I just got a Smokin snowboards Smokintraction 162 and got to put it through the paces today. When I got it in the mail I first noticed that the wavy magnetraction edges. They are definitely different. I have been curious about them since I first heard about it and finally had to give one a try. The board is fairly stiff. I am more of a freerider and I never leave the ground but I like to go fast so this is just what I was looking for. Well we got about 6" at Jay peak over night so I started the day in the powder. It floats pretty well but I did set it up with a little extra set back to accommodate my kinda wide preferred stance. Front binding 1 set of holes forward of center and back hole 2 holes back. I was worried that it would turn hard since Im used to a shorter board but it seems to always do exactly what I want right where I want it to. I spent most of the AM playing in the trees in search of powder and the board held up extremely well. Despite my incredible ability to find branches and stuff to run over I didnt even put a scratch in the base.
Then in the afternoon I decided to put in a couple runs on Goat Run. Anyone who has ridden Jay knows that the goat is always ice. I started out going real well and I was thinking that the conditions were the best that Id ever seen on that trail. I noticed that most people were still in careful mode but I just kept going along fine. Then I watched someone lose their edge on the ice and take a spill and I just went right around them. I was sold on it. It might not turn ice into powder but it sure does grab onto it like I couldn't believe. The mountain was kinda crowded so by the end of the day all the busy trails were Skied right off but I didn't care. The magnetraction definitely exceeded my expectations. I had thought it was going to be kinda gimmicky but it turns out that it really works. Well. Still only had one day on it but I really think that it has replaced both my other boards completely.
Then in the afternoon I decided to put in a couple runs on Goat Run. Anyone who has ridden Jay knows that the goat is always ice. I started out going real well and I was thinking that the conditions were the best that Id ever seen on that trail. I noticed that most people were still in careful mode but I just kept going along fine. Then I watched someone lose their edge on the ice and take a spill and I just went right around them. I was sold on it. It might not turn ice into powder but it sure does grab onto it like I couldn't believe. The mountain was kinda crowded so by the end of the day all the busy trails were Skied right off but I didn't care. The magnetraction definitely exceeded my expectations. I had thought it was going to be kinda gimmicky but it turns out that it really works. Well. Still only had one day on it but I really think that it has replaced both my other boards completely.