SurfSkateSnowBlog

I have always been resigned to longboarding because I though it was a cop out for not riding shortboards. But, I finally started using them a couple of years ago, after getting frustrated by not surfing for long durations of time during the summer.  When I got my first longboard, I figured they were all the same, and contently used my cheap pop out thinking that I would never be able to do more than just point the board in one direction and go straight all the way to the beach, trying to get to the nose every now and then.  My perceptions changed completely about longboarding when the store  I work for, got a 9′0″ Flexflight as a demo.

The board is by no means a nose rider, and for those of you looking for a board that is a wave hog, you will definitely need to look elsewhere.  One of the misconceptions about Firewires is that because they are epoxy, they float better than standard poly boards.  This is definitely not the case, these boards have the same flotation characteristics that a standard board has.  The nose does not have the surface area to be a good noserider, and the only way to get up there and stay there is to have a wave with a steep enough face to enable you to do so.

The ability to actually turn is this boards greatest feature.  Because I have always ridden smaller boards, I have the tendency to get bored riding a longboard after a while.  This board, though, was the first longboard that I was actually able to do a real bottom turn on.  It has a pretty substantial amount of tail rocker, letting the board change directions very quickly for its size, and the rails are pretty sharp through the last third of the board making it very responsive.  This feature also makes it a little less forgiving than a softer railed board.

Over all, as someone who wanted a board for really small waves, and who has absolutely no skills on a longboard, but is competant on a shortboard, the Firewire Flexflight fits in all the things I want a longboard to do.  If you are a longboard purist, looking for a classic kind of feel, this may not be the board for you, however, I do suggest you try one, you may just love it like I did.