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arbor coda, k2 turbo dream, ride machete

25K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  rcheek2 
#1 ·
Shop near me has a 100$ store credit and it's time for a new board. main use is going to be trees, powder, cruisin groomers and maybe five percent in the park, only really kickers. I'm upgrading from a Burton clash and I want something more responsive and geared more towards bigger mountain riding/side country riding. I'll be spending 10 days in Colorado and usually spend a week every year at jay peak vt. I'm 5'6 160 pounds and looking around a size 155 board. What's everyone's opinions on these 3 decks and what do you think would be the best fit for me?

the shop also carries Burtons line, ride boards, k2, arbor and lib/gnu boards, so anything else from those companies can be ordered.
 
#2 ·
I wouldn't suggest the Machete for you based on what you've written... It's a fun deck and can be ridden everywhere but from Ride I think you would enjoy the Wild Life more as it is more All-Mtn suited than the Machete is. Check out this video I did comparing the Manic, Wildlife, Berzerker & Highlife UL. Should help give you an idea of where to go.
 
#8 ·
Whats the story with the ride wild life? I thought It was kind of a "step-down" in terms of tech from the coda/turbo. The price tag of it is certainly appealing.
The WildLife seems to get skipped over a lot... It's a board that I would ride every single day as I have spent some time on it.


The All-Mtn rocker is stable and fun... you get a flat platform from the center out and then there is a rocker kick on the nose and half as much on the tail. This gives you a loose feeling in the nose, but not over the top but is enough to help keep your nose up when you are riding powder. Turn initiation is still easy and smooth and the flat platform underfoot keeps the board stable at higher speeds and helps you hold your edge through a turn. The slight kick on the tail is just enough to keep your rear contact points out of the snow so you don't get any hang ups, but isn't so much that you start to fish tail as you turn or washout if you land too far back on your tail.

Carbon Array 3 in the nose and tail is great as it gives the board response in the nose and tail and makes it faster edge to edge without compromising the overall feel of the board. Meaning if you do take it into the park you have a nice flex between your feet to allow you to play around, but you still have the response in the nose and tail to get up on to rails/boxes and pop off of jumps. The 90a slimewall also helps when you're banging it against rails, boxes, stumps, etc... and flexes more naturally with the board and provides some dampening without killing the feeling under foot.

Lastly the sintered 4000 fusion base... Fast in all conditions and getting a base on a board at this price point is pretty sweet as you usually get an extruded base.

The Turbo dream is a pretty sweet deck too, I've spent time on it and technically the WildLife is a "step down". But based on what and where you're riding the most and what you're looking for, I think you'd enjoy the WildLife and it will perform when you head out west or to VT.
 
#11 ·
Cool, still would like to hear other peoples opinions on the wild life before pulling the trigger on it! Would a turbo dream be that huge of an upgrade? I know its rider ability before board but I'd like to know however much I improve my board will hang with me.
 
#12 ·
The Wildlife is technically a "down grade" to the Turbo dream... But what you have to really factor in is the features of each deck and determine which one suites your riding style the best. Just because a board has more features or is higher up in the line, doesn't mean you're going to enjoy it more or that it's going to make you a better rider.

My two cents on the Turbo dream. Solid deck built on a similar platform as the Wildlife. Flat area under foot with rocker on the nose and tail, but it does have more rocker than the Wildlife has. So it is going to be looser as you initiate and exit turns. But that extra rocker does provide more float when you're riding powder. It has more carbon in the nose and tail, so it will be more responsive torsionally (edge to edge) and more pop in the nose and tail. The harshmellow dampening is nice, smooths it out with out killing the feeling under foot.

If you said, I live in SLC, Tahoe, Meadows, Baker, Whistler, The Alps, etc... I would tell you to go for the Turbo Dream as the terrain and conditions in those places warrant having a deck like the Turbo dream. But since you're just taking a trip out west and to Vermont during the season I personally think you're more suited for a board like the Wildlife for everyday riding, but it will handle the terrain and conditions when you travel.

But like I said, it's up to you to look at the features and determine if they are going to suit you as a rider and the terrain that you ride the most. But don't make the mistake of the Wall Street Hedge fund guy that rolls into SLC and just buys up the most expensive board, boots and bindings thinking that the most expensive is the best and will make them better...
 
#17 ·
Like most things in snowboarding... bindings are 100% a preference thing. For example, I currently ride a Ride Trident boot with a franken binding make of of the Maestro and El Hefe on on Buck Up. But, I like really stiff responsive boots and bindings and a medium to medium stiff board... Other people might look at my setup and think how can he ride that binding with that board?

You can really ride any binding with any board, it's just a matter if the binding suits your riding style and preference in response. I personally haven't ridden that binding, but what I've read and heard it seems pretty responsive. So if that's what you like then the combo should be great, but if you like more play in your flex you might want to take it a notch or two down.
 
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