Advice on buying two decks

Posted: 31 March 2011 12:34 AM

Hello, I am new to this forum.

I have listed some questions at the end.  However, I figured I would tell you a little about my experience and wants before we get there.  It turns out I have written quite a bit.  Hopefully it is not too much : )

I have been riding for quite a while (since 97).  I have spent most of the last two seasons getting very comfortable riding switch. While riding switch: I have about 80% speed of regular; can ride the medium moguls; and have frequently forgotten which direction I am riding.  This was mainly so that I can start feeling really comfortable attacking the park, which I have started this season.  I am super comfortable doing front side 180’s off of small booters and into and out of boxes.  I would like to start throwing some more spins into my hang time in the park.  Riding regular, I am comfortable going off the medium sized booters (without tricks) and have considered trying some of the big booters.  I guess for size reference think Mt Loon if you are familiar.

On the other end of things.  I love to ride glades and powder and do have an appreciation for moguls (what better way to see if you really can turn whenever you want…. well besides trees and rocks maybe).  I would like to explore some back country riding as well.

I learned in the Tahoe area and have been living in New England for the last 6 or 7 years.  I will be moving around over the next few years for work.

I weigh around 200-210 lbs 5’11” ish and wear a 9.5 size boot.

My last setup was from when I began and the board is all but dead (a noodle of a thing)  it was a 153 cm Lib tech (Jamie Lynn I think).  I upgraded the bindings.  I have fallen in love with Flow and have some Burton bindings (the type that hook over the toe… in case it matters).

I have been trying out different boards this season to figure out what I like.

I have rode the Lib tech Skate banana (155 ish), Nitro’s Rook 156 (zero camber) and 153 Capita deck (I forget which model.. it was a regular camber, super torsionally stiff with a white top and reddish artwork on the bottom).

I enjoyed the ride of the banana it was very playful and maneuverable.  However, it did wash out a few times when really digging into a turn but forgiving when slightly missing a landing).  The capita was a fun deck. It still had quite a bit of pop and handled edging nicely.  Nitro’s Rook has treated me super well and I really enjoyed the zero camber.

I am interested in the C2 camber of Lib tech and the equivalent in the other brands.

What I have been looking at:

Travis Rice C2 BTX with and without horsepower
Lib tech TRS
Gnu’s Park Pickle
Nitro’s Rook
Never Summer (was just reading reviews)

I am thinking that I don’t really want to sacrifice anything in the way of either types of riding (park and mountain/powder/backcountry).  Therefore, I will probably be buying two boards.

I was thinking of buying a 156 ish board for the park.  And have been considering the 162 range for the rest.

Questions:

1)  What are your opinions on those lengths?
2)  Should I consider going up to 165 or even longer for the mountain/powder/backcountry board?
3)  What other boards should I be considering?
4)  What would be your top two picks in each category for me?
5)  Thoughts on C2 Camber in general?

Thanks for your time and insight,

Matt

Posted: 07 April 2011 09:42 AM

HI Matt,

Lots of info in your post so it’ll be pretty easy to point you in the right direction.

From my experience of owning a quiver of boards I find it really useful to have boards for exact purposes. I have a directional, tapered and long powder board that I only take out when there is fresh snow and I have an all-mountain directional twin with a medium flex that i ride most of the time from park to groomers. If there’s too much crossover between boards it can be annoying tring to work out which board to take out in the conditions… sods law dictates that you’ll always choose the wrong board. So a shorter twin shaped board and a longer directional freeride board sounds like a good mix.

As far as the twin goes, the Rook sounds like it’s the board for you. If you’ve ridden it and really enjoyed it then there’s no point in guessing on other boards. Flat camber sounds like it works for you but if you do want to try some other boards have a look at the K2 Fastplant, Capita Indoor Survival FK and Amplid Dopamine, these all use zero camber between the feet and rocker at the nose and tail… none of them are noodles but they will be softer at the nose and tail for presses.

When it comes to the freeride/all mountain board you need to decide whether you want a very directional board for fast lines in deep snow, or a more twinned board with a good share of reverse camber that will be more fun to play around on but won’t charge as hard. Also when you ride these boards how much powder will you be riding and how often are the conditions powder? This will help determine what kind of board to go for and how long it should be.

As far as C2 banana goes… I like it. It feels loose and poppy too, with sidecuts like Never Summer’s RC tech sidecut and Lib’s Magnetraction it grips pretty hard on icy conditions.