well, there's alot board no worse that raptor:
elan vertigo, f2 eliminator, donec incline(or any other custom), prior (lots of models). That is on the stiffer end.
Unity dominion is a nice choice too.
My personal voice for elan vertigo(stiff bx board) or unity dominion for a powder. Or skunk ape, but i don't wanna see the same board as mine on a slopes.
Here's a detailed review from my friend at the goodride.com.
Normally I would say get the Burner but because you ride in hard to icy conditions I would suggest the NS Raptor X, Nidecker Platinum, Arbor A-Frame and Burton T7 over the Burner. *The Burner is a great big mountain board for a place with good snow and lots of powder but not for where you ride.*
The A-Frame 166 or 170 will be pretty fun for what you are looking for. *It has a very narrow waist and is very fast and carvy. *It will also spring of jumps very well. *
The Platinum 168 is designed for Boarder Cross so out of all these boards it has the least chatter and is made to handle big jumps at high speeds. *It's very aggressive and not that forgiving so you need to be on your game all the time when you ride this.*
The NS Raptor 169 is hybrid camber and even though it doesn't have a camber shape this has excellent edge hold due to Its side cut. The Raptor is still a beast but it's more forgiving than the Platinum and A-Frame. *It also springs well off of jumps at high speeds. Out of all of these boards it will float the best in powder. The Burner would be second to the Raptor when it comes to powder.*
The T7 is smaller and although fast and directional has more of an all mountain ride to it. *The edge hold is excellent as well due to the med/stiff flex and the extension of the edges between the feet. A 162 just won't hand with a 168-170 in terms of speed and carving but if the T7 made a 168 it would be right there with the Platinum.*
Hope this helps and let me know what you decide on.*
Damn...you're really bummed about that Raptor X being out of stock. I poked around the other day and couldn't find anythiing but a 161. Good luck finding something similar.
What about waiting for next year's model to come out?
Yeah I am totally bummed. I have a trip coming up in like 2 weeks and currently dont have another board to ride, so I need to find something or I would wait for next years model.
and in order of all mountain to freeride is T.Rice then F1 then Raptor.
they are all fun boards i could go equally as fast on all of them which is way too fast. The T.rice just gets scary at top speed while the Raptor is stable but i dont notice a difference in the amount of speed.
I think the other 2 boards are awesome choices too. if you want stability and dampness get the F1 and if you wanna hit some features or are on a smaller mountain get the T.Rice
I thought I found the last 165 X raptor last week and ordered it. Only to get a call they sold out hours before my order.
So I put it to rest and resigned to getting it next season, or after!
For now, I have the 2012 Proto 157/160 on the list as well as (maybe) the 2012 T.Rice 164.5! And although I'm sure the raptor is most damped, I actually don't mind little more feel in the board as long as it can hold a nice edge. Hence, the T.Rice!
Forgot to mention the Palmer platinum which is also an awesome freeride board.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums
1M posts
46.5K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to all Snowboarding enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about equipment reviews, tips, traveling, gear troubleshooting, share photos, and more!