pzull

Hi all, my first post but have been lurkin n readin the reviews n views in search for a plank that's just for me - one that does it all for me. 2nd season riding after switching from skis

Tried the skate banana (friend's) last year, kind of liked it as it reminded me of my skateboarding days 35 years ago (yea i've past adolescence) but then it was for my first time out. I found that I could turn immediately on my 2nd run out. Didn't buy it as it was pricey and I was a beginner and not sure if I would stick to tiding or go back to skiing.

After reading good things about the K2 Raygun, I bought one (156) as price was discounted n affordable for beginner. It was more flexible which felt good for "walking" the board while 2 feet were straped in, easy initiation of proper carve turns (initiate with front foot) but not as good for skidded turns (rear foot pressure) on steeps compared to banana. anyway after just my 3rd day out on slope some idiot decided that he wanted to swap his 159 for my 156 (took my board and left his on the rack where I placed mine while having lunch). Immediately 180s were harder to do as board felt alot heavier when rotating. Started hating the board when soft pack become icy in later season. no grip when carving.

Saw a rossi one magtek on sale in summer and bought it after reading good things. Tried it for first time last week. Board felt alot more nimble n light (153 so obviously) but alot alot stiffer. turn initiation was tougher n needed commitment and speed. no lazy slow cruise. but the magnatraction is something else....it grips hard pack like raygun did on soft pack and ice feels better than hardpack on raygun. but hard carves need more concentration as edge really bites and pops me out of turns when transitioning. no day dreaming as it took me by surprise at first. walking the plank with 2 feet strapped in is difficult as board is much stiffer than raygun.

Now I'm wondering if a park pickle or riders choice with have been better. but I really dont want to keep buying boards just to try and find out its not exactly what I want.

Where are the demo days?? Checked Whistler and Cypress calendars and none listed for this season. I should have jumped on the demo days last season when it was around. Are demo days not popular enough for manufacturers or resorts to want to organize them? Any suggestions how I can try more boards before buying...i wont be able to buy lift tickets by the time I find MY board if I keep buying to try....selling the "old" boards will take a big hit on price

Oldman

I gotta believe there will be some demo days upcoming. I suggest you contact the hill directly.

As for your situation: You are on the right track. No better way to find out what feels good to you like getting out on the hill and riding as many different profiles as you can. As you have found out already, different board, different profile = different ride.

I would not walk away from the Rossi quite yet. As you have already found out, it has some qualities that other boards cannot offer. As your skill level advances, you may grow to like that "pop" you get from it coming out of a turn. (That would be the camber talking ) You may find out that it is your "go to" deck for certain days; ie: hard pack, icy days.

Your Rossi is a board that can and will serve you well under a lot of conditions. It sounds like you would now be looking for a "looser, more playful, softer" deck to play around on.

Dig a little for demo days info. Ride as many as you can as that is part of the fun of getting a new deck. It is the best way to find what's right for you

alex12

Sometimes you gotta try looking up demo days on the company website

Ex. Never Summer
Events & Free Demos | Never Summer Industries - Snowboards, Longboards, Clothing and Accessories - Powered by CLVR TV

Weipim

well first of sorry to hear the perfect idiot who decided to swap your deck, that's almost as bad as stealing a deck. but i guess you will have to move on and since you've tried the flat between feet(raygun) and camber between feet(one mag) and you do like a flat better for your style, I would suggest looking into a NS Rocker camber or a Lib c2btx which both are rocker between ur feet and camber outside of inserts. maybe that can be your perfect deck. I do have one in mind, the GNU Rider's choice 154.5, flex is softer than yur one mag between the feet and not to mention the looseness from rocker. I have one and do love it

Bear5001

I am going to second what Weipim said. I am a big fan of the rocker (or banana) between your feet, and normal camber under foot. To me it feels like all the advantages of other camber profiles with none of the downsides, but thats just my opinion...

See NeverSummer, all their boards are built this way, they call it RC meaning rocker and camber, or See from Lib-Tech/Gnu what they call C2 camber.

The mountain i teach at has this camber profile as rentals, in the form of the Rossignol Trick Stick, and i have had great success teaching beginners on it. However, I also ride this camber profile personally in the form of a Neversummer Proto CTX, and find it to be a great design for all-mountain riding, any conditions, carving groom, to hitting jumps/rails, riding the deep, really all around great camber profile that i would recommend to anyone...

So my top picks for you in order (all with this camber):
Never Summer Proto or similar model like the SL
Gnu Billy Goat
Lib-Tech Jamie Lynn Pheonix
Gnu riders choice

pzull

Thanks guys!
I rode the one again tonite and beginning to like the response I get. Guess I was in a more serious mood for carving. Conditions were really mixed tonite: mad mix of powder, soft pack, hard pack, crud and solid ice...these were in patches on the same run. The one was more composed than the raygun going through this mix, by that I mean the one seems to flatten everything while the raygun bounces around alot and flexes with terrain.

About the only thing the magtek didn;t handle was stopping on ice...guess nothing does that well. i was on soft pack and chose to stop at a spot where it was pure ice...wham. It was night riding so i couldnt see it.

My daughter tried the park pickle I bought her for first time and she absolutely loves it. She's hanging up her Burton Hero and Ride DHK as she says the pickle combines the best of the 2

Yeah it looks like the RC will be the next board I will try. Still trying to pin down a demo day near Vancouver. Sigh

pzull

Oh and one other thing i noticed, my vanns aura boot and forum republic binding that used to feel stiff enough on the raygun now feels a little soft on the one magtek. Is it normal to chose stiffer boot/bindings to match stiffer boards?