Freeride board to add to the quiver

Posted: 27 November 2010 09:58 AM

Hey Guys,

Looking for some thoughts views on what freeride board i should be adding to the quiver for the upcoming season !

First a little bit about me. I’m 6’1 90kgs and a Size 11 (US) boot. Been riding for almost 20 years now and would classify myself as a pure freerider. Try to spend as much time in the backcountry as possible riding as much of the deep/steep stuff as i can (Chamonix, Japan and Alaska when the budget allows….) Carving groomers is fun for a while but i really wanna ride as much powder as i can :)

Ideally i’m thinking something around 165cms and am probably going to need a mid wide/wide as i ride pretty flat angles and don’t wanna get caught out on something too slim

I’ve done quite a bit of research already and am slowly narrowing things down. The boards i’ve already discounted are as follows

Jones Flagship -  Width on the standard deck would limit me to the 163/168 wide. The 163 isn’t gonna cut it and the 168 might be a little big for those tighter lines in the trees

Nidecker Megalight - Same deal as the flagship. In wide its either 163 or 167

Which brings me onto the 2 boards i’m thinking of. The never summer F1 Premier and the Raptor. From what i can see either could potentially fit the bill.

The Specs are similar with the premier 165 coming in at 25.8 wide and the raptor X is 26.8. The raptor is lighter, a tad stiffer according to the web site and has the different cam/rock profile. I’m thinking that the F1 might be a little quicker edge to edge and the raptor better at holding an edge.

Anyone ridden both of these prepared to offer up their thoughts ? I’d be really interested to see how these would go head to head on a powder day as ultimately i’m looking for the one thats going to offer the best performance and float in the pow

Cheers
Jonno

Posted: 27 November 2010 05:42 PM

Hi Jonno,

I’m not sure I’d discount the 168W Flagship, The only thing I thought when I rode the 162 pre-production was damn I love thos board but I wish Jeremy Sladen from TSA had packed a longer size. I really can’t stress how quick edge top edge boards with camber between the feet and rocker in the nose and tail are. I was dipping into a bit of powder today up at Obertauern on my Angus and it was just sooo smooth and agile in powder… just unreal. So If you were thinking a 165 cambered then a 168 with AMptek / Camrock will feel more agile… I promise you. Which also brings the Prior Hyber and Spearhead into the mix… check them out.. nice boards. Slightly tighter sidecut and tapered so not quite as good in really long sweeping carves but quicker edge to edge and effortlesly floaty.

I have ridden the Raptor but I’m afraid the Premier F1, I haven’t. The Raptor was a stunning board. Just increadilby stable at speeds and sooo much recoil and feedback from carves. And the torsional stiffness perfectly fits the board it holds an increadible edge. I particularly liked the Raptor on groomers and fast speeds with medium radius carves and I think RC tech gives lots of float but for edge to edge agility it’s early rise tips that work best.

At 90kg and 6’1” i’m guessing you’re riding around 162-163 for all mountain, so for big mountain and freeriding you’ve got to size-up to the high 160s, trust me you’ll love having extra board under your feet. I’m thinking of picking up somthing around the 170 mark and I’m 5’9” and 74kg!

Rich

Posted: 28 November 2010 01:04 AM

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the quick response. I do indeed ride a 162 for the non powder days. I neglected to mention that i also own a 167 which i ride from time to time. Its an older cambered/wide board which is why i was thinking that something inbetween might be a good option with a rocker camber or camber rocker setup.

Now you’ve got me thinking that maybe i simply replace the 167… Decisions decisions…..

How would you compare the flagship and nidecker megalight to the Raptor ?

Cheers
Jonno

Posted: 28 November 2010 06:27 PM

The Flagship is in it’s element in powder. not to say it doesn’t work on the piste, it rips, but the eraly rise tips make it feel increadibly quick edge to edge in deep snow and it has increadible float and the ability to skip over crud and chopped up fresh without even thinking you’re going to catch your nose.

The Raptor is no slouch in the pow, the RC tech profile gives it great float, but it’s not quite as good as the Flagship. On the groomers is where this board is in its element, You put it into a hard carve and the board flexes from between your feet which means it flexes into some really tight carves even though it’s a relatively firm flexing snowboard, but then the cambered tiups punch you out of carves like a proper cambered board would. So it’s easier to put into carves than a standard cambered board and you have a beit more control of the radius because of the flex at the waist, but then you have the recoil of a cambered board at the end of each turn… it’s a really nice feeling.

So if it’s groomer and hardpack that you want to destroy then take the Raptor. If it’s a board for powder performance my vote would be for the Flagship.. or the Rossi Experience.. a very similar board.

Rich