Hey Thomas, its good to hear from another D1 rider

what a quiver!
how on earth do you decide what to ride?

Hey Thomas, did you read the D1 review in Couloir Magazine? It was so-so.

The review is small, you could print it on a cigarette pack. The details are also rather light and the board doesn't appear to be ridden across the spectrum of terrain of which it is capable, nor in both soft and hard boots. If it was, then they didn't bother to mention any of it. Most of the reviews in the magazine were short and so lacking in detail that they struggled to be useful. Magazines need to be aware that they have influence and testing these boards and then giving very incomplete reviews can have an unfairly negative impact on the perception of the board. Big thumbs down for Couloir Magazine's review technique for 06/07. I doubt any of the boards got the full and meaningful description and attention that they deserved. In fact, the entire section was closer to a waste of print than an informative review section. If you are going to review a board you need to give it a lot of time across everything it says its made for. And then explain, in detail, why or why it did or didn't do what it said on the wrapper.

If I were a board maker then I wouldn't want Couloir to review one of mine.

For what its worth, the ski reviews in the same issue were 10 times the quality of the snowboard reviews.

Anyway, the bullet point summary of the D1 review:

1. reviewers were divided
2. small riders who enjoy tight radius turns, the D1 inspired unrivalled confidence in powder for tree runs and steep terrain and opened up at speed when moving their weight forward
3. for the rest (of riders, presumably heavier): the D1 was a low speed cruiser
4. Conclusion: technique and style play a big role with the D1
5. Almost classic, but too easy to turn too fast
6. expect bottomless charger, get low speed cruiser instead
7. Fun in tight situations
8. Loads of pop and energy like a freestyle board in the powder (with a huge nose)

There are some pints of truth in there. But its only a small fraction of the board's capabilities. I suppose they were reviewing from a pure back country perspective (and forgot that back country does not always equal powder)

Also, I guess the testers looked at its shape and expected a big mach-10 powder gun. If they read the wrapper they would have known it is 75% of a big powder gun that can still out-blast most standard free ride boards on piste, something a powder gun cant do so easily, if at all. And the boards that the D1 cant beat on-piste would fail miserably in powder from the get go.

I agree with the hooky feel it has at really high speed on powder, especially inconsistent pow and thin unsupportive crust. It has a lot of side cut, more parabolic than most boards its length. If I went to Alaska to do big powder lines then I wouldn't use this board. This board is for surfing mountain terrain, eeeaaaassssy powder riding and amazingly powerful piste carving.

It would have been useful if the review said "it turns too easily compared to..."

Yeah, I saw the review. My take was they probably didn't spend enough time with the board to get used to the riding style. For me, it doesn't ride anything like my other snowboards and it always takes me a few turns to get used to it.
They probably saw 178cm and thought 'powder gun' but it's really not that at all. It has a very short effective edge, something you'd find on a medium sized freestyle board. I'd agree 100% on your final characterization.

For my favorite surfing the mountain type of riding, the Dupraz works great! I'm already in line for a D1+ later this season. This shot is from this morning at Crystal Mtn, WA on a sweet, steep tree run known as Upper Exterminator. It's of me catching a little air off a powder pillow slasher. It was a great day for the Dupraz!
http://www.crowmountain.net/Snowboard/11.24.06/thomas1.jpg

On the flat run in to the lift I was carving and practicing riding switch (I suck), try that on a powdergun, especially one with a nose like the Dupraz...

Best,

Thomas

Spud I'm looking forward to the day you let me ride it for a run :p
Wishful thinking, I know, but for a board with a style that 'you need to get used to', I would definitely not buy it without trying it. So, until I find a dupraz demo somewhere, I will just have to wonder about it

You can test it out, no problems, except for that fact that I doubt you will ever actually meet me or my board. Bu7t if you do, douzo.

If all goes to plan then I am taking it for a spin this weekend in Austria.

Thomas - good to hear you have been out already. Did you land on your board or your face in that picture?

What makes you want the D1+ ? Do you think the D1 is too flexi, or being wider, perhaps it will have more long turning characteristics in powder. That could be good. I'd reckon it would ride a lot stiffer on piste, and the D1 is already a 'unique' sensation on the groomers as it is.

I have ordered the 165 D1. I am not sure how many chances I'll get to ride it though. I reckon it will be super hooky and skaty yet with the float of a bigger board. Like a Fish except more charging capabilities on piste. It could be the D1 for trees.

LOL, I was going very fast when I hit that little natural miniramp and landed on my feet. I waited until later in the same run to pull an aerial starfish.
That run is actually steeper than it looks in the photo as you can tell from the tilted trees. I think my friend who took it tried to pull the tilt the camera to make it look steeper pic and got it backwards...

Our snow is usually very heavy maritime climate snow. I'm thinking the stiffer nose of the D1+ will be better at blasting through the 'mashed potato' days. I didn't know it would be wider. That might change my purchase plans as the D1 is already pretty wide. I really wish it weren't quite so heavy.

I think the 165 will be too small for me given the very short effective edge and my 175lb weight. I thought about buying one for my wife so I could pass her Fish150 to my daughter but ended up just buying a second Fish.

I will admit that even though I really like the Dupraz, I'm having second thoughts on the quiver-killer one board solution. It's just that hauling a full quiver of boards to the hill, etc is such a pain in the rear. The Dupraz make that choice easy. When I go on a cat boarding trip later this season, I probably won't take the Dupraz. I'll take my Tanker 200 and borrow a friends Fish 160. For my lift-accessed BC riding, I'll keep on the the Dupraz.

T.

So, they`ve added a slightly stiff nosed version to the line-up this year huh?

I`ve been drooling over the Dupraz D-1 for more than a year now and I`m stoked to hear they`ve got a stiffer one. Could be REALLY god for riding surf style with hardboots.

It`s on my list of MUST HAVES.....

I just got the tracking info from Fedex for my new D1+...

I'll post a review comparing it to the D1 as soon as I get some time on it. The D1 rocked hard in multiple pow dumps in December, I think I rode it 8 of my 12 days riding so far. Hopefully, the D1+ will be even better.

T.

hey thomas -- any hope for that review of the D1+?

cheers,
Jamie

I've just been waiting to get some decent pics...

The board is pure money. Does everything the original D1 does but better. I've got 6 days on it and now I'm thinking of sawing my original D1 in half to make a splitboard...

I'll try to get some pics and post a full review soon. I'm actually going to ride it with hardboots and plates tomorrow for shits & giggles (no new pow).

T.

OK thomas, I`m keen to hear more about how that boards been going.

Esp. considering that you may have spent some time with hardboots on that board by now.