THE BEAST

For the ultimate in big powder boards, you can't beat a swallow tail for sheer speed, lift and turning ability. This is a limited edition, hand made Miura "Mucho Dinero" snowboard. It's 191cm long and is the business in powder. The tail sinks into the snow effortlessly without having to lean back at all and the long nose always manages to rise above the surface of even the deepest snow. A lot of people are put off swallow tails because of their performance on groomed runs, however this one carves extremely well until you get going really fast when the nose seems to wobble slightly. To give you an idea of the size, I've included a picture of it next to my Morrow Escape 164.

The inscription on the board (pictured below) reads 191/342 "Le sapin jaune connait le clown rouge" which I am reliably informed means "The yellow fir tree knows the red clown". I bought it at a shop in Serre Chevalier (Villeneuve) called First Tracks, who also rent these and Swell Panik boards. If you want to know anything else about swallow tails check out Nils's excellent site which has loads of pictures and a handy FAQ section. More information on Miura boards can also be found on Charles site, along with pictures of snowboarding legend Jean Nerva riding one of these boards. If you want one, you'd better be quick though, Olive only makes about 50 a year.

The inscription is not v.clear, you'll just have to trust me on this one.

Olive. The Man.