# A brief history of the boards I've had...



## clsmooth (Jan 5, 2015)

Hey guys, thought I'd introduce myself and post up a quick blurb about the boards I've had. I've been riding for a while now and didn't occur to me to join a forum until I finally came across a question that got me stumped. Anyway, here's a small trip down memory lane...

1989 - 1990 season
1988 Black Snow Mogul Monster ???cm

This board was 1 of the 2 you could get at Canadian Tire at the time, but this one I happen to find at a flea market for $50 (about $100 new at the time when Crappy Tire jumped on the bandwagon). Other than being in the shape of a snowboard, it wasn't much of one. The bindings attempted their best to hang onto your boots, no metal edges and the whole thing was a hollow piece of plastic. I don't recall turning much. I used it for one season on this tobogganing/sledding hill in town. My dumbass brother would say that doesn't count, but I don't see why it wouldn't. Standing on a board and sliding down is snowboarding. That'd be like saying, because Gretzky learned to skate on a frozen pond, means he doesn't know how to play hockey. Thankfully this brand died out when sports stores started carrying snowboards. Think it got sold at a garage sale...

1990 - 1991 season
1988 Black Snow Edge ???cm

This was the other of the 2 boards Crappy Tire had at the time. This one was my brother's hand-me-down. This one I was able to take up to a ski hill cause it had metal edges. The whole multiple-straps thing was nice, though a few times my foot came right out of the boot cause here I was, a kid, using adult equipment; kid-sized gear didn't exist yet. This thing would actually turn a little bit, but weighed a ton, stiff and was slow as shit. Instead of the binding anchors being imbedded in the board themselves, this board pre-dated this (or was just cheaply made) as the board had holes right through it, and the anchors would pop out of the base when you unbolted the bindings from the board. Even filling these with base filler didn't speed things up. I also think I coloured over all the fluorescent yellow with a black Sharpie and covered it in stickers. Thankfully this brand died out when sports stores started carrying snowboards. I think this one went the way of a garage sale as well...

1991 - 1994 seasons
19?? Look Lamar ???cm

My first 'real' board, and ironically a pro model. Bert Lamar was sponsored by Look before he stepped out with his own brand. Can't remember was size this one, but it was the smallest one that was found (can't even remember from where) and it was still too big. Think it was on sale for $140 cause no one wanted really wanted it for the size. So my dad (I think) chopped and rounded the tail off so that there was just a bit of a lip curling up, and rounded the nose to shorten it more. I think it was still too big even after that. This one was definitely faster, but too wide still. It also weighed a ton, stiff and was hard to turn. I had the 3-strap Burton Flex bindings just so I could maneuver it. Can't remember when Look when out of business. I think I gave this one to a friend...

1994 - 1998 seasons
1994 Morrow Drive 147cm

I seemed to be getting more serious into snowboarding then just occasional fun, and wanted an actual modern and properly sized board. I wanted it the season before and remember saving for this one and getting it on sale the Fall of '94 at this one-and-only sports store in town back East for $414. I re-used the Burton Flex bindings from the previous Look but chopped the highbacks down and used 2 straps. This board's still in the top 2 boards I've ever had. This thing was great and learned so much on it as if it was custom made just for me. Flexible, light, responsive, all-mountain; everything you'd want. My freestyle game came alive with this one to the point where I was landing front flip heelside 180's (front flip with an added half turn at the end). I was riding one day and suddenly my front wasn't responding and was loose. I stopped, looked down, and the only think holding my foot on was the biding anchors clinging onto the underside of the top sheet that was peeling away from the rest of the board. I had bought this board at the start of puberty and I clearly got too tall and heavy for it. The core had broken under my front foot. Loved this board so much I still have it; it's now the top of a homemade coffee table. Saw one guy with it last season! But it was a massive 163cm. Morrow may or may not still seem to exist at the time of this posting as their website still works but hasn't been updated since the 12/13 season...

1998 - 1999 season
1993 Sims Shaun Palmer (The Pimp board) 155cm

With a busted board, I needed something for the time being and borrowed my brother's old board. This is the guy/brand that he's pretty much always ridden. This guy's got a bit of a cult following and this one's part of the series with the waving American flag image on the base; there's The [angry] Clown board prior to this one, followed by The Cadillac one after this one. This board was great in every way, but being that it was a '93, it was now heavy by comparison. My brother still has it as part of this collection he's sorta got going. Sims is still around and Shaun stepped out with his own brand in '95...


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## clsmooth (Jan 5, 2015)

1999 - 2002 seasons
1999 Ride Jeff Brushie 153cm w/ Mood Base

I borrowed the previous board while I was on the hunt for this next board. I wanted another Morrow again but they were getting really hard to find. I must've stumbled across my first Morrow by chance. Working at Hemlock at the time I had to opportunity to test drive a whole bunch of various brands when the hill had what's called a demo day. Stores/Brands come out to the hill, setup a tent and you can try out their newest stuff. I fell in love with the Ride Brushie board. It felt the closest to my old Morrow. I actually wanted the '98 Brushie with the squirrel image like I test drove and decided to tough it out the previous season and wait til there's leftovers on sale for next season. Well, there weren't, but another sports store in town at the time had the '99 new on the shelf. I actually got credit back from the same store for these incredibly shitty Burton boots I had a the time so I put it toward this bad boy and got a bit of a break on the price at $549. This one was the mood base version which I was indifferent about but the store couldn't get the non-mood base version in. All it meant was, parts of the base turned from white to blue when it got cold. But being that it's always in snow, those parts were always blue anyway. The non-Mood Base I thought was nicer cause it was a nice contrast with the black and white. I also test drove Airwalk Quad step-in boots/bindings while at Hemlock and used them with this board. I ended up catching not only 1 big rock hiding under the snow but 2. I knackered the base really bad to the point where I was fighting the board to make it go where I wanted it to. I still managed to sell it for about half what I got it for...


2002 - 2012 seasons
2001 Palmer Honeycircle 153cm

I wanted Brushie's newest board to replace my old one with, but it appeared he retired professionally at this point. Being that I was spoiled with a pro model I kinda didn't wanna downgrade. At one of the local snow show swaps I found a year old Palmer that had only been used to demo for $150. This is the board on the cover of Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder video game. This board was very good; a blend of the Morrow and Brushie. I attribute using this board for so long cause it was infused with carbon fibre. I re-used my Airwalk Quad step-in's with this guy too. I seemed to luck out with this board til finally I caught another rock down to the core. I fixed it with base filler but then noticed that I had used the board for so long it was flat; the centre of it didn't have an arch or spring to it anymore. The last few years I noticed that my right quad would be burning at the end of the day. Turns out the plastic anchors on the sole of the rear boot of the step-ins was slowly wearing away (cause it's in and out pretty much all the time) and the boot was a now a little bit loose in the binding. Thought it was me but I had been fighting it this entire time near the end. I believe this board's been added to the collection as well and sold the entire step-in system to a collector...


2012 - 2017
2007 Palmer American White Gold 155cm

This board was part of the year where I got all brand new gear at once. I would always carry over things that were still OK but this time redid it all. Found this guy from a website that sells new, leftover boards for $139. I'm noticing there aren't as many ridiculously expensive boards anymore. After 14 years of step-ins, I also couldn't go back to strap bindings, so I'm using Flow now. This board's great too and a blend of my previous Brushie and Palmer I would say, but Palmer's getting tricky to find. The one's for sale online don't seem to match what's on Palmer's website. Not sure if they're knock-offs, grey market boards, blemish/seconds or what have you (I have the specs printed on mine but they're all 000cm?). I started searching online and found a post on some snowboard forum that Shaun had sold his brand/business to some European who bought it with inheritance money. This may be true, as when you go to Palmer's site, you can only buy from and have shipped to a European address/country. Strange for a brand that plasters the American flag and symbolism everyone; maybe that's seen as a luxury over there. This board's still seems made to modern standards and it's light as hell and really snappy, but I may consider a new board for the start of next season. I'm considering returning to my roots and getting one of that last 12/13 Morrow's new online now that they're somewhat easier to find thanks to the internet, or maybe a Ride pro model as Palmer's are pretty much going extinct...


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## rambob (Mar 5, 2011)

i rode Morrows back in the early-mid nineties. I think the one u got a pic of is from about 96, maybe 95.... Just guessing here cause their graphics and logos changed sometime right around then (95 or 96). Your board looks like they did after this change happened.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Great first thread.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

I really like threads like this. Nothing beats cool stories.


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## Demi9OD (Dec 23, 2014)

My first board was that Jeff Brushie with the squirrel


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## PlanB (Nov 21, 2014)

Wow, you must've really rode the hell out of that Palmer if you were on it for 10 years!


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

Ok, who the hell is this?

If you worked at Hemlock, we know each other.

I've been going there for almost 30 years, fuck I'm old.


TT


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

PlanB said:


> Wow, you must've really rode the hell out of that Palmer if you were on it for 10 years!


That Palmer board kicks ass, I had one for years too.

I don't think it even had scratches on it.

That Palmer is the reason or part of the reason, I bought 3 Palmer Titanium Channels.

I'd read about them & know someone who rides one with hard boots.
So I'd heard first hand they were pretty sweet.

It was having had ridden that first one for years, that's what sold me.

I regretted selling that Palmer. So when I had the opportunity to buy 3, even better ones, haha I bought em all.

One's been sold, & I may sell the other blue one.

But The silver & white one with flames, I don't think I'll ever sell that one

I've only ever seen 1 other one, in a picture, in France.


TT


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## clsmooth (Jan 5, 2015)

rambob said:


> i rode Morrows back in the early-mid nineties. I think the one u got a pic of is from about 96, maybe 95.... Just guessing here cause their graphics and logos changed sometime right around then (95 or 96). Your board looks like they did after this change happened.


I can't remember when their logos changed, but I remember I had this board when I moved from East to West in '94...


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

Palmer!Brushie! Lamar! holycow i wonder if anyone knows who these guys were

not knowing anything about the brand except the namesake, ijust got a seconhand Palmer for my kid, a stiff-ish trad camber, he loves it. seems like a pretty solid, B-class kinda deck


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## rambob (Mar 5, 2011)

Gotta know the Palm Daddy.........


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

CassMT said:


> Palmer!Brushie! Lamar! holycow i wonder if anyone knows who these guys were
> 
> not knowing anything about the brand except the namesake, ijust got a seconhand Palmer for my kid, a stiff-ish trad camber, he loves it. seems like a pretty solid, B-class kinda deck


Depending on which one it is?

It could have a full sheet of Titanal in it.

Almost all Palmer boards, are high end boards.
No idea about their park boards though

Even their shitty ones are prolly better than a lot of other companies best line.

They are usually really torsionally stiff.

Try & put one end between your feet, grab the other end & try & twist it?

I bet it's stiffer than most of your other decks?



TT


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## CassMT (Mar 14, 2013)

sure don't hear much mention of Palmer , but it felt like a solid deck and was just $120.Glad to hear they have a goodish rep. It's a Palmer Pulse `155, and I'd only give it a 6 -7 flex, but my 130 pound kid would prolly think 8-9. def not a park board, more of a groomer ripper, which is perfect too


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## clsmooth (Jan 5, 2015)

2018 - Present
2017 Flow Merc 153cm










It was time for a new board. After putting some thought into what to get next, I decided on a setup where things matched brand-wise. My setups have always been a mix of stuff and in theory having everything the same brand means it'll work the best with each other.

It came down to this and one other board and seeing as how I love my Flow bindings, went with a Flow Merc. Went over a lot of reviews and they've been making this model for about a decade or so.

I was tracking the board online keeping an eye on price and quantity, seeing which dropped first as it's last year's model for cheaper. Checked it one afternoon and with a 20% flash coupon that was only good for 12 hours picked up it for $185!

It's an intermediate level board which is kinda what I do now. I don't need the $1000 board anymore cause I don't really do $1000 stuff. This board's also meant to be comfortable, which will be nice not be shaken around so much.

Never had a board with so much 'tech' in it before either - oak, poplar, fibreglass, carbon fiber and urethane. It's also be my first rocker too, so that'll be interesting.

If/when my boots finally need replacing, they'll be Flow too, and with the BOA system - tired of lacing up an inner boot only to then lace up an outer boot; shit takes me 15-20 minutes. But I paid the money and my now rare Nike Kaiju's are still in mint shape, so that might be a while...

Looking forward to it! Gonna have it ready to go for the upcoming season!


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## clsmooth (Jan 5, 2015)

My setup for the upcoming season:








New 2017 Flow Merc 153
2012 Flow NXT bindings
New 2018 Flow Tracer boots
Even found a new 2015 Flow Burrito bag 

Ironically never had everything the same brand before, very much looking forward to putting the same-brand-theory to the test...


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

clsmooth said:


> My setup for the upcoming season:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just outa curiosity........ 

How much do you weigh smooth?
Aren't you about 6 foot roughly 200lbs?

I hope you're not one of those guys with huge pipes and tiny little chicken legs?

I'm gonna lend you a Cadillac this season.
See if we can't open your eyes a bit:embarrased1:

Maybe a dupraz? 167cm 
I got something over 165 your gonna love, just gotta figure out which one(s)


TT


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## clsmooth (Jan 5, 2015)

timmytard said:


> Just outa curiosity........
> 
> How much do you weigh smooth?
> Aren't you about 6 foot roughly 200lbs?
> ...


6', ~190, though I've always preferred boards that are "too short" for me...


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