Loaded Sama Longboard Deck - Flex 3

Sama is the Sufi ceremony focusing on active meditation as a tool for the individual's spiritual journey. The origin of this practice is credited to Rumi, a poet and founder of the Mevlevi order of whirling dervishes. Through Sama, the individual aims to ascend from the confines of thought to attain heightened maturity, perfection, and closeness to God. For this board’s graphic Loaded continue to explore the whirling dervish theme, although this time in a more abstract form. The artwork was created by Diana Gracida of Nana Studios.

For the width Loaded explored many different width and shape options while prototyping the Dervish Sama. They came to the realization that there is no "right" answer and that there’s an inherent tension between stability and liveliness. Using sophisticated (for us) design software and curvature calculations, they extensively tested various different widths and subtle changes to the deck shape. They then collectively decided that this new 9" wide shape (the old Dervish was 8.5" with a different neck curvature) provided a satisfactory balance of comfort, edge control, and responsiveness.

The Dervish Sama also received a more pronounced concave profile, which is further augmented by the increased deck width. The result is improved edge feel for turn initiation and extra control while sliding.

To keep up with the current calibre of freestyle riding, Loaded gave the Dervish the most tasteful of nosejobs. After testing several new shapes and sizes, they lengthened the tips for additional leverage, widened the neck to increase durability and ensure a consistent flex pattern through the entire deck, and added subtle kicks to increase pop and to lock your feet in. The kicks are reinforced with an extra layer of fibreglass for added stiffness and durability.

A six-piece symmetrical grip tape pattern was designed with performance and elegance in mind. The two sections at the kicks use an aggressive, rougher-grit grip to provide enhanced control and security for manuals and freestyle tricks. The four middle sections use a milder, finer-grit grip (comparable to street skate grip) to facilitate dancing and footwork manoeuvres. The segmented design yields functional coverage without interfering with the board's flex pattern.

The Dervish Sama's versatility lends it to many disciplines, but at its heart lies a deeply rooted passion for carving. The cambered platform and weight-tailored flex pattern work together synergistically to provide a lively, flowing ride. Press your weight into a turn to preload the deck's curvature; unweight as you finish the carve and feel the board snap back with positive energy return.

Modifications to the width, concave, and thickness of the deck also resulted in a new overall feel to the ride. The flex pattern remains very consistent throughout the entire length of the deck and is also much more damp, tight, and controllable. The Dervish Sama gave Loaded an opportunity to re-examine their current flex options, finding that even on the softest flex Dervish (flex 2), it was difficult for riders weighing less than 140 lbs to generate enough force to fully engage the deck's flex during normal riding. The introduction of a third, even softer flex allows lighter riders to more easily "play" with the cambered standing platform as they pump and carve, achieving a much more lively and comfortable riding experience. A softer flex rating will give you more control and tighter turns at slower speeds and make it easier to slide, but tends to lose stability at higher speeds. A stiffer flex provides more energy potential, is more stable at higher speeds, and holds up better to hard landings, but will not be as forgiving and lively when cruising.

A vertically laminated bamboo core is sandwiched between layers of triaxial fibreglass and a bamboo bottom veneer. The deck is pressed with concave and cambered curvatures to create a lively, responsive ride with high energy return. Localized fibreglass reinforcement at the nose and tail kicks(spanning neck to tip) ensures strength under hard riding.

Loaded's design team faced a unique challenge: the Dervish is a board that they continue to enjoy riding and encourage others to share in this experience, so how do they enhance the features of the original board and at the same time increase its versatility? After brainstorming flex patterns, durability, construction and most importantly performance, Loaded arrived at a multifaceted goal: to enhance edge control, lively response and carving; to increase trick potential (with the added benefit of durability), to increase concave with subtle adjustments to the camber, and to make the board more accessible by expanding the flex ranges. The Dervish Sama, through intensive back-and-forth within digital environments and physical prototyping, serves up a platter of carving and freeride goodness. Loaded are stoked on the continuing refinement of their design processes and how what they’ve learned from the development of the Dervish Sama in particular (regarding methods of communication, prototyping, and testing procedures) will impact their ability to continue exploring the boundaries of skateboard design. More importantly, they''re stoked on this board and excited to share it with all those who are gonna enjoy it.