If you couldn’t make it to the event, you can check out our coverage from BigMountainSkate’s Alpenrauschen here: Part 1 and Part 2, and get up to speed with everything that happened in those 4 days in Tauplitzalm, Austria.
During the event, the ROCKET Longboards team riders were on point, stacking numerous clips, either filming themselves or filmed by Mirko Paoloni with a follow car. One of that film runs is the one you got to see right now featuring Dominic Schenk (Switzerland) and Ian Freire (Brazil) sending it stand up at around 90 km/h.
Dominic Schenk and Ian Freire during a filming run at Alpenrauschen 2018 presented by ROCKET Longboards. Follow car – Mirko Paoloni.
Dominic and Ian met each other in 2015 during the RedBull No Paws Down where they competed with each other in the finals. That year Ian took 1st place and Dominic 2nd, but in 2017 Dominic took home the gold. Soon after their first RBNPD race, they became good friends and Ian Freire joined Dominic on the ROCKET Longboards team two years later.
In the video we could see how comparable these two “champions” are with their almost synchronized flow, both targeting the fastest and most technical lines. This really is a match made in skate heaven.
Both Dominic and Ian have their own pro model deck, handmade in Switzerland by Daniel Iseli, the founder of ROCKET Longboards. Dominic’s deck of choice in the video is his pro model the ROCKET Domination, while Ian took his Ian Freire Pro, featuring ROCKET’s LAF technology, for a wild spin down the Alpenrauschen track.
Besides Dominic and Ian there were 4 other ROCKET team riders on the track; Danilo Porto, Till Heiden, Dave Süess and a new team rider who has yet to be announced.
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About a month ago I had the pleasure to present the Ian Freire Pro longboard deck by ROCKET longboards, built with their own LAF technology which makes the board extremely durable, lightweight and waterproof.
The announcement has garnered much attention, over 1k people visited the article during the first couple of days since it was published.
In the meantime, ROCKET’s website got a pretty rad overhaul. There you’ll find more information about their current team, work process and a bunch of other cool stuff.
Welcoming Ian Freire from Brazil, a Red Bull No Paws Down 2015 champion, will help ROCKET to stand out even more during this upcoming season. Something tells me that we’ll see Ian back to the Bear’s Guts this year, as last year Patrick Lombardi walked away with the title.
Daniel Iseli and his crew presented the Ian Freire Pro deck along with the two new 2017 models and the rest of the Rocket’s collection at ISPO Longboard-Embassy.
Dominic Schenk (left) with Daniel Iseli (right) at ISPO 2017
Demonstrating how light the ROCKET Ian Freire Pro is at ISPO 2017.
ROCKET Scout (right), one of the new boards shown at ISPO 2017.
As he told me in one of our conversations, ISPO was a great success for ROCKET. The feedback on the new boards was great and people loved them.
Well, Daniel… What else can you expect when doing such a great work 🙂
Now, let’s see what’s there to love…
LAF – Strong, lightweight and waterproof
ROCKET took a big step forward this year and introduced a new construction technique code-named LAF which is shortened for “Light As Fuck”.
It includes a very light wooden core sandwiched between carbon and glass fibres with clear 3D embossed highly scratch resistant PBT top sheets. The core is sealed down with extremely strong polyurethane rails which make the board highly resistant to impact and waterproof.
The boards built with LAF weigh around 30% less compared to longboard decks built in a traditional way, while preserving the same flex and vibration absorption characteristics often missed in full carbon decks.
ROCKET currently offers two boards built with LAF – the Ian Freire Pro and the Stealth.
New ROCKET longboard decks in 2017
ROCKET offers 12 longboard decks, but in this article I’ll cover the 3 latest; the Stealth, the Ian Freire Pro and the Scout.
The Stealth extends ROCKET’s already quite versatile board selection by covering the riders who prefer the style of skateboarding that includes freestyle and dancing.
It’s a symmetrical top-mount deck, with 0.47″ concave and three wheelbase options raging from 27.5″ – 30″ enabling to match the flex and the length of the kicks to a preferred riding style.
ROCKET Stealth longboard deck, side view
The stealth is built with LAF technology and promised to last for a very very long time.
It is extremely impact resistant and waterproof thanks to the polyurethane rails as well as very lightweight, with a total weight of only 1600 grams (3.5 lbs).
The board also features minimal wheel well flares and pressed-in wheel wells which makes it safe to ride with more loose trucks.
The Stealth deck specification
Length: 43.5″
Width: 9.2″
Wheelbase: 27.5″ – 30″
Concave: 0.47″
Weight: 1600 g / 3.5 lbs
The price tag on the Stealth is 269 Euros.
What else to say, it’s a great looking double-kick freestyle deck, I’ll bet you’re already drooling all over your keyboard, so let’s move to the next one…
The Ian Freire Pro
ROCKET Ian Freire Pro Model – bottom view.
ROCKET Ian Freire Pro longboard deck, top view
The Ian Freire Pro is a 35,4″ long top-mount directional deck with a symmetrical platform designed with both downhill and freeride in mind. It provides the same leverage regardless of the direction the board is facing making it a breeze to ride switch as well.
The Ian Freire Pro comes in two width versions; a wider 9.8″ and a narrower 9.2″ version. Both versions feature a progressive concave (16mm to 12mm), flared wheel wells and a rocker.
ROCKET Ian Freire Pro, diagonal view.
The wheelbase is adjustable from 23″ to 26″. The shortest wheelbase will enable you to use the board’s kick tail to its full potential, while the longest will make it more stable for downhill runs.
Just like the Stealth, the Ian Freire Pro is built with LAF technology to last for a lifetime as it’s highly impact resistant, waterproof and very lightweight, weighing only 1400 grams (3.1 lbs).
Last but not least…or to be more exact, the third new board ROCKET introduced this year is…
The Scout
ROCKET Scout longboard deck, bottom view.
ROCKET Scout longboard deck, top view.
The Scout is an all-around 33″ long and 9.2″ wide directional top-mount deck with a kick tail.
As described by its maker, the Scout has an asymmetrical banana rocker which descends slightly in the front and raises steeper in the back to form the tail.
A short convex part behind the back truck anatomically adapts to your feet. This makes the tail super comfortable to stand on and also gives you a nice pocket for your toe side stand up slides.
ROCKET Scout longboard deck, side view
The Scout is promised to be a great choice for skating pump tracks, pools, commuting or even bombing the hills, if you prefer a shorter wheelbase or if you’re a smaller person.
Built from Canadian SFI certified Canadian maple and Glass fibres, the Scout also features an extremely durable epoxy soaked veneer top sheet which protects the glass fibres underneath.
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You know we love uploading expert reviews for you, and this longboard couldn’t be the exception.
Daniel Iseli from Switzerlandstarted building longboards around seven years ago. He officially introduced ROCKET Longboards in December 2013 with a collection of four models, which soon grew into a full blown lineup of nine premium quality decks presented at ISPO 2016.
ROCKET Domination, Dominic Schenk’s pro-model longboard deck was released in late summer 2014. Since then the deck undergone a series of upgrades, until its final and current version.
“The evolution of the Domination”. Photo by Dominic Schenk
In-house designed pneumatic presses, CNC-machined moulds, top materials, development and extensive testing with some of the Europe’s best riders… Daniel got it all covered very well and now distributes the boards around the world with confidence.
Daniel Iseli sanding a board. Photo ROCKET Longboards
Daniel Iseli handling the presses. Photo ROCKET Longboards
If you are interested to learn more about ROCKET Longboards see this article published in Concrete Wave Magazine, Fall 2016. For now, let’s check out the board and its features…
ROCKET Domination Dominic Schenk’s pro model longboard deck
ROCKET Longboards Domination longboard deck. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
The Domination longboard deck was developed together with team rider Dominic Schenk for IDF racing season 2014, which didn’t turn out to be a huge success.
However, Dominic placed second at the Red Bull No Paws Down World Championship in 2015, and took the Domination on the podium. With so many eyeballs looking at his direction, it was hard not to notice “the rocket” Dominic was “flying”.
Six months later and after two years of development and testing, the Domination longboard deck is now one of the best choices when buying a highly functional and quality board for downhill or freeride.
Shape, look and feel
Before I go into more detail, let me say that the photos I made hardly justify the beauty of this deck.
ROCKET Domination, bottom side view. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
ROCKET Domination, wheel wells and mounting options in the front. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
ROCKET Domination, wheel wells and mounting options in the back. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
The Domination features a directional shape with a simple outline which narrows towards the center of the deck and kind of reminds us of a rocket. It looks simple and “evergreen”.
The glossy bottom side with the artwork really stands out and it gives the board a special look and feel. It feels as if it would be glass, but of course, it’s not. It’s a thin layer of PBT with the graphic sublimated on it.
The graphic was done by Chris Bögle a.k.a. Killerartworx and it features a pirate lady with a skeleton head and a hat, sitting on a [treasure] chest while playing a guitar.
ROCKET Domination, graphic by Chris Bögle a.k.a. Killerartworx. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
While the graphic apparently doesn’t have any deeper meaning, it’s nicely done and it’s interesting. As if it would be reminding us that life is not forever and we should skate more.
Composition and materials
The Domination deck features six layers of SFI-certified maple sandwitched between three layers of carbon fiber sheets to provide a solid and stiff platform for high speed skateboarding and slides. It weighs 2,05 kg.
As already mentioned, the bottom side is additionally covered with PBT for extra protection, graphic application and glossy finish. The top side of the board features an extra sleek look as you can see the texture of the black carbon fibres sheet.
ROCKET Domination, 6 ply SFI-certified maple and top carbon fibre sheet. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
Dimensions, wheelbase and truck mount
The ROCKET Domination is a directional top-mount longboard deck. It is 91cm long (35.82 inch) and 25 cm (9.84 inch) wide. Wheelbase options range from 56 cm (22 inches) to 68.5 cm (27 inches), which allows personalisation depending on your stance width preference.
Platform and concave
Too many concave features might be a turn off for riders who are concerned about a platform narrating their stance. The Domination shouldn’t fall into this category. When I stepped on it for the first time, I was surprised to find out how comfortable and well designed the platform is.
A combination of centered W-concave with a 0.39″ micro-drop in the front and flarred wheel wells creates a comfortable pocket which will prevent your front foot from slipping off.
ROCKET Domination, micro-drop and flared wheel wells in the front. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
ROCKET Domination, top view, concave and the micro-drop in the front. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
The micro-drop in the front is compensated with a slight rocker in the back which ends where the truck mount starts and it doesn’t affect the angle of a truck hanger. In the front, this is taken care of by a CNC-machined flush mount. The combination of the W-concave and a continuous 0.59″ concave, provides a locked-in feeling of the back foot when in tucking position.
ROCKET Domination, back side view. Photo by Mihael Zadravec
The flarred wheel wells are much bigger in the front, while in the back they are minimal and you can hardly feel them when standing across the platform.
The deck also features a minimal 3D kick tail for added fun and trickery.
Price and where to buy
At the time of writing this article, the recommended price for ROCKET Domination is 219 EUR (outside of Switzerland). This puts it in the upper middle price range. In case if you decide to get one, you will find it available via Sickboards for 218,95 EUR or via The Cave longboard store, which opens soon.
If you’re ordering from Switzerland, you can find the Domination in your local shop or order from ROCKET Longboards website in case if they don’t sell it.
To stay on track with ROCKET Longboards follow it via Facebook or Instagram.
There you have it! To wrap up this review, here’s a rad video Dominic Schenk made just for this occasion. Thank you for reading through!
Watch the video Dominic Schenk feat. ROCKET Domination
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Dominic Schenk likes to challenge himself a lot and this summer he went for a full stand-up run down the Kozakov Challenge track. For many of us, a run like that is just a wet dream, but Swiss downhill skateboarder Dominic handles the 90kmh+ track with high precision “no hand down” slides with much style and ease.
Dominic Schenk filmed with a follow car at Kozakov Challenge 2016. Photo by CGSA.
With another Red Bull No Paws Down race being right around the corner, Dominic was excited to announce the challenge via his Facebook profile. I’m not sure if anyone actually tried to do it, but the likes showered and many were eager to watch the premiere broadcast of the run on the big screen at KnK.
Dominic’s full stand-up run down the Kozakov track took only 2:29:378, which would have been top 80 qualification time. I wonder if anyone will try to beat that time.
To get his skating on point, Dominic skates his own pro model deck “Domination” by ROCKET Longboards and RAD Advantage 80a wheels.
WATCH THE VIDEO
Dominic Schenk – Kozakov NoPawsDown
This amazing run was filmed with a follow car with Rasmus Klintrot behind the steering wheel.
Disqualified on the start line
During the racing, he blew the start too many times and unfortunately got disqualified from the competition. It seems that the excitement was too much to handle 🙂
Bad luck followed him to KnK Longboard Camp, where he got a stomach flu and had to cancel racing Red Bull No Paws Down. Last year he placed second, but unfortunately missed a chance to win the title. Next year maybe…
Finally podium!
However, Dominic also attended the Cult Single Set Survivors race during KnK Week #2 and shared the podium with Andreas Mangold and Florian Fellner.
To stay on top of his adventures, you can follow Dominic Schenk via Instagram or Facebook.
Longboarding.co is a publishing platform that helps riders, brands, event organisers and other content creators sharing their news and media with the rest of the longboard community. Click here to subscribe to #LBMAGEU Newsletter.
