Review: Lib Tech T. Rice 161.5 - Snowboarding Forum

sidewall · 12-24-2011, 05:30 PM

Me- 34 years old, 6 ft tall, 170 lbs., been riding since 1990. Grew up watching Terje and Craig Kelly, so appreciate all around riding and the ability to make nice turns.

I had a Jones Flagship last season and magne-traction was so good on ice, I was positive I wanted a new board with it.

Also having ridden camber my whole life, I was seriously worried about C2BTX's ability to carve a nice arc through the snow but many people assured me it was fine.

First day out was A-Basin and as I skated to strap in, I was surprised at how normal it felt. No looseness or instability. I made about 5 turns to the next lift and same thing, everything felt normal.

I spent the rest of the day acclimating to it and for the most part, it rides like a cambered board. Probably about 85-90% similar. You can change direction quicker in tight spots due to the banana but can also arc nice clean turns.

The other thing is the speed, the board absolutely flies! Another review I'd read mentioned the term "runaway speed" and that's what it's like. I've owned a T6 and this board is just as fast and stable.

As I said, Magne-Traction is something I want to have on all my boards from now on, you can ride with so much more confidence and not worry if you see a sheet of ice.

Overall I rode it 7 days at A-Basin, Vail and Copper. Last day was at Copper and it held up awesome freeriding all day. The only thing I would change is a slight increase in dampness when pounding through chewed up powder.

Any questions, feel free to ask.

CheeseForSteeze · 12-29-2011, 08:37 AM

How was the damping on it?

sidewall · 12-29-2011, 01:03 PM

Overall it was good. The only time it let me down was one morning there were a few inches of powder that got chewed up, forming big mounds, etc. It didn't really charge through that the way I'd hoped. But I don't know if that's just something any snowboard would struggle with.

sidewall · 01-03-2012, 02:06 PM

Any other questions? I like to talk about this board.

skip11 · 01-03-2012, 07:29 PM

I owned a 153 T.Rice. I think magne only helps to a certain extent. The other day I was doing a heelside turn, hit a patch of ice, and slipped out on my ass.

Nsane1 · 01-07-2012, 03:38 PM

I've got a GNU with Mag-Trac and I absolutely know it helps. I live in the midwest and we ride mainly icy conditions all the time. Some people I ride with have a lot of trouble washing out but it seems like the GNU just cuts right through it. I don't think I could do without it in a rocker board.

B-T · 01-09-2012, 06:30 AM

I was riding the 2011 version on this board in january last year and I also have never ridden rocker before that and it was a really fun overall board but it was really flex which made speed a little bumpy. I liked how the board carved, nice deep carve turns on it although it took a little getting used to. I really liked it for jumps and flatland stuff too. Hope I can find a good board to rent around keystone/breck, any recommendations? I rented from avalanche sports in brick in 2009 and they were nice but not sure if they have the kind of board ill want this time around.

TXBDan · 01-10-2012, 04:09 PM

I'm 6'4 200 and just tried out my new T Rice 161.5 this past Sunday at Loon Mountain in NH.

There's no snow around so of course i knew the conditions would suck, but i'm going to Utah soon and wanted to work the kinks out of the new setup. It was pretty damn icy, crunchy, and hard packed. This was a great test for magnatraction and i can now say that i'm a believer. It clawed like a champ and really dug into the ice. There is no way in hell i would have stayed up in these conditions on my old board. With the magnatraction, i would still skid and slid, but it would do so in a controlled and predictable manner so that i could control it. No sudden washouts when transitioning to some snow/grip onto a sheet of ice. There was one run that was totally iced over at the end of the day and people were dropping like flies all around. Skidding down very slowly, etc. I had to be slow and very careful, but i was able to navigate my way down without drama.

The board does hold a carve very nicely, and i agree with the OP that it doesn't feel THAT different from my old traditional cambered board. My old board was a Sierra Crew (which i think is a 2008 Burton Custom relabeled) and this felt faster, more damp, and carved just as well. Add in the whole-new-ball-game of grip with magnatraction and i'm a really happy camper.

Now if i could just get some snow to really test it out.

12-24-2011, 05:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
sidewall Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: winchester, VA Posts: 124	Review: Lib Tech T. Rice 161.5 Me- 34 years old, 6 ft tall, 170 lbs., been riding since 1990. Grew up watching Terje and Craig Kelly, so appreciate all around riding and the ability to make nice turns. I had a Jones Flagship last season and magne-traction was so good on ice, I was positive I wanted a new board with it. Also having ridden camber my whole life, I was seriously worried about C2BTX's ability to carve a nice arc through the snow but many people assured me it was fine. First day out was A-Basin and as I skated to strap in, I was surprised at how normal it felt. No looseness or instability. I made about 5 turns to the next lift and same thing, everything felt normal. I spent the rest of the day acclimating to it and for the most part, it rides like a cambered board. Probably about 85-90% similar. You can change direction quicker in tight spots due to the banana but can also arc nice clean turns. The other thing is the speed, the board absolutely flies! Another review I'd read mentioned the term "runaway speed" and that's what it's like. I've owned a T6 and this board is just as fast and stable. As I said, Magne-Traction is something I want to have on all my boards from now on, you can ride with so much more confidence and not worry if you see a sheet of ice. Overall I rode it 7 days at A-Basin, Vail and Copper. Last day was at Copper and it held up awesome freeriding all day. The only thing I would change is a slight increase in dampness when pounding through chewed up powder. Any questions, feel free to ask.

01-07-2012, 03:38 PM	#6 (permalink)
Nsane1 Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Western KY Posts: 82	I've got a GNU with Mag-Trac and I absolutely know it helps. I live in the midwest and we ride mainly icy conditions all the time. Some people I ride with have a lot of trouble washing out but it seems like the GNU just cuts right through it. I don't think I could do without it in a rocker board. __________________ Current Gear: 2011 GNU Cargon Credit 162w Rome Arsenal's Salomon Faction's Usual Riding Spots: Snowshoe, WV Paoli Peaks, IN Perfect North, IN

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

12-29-2011, 08:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
CheeseForSteeze -LIFETIME MEMBER- Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,716	How was the damping on it?

12-29-2011, 01:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
sidewall Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: winchester, VA Posts: 124	Overall it was good. The only time it let me down was one morning there were a few inches of powder that got chewed up, forming big mounds, etc. It didn't really charge through that the way I'd hoped. But I don't know if that's just something any snowboard would struggle with.

01-03-2012, 02:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
sidewall Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: winchester, VA Posts: 124	Any other questions? I like to talk about this board.

01-03-2012, 07:29 PM	#5 (permalink)
skip11 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 378	I owned a 153 T.Rice. I think magne only helps to a certain extent. The other day I was doing a heelside turn, hit a patch of ice, and slipped out on my ass.

01-09-2012, 06:30 AM	#7 (permalink)
B-T Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 27	I was riding the 2011 version on this board in january last year and I also have never ridden rocker before that and it was a really fun overall board but it was really flex which made speed a little bumpy. I liked how the board carved, nice deep carve turns on it although it took a little getting used to. I really liked it for jumps and flatland stuff too. Hope I can find a good board to rent around keystone/breck, any recommendations? I rented from avalanche sports in brick in 2009 and they were nice but not sure if they have the kind of board ill want this time around.

01-10-2012, 04:09 PM	#8 (permalink)
TXBDan Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 126	I'm 6'4 200 and just tried out my new T Rice 161.5 this past Sunday at Loon Mountain in NH. There's no snow around so of course i knew the conditions would suck, but i'm going to Utah soon and wanted to work the kinks out of the new setup. It was pretty damn icy, crunchy, and hard packed. This was a great test for magnatraction and i can now say that i'm a believer. It clawed like a champ and really dug into the ice. There is no way in hell i would have stayed up in these conditions on my old board. With the magnatraction, i would still skid and slid, but it would do so in a controlled and predictable manner so that i could control it. No sudden washouts when transitioning to some snow/grip onto a sheet of ice. There was one run that was totally iced over at the end of the day and people were dropping like flies all around. Skidding down very slowly, etc. I had to be slow and very careful, but i was able to navigate my way down without drama. The board does hold a carve very nicely, and i agree with the OP that it doesn't feel THAT different from my old traditional cambered board. My old board was a Sierra Crew (which i think is a 2008 Burton Custom relabeled) and this felt faster, more damp, and carved just as well. Add in the whole-new-ball-game of grip with magnatraction and i'm a really happy camper. Now if i could just get some snow to really test it out.