Review: 2011 Salomon Answer…

Posted: 12 March 2011 10:07 AM

OK boils and ghouls, here is my (overdue) review on the 2011 Salomon Answer.  I was going to try my hand at a video review but the effort with my digicam experiment was less then favourable so written word it is.

I was lucky to be offered a crack at Salomon boards for ridiculously cheap thanks to my work connections so I jumped on the chance to pick up an all-mountain offering from their range.  Hemming and hawing on the Sick Stick and Answer I finally decided on the more traditional Answer for my purchase.

Opening up the huge mailer I was impressed with the packaging that Salomon uses on the Answer.  Gone is a plastic wrap/bag and here is a fibre bag which Salomon touts uses 6 tons less of CO2 and 50% reduction in toxins to produce a year.  Both the Sick Stick and Answer are Eco-friendly boards in the Salomon line-up…  part of their G.I.F.T. (Green Initiative For Tomorrow) project.  Personally I love the whole eco movement and hope it continues to expand in the industry.

The board itself upon inspection is a nice looking deck.  The graphics are by Draplin Design, a noted designer in the business.

The Answer looking at it’s design and stats is a very interesting deck I find.  Very much does it go down the line of a freestyle-freeride deck…  it shares enough from both camps that it would make a solid one-hit peak to park deck.

The shape of the board is a directional twin with a slight taper in the tail.  The stance is set-back as well lending it to it’s all-mountain status, with a twist (more later).  The profile of the Answer was a bit of a mystery to me before buying.  Some reviewers said the board is flat while others are saying cambered.  The Answer is a mild cambered board with early rise in the tips.  The camber extends out past the bindings and the tips rise when standing on the deck…  very much a best of both worlds in my opinion of the camber/rocker design.  The sidecut Salomon states is a quadratic one, so I assume a blending of four curves together.  The base is treated sintered 4K, fast and durable.

A cool feature of this board is the generous usage of bamboo in it’s construction.  Bamboo is in the grass family (read: fast growth) and is know for it’s recoil/strength properties.  Because of the extensive use the plastic is reduced in the fibreglass wrap and gone are ABS sidewalls (more on that in a sec).  It’s this bamboo that makes the board eco-friendly.  The core Salomon states is a Popster core…  which is fashioned together to provide more ollie power.  It’s a full wood core with a bamboo/fibreglass wrap that keeps the board light and lively.  The sidewalls are pretty unique on the Answer.  Treated bamboo replaces the ABS as well as a rubber dampening strip running from binding to binding.  If you want to see what bamboo can really do look at the longboarding community…  bamboo longboards have maddening amounts of flex, so much so that proficient longboarders can use it’s recoil properties to propel themselves forward without ever touching their feet to the ground (search: long distance pumping).

The core and profile make the board more freestyle in my opinion, while the shape and stance are more all-mountain.  The successful union of these stats make the board adapt to most conditions you’d meet out on the mountains.  Another interesting feature is an extra set of inserts on the front binding mount…  I can only assume this is to cancel out the set-back stance and make it centered for the freestylers, a welcome option for sure.

Now for the ride, the most important thing!  I’m pleased to say this board is very playful on the mountain.  It actually helps me carve more aggressively as I find I punch out of my turns more, nothing crazy but I do notice that I never have to fight the board to go where I want to.  This was very apparent this week at Kicking Horse in BC.  The mountain has the 4th highest vertical drop in North America and it has some crazy chutes and bowls, most out of my ability to ride.  I did drop in off some of the gnarlier ridges (one named Terminator, enough said).  After allowing my testicles to drop back down I was sort of able to navigate down these steep ridges…  the Answer was always willing to turn and help out.

On the flats this thing is a missile.  I am a big fan of the camber early rise tips that this board uses.  It provides enough control yet is forgiving when I get a little lazy late in the day.  I was hitting some rollers with enough juice to make my stomach turn, but I never felt like the board would get away from me.

I hit some jumps in Louise with the board…  now minus my entry-level park skills the board has pop, but I didn’t notice it anymore then my K2 Parkstar.  My ollie skills while moving are weak so that must be said.

The nose makes a world of difference navigating pow as well.  I didn’t hit anything crazy but when I did manage to find some in the trees and sides of runs I would lean back and cruise right on in.  On chop the nose helped cut through and I felt comfortable navigating it at high speeds.

Overall this is a great deck and would really help someone who wanted one board to ride the whole mountain with.  It does however carry a high retail price tag but now as the season is winding down if you can pick it up on sale you will score a solid ride.

2 thumbs up Salomon on the Answer. :)