raises hand “deck help”
Posted: 28 March 2011 07:43 AM
East coast rider, loving the sport so I will be traveling west to get a taste of that terrain. Looking for a playful all mountain board at beginner/intermediate level = I rock green & blues. I’m 6ft. 180lbs riding regular and have my eye on the 2012 arbor coda, bataleon whatever and ns sl. Feel free to weigh in…
Posted: 28 March 2011 09:09 AM
Hey Sirhc.yaj,
3 interesting selections there. I’m guessing you are looking at next year’s boards as the Whatever is a new release for the 2012 season. In which case we’ll be reviewing the Coda and Whatever in May and should have the reviews on the site by early August.
As far as my thoughts go now, the Coda has Arbor’s system profile/shape which is a prabolic rocker combined with a twin shape with an unblended multi radius sidecut that puts new contact points at the feet. I rode the slightly softer Westmark and it was tons of fun, very buttery and pressy, floaty and smoot in powder and carved pretty well too. The only thing I didn’t like was how the board felt like it pivoted at the centre on hardpack snow, but that’s certainly something I would have adjusted too after a day or two of riding. The SL is a very different beast, much firmer and more powerful, it’s an all mountain board but it’s heart is in the backcountry hitting big jumps and powering off big jumps. It carves great and pops big, but it’s probably best suited for a rider with a little more expreience and an aggressive riding style. The Whatever… who knows, the Goliath which is a little firmer is a very popular board and TBT makes camber a little bit more forgiving and looser. As I mentioned earlier I’ll be testing this board before it’s available in the stores so I’ll be able to give you an honest opinion before you have a chance to buy it. For now I think the Coda sounds like the most progressive board for a rider of your level on the list.
Hope that helps,
Rich
Posted: 28 March 2011 09:45 AM
Hey Sirhc.yaj,
3 interesting selections there. I’m guessing you are looking at next year’s boards as the Whatever is a new release for the 2012 season. In which case we’ll be reviewing the Coda and Whatever in May and should have the reviews on the site by early August.
As far as my thoughts go now, the Coda has Arbor’s system profile/shape which is a prabolic rocker combined with a twin shape with an unblended multi radius sidecut that puts new contact points at the feet. I rode the slightly softer Westmark and it was tons of fun, very buttery and pressy, floaty and smoot in powder and carved pretty well too. The only thing I didn’t like was how the board felt like it pivoted at the centre on hardpack snow, but that’s certainly something I would have adjusted too after a day or two of riding. The SL is a very different beast, much firmer and more powerful, it’s an all mountain board but it’s heart is in the backcountry hitting big jumps and powering off big jumps. It carves great and pops big, but it’s probably best suited for a rider with a little more expreience and an aggressive riding style. The Whatever… who knows, the Goliath which is a little firmer is a very popular board and TBT makes camber a little bit more forgiving and looser. As I mentioned earlier I’ll be testing this board before it’s available in the stores so I’ll be able to give you an honest opinion before you have a chance to buy it. For now I think the Coda sounds like the most progressive board for a rider of your level on the list.
Hope that helps,
Rich
awesome speedy response! are you the dude from the 2012 freestyle snowboard preview?? in any event i was referring to 2012 boards in the above models. so I guess its a toss up between the coda, westmark and i’ll check back on your 2012 bataleon whatever reviews
Posted: 28 March 2011 10:39 AM
Very same person. We’ve got some rad guys who help on the forums but I do most of the articles on the site, Tom contributes when he’s not enjoying 8m of Tahoe snowpack… which means once this season.
Yeah check back in August, we’ll have all of the reviews up on the site.
Rich
Posted: 29 March 2011 09:19 PM
If a playful all mountain board is what you’re looking for, the Coda is definitely it. It’s a super poppy board, very playful, but still has really good stability. The Grip Tech really lets you rail turns. It’s pretty stiff torsionally and very responsive edge to edge. I also have a Never Summer Heritage (which some describe as an SL on steroids). To compare the 2, the Heritage is stiffer, more damp, plows through crud and has a more aggressive ride. The Coda is more forgiving, more lively and instead of plowing through bumps, will make you want to pop over them.
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