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Looking for a new freeride/all mountain board.

5K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  SBK 
#1 ·
Been riding an Arbor Element 161 for the past 4 years and am starting to shop for a replacement board.

5'10" and 170 pounds and I ride goofy. I board inbounds and stick mainly to groomers unless there is fresh snow.

Looking for something that is better in powder/what passes for powder in the Pacific NW, is able to handle groomers and icy conditions.

Like what I've read about T Rice but have never ridden a magna-traction or reverse camber board.

Am open to suggestions/recommendations. Any good deals on closeouts on last year's models would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
also consider the banana magic. I ride cypress/whistler/baker. For these conditions the magic 157 excels. Premium edgehold in ice. But never catch edges and faceplant. Also my supermodel x 164 is awesome for pnw. Carves better than magic. Faster. To me the smx is my big mtn board when i go to whistler. If theres mixed conditions and/or i plan on hanging out in the trees (limited viz) the magic is what i reach for... more manouverable, shorter.

For pow these 2 are about equal. For epic pow i use my fish ltd.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the feedback.

Probably not going to sell the Element right away and maybe not at all if I can't find a good deal.

Like what I've read about the Banana Magic but it is probably out of my price range. I like a lot of the Mervin products.
We have our annual ski & snowboard show in a few weeks and would like to have a few boards to look for. There are usually some good deals on last years models although not often on higher end boards. Hoping to get lucky.

Reading reviews these all seem to fit what I'm looking for.

Any feed back yeah or nay would be appreciated.

Never Summer SL
GNU Billy Goat C2 BTX Snowboard
Lib Tech Jamie Lynn C2 BTX Phoenix
Lib Tech TRS C2 BTX
Lib Tech Travis Rice C2 BTX and C2 Power BTX Pointy
Lib Tech Banana Magic
Capita Black Snowboard of Death
YES Optimistic
YES Big City
Ride Highlife
Rome Anthem

Thanks.
 
#6 · (Edited)
imo riding baker, c2 btx is better for bombing groomers, in chop chow and charging poo vs btx is fine fstylin groomers and relaxed goofin in pow, but a tad squirrly (quick, turn on a dime) for bombing groomers and for carves it really digs trenches...commits to biting in a carve and some effort to transition (no pop to the next carve), in chop it tends to bounce around instead of blast through and I like a bit of stiffness/push back in charging poo...vs charging on a banana the nose gives little too much and end up going over the handle bars. A less expensive option might be gnu with c2 btx.
 
#7 ·
Reviews I've read agree that the C2 BTX is more in line with what I'm looking for. Also want graphics that I can live with for a few years. Like the Jamie Lynn and Billy Goat for both what I've read and how they look. I've tried to demo a Lib Tech for the last several years and no luck locally so I'll probably just have to go on what I hear.
 
#9 ·
That's a good suggestion. I've only been up there once and had the mis-fortune of hitting a really icy day plus up until last year had seasons passes at Stevens. We had planned to hit Baker last year but it never worked out. The extra 1-1/2 hours of driving from my home versus Stevens makes it not as palatable, we usually hit Mission since it has nice long groomers and the drive is about the same and less crowded.

Unless something falls into my lap at the snowboard show I think it would be smart to do as you suggest.

What brands do they stock? Would be cool to compare the Mervin stuff versus Rome, Never Summer etc.
 
#11 ·
I've heard good things about the rossignol experience, even though it is technically a powder board. Seen some reviews saying it rides great on groomers too. Check it out.

I ride a Lib T.Rice now as my freeride / all mountain shred stick, and I really think nothing can compare to it. C2 is great, so is magne. love it, though i will admit it was a bit overpriced
 
#13 ·
You can probably get a decent deal on last years magic.

As far as Yes, I have an Optimistic. Love it. Read that the Big City is a little softer, more playful, and the Pick Your Line is stiffer than the Optimistic.

If you could find an Optimistic, you'll love it for what you wanted.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all the feedback. I have a bit of a bias for Mervin products because they are local and I like the graphics. They are expensive though and I'm a little hesitant to drop $500+ on a board without riding it first.

I've found a great deal on a Ride Highlife, thought I'd found one on an Optimistic but they wanted $90 for shipping! I like the Spacecraft graphics on last years Highlife.

I've heard really good things about Rossignol, especially the Onemagtek. The Experience looks good too. I've learned more about board designers in the last few weeks than I ever knew.
 
#17 ·
One more thing about this board as you mentioned it, the graphics.
I would never choose based on that alone but its a bonus and in person it looks way better than the photo.
The top is super detailed and looks amazing. When you pull a little method the base is absolutely stunning:cool:.
can't wait to get mine out on the snow here in Japan.
Picked it up at half price last year in late Feb so only have a few days on it.
 
#18 ·
Agreed, would never make the graphics the lone consideration but have learned over the years that I regret buying stuff that is functional but just is not pleasing to look at. One thing I can say about my Arbor is that I still like the way it looks.

Also the Ride Highlife is by far the best deal I've found. There are certainly several boards I would be perfectly happy with.
 
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