This was my old thread I used to pick out this board, and here is the review now that I've ridden it.
Setup:
2012 161' Ride Highlife with 2013 Rome Atlas bindings (using the stiff inserts for the bindings), and Salomon Malamute boots. I'm 180 lbs and 5'11.
Ridden in:
Grouse, Cypress, Whistler, Baker and Revelstoke on everything from ice, groomers, hard packed crud, shallow pow, deep pow, good pow, powcrete, the whole range of good and bad.
Pow:
Amazing. The stiffness of this board, the regular camber tail to sink, big floaty reverse camber nose, it's super stable and rips hard feels goodreally. I started with the bindings centered (it is a directional board), but now ride the bindings all the way back. Tons of float and I love it in pow.
It prefers big arcing high powered carves, but is much nimbler in pow than on groomers. No problems navigating tight trees in pow.
Riding this in steep pow on revelstoke was some of the best boarding I've done.
Groomers:
It's not nearly as quick turning on groomers as is it in pow, it really carves hard when you lay into your carves. Super stable at high speeds.
I'd say it 'performs' well in ice and crap, but I'm used to magnetraction (and have ridden other types of edge tech) and find that without any edge tech this responsive board is really harsh on ice and small bumps. The highlife does a good job holding an edge through ice, it's just really harsh physically.
Jumps:
Stable landings jumping off of small cliffs.
Works fine for straight airs and grabs, stable take off and landings. I can still do ones and threes on it but thats not really the type of riding I do with this board.
Final Thoughts:
I got it on sale for $270 and it's been good value for money, but I only ride it if it is a pow day or a soft groomer day with no ice. It's such a stiff and responsive board that it's not fun on ice or choppy crud, I have more fun on my Altered Genetics in those conditions. I do still think the highlife will be great for spring corn/slush in a few months, it's only choppy hard crud and ice that it's a brutal ride.
I'm still super happy with it, but if I'd known I would mostly only use it on pow days then I might have been better off with a different board.
Setup:
2012 161' Ride Highlife with 2013 Rome Atlas bindings (using the stiff inserts for the bindings), and Salomon Malamute boots. I'm 180 lbs and 5'11.
Ridden in:
Grouse, Cypress, Whistler, Baker and Revelstoke on everything from ice, groomers, hard packed crud, shallow pow, deep pow, good pow, powcrete, the whole range of good and bad.
Pow:
Amazing. The stiffness of this board, the regular camber tail to sink, big floaty reverse camber nose, it's super stable and rips hard feels goodreally. I started with the bindings centered (it is a directional board), but now ride the bindings all the way back. Tons of float and I love it in pow.
It prefers big arcing high powered carves, but is much nimbler in pow than on groomers. No problems navigating tight trees in pow.
Riding this in steep pow on revelstoke was some of the best boarding I've done.
Groomers:
It's not nearly as quick turning on groomers as is it in pow, it really carves hard when you lay into your carves. Super stable at high speeds.
I'd say it 'performs' well in ice and crap, but I'm used to magnetraction (and have ridden other types of edge tech) and find that without any edge tech this responsive board is really harsh on ice and small bumps. The highlife does a good job holding an edge through ice, it's just really harsh physically.
Jumps:
Stable landings jumping off of small cliffs.
Works fine for straight airs and grabs, stable take off and landings. I can still do ones and threes on it but thats not really the type of riding I do with this board.
Final Thoughts:
I got it on sale for $270 and it's been good value for money, but I only ride it if it is a pow day or a soft groomer day with no ice. It's such a stiff and responsive board that it's not fun on ice or choppy crud, I have more fun on my Altered Genetics in those conditions. I do still think the highlife will be great for spring corn/slush in a few months, it's only choppy hard crud and ice that it's a brutal ride.
I'm still super happy with it, but if I'd known I would mostly only use it on pow days then I might have been better off with a different board.