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Review: Rome Mod 14/15

6K views 14 replies 5 participants last post by  xboard 
#1 · (Edited)
Bit of background: I have been riding for about 15 years and consider myself to be an advanced intermediate if that makes sense. I like to charge all areas of the mountain, lay down deep carves, ride switch, shred the glades and hit the M/L jump line. I wanted a board that could do all of these things well, but first and foremost be a fun board to ride.
I am 6'0, 170 lbs and lean. I like to ride boards in the 157-160 range, but I bit the bullet on a 156 Rome Mod (cambered version) because I got a smokin deal on it.

Conditions: Great mix of everything. Hiked some fresh powder lines, rode a lot of groomers, glades, a bit of moguls, lots of hard pack snow and a bit of ice.

On to the review

Carving/groomers - Being a stiffer, cambered deck, this thing can lay some pretty good trenches. The thing I like most about it is that it is so snappy from edge to edge. Coming from a rockered K2 Turbo Dream wide, the Mod nearly put me on my ass the first time I did a hard edge to edge transition. Make no mistake, this thing is catchy and wants to be pushed hard on edge. I was doing some of the best carves of my life on this thing and it is just so fun to rip on a fresh groomer.
Edge hold is strong on hardpack/ice as well, it will slip out but it is predictable, and being a cambered board it performs quite well in these situations.

Steeps/choppy stuff - The Mod wants to plow through everything. It is pretty damp for it's weight but by no means is it meant for hard charging over chunder and small children. I was able to make it through some pretty tracked out chop on some steep blacks and double-blacks and the energy the board has meant it was nimble and fast to switch from edge to edge. Did I mention this thing is light? It was hard to come off this board and it seemed to want to be pushed harder.

Powder - This board is not built for pow, full stop. I hiked some fresh lines knowing this but wanted to give the loyal community a fair review in all conditions. Being that it is a true twin, cambered and a 156, the board pretty much sank like a rock. I suppose if you set your bindings back to the max it would be serviceable due to it's light weight, but by no means would this be my first choice to take out on a pow day.

Switch - It's a true twin, and I set it up with no setback because I do like to ride switch and am constantly popping little 180s all over the hill, so I need to be comfortable riding switch. The Mod definitely delivers in this realm, but it will punish you if you are not on your game. This is not a forgiving rockered or hybrid camber board so for the advantages in edge hold you experience much less forgiveness. Be on your game though and you will be rewarded with a stable, confident ride.

Jumps - This thing was built to fly. I'm no Stale Sandbech but i'll throw down a few laps on the M/L jump line. While i wasn't going mega-hard on the jumps due to Marmot's crappy park line, i did some basic grabs and spins on jumps in the 20-35 ft. range. The Mod has renewed my desire to push myself on bigger jumps as it just tracks so beautifully and is so light and poppy that my airs were floatier and my spins more effortless. Again, it's not as forgiving on landings, but if you are confident and get your edge down the board rides away with good stability. The Mod really shines in this realm and anyone who reads Rome's description of the board will see it was built to handle the biggest jumps out there.

Jibbing - I don't do it. No comment here.

Playfulness/fun factor - The Mod is pretty stiff, and the flex originates from a little bit outside of the inserts, more towards the tip and tail by the carbon stringers which are visible through the topsheet. I'm not one to butter around the hill, and this board isn't particularly suited for that, but I must say this thing POPS. Camber+carbon stringers means no more hesitation going to ollie that little tree or boundary line, it is very snappy and this is its claim to fame. I loved riding this thing because it seemed to have boundless energy and want to pop off everything. Combined with its light weight the Mod was ultra fun to whip around in any conditions, but was stiff and stable enough to hold it's ground when plowing through chop. Because of it's weight, energy and stability, I can say this is the most fun board I have ridden.

Conclusion - I f'in love this deck. Highly recommended for the all-mountain rider who knows what he's doing and wants a light, fun board that will still charge when needed and have your back when the going gets tough.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
Would you say it's very hard to butter on? I've heard things of it being pretty flexible in the tips up to the inserts. That's also how I felt with the Mod Rocker I tried. If you have any experience with the Mod Rocker, do you know how the stiffness compares?

Also, did you ride a Mountain Twin before this? I could've sworn I saw a thread by you when I was researching a board to buy for this season. If so how did the Mod compare?

Judging by your review, you would recommend this board as a daily driver?

Thanks!
 
#5 ·
No I wouldn't say it's hard to butter on. It's not really a 'buttery' type of snowboard though and yes you would be probably better off on the Mod Rocker if you were planning on doing that a lot... On a 156 which is slightly small for my size it is no problem to flex the board and do little butters/manuals, so it will sort of depend on if you are sizing up or down. The Mod Rocker is the board I initially was set on getting, but ended up finding a good deal on the Mod so picked that up. I wish I could offer some comparison but unfortunately cannot.
As for the Mountain Twin, it was a 160 and consequently hard for me to muscle around and do the things I wanted to do on it. I don't have a huge amount of leg strength so wanted a board that is stiff, snappy and light. The Jones isn't really this, it was on the heavier side and while it had pop, it was difficult to access on the hill. I couldn't muscle it high enough to ollie as high as I used to be able to, and it felt heavier in the air. This is due to lack of rider strength, a longer board and a board that is a bit heavier than average as opposed to the Rome which is lighter.
That's my experience with the two decks.
My girlfriend was snapping some random shots while I was messing around, penguin walking up the hill. You can see the flex is more towards the tip and tail but it is still pretty easy to flex and has a lot of snap for this kind of stuff. Again, the board is designed to be on the stiffer side of the spectrum and have a lot of stability, so while yea you can mess around on it buttering, it's not really designed for it.

 
#6 ·
No I wouldn't say it's hard to butter on. It's not really a 'buttery' type of snowboard though and yes you would be probably better off on the Mod Rocker if you were planning on doing that a lot... On a 156 which is slightly small for my size it is no problem to flex the board and do little butters/manuals, so it will sort of depend on if you are sizing up or down. The Mod Rocker is the board I initially was set on getting, but ended up finding a good deal on the Mod so picked that up. I wish I could offer some comparison but unfortunately cannot.
As for the Mountain Twin, it was a 160 and consequently hard for me to muscle around and do the things I wanted to do on it. I don't have a huge amount of leg strength so wanted a board that is stiff, snappy and light. The Jones isn't really this, it was on the heavier side and while it had pop, it was difficult to access on the hill. I couldn't muscle it high enough to ollie as high as I used to be able to, and it felt heavier in the air. This is due to lack of rider strength, a longer board and a board that is a bit heavier than average as opposed to the Rome which is lighter.
That's my experience with the two decks.
My girlfriend was snapping some random shots while I was messing around, penguin walking up the hill. You can see the flex is more towards the tip and tail but it is still pretty easy to flex and has a lot of snap for this kind of stuff. Again, the board is designed to be on the stiffer side of the spectrum and have a lot of stability, so while yea you can mess around on it buttering, it's not really designed for it.
Got it, yeah I just want a good all-mountain board for charging groomers doing jumps and also some buttering (spins, manuals). I'm more of an intermediate (can handle blacks, not bomb em) and learning spins and doing small ish jumps at the moment. Looking to get up to medium sized (not huge) jumps and learning 180s/360s. I'm also your size 5'11", 170lbs and not too much leg strength either, so the feedback is helpful. Coincidentally I was looking at 156 too.

I have an Arbor Element RX and Burton FA, and was thinking of swapping my FA out for this cause I don't see much powder in Tahoe. Possibly getting rid of the Element too if this was a good all arounder.

How would you say the Mod compared to the Jones in terms of carving? I would assume it was a better bomber and held an edge better.

Thanks
 
#9 · (Edited)
It is more damp than I thought it would be, I expected to be bucked off a few times going the fast end of my comfort zone through some chopped out stuff, but it held fast. It's not the most damp board in the world but I was pleasantly surprised with how well it performed in spite of it's weight.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the write up!

I'd probably have gotten this board if I didn't get frustrated so early with the mod rocker in icy conditions (kept washing out like nothing else) on my recent trip. Ended up getting the Hot Knife in 156, since there was a decent price on it and wasn't going to see much powder towards the last few days. Got a few days on that and it's a reasonably poppy board, but a bit on the heavier and damper side. Excellent at carving though and I figure similar enough in the end not to warrant an exchange for the Mod. Slower base than the Mod rocker though, even with a proper base- and glide wax..
 
#11 ·
Yea I was pretty set on the Mod Rocker, but since I ride hardpack and ice more than I ride powder, the Mod is definitely better suited for me. Plus I have my old trusty K2 Turbo Dream for the deeper days, it has the same profile as the Mod Rocker.
The Hot Knife sounds kind of like the Jones Mountain Twin I have for sale, heavier and damper but not quite as lively and fun.
 
#15 ·
From what I can tell, the board changed quite a bit from 2014 to 2015 - stiffness, geometry, nose/tail shape, added zylon, etc.

I've been riding a 2013 for a couple seasons now and I love it, but the board is starting to get pretty beat up. I just ordered a brand new 2014 model because I love the shape and don't want to mess with it. Btw I'm 5'10" about 155lbs and ride the 153. Friends are blown away that such a small board keeps up in deep pow with no problem at all.

Has anybody ridden a 2015 or 2016 and can comment on the difference from the 2013 and 2014? Tempted to pick up a 2015 too to see what it's all about...
 
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