DC PLY - 2012

Snowboard Review:

The PLY is a new design with all of the “skateboard-like” marketing references you’d expect from DC. To give it some clout DC have moved team heroes Aaron Bittner and the unstoppable Torstein Horgmo onto the PLY. Not being a true jib master I opted for Aaron’s signature colourway in the 156.5 not for the colours but because the next size down had been thieved from the DC stand and anything smaller than the 154 would have been far too small.

My first impressions weren’t fantastic; a whole week of riding on spring glacier snow had made the Structurn base as dry as the Sahara desert and pretty damn sticky. The Skate Twin shape rides and almost looks like a true twin, it’s only on closer inspection that you can see that it has a little less surface area in the tail to help with float in powder, sorry DC but there’s nothing revolutionary here. The other “new” technology is DC’s Lock and Load Camber which blends camber between the feet to flat sections that run from outside of the inserts to the Radius to Flat tips. These short tips are designed to bring the pop of an ollie closer to the riders feet giving it the feel of a 7ply maple deck. I found the pop of the PLY to be better than average and it was certainly easier to access than fully cambered boards with a similar flex, but what I liked most about the profile was how the flat sections provided a nice stable platform for presses and butters.

The flex on the PLY wasn’t what I was expecting, it certainly isn’t a jib board as the flex on the 156.5 was pretty middle of the road, definitely not what I would call playful. The PLY gripped well in turns and felt stable with speed so I’d categorise it as a Slopestyle board designed for riding transitions and bigger rails. In the pipe it held a good line through the flat bottom and up the walls but I didn’t get a huge enjoyment from just arcing turns down the groomers.
 
So far you’re probably getting the impression that I wasn’t overwhelmed by the DC PLY. Sure the sidecut made the board agile enough for adjusting run-ins to smaller park features. There was enough stability and edge hold to ride bigger features. The shape rode like a twin with a bit of extra versatility for deep days and there was enough pop to satisfy most. It did everything a good slopestyle board should and at its retail price it’s a certified bargain, the PLY just didn’t provide the drastically different “skateboard-like” feel the catalogue had promised. Ideally I believe my weight (72kgs) would have been better matched to the 154.

Highlights:
Lock & Load Camber’s flat sections are nice for butters and presses
Good ollie pop
Enough stability and edge hold to ride bigger park features
Can be ridden a little bit shorter

Letdowns:
Slow extruded base
Ride is a little bit mechanical
Too much hype around the “new” technologies

Posted by Rich Ewbank in • DC