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Lib-Tech Dark Series C2 BTX vs. Gnu Altered Genetics BTX

34K views 72 replies 14 participants last post by  Bryan 
#1 · (Edited)
Freeride/All Mountain Scream Machine (w/ Magnetraction)

I am looking for a freeride/all mountian scream machine that has speed and aggression, but is still playful, capable of switch riding (probably a twin directional) and backcountry kickers. I do dabble in the park once in a while, but mostly stick to shredding black/double-black terrain, mog runs, tree explorations, and backcountry. I am in the Northeast, and am dead set on buying a board with Magnetraction.

I am considering the Lib-tech Dark Series C2 BTX and the Gnu Altered Genetics BTX. I am 5,11", weight 182lbs, and wear a size 10 Burton boot. I am debating between a 158 or 161 Dark Series (Flex 7.5) and a 159 or 162 Altered Genetics (Flex 7). Which size do I get? I rode a 159 Skate Banana, and found it a bit lacking on acceleration and speed; however that board had a flex of 6. So will a stiffer board correct the acceleration and speed?

If I decide to go cheaper, how do other Lib-Tech or Gnu boards stand up to the two I am considering. Also, I am considering the Rome 390 or the Rome Targa bindings. Any thoughts on those?

Thank you all for your time!
 
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#31 ·
Hey man- lots of people over look Lib's banana magic- its a little more pricey (higher tech. and better materials used)but its a great free ride board- stiffer than the skate banana, not as stiff as the dark series- has banana tech and magnetraction and gets awesome reviews...might wanna look into that
 
#33 · (Edited)
Side Wall: I demoed last year's skate banana and had a great time, although it was on a Poconos Mole Hill in PA. However, if the C2 and RC are legit in terms of stability then I imagine they should be fine for the free ride shredding I prefer. In terms of the T. Rice MTX, three of my friends have last year's model and love it. They all say it is the best deck they have ever ridden. Their only complaint is that it is pretty heavy.

Extra0: I'm keeping an open mind in case I don't get the deals I want on the Dark Series or Never Sumer Heritage. I had a great time on the skate banana, which is what sold me on Lib Tech even though I rarely go into the park.
 
#34 ·
I would like to thank all of you who contributed to this thread. I decided on the Dark Series, which I got for $499 as opposed to the retail $669. In choosing bindings, I went against the overwhelming majority on my other thread and chose the Burton Cartels. I rode the same pair of Burton Mission bindings for several years and was satisfied with them. So for better or worse, I'm sticking with Burton for bindings and boots. Besides, if Travis Rice uses Cartels and doesn't get paid by Burton, I'm sure they won't be horrible. Plus, I got a discount on the bindings, which is also nice. Best of luck to all of you, and rip it as if you were attempting to light the gnar on fire.

Sincerely,
Billy
 
#37 · (Edited)
My perspectives on three straight days of riding the 2010 Lib-Tech Dark Series C2 BTX size 161.
(Doing this from an iPhone so bear with me.)
Day 1: Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania)
Despite the huge amount of snow we've received in th Northeast, this place was all groomers interspersed with ice. This thing is hard charger with great stability and low chatter as I rip it down the mountain. Ice and crud? No problem! Blasts right through it, cut the ice like butter. Very nimble edge to edge, like a Chris Paul cross over, and has great spin.

Pops off jumps and lands nicely. The board is very stiff, but has serious pop. Rides switch very well. This board can be buttred but requires a lot of force, especially on the tail which is stiffer.

Day 2: Jack Frost Big Boulder (PA again) and this time the conditions were sensational. Two feet of pow and this thing floats well for suck a skinny board. However, it's that thick, sticky pow that sticks to the top sheet and accumulates, so kind of difficult to maneuver, but the board did well. It could still float nicely. Lots of mugls with steep pitch, which I was very agile eventhough the board was at the higher end of my weight class (my ideal range is 158-162). Also, my legs are slightly fatigued from the day before so I'm not performing as well. Kept it to a half day.

Day 3: Plattekill, NY (my friend who is a savage picked me up at 6am to drive 4 hours to a place that received 7feet over the last 72 hours)
Although this thing does well in pow, it j's not a pow stick. Every stick has it's limits, and seriously 7 feet of pow is absurd. I needed the mullet or hammock for this one. Tree stashes got a little dodgy at times, but I made it through except for when I took my u boat down a seven foot deep well. The pow was that hard pack sticy stuff again, so all in all the conditions were a little tough for maneuverability.

Final thoughts: This is a very powerful advanced board, which I am still getting used to but am really enjoying. My only curiosity is whether I should have bought the 158 or not. Anyhow, the journey has ended, and a new one has begun. Time to ride the hell out of this thing for at least the next 4 seasons.
 
#42 ·
So I've been following this thread pretty closely and looking for some advice. I'm 6'0", 170 lbs. with a size 11.5-12 US boot, mostly freeride, trees, etc. I'm looking at either the Lib-Tech Travis C2 161.5 or the Gnu Billy Goat (or a guess a Dark, but the Goat is cheaper). From what I've read the Goat is a bit stiffer, but the slimmer waist might be an issue given my boot size.

Which do you think might be better? Leanin' towards the Travis as the Goat might be a bit "one-note" due to lesser flex.

(coming from a Salomon Forecast 162w, GNU CBH MTX 161.5w and a Rossi T-Rice 156... looking to thin the herd)

thx!
 
#44 ·
The Billy Goat is strictly a freeride board, which, at your weight and that board's size (162), would be restricted to back country and heavy pow conditions; unless you prefer long boards. I was considering the T. Rice, but the 161.5 size I wanted was all sold out. At your weight, the 157.5 will be great. I was considering a 159 TRS, but was too intrigued by the C2 to pass it up. But, keep in mind, next year's TRS boards will have C2, as well. You could make out nicely with this year's TRS BTX at a 157 or 159, or next year's TRS C2 BTX. Also, next year's T. Rice board's will have the ill graphics from last year (the Salvador Dali looking graphics) and will have some feature called "Horsepower." Not sure what that is supposed to mean though.
 
#46 ·
I agree with chainsaw on the C2, which is why I chose the Dark. I wanted the reverse camber fun of the Skate Banana with the ability to pursue my preferred style, which is freeride. I felt the C2 was the best of both worlds. Anyhow, the Billy Goat is the absolute stiffest of all the Mervin boards (flex 8) and only comes in a size 162, but it is a C2 board.

If you are interested in something comparable to C2, check out the Never Summer boards. I also considered the Never Summer Heritage and the F1-Premier when I was looking for boards. They are more free ride oriented (Heritage has a bit a free-sytle). Mervin boards have seven points of contact, whereas NS have about 4. Just depends on how much grip you think you need.

2009-2010 C2 Options
Lib Tech: T. Rice BTX and Dark Series BTX
Gnu: Danny Kass and Billy Goat
 
#47 · (Edited)
Thanks for all the info everyone!! And you're right, getting a 2009/2010 of any of the models you recommended will be difficult at this point. :)

Question though, you all mentioned that around 157 or so would be best for my size, is that in general for any board or only for the newer rocker/camber models, where one can size down comfortably for powder?

I ask because the online length calculators and most peeps I've talked to at shops tell me 161-163 is my target (except for a guy at The House, who recommended the Rossi Travis Rice 157 and I do like that board a whole bunch ;) ).
 
#49 · (Edited)
Don't go by height so much as weight. Weight is more important due to the fact that it is the force which is placed into the surface area of the board. Heavier people need longer boards in order to absorb more of the force per surface area. With that said, there is an argument amongst magnetraction and reverse camber (banana) aficionados that these boards can be ridden 3cm smaller than usual. This is based on an argument that they have more effective edge. Think of it as if you took the board and then scrunched it down two to three cm, which would give it those wavy edges in the middle. The edges are still the same length, only the amount touching the snow at any given time is greater; hence, the argument that magnetraction offers more points of contact (7). However, in practice/reality it is all about how it feels to you. I still went for the 161 Dark Series.

I am an inch shorter at 5'11", but I weight 185lbs; therefore, my suggested size for boards falls between 158 and 162. However, some would argue I should shift that range over a bit, while others would say that it is perfect. Either way, smaller for freestyle and longer for freeride; and, of course, right in the middle for All Mountain. With that said, I chose the 161, because I prefer more free riding. I called up Mervin and they said a 161 Dark Series would be fine for me. The guy on the phone even said, "I am about 20 pounds lighter than you and I rode a 161 Dark Series just fine." Take that into account, as well as my review of the board and the fact that I weigh 15 pounds more than you (185 vs. 170), when you select the board.

And one more thing: You seem to have big feet, so look into a wide board if you get the Dark. I think T. Rice comes in one width.
 
#50 ·
I had to post one more follow up on this board, after an amazing fourth time out with it yesterday. I widened my stance, which made a world of difference. I am 5'11" 180 and set the stance on my 161 dark to 22.5".

Slush spring snow and a t shirt, my goal was to master the terrain park on this thing. I am a big freerider, and rarely bother with the terrain park. However, I just felt the need to really utilize the pop in this board.

Lift off in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.................HOLY **** I'm high! You can load the stiffer tail on this thing, and it will send you to the stratosphere.

All the good things I mentioned before still apply. Really loving this board more and more.
 
#51 ·
Anyone have any thoughts on the Danny Kass C2 BTX 09-10? Looks like it's a bit less firm than the Billy Goat and would be a better size for me at 158 (its width is also 260 which wouldn't hurt).

Oh and does anyone know if it has the more mellow magne-traction like the Goat has?
 
#53 ·
Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and to snowboarding in general. I am relatively the same size as Billy at 5'11 and about 185 with socks and gym shorts on. Anyways I have been doing a lot of research on similar boards. Specifically the Lib Tech TRS and the GNU Altered Genetics. I will mostly be doing free ride and freestyle type boarding. If I ever venture into the park it will be for little things like 360's off of jumps (probably no time soon). Do these seem like good boards for my style, and what size is best for what I want to do. I was looking at a 159 and a 162 TRS and the same for the GNU. I will appreciate any input. Thanks
 
#55 ·
in first after GNU CHB I thinking about Billy Goat. TRS is a good board, but my eyes blow up when I look on it cover. i seeking universal board for everything - ride, pow, freeride. whith red eyes after reading all snowboarding forums I found my desk - Dark Series. it is bit shorter then CHB, but had MTX, C2banana and NORMAL(one of all mervin`s) design for me.
 
#67 ·
I ride a 154 skatebanana in the park I ride a 161 Dark series for powder days. I can go just as fast on my 154. If I were to get one board it would be a 157 TRS, and most of the time I wish I would have just bought that board instead of bringing 2 boards on trips. But on deep powder days I want the 161, but who gets deep powder all the time? not me. I wish. My next board will be a 157 TRS...in a couple years

I'm 5'11" 170 I've been riding boards from 148-163 and I'll tell you for what you need..157
 
#68 ·
It's all a matter of preference. A 157 will work for you great. A 161 will work for you great. Which is better just depends on what you want your board to feel like / do for you.

I'm 6'4'' 210 and ride a 161.5 TRice for everything, including deep powder, so I do think that a 157 TRS or Legacy would be plenty for you. However, if you want more of a bomber board and you're more concerned with powder float and stability than quick turns and playfulness, then the 161 might be better for you. But if that's what you're looking for, then a Dark Series or Heritage would probably be better boards anyway.
 
#69 ·
Thanks, I appreciate the explanation :) I needed up buying a board today though from a local shop. A GNU carbon credit 159. I was hesitant at first because its a rocker, however it has really good reviews. What do you guys think. And remember I'm kind of a beginner, so I can always upgrade once i get good.
 
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