Obtainable carving board - Australia

https://www.firsttracks.com.au/collections/kessler

Might find  something there.

That Pentaquark could certainly be interesting. I’ve heard it can be a bit of a chore and likes to go fast, but that actually sounds good to me.

The Koruas have a lot of taper, not a ton of effective edge, and are a surfier ride.  It’s a basic Poplar construction too.  Definitely fun in softer snow, but chattery on ice.

I got my Stranda Shorty direct from Sweden, shipping included to Canada, worth checking out.

There’s the Jones Freecarvers that are probably available off-the-shelf.

Hey Mate, I believe Donek ships to AUS....not cheap, but game changing....

Yep, Donek ships to Oz, and yes they're not cheap, my very recent Flux was close to $2000 aus, by the time it got here,.. gone up about $ 700 in 3 years.

@riotsupercarver thanks. I have heard about Kessler but at more than double the cost of boards from mainstream brands I'd have to think long and hard. You get what you pay for I guess.

Premium skis like Stockli come at a premium but not more than double the rest of the pack. Economies of scale come into play I guess. High level it's a niche market. Scared to ask what it would cost me to get a Jasey Jay landed in Australia

@ferryman Thanks, so $2k in 2023/24? After riding, it, are you glad you did it?

Stranda is another brand that pops up. Again though, an expensive import here I'm guessing.

@enuenu Hah, it only arrived about two weeks ago,

It's a 146 x 30 vsr 7 to 8.5, 450 to 540 inserts, I'm hoping it will help me in the narrower, steeper and ..chundery ?.. stuff. I've had a 162 x 29 Flux for a couple of years and it's a great board, but down here in Vic, mainly Hotham, sometimes Falls', it tends to be more business and less fun...so by 1100 ish, it's back to the car to grab the "all mountain"..We go to NZ every 2nd year, (Wife's a Kiwi) and over there with a lot more elbow room, I can and do ride it all day... Yeah those Stranda's look mighty fine.

Hey @enuenu, First Tracks did have a couple of demo boards to try last season might be worth checking out & try before you buy to see if it’s worth the money. They had a couple of Kesslers I think and at least one SG Soul I think it was 164XT. 

I know you said you ride Thredbo but Rhythm do a demo day each year at Smiggin’s might be worth the price of a day ticket they usually have some Korua’s to try & they stock Jones boards so I’m hoping they have some Freecarvers to try this year.

After Jame’s Secrets Part 1 video I bit the bullet and contacted Bruce at Coiler and managed to get myself in line for a Contra. It’s not built yet but when Bruce gives me a shipping price I could let you know if you like.

@chris-h , great thanks. I'd be interested in the cost

@ferryman , Cheers 👍. Yes, I'm after a board I can leave some nice circular pencil lines with that can handle a bit of ice, but I don't want something that needs an empty air strip sized groomer like you'll find in Europe or North America to make proper use of it. Needs to be able to get through Australian terrain at the end of the day 

I'm fairly fit with decades of riding behind me but I'm not 25 anymore, so really after something I can ride for at least half a day without my thighs  exploding. Going to be used in Australia and Japan and I've got powder and all mountain boards sorted.

I just filled out a Donek questionnaire so I'll see what they come back with.

Posted by: @enuenu

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Stranda is another brand that pops up. Again though, an expensive import here I'm guessing.

When I go to the website it shows the dollars in my currency, including shipping.  In Canada there were no duties, so it was just the taxes that I would’ve paid if I bought it here.  But I don’t know if Aus is the same?

It’s a quality construction, typically ash with a bamboo top sheet, made at the GP87 factory.  The Shorty has aluminum stringers in the nose too.  It’s not a ‘carving-only’ board, so some concessions were made, but it’s a fun carver. It feels WAY more planted and damp than a typical poplar/paulownia construction. I wish they offered longer sidecut radii, but it doesn’t sound like you want to go too big anyway.

@board-doctor just curious, how does the Stranda shorty compare to the freecarve? Feel, hold, turns ect...

Totally different.  It's stiffer and wants to do slightly larger turns and it's WAY more planted at speed.  It's also a 164 vs 154.