Best ice board???

[poutanen]

Originally Posted by Bauba

Poutanen....is this what you meant by blunt tips??

Well that's at the extreme end of the specturm but essentally yes. Here's a boardercross board shape. The blunted tips are very pronounced. I actually ride a board with this shape all over the mountain and love it. Unfortunately the board below is well over $1000.



Unfortunately I don't know of any "regular" board builders that build with a more boardercross like tip shape. The Jones Mothership seems to have slightly blunted tips, but unfortunately they don't list effective edge on the spec sheets.

Prior, Kessler, Oxess, Virus, etc. all make boardercross shaped boards. Actually oxess has an optional tip design that's halfway between a "freeride" tip and a boardercross/competition tip. They call it "medium" and I wish more companies would start making tips like that.



Model Specifications - Snowboardcross

If you look at the spec sheet on that link, you'll see how long the effective edge is on a boardercross board, also note the long (12.0m or so) sidecut radius. A longer sidecut radius means that you have to lean the board more to get the same actual turn radius out of the board.

For me the experience was quite dramatic the first time I rode a board like this. It requires you to lean a lot more, but it rewards you with a TON of grip on hardpack/ice. I've never felt anything like it before!

[BigmountainVMD]

I'm not entirely sure that is what the OP is looking for...

As far as ice tech...

I agree with Magnatraction being the best, IMO. This includes Lib Tech, Gnu and ROXY brands. I'd go Roxy, which is an all womens line. I just got my lady a Roxy Ollie Pop and she loves it. Says it makes riding on ice easier. Neversummer Vario-sidecut and Arbor Griptech are tied for second, and I haven't heard anything amazing about Burton frostbite edges.

[StrattonRider]

Originally Posted by Bauba

What's the best board for icy and hard packed crap? Name, type, etc. Go. Especially womens boards.

basically anything from GNU or Lib tech (Mervin Manufactures)

[NightRider2613]

Gotta agree with GNU and Lib Tech for Eastern ice. I started riding a LibTech TRS this season and it has been a complete beast on icy days. Magne-traction is pretty amazing, and it has turned days that I would normally just spend in the park into days that I am all over the entire mountain.

[NSSage]

Originally Posted by Bauba

Whoa! This thing is crazy looking!

Poutanen....is this what you meant by blunt tips??

Yeah! Its a race board! They are sick to ride, whenever I'm not in the park I'm on one of these. Here is a video of someone riding one Alpine Snowboarding - YouTube ... crazy edge hold on ice on these things its made for speeding through crappy race courses

[poutanen]

Originally Posted by BigmountainVMD

I'm not entirely sure that is what the OP is looking for...

No but they did ask what the best ice board was!

Even on my Virus, I was out the other day having trouble cutting into some real hardpack... These alpine boarders came along with grins from ear to ear just loving it!

If I had to ride hardpacked groomers all the time, I'd probably switch to an alpine board.

[RockSteady]

For me the experience was quite dramatic the first time I rode a board like this. It requires you to lean a lot more, but it rewards you with a TON of grip on hardpack/ice. I've never felt anything like it before![/QUOTE]


I agree a Boarder X board is obviously gonna be by far the best for high speed ice carving and groomer grip and will blow through crud. Billy goating and such I'm not so sure, never tried it. As far as normal priced boards go for carving and handling the ice and crud. A stiff Cambered board is the most proven weapon for edge grip but I'm definitely feelin the mag traction too. Its like having 4X4 when you need it. The winner of the Rhalves Banzai rocked a Nitro Pantera, he smoked all the Boarder X guys including Shaun Palmer, Nate Holland on their thousands of dollars in custom Boarder X race boards and Wax teching , Banzai is a red bull ballz out race through the iciest, steepest part of some the mountain with a ice mogul infested course. There are so many factors that will determine what type of board is the best for what situation.

[RockSteady]

Originally Posted by poutanen

If I had to ride hardpacked groomers all the time, I'd probably switch to an alpine board.

"If I had to ride hardpacked groomers all the time"-- I'd be over it

[poutanen]

Originally Posted by RockSteady

"If I had to ride hardpacked groomers all the time"-- I'd be over it

FAIR ENOUGH!

So far I like my weird board for my local terrain. It's mainly a BX edge shape, but the camber profile has a lifted nose for powder, and the tail lifts enough that it can ride switch no problem.

Carves REALLY well on hardpack, surfs powder with ease (setback, taper, lifted nose), and it's not bad in the trees either. It's not for everybody though...

[RockSteady]

Originally Posted by poutanen

FAIR ENOUGH!

So far I like my weird board for my local terrain. It's mainly a BX edge shape, but the camber profile has a lifted nose for powder, and the tail lifts enough that it can ride switch no problem.

Carves REALLY well on hardpack, surfs powder with ease (setback, taper, lifted nose), and it's not bad in the trees either. It's not for everybody though...

Sounds like a sick board, I'd like to try something like that. Like you said it's too bad boards like that are sooo expensive