Amplid Pentaquark/UNW8

They are all really good in the centrifugal collection. Actually I was impressed by every Amplid I rode. I tested around 20 boards at the Shapers Summit and my top 3 were all Amplids. I have two directional boards already and I ride too much switch to get the Surfari. Hence the decision for the unw8. Basically only board that checks all the boxes I want with that bit of nervous/excited continuous growth to it. As soon as our indoor place is set to open, it will be ordered...and then it will be shredded. The indoor place is great for breaking in boards in the summer. I thought moving from the States to Europe I would ride less but 40 days of vacation a year and all year riding indoors means I get about 50-60 days of riding a year. Can't complain Plus I just bought a OneWheel Pint to curb my addiction during quarantine which is amazingly similar to carving groomers and so fun.

Quiver killer??

So I went to Hintertux a few weeks ago and rode it for a day. It was quite wet and slushy and wasn't really optimal for a first day of a board like this. I really felt like I was getting works. I rode my normal stance and it felt like the board was fine but I was getting bounced around. I think part of it was because the board is stiff, even more stiff when it's new but also how I was riding it. I actually had a good fall just riding as the nose seemed to randomly snag and I went cartwheeling. Then in the slush it was just tiring cause there was no flex and you just push around a lot of snow. The next day I rode a park board as it was simply too much work and I wanted to jump.

So then now back in the Netherlands, I went to my indoor place. I know it sounds silly to ride a board like this indoor but we have the biggest one in Europe less than an hour away. I ride there ~20 days a year, just to get my fix. It's 600 meters long, so you can really make turns if you like. So first day on it, still something similar. Exiting turns, both heel and toeside, the nose was catching/diving/snagging and now on harder snow. I really was stumped for a bit cause my riding position is very fundamentally sound as the misses is a Level 3 instructor from Canada and we have been working on my riding technique for the last 5+ years to get it dialed. So finally I just cheated a bit by riding with a more pow riding stance by shifting my hips slightly back. Immediately it was completely different. There is simply so much grip on this deck with the 7mm of camber, stiffness and large sidecut radius that over-weighting the downhill foot gives you too much pressure on the edges. I am riding it mostly centered and it is truly fantastic and I took it back last weekend for ~4 hours and will go again tomorrow with it and my Dada.

So it's a 10 for carving and I even like it more than the pentaquark because essentially with the pentaquark, you know you aren't doing much more than carving. Again because of the edge and stiffness, I have probably done my best switch carving and with speed. I never really liked mini pipes or quarter pipes but we have a small one and this is great even thought it's solid ice cause you truly have the confidence to hold the edge on the walls. Butters are tough but possible and getting better. Again I am 100 kilos so I can really press it but it's only 5-10cm off the ground most of the time. The pop is great, just go fast on small jumps and the board will do the work. Landing? As long as you are close to center when you land, it stomps and then pulls you down hill.

Downsides? It is work and you will not half ass ride it or that's when you could get in trouble. If you have solid technique the board responds to what you tell it to do and most likely you are the weak point but it begs for more. More speed, more pop, it's all there. I really hope it's pretty rideable in powder but I found reviews of the previous models and they were quite positive for such a positive camber board. I really want this to be my ride everything board cause I love making good turns. I don't jib or hit park jumps. I carve, ride pow, butter, drop small cliffs and do side hits and as long as it can ride pow, this board is something special. I compare it to switching from a sports car to a super car. It simply has more potential for performance but there are more strains and risks (to you).

If interested here is a small youtube video my buddy and I made playing with a 360 camera: I am in the green pants.

Let me know if there is something else, I love chatting about snowboards