freeride. jumps. powder. groomers. hard pack. speed. stability. hard carving

Posted: 10 December 2010 07:42 AM

Hi guys, i just need some help and info preferably from people who have similar riding styles and have ridden the boards they are recommending.

i live in western canada where we have everything from powder to icy groomers. i am mainly a freestyle freerider. i am gettin the 2011 burton cartel bindings for a new board. I am looking for a board that has plenty of pop for kickers and jumps, can float real good in powder and have fast responsive carving. a board not squirrelly in the flat slowwer areas and one that is great at dampening and shock-absorbing. And obviously it has to be good at icy groomers and hard pack.

I know this is alot of stuff to be looking for on a board. ive been looking at the arbor element and never summer SL but those are way out of my price range at the moment. Any lower cost- mid range snowboards you think are similar to these?

thanks guys!

Posted: 10 December 2010 10:24 AM

I got halfway through and i was thinking… sounds like the Never Summer Sl would be ideal.

I’ll list a couple of less expensive alternatives -

APO BC Powder Rocker - Might be a bit hard to find in Canada as Apo is the original French brand. Rockered tips in a firm flexing board. It carves hard and it floats better. A lovely board for an agressive snowboarder. Not quite as damp as an NS board, but what is?

Atomic Alibi Renu - A very different ride to last years, this board is damp and versatile, oh and very fast. It has a pop rocker profile which means the tips rise when your weight is loaded into the camber. It used to be a freestyle board, this years is definitely more freeride.

Capita Black Snowboard of Death - Early rise tips on this bad boy, carve hard, float nicely and still get some forgiveness… consequences, maype a touch less pop, but it’s not that obvious If you like the idea of that profile, it’s also worth looking at the Rossignol One and Jones Alll mountain Twin.

You could also check out some cambered boards which will obviously hold it together on the groomers and will definitely be rewarding in carves:

Amplid Paradigama - The all-mountain board that takes a man to ride, but rewards like a king. Not stiff enough for you, check out the UNW8.

Compatriot GFR - Cambered all terrain monster, one of the stiffer boards in the Compatriot line.

Capita Quiver Killer - More at the freestyle end of things. Affordable and dependable, this board cleans up every year on the awards front.

Bataleon Omni - Triple Base Tech rules when it comes to freeriding. The boards roll edge to edge and with the reduced flat section that the Freeride Bataleons have edge to edge response is seamless. You can gun it on these boards and still depend on a cambered profile.

So there are some boards to check out. Let me know if I’m going to freeride or too freestyle and if the Flexes of around 7-8/10 are in the right area.

Rich

Posted: 10 December 2010 10:29 PM

oh sweet thanks!

ive looked at only a few of these youve listed. i will check the rest out.  how are these in powder?
also what is a good online site that sells these at good prices and ships to Canada?

the board flex of 7-8 is what im looking at. i wouldnt mind a flex as low as 6. leaves me more room to pull some stiff butters.

if i was to get a model of a board from the previous year, are many things different? like would they have completely different tech or would i get most of the same stuff as long as they dont switch the board from camber to rocker?

thanks Rich

Posted: 12 December 2010 12:49 AM

hey Rich, could you find me some more boards similar to these that are a biit cheaper?? haha im on a low low budget as you can tell.

Posted: 12 December 2010 01:43 AM

i took a look at some discontinued boards ‘

-K2 podium
-K2 format
-Burton mayhem

do you know of any others that are similar to these that may be discontinued too? which one of the 3 i listed would be the very best for my riding style.
70% freeride/ hard carving/powder 30% park, jumps, kickers, freestyle

thanks

Posted: 12 December 2010 05:31 AM

Hmm maybe you could take a look at the Never Summer Heritage? It’s like an upgraded SL, stiffer and more damp.

Posted: 12 December 2010 05:49 AM

haha i would…like i stated before im on a very low budget. the SL is already over the budget. an upgraded SL would not fit the bill haha. thanks though. do you know of any cheaper boards like the K2 podium or format or burton mayhem?

70% freeride/ hard carving/powder 30% park, jumps, kickers, freestyle

a stable hard-carving board with plenty of pop and float in powder. enough flex for buttering and jibbing a bit. pretty light. not squirelly board. those are my priorities.

thanks

Posted: 12 December 2010 05:57 AM

I think Capita Quiver Killer as suggested by Rich is a good not so expensive choice. Just a basic no frilss camber snowboard. Get a longer size if you plan to ride lots of pow.

Posted: 13 December 2010 12:05 AM

what about between the K2 podium and burton mayhem? im 5’7 and 140 pounds. whats a good length for freeride in pow and easy enough to spin and jib.

Posted: 13 December 2010 07:56 AM

I can say the Podium isn’t a freestyle board…  it has a medium flex so it won’t be that easy to press.