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  1. #1
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    Swallow tail skis - Pointless on a rockered pow ski?

    Getting some skis made and am considering putting a semi swallow tail on them. At first I just wanted to eliminate the twin tip (not doing much switch pow skiing) and wanted my skins to sit better on the tails but now I am thinking a bit about putting a swallow tail on them.

    The tails are rockered so it kind of seems a bit pointless other then looking a bit cool/different. I know the swallow tail would help sink the tails and float the tips in pow but is it pointless with a rockered tail? Tip rocker with traditional camber and rockered tail pow skis.
    www.skevikskis.com Check em out!

  2. #2
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    I'm going to vote pointless. If you really want to sink your tails, go with a pintail design.

  3. #3
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    Slight pintail with a slight rocker ala gpo, lhasa, billygoat, L120, etc... seems to be the ticket for me.

    If you go too much pintail and rocker (pontoons) you get the wheelie effect, which is fun but dangerous.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using TGR Forums
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  4. #4
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    Oh... I know all about the wheelie effect! Check the Odas @ www.skevikskis.com they are my absolute fav pow skis but if you aren't skiing balanced on them forget about it.

    I think I talked myself out of it as I was writing the post. Just going to mellow the full tail out and add a notch for the skins.
    www.skevikskis.com Check em out!

  5. #5
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    I still love my old volkl sanouks, and I have started to put some rocker in them (so the opposite direction you are going?) but the rocker helps an already nice ski.

    If you swallow tail them, I think it will add a bit of powder perfornace, and help keep skins in place, and looks nice/retro. No huge upside, but not a downside either?

    FYI: might have to move the mounting point a bit forward, and make the ski a bit stiffer, to counter the swallow tail?


  6. #6
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    Weren't there Fischer skis that had a really small semi swallow tail a couple years ago?

  7. #7
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    If it's large enough to actually impact powder performance it will destroy the torsional rigidity of the tail. I wouldn't bother.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by mntlion View Post
    I still love my old volkl sanouks, and I have started to put some rocker in them (so the opposite direction you are going?) but the rocker helps an already nice ski.

    If you swallow tail them, I think it will add a bit of powder perfornace, and help keep skins in place, and looks nice/retro. No huge upside, but not a downside either?

    FYI: might have to move the mounting point a bit forward, and make the ski a bit stiffer, to counter the swallow tail?
    Pics of your rockering setup plz. To fuck with my olympus mons or not to fuck with them...

  9. #9
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    not sure why I'm super into these right now, but as per your description "Tip rocker with traditional camber and rockered tail pow skis" oh ya and swallow tail.

    http://www.momentskis.com/products/comi
    Last edited by Shu Shu; 09-25-2014 at 08:35 PM.

  10. #10
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    I only have experience on the salomon rockers as a swallow tail pow ski and I love it. It allows a release in pressure, keeps the tail a medium flex on the y axis and soft on the x (torsional) axis. Basically they stomp well and slash well. The tails on those have camber though.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by mntlion View Post
    I still love my old volkl sanouks, and I have started to put some rocker in them (so the opposite direction you are going?) but the rocker helps an already nice ski.

    If you swallow tail them, I think it will add a bit of powder perfornace, and help keep skins in place, and looks nice/retro. No huge upside, but not a downside either?

    FYI: might have to move the mounting point a bit forward, and make the ski a bit stiffer, to counter the swallow tail?
    I'm glad I'm not the only one who still enjoys these beauties. I would be interested to see how you're putting the rocker in them.

  12. #12
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    OK, will post the rocker TR soon


  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shu Shu View Post
    not sure why I'm super into these right now, but as per your description "Tip rocker with traditional camber and rockered tail pow skis" oh ya and swallow tail.

    http://www.momentskis.com/products/comi
    I heard they rail GS turns.

    Sanouks were the best powder skis I'd ever tried when I tried them.

  14. #14
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    not sure why I'm super into these right now, but as per your description "Tip rocker with traditional camber and rockered tail pow skis" oh ya and swallow tail.

    http://www.momentskis.com/products/comi
    Hmmm.... interesting. These skis will be full carbon so they should be able to maintain their torsional rigidity in the tail. I really just like tinkering and having fully custom skis as well. Will try for a small swallow, my ski builder is not going to like the extra work.
    www.skevikskis.com Check em out!

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds! View Post
    I heard they rail GS turns.
    .
    Can't comment on the swallowtail version. But my 186s ski very much like a gigantic traditional ski, do surprisingly fine on groomers for a ..blah.. blah...blah., even if they do destroy your ankles and knees, did I mention heavy?

    Anyways el hefe, be sure to post some picks and your thoughts when they're ready

  16. #16
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    Just got back from the shop, Glenn is in for the swallow. Going to be putting them on these with the owl graphic but in white due to the carbon - http://skevikskis.com/products/anton

    Going to chop the tail down a bit and put the swallow in. Stoked.
    www.skevikskis.com Check em out!

  17. #17
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  18. #18
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    A 5-point ski with a swallowtail? Should be....interesting.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by cstefanic View Post
    A 5-point ski with a swallowtail? Should be....interesting.
    It´ll be fine. The tapered section of the tail has no say in a carved turn anyway, so no worries about lost torsional stiffness. They´ll sink a bit more into the snow than the normal version, but probably not significantly so since the tail is already rockered (reduces pressure and lets the tip come up earlier) and tapered (reduces the surface area and hence lets the tail sink in more).
    simen@downskis.com DOWN SKIS

  20. #20
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    I think they will work fine. My planned swallow isn't going to go too far up the tail. Thinking about 3 inches up from the back of the chopped tail.
    www.skevikskis.com Check em out!

  21. #21
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    So if you're chopping off the twin, and then swallow-ing the flat part, won't it then be affecting the on-piste portion of the ski tail? Just seems like you'd then be holding a ski that has a huge long tip, and a shorter, compromised tail. I've got Sanouks and they definitely feel like the tail was elongated to put the swallow in to keep things sortof balanced.


    ^please don't make them look like this.

  22. #22
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    Not chopping the tail off flat. Just going to reduce the length and height of the tail by about 1" then start the swallow from there. Won't be a flat tail swallow, a rockered tail swallow. Remember the anton's are a true twin, lots of room to work with back there.
    www.skevikskis.com Check em out!

  23. #23
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    Gotcha; I read as you were taking off most of the rocker to get it flat. Looking forward to pics of final product, obviously.

  24. #24
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    I spent a few years skiing those salomon rockets with the swallowtail. Bought them cheap to abuse early season but ended up liking them so much I was skiing them most days. They absolutely slayed deep utah blower and any right side up pow. I really liked the swallowtail and felt like I could feel it making a difference especially in funky snow, like I could work the tail more easily and not have it get hung up the way twin tips do. Not sure if the swallowtail contributed much to it since flat tail skis give a very similar feel.

    Swallowtails do make fucking bad ass roostertails when pond skimming. So keep that in mind.
    Last edited by rip; 09-30-2014 at 11:10 AM.

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