What the Rep Said: Camber and a radial sidecut, crazy right? More bamboo, less fiberglass.
Stats/Setup: I was 6'1" and about 165# when I rode the Man's Board 159 at a Mt. Hood Meadows demo day. Salomon Dialogue boots and Union Force SL bindings completed the kit.
Conditions: variable groom, some ice, some old fluff off the groom
First Impression: Beer and a scantily clad woman, I guess I'm a man now. Average weight.
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| Nothing says 'manly' quite like it. Just ask Salomon. |
The Ride: There is no substitute for camber pop. If you want to get up like a pole vaulter, do yourself a favor and get a cambered board. I've got to say that the bamboo Salomon uses is legit. This board not only boosts, but it maintains stability at speed, too. It's pretty stiff though, a full 7 out of 10.
That's the key to this board, speed. It wants to be ridden hard and fast (mmhm). Low-speed turns don't get much reaction. It would rather blast fast turns that spray everyone from here to the nearest green run (which is waaaay over there).
On edge, I prefer a board with some sort of augmented sidecut. I feel more confident on ice and other hard conditions with the extra contact points. Not that you're going to be riding icy slalom courses all the time, but it would be nice for this board's straight-line aggression to carry through the curves. The tight tree run gave this board fits (again, lower speed turns).
On edge, I prefer a board with some sort of augmented sidecut. I feel more confident on ice and other hard conditions with the extra contact points. Not that you're going to be riding icy slalom courses all the time, but it would be nice for this board's straight-line aggression to carry through the curves. The tight tree run gave this board fits (again, lower speed turns).
I didn't get to test this board on rails or in pow. It should be fine in pow with rockered tip and tail and a little stance setback.
Bottom Line: This board rips hard in a straight line, but not as hard on edge. Point it and let loose. If anything is in your way, don't turn, just ollie.
Similar Boards: Lib Tech Jamie Lynn C3 Phoenix
Of course the "Man's" board would be pretty stiff. There should be nothing flaccid about a Man's board.
ReplyDeleteAspen, it's true. This board is not for babies. I failed to mention this is a joint pro model from Takaharu Nakai and Bode Merrill and also a former Snowboarder Magazine: America's Next Top Pro Model winner.
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