RobBBQ

Hi guys- summer has turned the corner here in Europe and I can’t wait to get back out there for the first ride this coming winter. Am looking at some gear at the moment and have a question from some of you guys who might be better in the know. A bit of background- I’m 5’6” 150, started riding in ’93 in Alaska, and for most of the time was on Ride boards, either a freestyle or DH, and has a big (for me) K2 HC 161 for pow. Always wanted a Lib and currently ride a Banana Magic 152 and love it to death. I ride pretty aggressive and even I was surprised at how much you can push the Magic. Super board, works great for me, box checked. Anyhow I’m looking for a new off piste/pow board and am looking at 2 boards in particular- the Lib La Nina and the NS Raptor. Things I’m looking for would be medium to stiff flex (enough to ride aggressively and get some snap out of the carve, but without feeling like I’m riding a coffee table) hybrid camber, directional, and with a comparably floaty nose. Don’t want to go all the way to a pure pow deck, but would like to have it going that direction. I’m thinking in the 160 range, as I’d had the old hexagon-shaped K2 HC 161 for that from back in the day and would want something that size for stability. Anyhow, my buddy had a Lib Mullet last season and it was great for pow but when you hit crud or groomers just didn’t have the snap out of the carve I’d hoped for (the Magic outdid it there, I guess because of the little bit of C2 in it and/or the sidecut). It seems Lib fixed that problem by dropping camber onto the back foot of the La Nina for this year, so I was thinking that would be the board for me. But then I’ve been wanting to give NS a go for awhile and from the descriptions it seems that the Raptor might be what I’d be after from their lineup. Its directional, appears to have asymmetry to the hybrid camber allowing the nose to be comparably floaty relative to the tail camber. What I’m thinking about now is the magne. I actually think magne is great (especially with the RC/hybrid cambers) and when I get back on the old ride board I don’t last till lunch before going back to the magic just because I’ve gotten used to the new cambers and added grip. I know NS has the vario grip thing, and would like any of you who have ridden both to let me know how they compare. I know its not much of an issue at all in the pow, but when you hit crud or ice I find that it really helps so that I don’t have to think about conditions quite as much and can just have fun bombing it (may be a bit of the old and lazy shining through here too). Anyhow, will probably pick one of these up when I’m back to the states this October, and would be keen to hear your suggestions! Thanks!

cjcameron11

I have a mate who rides a 171 nitro slash an loves it, probably more towards pow deck than groomers but it looks sweet, I have no idea about the other decks so maybe this comment was pointless

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my names's Petey and i have gigantic balls

DrnknZag

Holy wall of text!

NS Vario tech has worked pretty good for me, and I know there's a bunch of others who feel the same way. I personally like it a lot better than magnatraction on the Mervin boards. I feel like it's not as "invasive" as mag, but still does as good a job with edge hold. I've never ridden the Raptor, but by all accounts it's an absolute beast of a shred stick. If it's anything like all other NS boards I've ridden, it'll powder through anything and everything you throw at it.

Being the resident Ride fanatic here, I'll throw a couple Ride boards at you as well. I'd look at the Ride Highlife (my personal fav board) and the new Berzerker (Jake Blauvelt's sig board). The Highlife would give a bit more "surfy" feeling while the Berzerker oils feel a bit more "edgy" with the aggressive sidecut. If you want something more powder specific, the Slackcountry would fit the bill (which I also own).

Another fav of mine is the Salomon Sick Stick.