Aqua Sphere Vista Swim Goggle Review

July 16, 2016 Tallington Lakes Leave a comment

As a recreational open water swimmer, I dived in at the chance to see what the Aqua Sphere Vista Swim Goggles were like. I was off to Cornwall for a week, and therefore thought the Atlantic was a suitable piece of open water in which to test them!

Aqua Sphere Vista Swim Goggle

Firstly, I have to say, the goggle case is excellent. It’s a hard plastic, goggle shaped case which protects the goggles – so even if you are the sort to chuck them into the bottom of your kit bag the goggles are protected! The goggles, themselves, have a large sealing skirt around the lenses; which I assume is inherited from their sister company’s diving history. The skirt is extremely comfortable and produces a very effective seal; with no leakage. The strap adjustment is simplicity itself, thanks to Aqua Sphere’s Quick-Fit™ one-touch adjustment. The button allows you to easy extend strap, and once in place, the strap can be tightened; with a reassuring click. If over tightened a simple press of the button releases the strap; a click at a time if your quick!

In the water the visibility was excellent (I had clear lenses), as expected from Aqua Sphere’s ‘Wraparound’ 180-degree visibility design. I had no issues with fogging whilst I was in the water, which was about 30 minutes, thanks to the anti-fog coating. The durable polycarbonate lenses have a scratch resistant coating, too, and over the week the lenses stayed clear. They also provide 100% UVA & UVB protection.

As for drag, there is plenty of other aspects of my swimming that need attention before claiming: “my goggles are slowing me down”, so no comment!

Conclusion

I was impressed with the goggles. I was able to adjust the goggles for a perfectly comfortable fit. As I was swimming in the sea, and on a few occasions was caught by a couple of waves, I was pleased to find the goggles stayed in place and did not leak! Upon leaving the water, and removing the goggles, I was please to find I did not have the red marks associated with having to tighten swim goggles too much to prevent leakage. So if you looking for some open water swim goggles, I recommend trying Aqua Sphere’s Vista Swim Goggles; and at £26.99 they are great value for money!

Kneeboarding

A Guide To Kneeboards

June 4, 2016 Tallington Lakes Leave a comment

A guide to kneeboards. Kneeboarding is considered the ideal towed watersport for beginners. You are on your knees, so it is easier to balance. If you should fall, how close you are to the water along with the lower speed reduces the risk of injury.

That said, it is not a watersport for only beginners, it is a fun way to enjoy yourself out on the water, regardless of your previous watersport experience.

A beginner on a kneeboard should always look for a board that has an integrated hook on the front. This allows the rider to be pulled out of the water by the boat without having to hold onto the rope. Once the boat is up to speed, and they are strapped in, they can take the rope into their hands and begin to ride. The foam padded kneeling area is shaped, so absolute beginner to do have to be strapped in tight.

Beginner Intermediate Kneeboard

A beginner, or a recreational boarder, should use a rotary molded board. They have a softer board, with wider edges. This design lets even the less experienced knee boarders turn smoothly and control the board. This reduces the risk of falling, and if you do fall, reduces the chance of injury. The material and thickness of the kneeboard will allow for user knocks (a little more robust) and can act as a flotation device after a fall.

Advanced Expert Kneeboard

However a competitive boarder should consider using compression molded boards. These are thinner, lighter boards, with sharper edges allowing the rider to generate more speed and offer quicker turns and tricks.

A trick kneeboard should have a lot of rocker, and the rails of the board should be thick. However a slalom board should have a flat bottom and sharp rails, this makes turning easier and allows a rider to hold the edge through a turn.

2016 HO Sports Kneeboard Collection © HO Sports

Some boards will come with built in fins, retractable fins, or no fins at all. Trick kneeboards have no fins, as they would catch in the water, making tricks harder. Slalom kneeboards will have fins as it makes them easier to steer and carve through the water. Beginners may also want fins to give them more control of the board.

Wakeskating

A Guide To Wakeskates

June 4, 2016 Tallington Lakes Leave a comment

When buying a wake skate, there are three main types to consider; the wood-deck with foam pad, the wood-deck with a concave foam pad and the fibreglass with grip tape. A final variation to these wakeskates is the double deck.

The wood-deck with the foam pad is probably the most common board amongst beginners as it is the cheapest. The foam offers protection to the rider so if they fall it won’t hurt as much.

The wood-deck with the concave foam pad is the next step up. The pad will offer protection, but the concave design will offer a rider more stability, and is ideal for learning wake skating tricks.

The fibreglass with grip tape is a more durable wakeskates. The wooden deck of the other two Skates means damage is unavoidable over time, due to the effect water has on wood, where as the fibreglass should last longer.

Double Deck Wakeskate

The double deck wakeskate, is made up of two parts. The bottom deck is the same construction of a regular wake skate. The difference comes from the top deck. It is curved in shape similar to a skateboard, and is only attached to the bottom deck at certain points. The attachment points are where the upward curves begin from the straighter middle part of the board.

This design leads to greater acceleration across the water and leading up to tricks. It also causes the board to stay closer to your feet, becoming more similar to a skateboard than a single decked wake skate.

The grip tape is designed to help a rider keep their balance on top of the board, but falling onto it can lead to grazed legs, which is why foam is more suitable for a beginner.

Wakeskate Size

Wakeskate size ranges from about 40 inches, to 45, with the most common boards being about 42/43 inches.

Like most watersports, a larger board is better for a beginner as it offers a larger surface area, to help them on the water.However a smaller board will be more manoeuvrable and is better for tricks, so suitable for intermediate and above.

Wakeskate Shoes

Wearing shoes whilst wake skating is not essential, but can be beneficial. Shoes offer an extra layer of protection as well as giving more grip. If you plan on riding on grip tape we’d recommend wearing some sort of footwear.

The shoes do not have to be sport-specific. They just have to have thin material, so as not to get heavy, and preferably dry quickly, to avoid smelling.

Wakeskate shoes are made from a hydrophobic material, so don’t absorb water, which means no weight is added to your feet, making tricks easier.

General

Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses Review

May 27, 2016 Paul Leave a comment

Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses are just a bit tasty! Customer review.

I recently purchased some Oakley Jawbreakers from Tallington Lakes Pro Shop. They are an out and out sports eyewear piece. There’s no way they could ever look good as fashion eyewear, so don’t even think about buying them as a cross over. Don’t be that guy!

Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses

The styling is pretty funky and gives really nice shelf appeal. A great range of colours that will leave you torn with the right decision. (I spent a fair amount of time in Tallington Lakes Pro Shop annoying the team, switching glasses in the mirror). The style in no way compromises the function, that’s important. They’ve managed to create a cool looking eyepiece centred on a really solid performance criteria.

I usually race the bike section of a triathlon wearing a helmet with built-in visor. I never tend to bother with glasses any other time as I “know I am wearing them”! That’s my issue, anything that I’m consciously wearing annoys me. I bought the glasses reluctantly as I was undertaking a desert run, no glasses would be suicidally crazy! I thought I’d give them a whirl on my long Sunday bike ride. They felt like I was wearing the visor, because I had massive field of vision, Oakley’s standard and incredible visual clarity, comfortable and ergonomically designed. The adjustable arms did nothing for me in the shop, I felt it was just something to break and a potential weakness in the design. Actually they were immediately useful. I had them on the smallest setting when running. They fit perfectly, When I went out on the ride I had them on their maximum limit. It held them more securely in my helmet and gave me the confidence that I wasn’t going to loose my lovely looking new purchase, or be forking out for new lenses once I’d lost them to the tarmac.

oakley jawbreaker white prizm road sunglasses — These Oakley Jawbreaker sunglasses have the Prizm Road lens.

The lens popped out incredibly easy, if I wanted. It is painfully simple and really obvious. It feels robust and trustworthy. I’ve worked for Oakley retailers in the past, you dread that moment when a customer asks “so how does that lens swap over then”? Once you’ve worked with them for a while its not a drama. You did however see the Saturday boy fill with fear and look for you to step in when confronted with the same request. With the Jawbreaker this isn’t/shouldn’t be the case. It’s very simple. I say the system is obvious, but unlike previous models once you’re wearing them its not entirely obvious to everyone in the world that the lens has the capacity to be changed. The usual strategy of sticking a giant lever on the glasses was always fairly crude and ugly, this system is way more refined.

My old glasses let you know you were wearing them. Your peripheral vision was constantly reminded about the perimeter of the glasses. These have no such issue. The field of vision was exceptional. If you want an out and out sports piece that will perform exceptionally well, these are my recommendation. Running or cycling, they’ve performed impeccably. I’m not traditionally a sunglass wearer! I just had to wait for the right product to come along, and the Oakley Jawbreaker was the one!

Wetsuits

O’Neill Women’s F.U.Z.E. SuperFreak 3mm 2mm Wetsuit Review.

May 19, 2016 Sammy Leave a comment

Last week I had the opportunity to go to an O’Neill wetsuit training day, where I got to learn more about their wetsuits and what sets O’Neill apart from other wetsuit companies. Not only did I learn how each suit is made, and why they are made this way, I got the chance to try a Women’s F.U.Z.E. SuperFreak 3mm 2mm wetsuit for myself while attempting to kneeboard and wakeboard at a cable park. And, the proof really was in the pudding.

I really liked this wetsuit! The training day was held at a cable park, on a typically English day – grey and cold. So, I was a bit nervous about the whole thing. I wakeboard behind a boat here at Tallington Lakes, and I usually spend a lot of time in the water, so with never being on a cable I knew I would spend more time in the water than not. After learning about how the suits are made, I know I shouldn’t have been surprised by how warm I was. But, I was. I was even more surprised by the fact I was warmer wearing the wetsuit in the water, than I was wearing my clothes out of it!

O’Neill Women’s F.U.Z.E. SuperFreak 3mm 2mm

The SuperFreak wetsuit is made with a super stretchy UltraFlex DS Neoprene, and stuck together with O’Neill’s glued and blindstitched (GBS) seam construction. The stretchy neoprene means you have unrestricted movement; and because the GBS stitching only goes part way through the neoprene, and is then glued, there is minimal leakage. O’Neill also place additional tape in all areas of excessive stress too, just to make sure! The suit has been designed with ‘seamless paddle zones’ which means that areas such as under the arm are constructed out of one panel. Consequently there are no seams to hinder movement (when paddling) and eliminates rashing; which in my case was a real bonus when I kept falling and having to swim to the lake side… And, I can see how great this would be when surfing or swimming for extended times.

oneill womens superfreak 3mm 2mm wetsuit — Front and back of the O’Neill Women’s SuperFreak 3mm 2mm wetsuit.

The SuperFreak has yet another one of O’Neill’s tricks, the F.U.Z.E Entry System. F.U.Z.E stands for Front Upper Zip Entry, which basically means what you think; you get into the wetsuit from an opening in the chest. I was pretty intimidated by the concept, but once I tried it, I actually found it easier to get into than the usual back zipped wetsuits. F.U.Z.E follows the same concept of the Patented Z.E.N Zip Entry, where the zip system is added to the suit separately, having the main body of the suit constructed in a way that keeps as much water out as possible.

A few other treats included with this suit are the Krypto Knee Pads, a double Super Seal Neck and a neat little external key pocket on the thigh! The SuperFreak keeps the water out and keeps you warm like no other wetsuit ever offered at this price level. And, I can 100% recommend this, and any of the women’s O’Neill wetsuit, if you are after something comfortable, warm and flexible for these spring and summer months ahead!

Thanks Sammy (Snowboard and Climbing Instructor)

General

Oakley Moonlighter Sunglasses Review

May 6, 2016 Sammy Leave a comment

So what are the new Oakley Moonlighter sunglasses like? I had the good fortune to try a pair, with Frost frame and Sapphire Iridium lenses.

The Moonlighter’s are a perfect mix of the retro late 80s style, with modern Oakley technology. The frosted frames are not only a cute colour combo with the sapphire coloured lenses, but they are incredibly durable and lightweight due to their stress-resistant O Matter frame material. Comfort and performance is important to Oakley, so they have a unique Three-Point Fit design that holds lenses in precise optical alignment, while their Unobtanium nose pads ensure a snug, and secure fit.

The Sapphire Iridium lens add a cute and bright ‘pop’ of colour to your day, at the same time they protect your eyes from UVs with Plutonite lens material, which filters out 100% of UVA/UVB/UVC & harmful blue light up to 400nm. And, like all Oakley eyewear The Moonlighters include High Definition Optics (HDO) which is a collection of patented technologies that allow Oakley eyewear to meet or exceed the testing standards of the American National Standards Institute for optical clarity, visual fidelity, and impact resistance.

The Moonlighters are designed for a petite face shape measuring at:
Lens Width53 mm
Bridge Width17 mm
Lens Height42 mm
Temple Arm Length139 mm

So if you know your face dimensions, you’ll know if they fit. Or you can pop in-store and try them on!

The more I wore them (and cheekily checked out my reflection) the more I liked them. They fit comfortably on my face, and they certainly made things clearer and reduced the glare/sun strike on our artificial slope. I think the only negative I have about the Frost Sapphire Iridium Moonlighters is that the lenses are not polarized, however, other styles have polarised lenses. Apart from that, I think these shades are pretty neat. And, if you’re someone who wants trend and functionality out of a pair of sunglasses, I would highly recommend you try these out! I mean, they’re cute, lightweight and durable… What more could you want?

Thanks Sammy (Snowboard and Climbing Instructor)

General

Roxy Relay Leggings Review

April 26, 2016 Sammy Leave a comment

I recently got myself a pair of the Roxy Relay Leggings and it’s safe to say I am in love.

They almost look as good as they feel. The fabric, which is 78% Nylon and 22% Lycra, feels lovely, super lightweight, and breathable. The ones I have are an incredibly in your face bright pink, with what I like to call, black racing stripes and a cute tropical design on the calf. They really stand out. All the Roxy Relay Leggings come in beautiful bright colours and designs, and have reflective tape and a Roxy logo at the bottom of the lower leg. Even better, the colour won’t fade as they are made with Xtra Life Lycra fabric for excellent recovery and colour retention.

roxy leggings two styles — The ones I have, Azalea Stripe (right) are an incredibly in your face bright pink, with what I like to call, black racing stripes and a cute tropical design on the calf. Psychedelic Dream Combo Tomato (left).

Now, I’m not exactly the tallest person with being 5’1” and I usually really struggle with trouser legs being far too long and bunching up around my ankles. Yes, these leggings do bunch around my ankles, but nothing major like most do. Yet, there is enough length that I can say with confidence these would be great on taller girls too.

The fold-over waistband is high enough that you can comfortably exercise without indecently exposing yourself, or have to worry about continuously pulling them up because the waistband also includes Roxy Jacquard Elastic on the inside, and an adjustable tie on the outside to ensure a glove-like fit.

The fabric is thin enough to be quick drying and breathable, yet I wasn’t concerned about them thinning out and being see-through when climbing and abseiling on the climbing tower we have here at Tallington Lakes, which again saved me from embarrassment. The soft flatlock seams didn’t make me uncomfortable while climbing and hanging in some usually uncomfortable positions which was a huge bonus.

All in all, these leggings are amazing, comfortable, and cute while being incredibly functional. I never thought I would so highly recommend active wear but Roxy have really done well with the Relay Leggings! At Tallington Lakes Pro Shop we sell the Roxy Relay Leggings in Psychedelic Dream, and I recommend you buy them before I do because they are amazing!

Thanks Sammy (Snowboard and Climbing Instructor)

Wakeboarding

What Size Wakeboard Should I Buy?

April 13, 2016 Tallington Lakes Leave a comment

What size wakeboard should I buy? Is a common question in the Pro Shop

But there is more to consider when buying a wakeboard than just the way it looks. Of course you want a board that looks good, but much like a car, looks aren’t everything. You wouldn’t buy a Ferrari without an engine, so why would you buy a wakeboard that doesn’t fit your needs?

The first, and probably most important, thing to consider is the size of the board. A board that is too small will lead to you sinking whilst riding; however a board that is too big can be difficult to maneuver, and weigh the rider down.

Wakeboard Size Guide

Length (cm)	Weight (stone)
<130	7
130 – 134	7 – 10.5
135 – 139	9 – 13
140 – 144	12 – 18
>144	14 – 19.5

If you are sharing the wakeboard, then pick the dimensions that suit the heaviest user. It is easier for a smaller rider to cope with a large board, than a larger rider to deal with a smaller board.

Shorter Wakeboards:
Easier to spin and maneuver in the air
Harder landings
Require more energy to cut through the water

Longer Wakeboards:
Easier to ride on
Rider has more control
Heavier, so hard to maneuver in the air
Good for learning tricks for the first time
Offer softer landings

When considering a weight that overlaps a category, it will depend what ‘type’ of rider you are.

A beginner/intermediate rider should use a larger board, as they are unlikely to need to maneuver it too much, and the large surface are will result in a more comfortable ride.

Intermediate/advanced riders should look at slightly shorter boards, this will allow them to maneuver the board easier in the air, than a longer board, but still provide a large enough surface area to stick the landing.

Advanced/expert riders should consider a shorter wakeboard as they are light and by that stage they will be adept at landing a trick.

Wakebaord Rocker

The type of rocker may also influence your decision. There are two main types of rocker, the continuous rocker, and the 3-stage rocker. Continuous rockers allow a rider to travel across the wake further and faster. These boards are ideal to help improve your skills on the water.

The 3-stage rocker, on the other hand, will help a rider improve their skills in the air. The shape of the board allows the rider to jump higher. This comes at a cost; the board is not as fast across the water.

To find out more, why not read our post about wakeboard rocker!

Alpine Skiing

Salomon Q-83 Ski Review

March 27, 2016 #TallySeal Leave a comment

The women’s Salomon Q-83 Myriad all-mountain skis.

Recently it was that time in your life that every skier loves; time to purchase a new set of skis! I have skied several times around Europe, in different conditions, but whenever I am asked “what kind of skier I would class myself”, I’m not sure! I enjoy blue and red runs, and will go down blacks – if I have too. I’m learning to better my technique in the soft stuff, but most comfortable on piste. I enjoy my skiing, and to me, that is the main thing.

skier skiing sunny day — I’m learning to better my technique in the soft stuff, but most comfortable on piste. I enjoy my skiing, and to me, that is the main thing.

Salomon Q-83 Myriad Women’s Skis

Personally, there are loads and loads of skis out there and, maybe as I am girl, I’m not one of these people who will do hours and hours of research. I summed up my requirements, to my other half, I wanted an easy turning ski that looks nice and will help me progress. He gave me a few options but the one that stood out most, and seemed to suit my ability, was the Salomon Q-83. As I said, I’m not very technical, so my boyfriend wrote the next part:

The Salomon Q series has proved a huge success and offers a vast range of skies for different abilities and types of skiing. The Q-83 is aimed at female intermediate skiers; that are looking to progress into skiing powder (the softer stuff) for the first time. It offers early wide edges (you’ll notice the bulge) and a hook free taper on the tip to allow for easier turning on piste. Basically this makes the ski shorter, and therefore easier to turn! The ski has a full wood core so will easily ski at speed and will still maintain plenty of control on piste. The ‘honeycomb’ in the tip dampens any vibrations. Finally, The ski has a utility rocker tip and tail which allows the ski to float easily in the softer ‘fluffy’ stuff.

The first point that I really noticed about them from the skis that I have previously used was how easy it was to turn. I have struggled previously with turning skis of this length but found my Salomon’s very easy. Thankfully, this helped with my confidence and when the time came and I decided to head off into the powder: lets just say it didn’t exactly go to plan the first time but after a few falls into the soft fluffy snow I started to gently get the hang of it which is something that I have never been confident enough to do.

skier fallen in powder — The ski has a utility rocker tip and tail which allows the ski to float easily in the softer ‘fluffy’ stuff. Or not!

Back on the piste, I felt that I was getting a little quicker and more confident the more I skied them. By the end of our trip, with the help of my boyfriend I was starting to learn to carve the skis. To me, the skis were exactly what I wanted. They were soft and easy to ski but seemed to be responsive when I started to pick up a little speed. My turning has improved dramatically and I even managed to gain a little confidence skiing in the powder. Overall, I really enjoyed these Salomon Q-83 Myriad skis and glad I went for them. I am looking forward to skiing them next year.

Finally, the fact that they are really pretty sums everything up but I need to remember not to look at them whilst skiing.

Thanks Mega!

Resort Reviews

Lungau Resort Review Austria

March 27, 2016 #TallySeal Leave a comment

Personally I am a bit of a sucker, and maybe slightly biased, when it comes to Austria as a ski destination. Recently, my girlfriend and I enjoyed four days skiing in the Lungau region and were definitely not let down with everything that it had to offer.

As we only had four days available we wanted to head somewhere that had a quick transfer time to allow us to maximize our ski time. With that in mind, having spent two years in the Salzburger Sportwelt and being fascinated with this area, we wanted to explore a little further. Lungau is around 1 hour and 20 minutes from Salzburg airport, and with British Airways early 0645 flight landing at 0900, we were on the mountains skiing by midday with ease.

Chalet Mur

We were picked up by Ben and whisked back to the beautiful Chalet Mur, which is named after the river that runs through the region. The Chalet is run Ben and Clare and is located in a village called Stranach just outside St Michael Im Lungau. After Clare twisted our arm into an early lunchtime Gluevine, we headed up to one of the smaller resorts of Sperieck and Grossarl for an afternoon ski. It was snowing all the way from the airport and wasn’t disappointing on the hill, even though the wind was up it made for an afternoon of relaxed skiing.

On Friday, with the sun making a blinding appearance, Ben whisked us off to Fanningberg or “Funningberg”, as the locals know it. This area on the piste map seems quite small with only 5 lifts but don’t let that phase you at all. There are plenty of runs for all abilities with the main talking point being all the fun that can be had in and around the trees. Fanningberg offers safe off piste as the ski patrols do cover the marked off pistes routes as well as on. I had some of the best tree run skiing at this resort with my girlfriend enjoying the wide groomed pistes to practice her carving. We would definitely head back again. The resort also offers sledging so to finish the day, we grabbed the last lift up, knocked back a couple of Frucht Schnapps and headed down the main slope back to the bottom.

Saturday came and promised to be another good-looking day so we hopped on the free ski bus, which stops just outside the Chalet, for the 5-minute ride up to Katschberg & Aineck. “Katschi” offered some of the best red runs that we have ever skied on and true to the Austria that I know it was like millionaires ski slope. Unfortunately for us, the winds picked up in the afternoon closing Aineck, which has the longest run in Austria at 7.2km. That evening, the snow came in and started to get our hopes up for our last day.

Our final day came way to quick as always but Ben had mentioned about skiing Obertauern. It is the biggest, highest and probably most well known resort in the Lungau region. The village itself sits at 1630m with the highest lift taking you up to 2313m. The resort is all in a bowl, very easy to navigate around and offers a little something for all types of skiers. We were lucky, as the snow had continued overnight

At the end of every day when we walked in Clare had prepared a rather tasty cake with plenty of tea and coffee. After a shower and a relax it was time for an evening meal and to say Clare was a cracking cook would be a major understatement. Each meal we had was a delicious home cooked hearty dinner. There was plenty (and I mean plenty) to go around and every need was catered for, even our fondness for a large glass of wine.

There are several different resorts around the region and each seems to offer something a little different. We would thoroughly recommend Ben and Clare at the Chalet Mur, as thanks to them, our holiday was even more perfect!