Harb Carvers? A little similar to rollerblades

[Rambo]

I saw this on youtube. A little like rollerblades but with 2 sets of wheels and you use your ski boots. Anybody ever use them?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGBUHt2YJUM

http://www.harbskisystems.com/carver.htm

 

[Greg]

That looks sick. Especially since it give you an excuse to wear jeans tucked into ski boots.

 

[frozencorn]

I'm sold.

 

[Beetlenut]

Looks interesting. A little pricey. Wouldn't want to catch edge ,er wheel going down hill at speed!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

When I used to Rollerblade..all I would do was go up and down hills and make short turns like on skis..you don't need special blades to carve..you can do that on regular ones..

 

[2knees]

what a tool. that dude is wearing adidas windpants....

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

what a tool. that dude is wearing adidas windpants....

What's wrong with Adidas windpants?

 

[Philpug]

I tried them and was pretty unimpressed. Yes, they can give you a better sensation of edge transfer, their main selling feature, but they need a lot of room to get them going and it is damn hot in your ski boots for the summer. Plus they are heavy. The design and construction is "basic" to say the least. I think you can get 80-90% of the effect with a good inline skate.

 

[ToddW]

1st post, but I'm a long-time lurker here.

The carvers are used for dryland training by many recreational skiers, some national team skiers, and by some mountain schools such as Sugar Bowl Academy where Hermann Gollner uses them to train his athletes.

Harb Carvers are designed to respond positively to strong edging (tipping in pmts parlance) and fore-aft skills. They were also designed to resist rotary input via pivoting, upper body rotation, etc. Thus, they react to skidded transitions and rotary torques about like most 3 year olds do to broccoli and brussel sprouts. The feedback is dramatic; like a 3 year old they instantly sniff out any attempt to sneak a little bit of rotary past them. Give 'em the good stuff -- lots of tipping -- and they love you for it.

Phil's experience is not uncommon on a first outing. It can take a day or more to learn to tip/edge strongly enough to make them responsive (you can achieve much higher angles on carvers than on rollerblades.) Some experienced users can do 360s around a fixed ski pole, so the carvers are capable of quite tight turns.

The edging skill gains from playing with carvers during the off-season on "black snow" are significant, but can take a few days to transfer onto real snow. If you do try them out, wear protective gear as you would to learn to rollerblade or skateboard: helmet, wrist guard, knee and elbow pads, and some sort of padded shorts at a minimum. Also, protect your sharp ski pole tips with a rubber tip such as from nordic walking poles or a short segment of rubber automotive hose.

Bottom line: I like them enough I've bought two pair, the slalom model to learn on, and later the pro model to have fun on. The cost is about 3-4 lift tickets and the payoff on snow is worth it :smile:

LOL the "dude" with the Adidas windpants is a she, and she positively rips ... poetry in motion.

 

[RootDKJ]

1st post, but I'm a long-time lurker here.

The carvers are used for dryland training by many recreational skiers, some national team skiers, and by some mountain schools such as Sugar Bowl Academy where Hermann Gollner uses them to train his athletes.

Harb Carvers are designed to respond positively to strong edging (tipping in pmts parlance) and fore-aft skills. They were also designed to resist rotary input via pivoting, upper body rotation, etc. Thus, they react to skidded transitions and rotary torques about like most 3 year olds do to broccoli and brussel sprouts. The feedback is dramatic; like a 3 year old they instantly sniff out any attempt to sneak a little bit of rotary past them. Give 'em the good stuff -- lots of tipping -- and they love you for it.

Phil's experience is not uncommon on a first outing. It can take a day or more to learn to tip/edge strongly enough to make them responsive (you can achieve much higher angles on carvers than on rollerblades.) Some experienced users can do 360s around a fixed ski pole, so the carvers are capable of quite tight turns.

The edging skill gains from playing with carvers during the off-season on "black snow" are significant, but can take a few days to transfer onto real snow. If you do try them out, wear protective gear as you would to learn to rollerblade or skateboard: helmet, wrist guard, knee and elbow pads, and some sort of padded shorts at a minimum. Also, protect your sharp ski pole tips with a rubber tip such as from nordic walking poles or a short segment of rubber automotive hose.

Bottom line: I like them enough I've bought two pair, the slalom model to learn on, and later the pro model to have fun on. The cost is about 3-4 lift tickets and the payoff on snow is worth it :smile:

LOL the "dude" with the Adidas windpants is a she, and she positively rips ... poetry in motion.

Welcome. Great 1st post.

How are they in the bumps? The Sundown crew needs to know

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Pretty hot chick!!!

 

[Sparky]

Do these things have a brake, and can you ski/skate up hill on them?

 

[dmc]

Get a longboard...

 

[trtaylor]

Do these things have a brake, and can you ski/skate up hill on them?

Yes and yes.