Artec / Elan Figment - 2010
Stiff, responsive, aggressive, faultless edge hold and bonkers high speed pop. The Artec Figment is a super high spec freestyle snowboard with the most progressive shape and materials on the planet. Despite the comparatively high price, the Figment still offers incredible value for money.
Manufacturer's Description:
The Figment is the most advanced snowboard design in the World featuring a blunt Twin tip asymmetrical omega sidecut shape. Ridden one way for Goofy footers and the other way for Regular footers, we created the graphics to represent this but putting a big G and a big R on opposing ends of the board, and by emphasizing the special heel side edge with a band of color and a multicolored sidewall. Artec’s new CarboTEC lite laminate allows us to make this board even lighter while increasing strength to weight ratios. Add this to the other impressive features and technologies in the 2010 collection and you have the most advanced freestyle snowboards on the market. This is Freestyle snowboard perfection.
“I had a dream, a momentary lapse of reason. In my dream I saw a golden rod suspended in the ether. A utensil of beauty, balance and possibility, the rod hummed with an eternal glow. The rod was not made. In this state the rod has always existed. Its possibility always was. And when I woke, I knew the answer. There was no question, only this answer. Its purpose was precision. And the means to its manifestation was Artec. Artec Figment, first in precision. Revolution of design.”
Recommended for park riding.
Recommended for halfpipe riding.
High cost $
Camber Construction.
Twin Shape.
Year: 2010
Available Lengths (cm):
151, 155, 158, 161
Riding Style: Freestyle/Park
Specifications:
Asymmetrical Omega Sidecut: Increased control and response
UltraTEC Wood core: Hand picked Poplar core milled to reduce weight
Alphatec Base: The lightest base material known to man
TriTEC Sidewalls: 3 part ABS sidewall with a visco-elastic layer for damping & energy transfer
CarboTEC Lite Laminates: 90 degree carbon fibre for superior torsional stability
Similar boards: Amplid HiDef - 2010 Arbor Nightrain - 2010 Bataleon Enemy +++ - 2010
Snowboard Review:
Artec have been making really impressive snowboards for years but it’s only recently, with the input from Blaise Rosenthall and the M3 team that they’ve started connecting with the consumer on a marketing level and become a big player in the snowboard market. The ironic thing is, they’ve been making snowboards for massive players on the market for years, think of all the brands you know, bets are ¼ of them are made in the Elan factory (Artec’s parent company). So what’s the benefit? We’ll own your own factory and you can create prototype after prototype to test new construction and shape ideas. Manufacturing thousands of boards and skis means that Elan is purchasing huge quantities of materials, economies of scale mean that Elan get great materials at rock bottom prices. Finally cut out the middle man, i.e. the other Brands that take their cut (the most significant share of revenue), and what you get are the highest spec materials and the most progressive shapes at the lowest prices.
Reading the spec on the Figment is like reading the best parts of all the other top of the range board on the market. Biaxial carbon, 3 part visco-elastic ABS sidewalls, and top secret high speed base to name a few components. Get on the Figment and you’ll immediately be aware of how stiff and poppy the Figment is. On small kickers this stiffness made the Figment feel a little awkward and ungainly, take it onto bigger kickers or in the pipe and you’ll be in Nirvana. Holding a steady edge into bigger take-offs the Figment was faultless and the pop was like a bus full of TNT.
Carving down the piste and on ice there was absolutely no sign of chatter or twitchiness, the Figment was enjoyable through the lot, although if you’re looking for a board to ride on all-day tours of the 3 valleys, you might find the tight sidecut, stiff flex and unforgiving nature of the Figment just a bit too much. You’ll be tucked up in bed exhausted by midday!
Another feature that definitely needs mentioning is the Asymmetric Omega sidecut. Probably the most bizarre snowboard shape I’ve ever seen let alone ridden. The heel edge has a tighter sidecut than the toe edge, bonus of this is that you can tone down the forward lean on your bindings. Less forward lean means your centre of balance isn’t compromised. The Omega sidecut is means that instead of blending radii to reach a deeper sidecut at the waste of the board, the sidecut runs straight until it reaches the central radius. Artec reckon it provides the rider with improved stability; I was just amazed with how ferociously the Figment entered and exited carves, absolutely incredible response!
Posted by Rich Ewbank in • Artec / Elan
User Snowboard Reviews
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