ski resort at the end of a pow day to see how the short skis dealt with chopped-up, variable, bumpy snow.

Promising and enjoyable outcomes from the above led me to another quick Google search, this time for “powder skis on sale.”

Bingo. A set of brand new, last season graphics Volkl Revolt 121 in size 177cm for $258. Delivered to my door in three days. Done.

Into the workshop, queue the music, and moments later, a fresh set of Salomon MTN Pure bindings are mounted, -3 from recommended or -7 from true center. More on the mount point later, but for reference, I am 6’5″, have a 333 BSL in my size 29.5 Zero G Pro Tours, and the Volks have a nice big camber pocket that gives them a pretty long sweet spot.

Here are some more specs on the Volkls: 143-121-135, early tip rocker and tip taper, low tail rocker and moderate taper, 19-18-19m (3D) turning radius, rocker/camber/rocker profile, and an unusual but useful stiffer tip than tail flex profile. And they weigh 2220 grams. Each.

The Volkl Revolt 121. One louder than 120.

As soon as I finished mounting the Revolts up and trimming some new skins for them (nothing in the skin quiver could go short enough) I headed straight for the Canadian border and into my shift at Talus Lodge for two weeks of washing dishes, skiing mini-golf laps with guests and (fingers crossed) opening some of the bigger lines for the season if conditions lined up.

Initial impressions are promising. The snow has been a bit weird up here. It hadn’t snowed in about three weeks before our arrival, and it had been super cold. The snow was ultra faceted. And, in places, punchy. I would sink in more skinning than skiing for some reason. And every once in a while, I’d disappear into a facet hole up to your nipples. But then it warmed up a bit, snowed a bit, and got super windy. Now, there is some pretty nice skiing to be found. But the surprise sinkholes are still out there, and the surface snow can be a bit “stiff.” We also skied some firm, chalky wind board with some fun and drifty results.

The Revolts have been shining. Most skiing here is chill laps through larch and spruce trees, about 300-400 meter laps—lots of wiggling through tight spots, slashing a turn or two on steeper open rolls, then wiggling back through glades along creek drainages. It is engaging, fun skiing, and super fun when you can turn instantaneously, sneak through super tight terrain, and stay afloat across the death facet holes that spontaneously materialize. The shorties are also super easy to manage on the skin track, especially when wallowing through waist-deep facets along cliff bands or digging out huge switchback platforms for the guests. 

The only time I found shortcomings was when I launched off some wind lips with a bit of vigor and landed heavily in the stiff snow. Twice, I got bucked over the bars on the second bounce, but some small technique adjustments have alleviated that concern.

Now, I am waiting for the clouds to dissipate so we can step out into some bigger terrain and see how the shorties feel at a bit more pace. The few turns I’ve been able to execute simulating bigger terrain have been intriguing. The surfy nature of the short, big-rockered skis makes it feel like they want to get sideways, which is quite exhilarating.

Oh the tip rocker.

And…the tail rocker.

We were also able to get out and ski the Talus Glacier a few days ago in boot-top powder. The Glacier run is about 600 meters and approaches 37 degrees at its steepest roll. The Revolts were a blast. Two hot laps at full speed and arcing turns in fresh, untracked snow had me putting aside any concerns about reduced stability at speed.

The only consequence I can come up with having short skis is that the sweet spot where you are able to ski the skis is slightly reduced. This just means that there is less buffer for poor skiing form, but once you adjust to the ski’s limits, everything clicks. You are laughing. As long as I don’t do anything weird and get super backseat or ski poorly, the skort ski rewards with agility, flickability, plenty of power, and lots of smiles.

Mount Point and Flex: Ok, here is where nuance takes center stage. In my experimentation with mount points, along with a general understanding of why mount points are where they are, let’s look at this setup and why I mounted them where I did. The recommended boot center on the Revolt 121 is -2.78 cm from true center. This is on the “very progressive” side of the mount point spectrum. If you look at the marketing and intended use blurbs for these skis, this makes sense, as they are touted as a super wide, super progressive, powder freeride ski. (Watch the Marcus Eder: The Ultimate Run for reference! Also, if he is skiing like that on these skis, I don’t think “stability at speed” will be a concern for me skiing hippy pow in the trees or even trying my hardest to go fast in more open terrain. At some point, the skis don’t really matter. I don’t ski like Marcus, plus, with a short ski, maneuverability is not my main concern. 

Looking at the stated flex profile and the slightly stiffer tips, by moving the mount point back 3cm from recommended, I decided I would still be sitting comfortably inside the sweet spot of side cut radius, camber pocket, flex, and driveability, all while possibly reducing the over the bars problem our old Uncle AI was referencing above. So, I put my boots around -6.78 cm back from true center. That way, I can lean into the short, stiffer tips from a bit further back and still drive hard if I need to, but also be surfy and neutral to my heart’s desire. And being back hasn’t led to a sensation of the tails not holding me up yet, either. Even with a significant amount of tail rocker, I’m not falling off the back of the skis.

So, what’s next? I am going to keep skiing my short-fat Volkls with a wide grin on my face, sneaking through tight lines, making kick turns like I’m on a set of skimo race skis, and enjoying the ride back down as much as possible. Maybe some telemark bindings are in the Volkls’ future, but I will keep the heels locked down and experiment. My splitboard is probably not in danger, but who knows? Variety and experimentation are fun.

If you get the itch to try Snowboard Theory, wander into your local ski shop at the end of the season, or start Googling around. It turns out that short-fat skis are usually on sale because everyone thinks they need the big dogs to look rad. But really, short and fat is the way of the future. You heard it here first.

Some good options if you want to go a bit lighter, but still want to hop on the Snowboard Theory bandwagon:

Atomic Bentchetler: 120mm underfoot, available in 176 cm long and under 1800 grams.

Line Vision 118: (Discontinued, but still findable) 118 mm underfoot in 175 cm long, ~1800 grams.

Faction la Machine 5: 126mm underfoot, 178 cm long, 1890 grams.

And if you want to get really weird, look at the K2 Pon2oon: although not very light, they are available in 159 and 169 cm lengths. At 132 mm underfoot, the pont2oon keeps the Shane McConkey legacy alive, and it may be the closest thing you can get to riding a snowboard.