Stepchild Headless Horseman - 2011

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Besides being one of the best-looking boards on the market this season the Headless Horseman is a great all-mountain freestyle deck. Despite being a little heavier and stiffer than some jib boards the Headless Horseman is a poppy beast off of jumps thanks to Bamboo in the core; holds an edge beautifully in the pipe and on groomers despite having a fairly pronounced rocker; floats well in powder and presses effortlessly on boxes and rails. Throw-in Stepchild’s bomb-proof construction and you’ve got yourself an all-mountain freestyle deck that rivals the Salomon Grip.

Manufacturer's Description:

The Headless Horseman is one of the new additions to the line this year. It is a high-end twin reverse camber board. We put a poplar/beech/bamboo core combination in it for extra pop, response, strength and flexibility. The base is die cut with a speedy structurn finish and 28 inserts assure you maximum stance options. The Chi Guy has lost his head but that still shouldn’t stop you from getting some.

Recommended for park riding.

Recommended for halfpipe riding.

Recommended for rail riding.

High cost $

Rocker Construction.

Twin Shape.

Year: 2011

Available Lengths (cm):
151, 154, 157

Riding Style: Freestyle/Park

Specifications:

Bamboo Kicker Core
Structurn Base Finish – Die Cut
Smooth “Soft Belt” finish – Pre waxed
Non-stick UV Lacquer coating
Triax glass
14 inserts per foot
6mm Rocker
Armadillo Plate
True twin shape

Similar boards: Ride DH2 - 2011 Burton Joystick - 2011 Capita Indoor Survival - 2011 K2 Fastplant - 2011

Stepchild Headless Horseman

Snowboard Review:

For me the Headless Horseman has to be one of the boards of the season. This board has more pop and energy than any other board I’ve ever ridden which means it’s not just fun for jibbing but is also great for carving and making short turns down steeper slopes. Constructed using a bamboo core and a rocker profile the HH doesn’t seemed to have lost any of the properties associated with using a rocker profile over a camber profile; it’s grippy and powerful through turns and out of turns, it’s poppy at low and high speeds and it doesn’t feel skittish and loose at high speeds.

I took the HH on all kinds of terrain and it dealt with everything I threw at it very well. Although it isn’t particularly rigid longitudinally and laterally the bamboo really gives the HH a snappy/reactive strength that seemed to keep me on my feet on sketchy landings and keep me pretty stable when straight-lining slush and ice. One consideration is that this board is fairly narrow so if my feet were any larger than UK9.5 US11 then I’d definitely look for a wider board.

In conclusion; this board really is an absolute belter. If you love riding the park but want to enjoy powder and piste with the same prowess then you really should give it a go, you won’t be disappointed.

Posted by Tom Ewbank in • Stepchild

User Snowboard Reviews

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What colour is powder?

bete on December 10, 2010 at 09:18 AM

would you recommend this board for an eastcoast jibber that doesnt want a noodle?

Rich Ewbank on December 10, 2010 at 10:27 AM

Yeah if you like mid flexing boards with a smooth rocker profile… this board is dialled for jibbing. It’ll litterally work for everything you can ride within the confines of a resort.

bete on December 10, 2010 at 11:01 AM

more dialed than sayy…the jibstick?

Rich Ewbank on December 10, 2010 at 11:51 AM

No the Jib Stick is “the” jibbers board for people who don’t like noodles. I found the sidecut a little unresponsive for all mountain riding, but it’s credentials are solid and it certainly isn’t a noodle. If you’re not riding purely jibs you’ll have more fun on the HH.

Milly on December 10, 2010 at 02:39 PM

I picked up this board a few weeks ago and have only used it indoors - Liverpool isn’t exactly blessed with snow, and the sand dunes would shred the base! - but it’s been so good!

While the review indicates its heavier than other jib boards, I’ve tried it back to back against a TBT Bataleon, an Imperium, Capita FK Horrorscope, K2 WWW and Parkstar and it feels so much more responsive than any of them, and feels a lot lighter with spins and quick turns being easier on this than on any of the others.

Not wanting to just think about this myself, I had a session where I was switching boards with mates and they all came back loving it. The advanced jibbers liked the extra solidity over something like the jib stick, and thought it had a lot more pop than most rocker boards, while beginners and intermediates like me thought it was just so easy to ride and to butter and to 5-0 that it made going back to their own boards a bit disheartening.

Yes, its probably stiffer than a jib stick, but its still a stepchild board and so its softer than a majority of jib specific boards out there, but the bamboo or the construction of it seems to firm it up when you need to.

For the graphics whores - and I’m one of them - the top sheet is amazing, with individual pencil/brush strokes within the graphic, and I’m now reluctant to sticker it up. The base is bright as hell, with a vivid yellow colour that reflects nicely off the snow, and so it strikes the nice balance for the older rider - I’m 31 - who wants a good looking board, but doesn’t have the lifestyle or the ability to really feel comfortable on something loud and proud (the base of the forum youngblood comes to mind).

There has been one downside so far in that the bonding to the tail (i ride regular) is beginning to fail and there is a slight separation forming between the top sheet and the base.

Overall, and without taking it out on slopes or doing much park or jib related stuff, I’m loving it.

Milly on December 10, 2010 at 02:43 PM

Forgot to say, I was concerned as to the waist width of the 154 - I normally ride a 159 but wanted to drop down to learn jibbing - since I can just about squeeze into a pair of UK10 32’s (US11). But with a 15/-15 and wide stance, there’s been no heel or toe drag even when trying to carve on it. If I was a size or two bigger, then depending upon the footprint of your boots, I’d think that unfortunately this would be too narrow.

Oh, and if you’re in the UK, I’m not sure how many of these are left to buy, as I think my one was the 2nd one left by stepchild’s UK distributor.

broach on December 11, 2010 at 09:36 AM

would i be able to get away with riding a 151 with a 10.5(us) boot

Tom Ewbank on December 11, 2010 at 10:25 AM

I think you’d probably be ok…..as long as you’re rocking a duck stance around +/- 15 degrees.

John Webb on December 21, 2010 at 10:21 PM

Thanks for the recommendation of the HH over the Grip/Tone. This board does sound like an awesome twin!! Exactly what I am after - although, I have UK size 10 feet. I could get Burton Ruler boots to size down to a UK9, but will these still be too big for this board in 157? If so should I be going for the Salamon Grip?

Thanks

Tom Ewbank on December 22, 2010 at 01:06 AM

Hey John,

If you look at Milly’s review he stated that his size 10uk boots were fine with the board. Hopefully you can find one!!!! TSA and Magic Toast sell Stepchild in the UK.

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