S2AS - News

Wednesday 26 October 2011

S2AS Sponsors Freshwake from Leeds Met Wakeboarding

  So what do you do when you’re commandeered by the president of your athletic union to start a wakeboarding club? Well if you’re a student at Leeds Met you take the request seriously, after all any dedicated Leeds Met student knows that more sports clubs means more BUCS points and also more opportunity to get involved in more than just academics at University. And so began Leeds Met Wakeboarding!

When Lewis Wildridge took over as the new President of Leeds Met A.U. there was only one thing on his mind and that was to make sure that Leeds Met topped the BUCS (British University Colleges Sports) league board and increase participation in sport at Leeds Metropolitan University. For those of you who don't know, Leeds Met are fiercely competitive when it comes to sport and any chance to get extra BUCS points is a chance not to be missed. So Lewis diligently went through the list of BUCS sports and recruited willing students to set up and run sports clubs that the uni didn't already have.


But what do you do and how do you set up a new club, especially if you've never done anything like it before? All these questions and many more were asked by Danny Edmondson, captain of the new Leeds Met Wakeboarding Club. Fortunately Leeds Met uni stepped in to take the reins and sent Danny on an accredited course that deals with all aspects of setting up and running a university club. This is standard practice for Leeds Met and it is compulsory for all new club captains at the university to attend the course.

So with little time to play with, less than a month to Fresher’s, the race was on to come up with something good that would lure the students into joining the wakeboarding club. And so FreshWake, Leeds Met Wakeboarding first ever Fresher's event was born!

Club Captain, Danny said, "We don't do things by halves when it comes to sport at Leeds Met and wanted to stamp our mark on the university wakeboarding scene with an almighty bang! We knew that recruiting members could be a hard task; learning to wakeboard is difficult at the best of times and more so in October when the weather and water are even colder. So we set about organising an event that would give our Fresher's a baptism of fire and an experience that they would never forget! We wanted to really bring home that unique welcoming feeling and inclusive attitude coupled with a type of laid back enthusiasm depicted perfectly by the term "steeze".

The most important function of the club is to introduce wakeboarding to as many students as possible and then to encourage them to participate in the sport. With this in mind it was vital that we were realistic about our expectations and delivered an event that beginners would feel happy to attend. We couldn't justify asking them to pay out a load of money to travel half way across the country for a Fresher's event and there was no need to do so when there are perfectly good facilities at Sheffield.
So I spoke to Andy Granger at Sheffield Cable and Water Ski and we got an amazing deal and were able to offer unlimited riding from 10am-7pm for both Saturday and Sunday, one to one tuition, equipment hire, camping on site and Sheffield's legendary BBQ all at a fantastic price.

 
We also asked ExPix to come on board and they agreed to cover the event for us and to give the students all the images and video footage from the weekend, together with ExPix T-shirts for everyone. They also helped us to secure over £1,000 worth of prizes to give away, including goodie bags for every rider and arranged for pro riders Megzy Barker and Adam Walker to be on hand to give demos and advice. All in all we had the makings of one pretty good event with which to entice the students!
The Fresher's Fairs went well and with the help of committee members, Karina Whithers, Louise Van Weezel and Kerry Dickinson we managed to get over 350 students signing up, interested in joining the club, which gave us a good base to recruit for FreshWake.

But we were still nervous about numbers and so invited other universities to join us, such as Leeds Uni, Nottingham, Liverpool John Moores, Coventry, Manchester and Bangor. But when it came down to it, there was no need to worry as we had 34 members attend from Leeds Met alone which is not a bad effort from a new club when you consider that Leeds Met’s biggest mixed sex club, the well-established boxing club has 100 members. We also had 3 students from Liverpool John Moores and 1 student from Coventry join us on the day.

It was a shame that more universities couldn't make the event as it would have been a perfect opportunity for our members to get to know other students. That said we had an amazing time and can't wait to organise our next event. The atmosphere was incredible; everyone gave it their best shot and the enthusiasm didn't wane despite the cold and the rain and the fact that hands and feet were turning blue!”
On the water the students made good progress; with many never having ridden before they started on the knee boards but were determined to get going on the wakeboards. Perseverance was the key and for some it paid off and totally focused, they kept plugging away to get their first laps under their belts. A few even tried the kickers with interesting consequences!
There were some very good efforts from; Sarah Killip from Liverpool John Moores on the funbox and kickers, Dave Curtis from Coventry on the roof top and the Leeds Met students who got in on the action too; Arran Lomas and Tom Kimpton were trying tantrums for first time with Tom landing his, Joe Griffiths won the most spectacular crash after attempting a front roll, Nicky Campbell, a keen snowboarder who had never wakeboarded before got up on the first day and within no time was doing laps, Leeds captain, Danny landed the kicker but best effort had to be from Georgie Morris who went from never having ridden before to hitting the kicker, landing with the most spectacular face plant!


But it was at the Freshwake Party where the fun really started. This was a perfect ice breaker and within no time people got to know each other. Manchester's top dance club Sankeys' resident, DJ, Mark Bradbury followed hitting the decks and there were firework displays courtesy of Sheffield Cable Water Ski.

Leeds Met Wakeboarding captain said, "It's safe to say that FreshWake has certainly been a huge success; Leeds Met have not only managed to set up their wakeboarding club and organise their first ever event, all in a month, but they have also introduced a healthy number of beginners to wakeboarding, given out over £1,000 worth of prizes including an impact vest and a wetsuit from S2AS, a wakeboard from Slingshot and T-shirts from ExPix and arm wallets from ITZ for all students.

Special thanks have to go to our sponsors, S2AS, Slingshot and ITZ. It's always difficult raising sponsorship in today's economic climate and particularly so when you are a new club with no history behind you, so we are especially grateful to all our sponsors for taking a chance on us.
Big thanks to ExPix who have agreed to become the official sponsors of Leeds Met Wakeboarding Club for 2011 - 2012. We couldn't have done it without them; they know the business inside out and their advice has been greatly appreciated as has their help with sourcing sponsorship, getting the media out there, putting the images up for everyone to see in the ExPix tent, even if there were one or two people cringing, and pulling in the favours to get pro riders to attend.

We also need to thank the pro riders; Megzy Barker, who is sponsored by Maven Marine, Billabong Watersports, Rubix kangaroo (RK) and who drove up from Bedford in the early hours of Sunday morning after competing in and winning a competition on Saturday and Adam Walker, sponsored by Slingshot and Mystic, who had a mission of a drive from Rhosneigr on Sunday.
And last but by no means least, a huge, huge thanks to Andy Granger and staff at Sheffield Cable and Water Ski for such amazing hospitality.

It's been great working with everyone and I hope we've made it worthwhile for all our sponsors who we look forward to working with on future events. And on that note, thanks to requests from students and Sheffield Cable Water Ski, we're now busy planning our next event, FrozenWake which will be held at Sheffield in November! Again whilst this is a Leeds Met event we will be inviting other universities to join us if they wish.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

New 2012 Xenon Kitesurfing Kiteboard Boards Preview!

Dear Xenon lovers, promoters and riders:
We are proud to show here the first official 2012 pictures of our line-up.

Xenon La Luz Kiteboard 2012
The Xenon La Luz 2013 is a true high-performance freestyle board designed for modern style of kiteboarding and the winner of the 2009 KSURF READER AWARDS "BEST TWIN TIP" category and we couldn't agree more.








 Xenon Rayo Kiteboard 2012

 Rayo 2012 is a high-end all-round twin-tip board with enormous freestyle potential whilst being suitable for comfort lovers, compared to the 2011 board it is a lot stiffer and and reactive





Xenon Infra Kiteboard 2012

Re-designed for 2012 the new Xenon Infra Board is designed with the new school rider in mind.  following on from the successes of the LaLuz the Infra is a new breed of advanced progressive and cutting edge boards to come from the Xenon factory.




Regarding to things you can not see from those pictures, such as the coloured sidewalls, amazing logos and changes of pads and straps, you will have more info later on.

Coming January 2012! Pre-order now to avoid dissapointment on release date.

For More Info Call S2AS on
01303 268269 Kent
01202 738448 Poole
01273 746836 Hove

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Calshot Activities Center - One of the largest Outdoor Adventure Centres in Britain.

Calshot Activities Centre 
Calshot offers a wide range of unrivalled number of exciting water and landbased activities, for all abilities and ages.Historic hangars accommodate a state of the art climbing complex, the only indoor velodrome in Southern England and a dry ski slope.

Snowboarding
The Dry Slope:
Calshot’s small but versatile slope is great for beginners and freestyle alike. During the day the indoor snowflex covered slope provides a perfect environment to learn both skiing and snowboarding. In the evenings the slope opens to those who want to gain some time to improve their skills and our two freestyle nights provide the opportunity to play on a huge selection of ramps and rails.

Please visit the website or check us out on Facebook for more details.

Monday 17 October 2011

Point 65 Kayaks Sweden proudly presents XP18 - The Movie


In this Video, filmed and edited by Emil Kellander, the designer and creator of the XP18, Magnus de Brito, shares his thoughts surrounding the design for the XP18 and XP18 Spyder.



Check out the XP18 at S2AS now!

S2AS Snowboard Demo Night Post-Movie

Awesome turnout for the demo night last Wednesday at Calshott and we got to test out all the latest 2012 snowboards. We did the best we could with the fake snow and the skiiers but had a great time testing and reviewing all the 2012 snowboarding gear.

Thanks to Zach Flynn for his excellent movie of the event:

Friday 14 October 2011

S2AS Kent Store: Winter Season Remodel 2011/2012


The Kent snow season has officially begun with a full shop remodel for the Winter season with a vast selection of snow gear from your favourite brands at the best prices.

Call Kent Now on 01303 268269 or Pop Into Our store in Hythe To Check out all of the Latest gear and get advice from our Staff


Thursday 13 October 2011

New S2AS and Slingshot Wake UK Rider: James Whiting

Another amazing rider for our team! James Whiting, check him out below


Name: James Whiting

Age: 21

Board/Bindings: Slingshot Newton / R.A.D Bindings.

Years Riding: 8 years

What got you into wakeboarding?: I have always been into board sports like snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing. I was lucky cos my family had a boat, so, when we first got a wakeboard and tried it out I loved it and was hooked from then on.

Favorite things: Chilling with friends at the lake, riding, nice weather, traveling and going out with friends.

Favorite Movie: Fightclub or Inception.

Favorite Food: Good ol’ Sunday Roast and BBQs in the summer.

Most intersting place you’ve been: Thailand… Amazing country, amazing culture, amazing people, and amazing riding!!

Ambitions: Live life to the full, progress my riding, work hard so I can always have fun.

Shout Outs:

- Friends and family for supporting me in what I do.

- WMSKI and all the boys and girls who push me to learn new tricks.

- And of course a massive shout out to Angelo and Dan for hooking me up on such a sick team.

Wednesday 12 October 2011

2012 Cabrinha Drifter Kitesurfing Kite Review at S2AS

2012 Cabrinha Drifter.
Size tested: 9 m

What we liked:
A completely new three-strut design from Cabrinha, the Drifter shows much more refinement than one would expect from a new model. The first thing that really stands out is the Drifter’s ability to generate smooth power, both in a straight line and in the turns, especially in the lighter to medium end of its wind range. The square wing tips and moderate delta design shape give fast, instantaneous turning, and the medium bar pressure provides excellent positional feedback. The tight canopy results in a flutter less and quiet flight and smooth feel on the bar, even during aggressive manoeuvres.

Tuning tip:
It flew perfectly straight out of the bag.

Buyer beware:
Re-launch wasn’t as fast as we expected from a surf kite, but even the most intermediate of riders won’t have a hard time getting the Drifter back into the air. Less jumping ability than more dedicated free ride designs.

Bottom line:
Bring on the wave season... we love the Drifter!

Control bar:
The new Quick Link offers some major changes on the Cabrinha bar for 2012, that have dramatically reduced the feeling of clutter near the main quick release. The new spinning leash connection, and the moving of the landing line quick release are the two well thought out design changes that make the new Quick Link control system more intuitive to use. The system also features on internal swivel for manually untwisting flying lines in unison with the landing line. The IDS provides for easy self-landing without the kite spinning on one line making it unlike many other safety systems.

Cabrinha Vector 2012 Kitesurf Kite Review at S2AS

The Vector is one of the awesome new line up of kites for 2012 from the kite Giant Cabrinha, whose reputation has been built on producing quality and innovative products.

The Cabrinha Vector Kite is an evolution of the Cabrinha Hybrid kite line up and provides a new addition to the Cabrinha 2012 Freeride Range of kites.

The 2012 Cabrinha Vector Kite is the kite that takes on the world, providing a safe and reliable platform to build riders confidence and push you further. Featuring a lightweight 3 strut design for consistent performance throughout the wind range.

Direct line bridling ensures that slow moving hard to work kiting is a thing of the past and the agility and handling of The 2012 Vector remains unsurpassed by any kite in this category. The simple design of the Vector Kite is its Key to being a Stable and predictable tool to get the most from your riding.

With effortless re-launch super lightweight construction and and improved canopy material combined with quality hardwear the Vector 2012 is a safe bet for any improving rider and the well seasoned freerider alike.

The 2012 Quicklink IDS Bar Simplifies the Control system further and making the bar more intuitive to use and bringing features such as the recoil system which forever brings your trim bungees into your reach and replaces the need for a stopper ball by shortening the throw automatically.

The Vector is not a revolution in the kite world but instead sits at the pinnacle of design evolution combining simple safety features with a variety of technical advantages to make this a simple, hard wearing and easy to get on with kite for the beginner rider with a view to quickly progress, or the intermediate rider who wants a solid all rounder with the pedigree of Cabrinha and the features of a premium kite.

Is it for me ?
If your needing a confidence boost or something that will guide you into the world of kitesurfing, the Cabrinha Vector is for you.

Or if, like us in kent, you encounter a wide range of conditions and enjoy being out on the water riding waves or cruising about on your twin tip the 2012 Cabrinha Vector is also as good thanks to its super versatile, super simple and above all super safe design

S2AS Kent Rating 8/10

If you like this then check out

SlingShot Rally 2012 Flexifoil Proton 2

For More info Call the S2AS Team On 01303 268269
Or check out www.S2AS.Com

Tuesday 11 October 2011

S2AS' range of Special Blend snow jackets and pants

The new range of Special Blend snow jackets and pants are now available at S2AS, we also stock past season wear at discounted prices. This season has a fantastic collection, see the whole range here.





The men's Special Blend Circa Snow Jacket South Beach is available for £178.00! The jacket has a variety of pockets for all needs, from chest and cargo pockets to interior music and goggle pockets. It also comes equip with Brushed Tricot Chin Guard, Yo-Yo Pass Holder and much more.





Save £43.01 on the Special Blend Siryn Jacket, was £133.00 now £89.99. Sure to keep you warm and toasty this season, the Special Blend Line Snowboarding jacket is an insulated jacket which has a fine balance between fashion and on-mountain function.





Here's one for the girls, Special Blend Demi Pant 2011 in deep purple. The pants feature Taffeta Lining, Inseam Venting and Brushed Tricot Fly and Waistband amongst other things. The Special Blend Demi Pants are here at S2AS for the unbelievable price of £87.00 was £129.00!

Fantastic Forum Snowboards



S2AS stock the latest range of Forum Snowboards! Forum Snowboards were first started in the summer of 1996 and for this season there is a great line up of boards, take a look...





For £329.00 we have the Forum Spinster Snowboard 2012, specifically built for a woman yet designed for aggressive girls who require an aggressive board, ideal for the biggest jumps and steepest rails.





Check out the Forum Destroyer Doubledog Snowboard 2012, winner of the Good Wood award for 2 years in a row, this board really is special. The Ollie pop of this board is further amplified by Booter Boosters to make sure you always clear every gap. Available here at S2AS for £358.00!







The Forum Scallywag Chilly dog is a 2011 board available here at a fantastic sale price of £209.00 saving you £90.99. This board was last year's best seller and were sure you can tell why, in the style of park and freestyle, it is also very weight saving allowing you the freedom to spin faster and float easier.

View the rest of our Forum range here.

Monday 10 October 2011

S2AS Snowboard Demo Night!


Hey Guys and Girls,

I have arranged a snowboard demo night at Calshot Acvtivities Centre and it would be great to see you there! We are going to be bringing a range of snowboards with us so that you guys can have a taster of what 2012 has to offer in hope that it will guide you in the kit which best suits you for this upcoming winter season. The details are below:

Wednesday 12th October 7pm-10pm

Prices: 
Adult - £10.50
Student -£9.40
Under 18 - £8.50
Board and Boot Rental from centre - £5.70
Board Rental from centre -£3.70
Boots Rental from centre - £8.50
You need helmet if your hitting ramps/rails Rental from centre - £3

Address:
Calshot Spit,
Fawley
Southampton,
Hampshire
SO45 1BR
tel 023 8089 2077
email calshot.ac@hants.gov.uk

Brands of boards we should have to demo: Never Summer, Lib Tech, Forum, DC, Ride.

Calshot has informed us that because UNI has started it may be busy with 40-50+ ppl, so people who are interested should let me know so I can get rough numbers so the slope is not rammed meaning you guys get more runs, especially if you are travelling from a distance. I will be running another demo night in November which I shall let you guys know about as soon as a date is arranged.

If you have any queries or questions please feel free to ask. Call on: 01273 746 836
Hope to see you there.

Hadlow ID 2012 Kite Review at S2AS

The Hadlow Pro from Flexifoil is one of the sweetest kites I have ridden in the correct conditions. Once gusty or overpowered it becomes a real hand full, okay if you are Aaron Hadlow, but I am NOT...So the clever people from Flexifoil have given us the ID.


 The Flexifoil ID is designed to fill this gap, you want a performance kite but really don't want the grief that comes with it. It is aimed at intermediate to Pro riders that want to push their freestyle limits but also want to surf a few waves, do a bit of wake style or just cruise around in comfort sometimes.
This kite does what it says and I apologise now if this review sounds more like an advert for the Hadlow ID than a review but I nearly peed myself in the time I had on this kite with excitement, it is without doubt one of the best kites I have ever flown, so yes, I am biassed about this kite!
Out of the bag you notice the build quality as with all Flexifoil kites. Solid materials, quality rip stop, a very thin leading edge that is massively reinforced and crispiness! The Hadlow ID looks like a C kite with flat leading edge and squared off wing tips, they have added a slight curve into the tips but everything else looks like a Hadlow Pro. It flies on four lines and has a bridal system along the edge, not too dangly to get the kite wrapped up in the waves, but bridals all the same. Pump it up as hard as you can which is quite quick as the edge is really thin and you are ready to go!


We had the Flexifoil Hadlow ID for a Flexifoil Demo weekend we were holding and the wind was interesting on all three days I used the kite. We had 10-30 mph the first day, 20-35 the second and 25-40 the third. Would I have used a Hadlow Pro kite?...Would I hell! I was a little apprehensive launching the ID the first day as it was very gusty with very big holes in the wind. The kite sat stable and absorbed the gusts, not like the Pro by a country mile already! Confidence building already...
Off we go....It sat well in the sky, yes it rocked around a bit but gosh it was gusty but you didn't feel this through the bar. The bar pressure was medium but this was reassuring as you had such good feedback you knew exactly where she was without even looking. She turned to order easily, quickly and in the low wind periods you could throw it around and still get going. When it blew you could push away the bar a little and it did spill the wind you didn't want to convert to raw power...OMG it was controllable from the bar in the gusts and not by edging your guts out..My love was growing for this kite already!

On the waves (we had 1.5 head height all three days) it was a dream, tons of power in the old bird but push the bar away and she would float down the line. I was making every lip I wanted to and she never felt unstable at all or pulled me off any waves. Okay, by now it was definitely a she, it was my mistress and I was in lust! I wanted more and I didn't care how late home I was for the wife as she was in the sky and it felt right...(Sorry Gina if you are reading this, it is a different love!).
I am competing in the BKSA Seniors this year and doing okay (Someone has to come last but the Birdie has been unleased at Rhyl and Hunstanton!) but aren't good by far! I can do raileys and unhooked back rolls and a few kite loops. It is my level this kite is aimed at, someone that  wants to do a bit of freestyle and push their limits but also wants to play on the waves and feel safe!




Right, back to the kite.....The jumps are truly magnificent with some of the biggest and floatiest jumps I have ever done. Do a search on Kitecrowd forum and you will see a video there of the day I was testing it. Richard said I was like an excited kid...I was! Re direct the kite and BAM...Your off. I felt very safe under her wing...Yep, the love was getting more!
Unhooked...OMG! Unhook the kite and it doesn't move....No loss of power at all and massive pop, edge as hard as you can and the kite won't move forward, she just growls a little more....Release and have the ride of your life, it does give a bit of slack for a handle pass, I could feel the slack but are no where near a pass at my level.


The landings were good and some on my face but that wasn't down to the kite, more the driver!
Re launch is not automatic but it's also not hard. I had the kite back up in seconds on all the tests I did with it, I was worried it would be a pain as it has so much C characteristics to the kite.
My only issue was the bar. I don't like the bar as am used to a different one. Credit where it is due though, the teflon coated dyneema lines are in my opinion some of the best on the market and they do send two chicken loops with the bar and a donkey dick for the Hadlow Chicken loop which is a nice touch. If the bar is an issue DO NOT DISMISS this kite. I fly the Hadlow ID with the Airush 2011 bar and it gives me the self locating chicken loop, mechanical release system and brings the bar closer to me. If you too have a favourite bar and it uses equal length lines (nearly all of them do) the ID will fly on this. If you buy a kite from us we will also set it up with your bar if required.


To sum it up...One of the best kites I have ever used, strong, powerful, safe and controllable. I have used the shop demo kites for years but have ordered my own ID's. I honestly missed the ID when I sent it back as my kites didn't feel right any more. I have now got over it and love my old kites again but am longing for another date with my mistress!




Review is courtesy of our good friends over at Kitemare



To read more about the Hadlow ID, check it out here on S2AS now!

For More Info Call S2AS on
01303 268269 Kent
01202 738448 Poole
01273 746836 Hove

Friday 7 October 2011

Huge Pre-Season Sale on Dragon Snow Goggles!

 We've just had a huge shipment of goggles from Dragon to clear! We've got them at up to 30% off and the season hasnt even hit full swing yet!!

Head on over to the SNOWBOARDING GOGGLES section to check out what we have in stock.

Word of advice, if you like a style, BUY IT NOW, as at the rate these are going many styles will be gone soon, and we dont like to dissapoint, check it out now!

For More Info Call S2AS on
01303 268269 Kent
01202 738448 Poole
01273 746836 Hove

Monday 3 October 2011

Axon A-Bomb 2011 (140x43cm) Kiteboard Review

"Axon!? I've never heard of them!"Picture

Perhaps Axon isn't the biggest name in the industry nor is it the company with the biggest backing but when you do your research about the company and dig a little deeper you learn that Axon certainly know their stuff. With ex-Naish R&D rider Ben Meyer leading the Axon evolution it certainly shines through his designs from The Premier Collection that he knows what he's doing. Axon only produces boards currently so you can guarantee that whichever board you get from them, there has been a huge amount of research, effort and production put in to it.

Axon say...

Spring 2011 brings the Axon release of the A-Bomb. This performance freeride board blends a wide, easy to use outline with bottom channel features to make it user friendly, but totally bad-ass. With a quad-channel bottom, the A-Bomb provides comfortable finless riding for hitting on-the-water kickers and sliders with confidence. For those not ready to bolt the boots on and hit the water features, fins and straps suit the board just fine. The quad channel bottom of the board fades into a deep single concave in the center for smooth and speedy water transfer across the bottom.

The A-Bomb easily fits into the Axon board range as the largest of the Freeride range as an easy planing, user-friendly board. However, with increased rocker lines, channel bottom, and wide tip and tail, it is also the board of choice in the Axon line for progressive freestyle riders.

Stats
Axon
A-Bomb
2011
140 x 43.5
Freeride/Progressive Freestyle
G-10
Axon Website

First Impressions
The first thing you notice about the A-Bomb is its vibrant and eye-catching graphics. With its blocked style colours and its graffiti styled text it certainly attaches itself to the younger age bracket. It's not the lightest of boards in its category but it definitely gives a solid, hardcore feel to it. It has an R40 rocker which is slightly deeper than most other twin tips. The A-Bomb only comes in one size category which is 140 x 43.5, this is a fairly large board and it also feels big when it's underneath you. The board stays very wide throughout, helping with those heavier landings and making it easier to stay upwind in those tougher conditions, it has also got quite a stiff flex.

Set-up
There are so many different options to ride this board. You can ride it with or without fins, and with boots or straps. I chose to ride it with boots and fins. I was riding it in waves so this was why I decided to keep the fins on as I didn't want to end up too far down wind. However I felt that I could have done with the fins being a bit smaller, this would have helped when sliding to toeside and when releasing the edge for an unhooked trick.

On the water...
Picture
The days that I took the board out, the wind was really strong and really gusty. But what better conditions could you ask for when testing a board! I was riding the A-bomb along with my 7m Naish Torch. I hadn't ridden such a small kite for ages so I didn't feel hugely confident when I was rigging up as it was my first time riding in boots as well. You would have thought that small kite + 30kts - 45kts gusty winds + locked in to bindings for the first time = a pretty sketchy ride. However it was quite the opposite! Unlike riding other boards in these conditions I found that the A-Bomb would just lock me into the line I wanted to go and keep me on that track. Rather than getting bumped up and down, falling on and off your edge and having huge amounts of spray come up from the board into your eyes, I found that the A Bomb just rode nice and smooth. I found that the board felt a little bit sticky when going for a raley or something similar, this was probably because of the board weighing so much with boots on as well as having large fins. When massively over-powered and trying to hold a big edge I found that occasionally it felt like the tail end started to slip out a little bit. This rarely happened and this didn't decrease the satisfaction I got when riding the A-Bomb.

It's a really comfortable ride and it doesn't knacker your knees even in gusty winds and rough chop. The board is slightly slower than others because of its weight and size, however it makes up for this in its landings and comfort. The pop is impressive on it, slightly different to other boards again and more like a wakeboard where you have to hold your edge for longer but when you hit the sweet spot, you really do fly!

In Conclusion
The Axon A-Bomb is such a diverse board that you can tailor to suit to most styles of riding with its wide variety of choices for set up. I would say that the board should be aimed for the intermediate rider or at the rider who is confident at their level. The board is great for maintaing the standard that you are at and you are guaranteed to have an enjoyable session when you're riding it. Beginners may want to choose something that will get them up and riding a bit quicker however this would be a great second board for anyone!

Pros
- Top quality graphics
- Solid, hardcore feel to it
- Super easy landings
- Screaming up-wind ability
- Huge diversity
- Ability to maximise any conditions
- Smooth ride
- No spray in your eyes
- Easy on the knees
- Huge 'pop'
- So many different possibilities for set up
- A good, solid board for pretty much anyone!
Cons
- Takes a bit of getting used to, to be able to get the full potential out of the board.
- Only comes in one size
- For such an amazing board - I haven't seen enough of these out on the UK waters!!

A huge thank you to the guys at Surface to Air Sports (S2AS) for providing me with the Axon A Bomb to review, Ben Meyer at Axon Kiteboarding for helping me out with the tech specs for the review and Glenn at Surfed Out for giving me a place to stay during the summer while I was testing the board!

Review courtesy of Team Rider Will Bailey, check out his site here. Thanks Will!

Fantastic Forum Snowboards

S2AS stock the latest range of Forum Snowboards! Forum Snowboards were first started in the summer of 1996 and for this season there is a great line up of boards, take a look...





For £329.00 we have the Forum Spinster Snowboard 2012, specifically built for a woman yet designed for aggressive girls who require an aggressive board, ideal for the biggest jumps and steepest rails.





Check out the Forum Destroyer Doubledog Snowboard 2012, winner of the Good Wood award for 2 years in a row, this board really is special. The Ollie pop of this board is further amplified by Booter Boosters to make sure you always clear every gap. Available here at S2AS for £358.00!







The Forum Scallywag Chilly dog is a 2011 board available here at a fantastic sale price of £209.00 saving you £90.99. This board was last year's best seller and were sure you can tell why, in the style of park and freestyle, it is also very weight saving allowing you the freedom to spin faster and float easier.

View the rest of our Forum range here.