Kessler Cross vs Virus Avalanche AFT

  • Hi there,

    I'm wondering if someone has experience and opinion comparing the Kessler the Cross with the Virus Avalanche AFT.

    I'm considering buying one of these two as soft boot carving only board.

    For freeride purpose I have a Jones Flagship an for cruising more-fun carving board I have a Korua Shape Pencil.

    I am looking for something that could bring me closer to an alpine board without going hard boot, especially on edge hold! So the purpose of the board is basically carving only.

    I have about 15 years experience and for a couple of years I was on hard boot, so I have decent carving skills.

    I'm considering these boards because besides of the excellent board quality, also because aesthetically are pretty cool ;)

    Thanks in advance!!

  • Hi Wulf,

    Thanks! I know the Bullet Train but I couldn't find any proper review around yet...


    I wanted to go for Kessler or Virus to try out also this more niche brands which I've never had the chance to ride. Since I'm looking for something really carving-only I thought about sticking to brands that are specialised in alpine boards.

    Do you have any experience with the Korua Bullet Train?

  • Nope. I've never tried Korua. I am on HB only. However. If your are after a really good carving machine for SB you can go with any Bordercross board from the known brands and will not be disappointed. Kessler, SG, APEX, OXESS, ... just to name a few EU brands

    One thing to keep in mind. Those Bordercross boards do have a significantly larger sidecut than other boards built for SB carving. Are you aware of that and know what that means?

  • OK thanks! Yes I know that those boards are usually really good for SB carving!

    I guess since you're on HB only you didn't compare Virus and Kessler for the model I mentioned above, right?

    Regarding the sidecut radius, yes I know the consequences of a too big one... however I see the e.g. Kessler has something between 8-11m and the Korua Bullet around 10m, so quite similar I guess and not tooooo extreme. Not sure about the Virus because specs are not so easy to find.

  • Hi,

    i rode both.

    The kessler is more stiff and heavy, due to the titanium layer it has a lot of dampening.

    The edge grip is good.

    For SB funcarving i prefer the Avalanche, its lighter and easier to turn then the Kessler, the edge grip on ice is also better than the Kessler.

    If you want to do SB carving regular and switch i'd recommend the new Virus Twincarve, it's the one i prefered last year.

    Its weight and agility is awesome with tons of grip.

    Its also extra wide, so you can do laydowns with moderate binding angles around 10 to 15 degrees without bootout.

    Regards

    Schneller, tiefer, sportiver :boarden:

  • Hi Dynamike,

    Great! Thanks for your opinion!

    So I’m starting to realize that either two would do a great job for the purpose! I’m might still lean more for the Kessler to have a more different board from what I already have! But any of the two would be great anyway.

    Given the price, now it’s just a matter to find a good second hand occasion!

    Does anyone want to get rid of one of those boards (in good conditions)? :)

  • If you prefer the Kessler, the Swoard Dual could be an option too. No titanal inside to be more lively. Possibilities of the board you see, if you google for "Snow Kiss Carving". Used boards should be to find in the forum of Swoard homepage.

  • Hi,

    Thanks for your suggestion!

    I don't necessarily prefer Kessler... I'm just trying to understand the right board for me!


    Kessler would be definitely the most different board from what I have now and of course really good as a SB carving machine (although, maybe too stiff?)... but as dynamike82 suggested, given my body specs (180cm 70Kg) Virus could be better since less aggressive.

    The only concern is that with the Virus I might not ride my Jones anymore ahah!

  • Hi dynamike82,

    did you also try out a Oxess BX board or generally a board with bigger sidecut radius?


    I am about to buy a Kessler The Cross 168 with 9-12 m radius.
    How does the Kessler compare to other BX boards?
    The alternative would be an Oxess 169 with 17m sidecut radius. But 17 meters is hure tho.

    Would you mind charing your experiences?

    Regards

  • Hi,

    i've never ridden an oxess.

    Just Kessler and Virus.

    I wouldn't recommend buying a board with 17m sidecut radius.

    It's good if you want to go fast and nearly straight, but no fun to do variabel carves on crowded slopes.

    If you are interested i have a Kessler BX 168 from around 2014 to sell,

    it's in good condition, i rode it about 50 days before i changed to Virus.

    Regards,

    Schneller, tiefer, sportiver :boarden:

  • If you are interested i have a Kessler BX 168 from around 2014 to sell,

    it's in good condition, i rode it about 50 days before i changed to Virus.

    How much would you want for it?

    And why did you switch to virus? was there a specific reason?

  • I switched to virus cause of the variety of boards, shapes and of course the quality and driving pleasure.

    I prefer more agile carbon boards than the titanium dampened Kesslers.

    I also wanted a twin tip board to carve switch as easy as possible

    I would ask 250 for the Cross, for additional 50 you can also have the Kessler Cross plates, they are good for avoiding toe and heel drag.

    Where are you located, maybe shipping would be expensive, the board is located in Austria.

    Schneller, tiefer, sportiver :boarden:

  • :hammer::rofl2:

    Was ist das wichtigste, das ein Eskimo-Vater seinem Kind beibringt? DON`T EAT YELLOW SNOW!!!
    --------------------
    Männer und Frauen schauen übrigens aus vollkommen unterschiedlichen Gründen Filme, bei denen man Taschentücher braucht!

  • I switched to virus cause of the variety of boards, shapes and of course the quality and driving pleasure.

    I prefer more agile carbon boards than the titanium dampened Kesslers.

    I also wanted a twin tip board to carve switch as easy as possible

    I would ask 250 for the Cross, for additional 50 you can also have the Kessler Cross plates, they are good for avoiding toe and heel drag.

    Where are you located, maybe shipping would be expensive, the board is located in Austria.

    Haha, ja ich wohne in Deutschland. Kannst du mal Fotos von dem Board reinstellen?

    Ich Plates brauche ich als softboot carver eher nicht

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