[Kevington]

Just spent two weeks at Hintertux Glacier in Austria. Drove by Korua HQ in Brannenburg on the way there and they showed me around and loaned me some demo boards. They are very nice people and have a sweet set up for head office and warehouse/distribution in a train station building. Its a really small organisation, just three guys there and two in Laax.

I rode: Otto57, TF54, Pencil59 and Dart56. It was really a treat to ride them back to back and feel the similarities and differences. One thing that is similar across them all is the sidecut. Its a smaller radius in the front and longer at the back which is different from most other boards. You really need to get your weight forward to make aggressive tight carves.

Otto was great but not really what I'd call a freestyle board. Stable and fast and can ride switch OK. Stiffer than I imagined it would be. Feels a bit strange to have all that width but no taper. Would be a perfect all mountain charger for someone with big feet or anyone wanting to carve with no drag but doesn't want a super directional shape.

TF was really fun and turny, got lots of air and did some 360s and signpost jibs, it was the only one I could really butter. Got pushed around by the uneven slush more than the others but its smaller and softer so..
Made me ride like I was 15 years younger. Really made me get low and dynamic and work every little bit of snow. Its in the name I guess.

Dart is very wide. Would be insane in deep pow obviously and I guess would be a blast to carve on perfect pistes. I didn't have either of those conditions so it was a bit niche for me. Don't think I could ever buy a board that cant ride switch AT ALL.

Pencil was amazing. So fast and stable but still slashy and fun. The most enjoyable to carve for sure. Actually getting air between carves accidentally. Perfect combination of sidecut and taper for me. If the shape was a bit more 'normal' I could ride it every day and be happy. Getting one of these for sure.

The conundrum now is what other board to get for more all mountain/freestyle? TF54 or maybe something from Vimana? They're made in the same factory as Korua and have similarly non-existent graphics.

 

[Kevington]

 

[Kevington]

 

[Kevington]

Summer pow! (for two hours until it warmed up and became slush)

 

[Kevington]

Can't wait to get on my 59 Pencil this coming winter (hoping all is well/safe enough to have a season here). Previously owned the 57 Otto & 54 T.Finder and agree with your thoughts, as well. Have my 57 T.Finder+ that I'm looking to get more days on next winter, also.

Fingers crossed its all ok for next season. The Pencil 59 was such a blast, a great all round freeride board for me. Would be sick in deep snow I'm sure, carves amazing and was really fun just goofing around the resort jumping off things and slashing the side of the piste. One thing I must say is they are easy boards to ride. Sure, they are mid-stiff and require some technique to get the most out of but they are not unforgiving at all. All four I rode have a big rocker in the nose but also a good bit in the tail too. Its not mentioned on their site but its unmistakable when you see or ride them.

Would like to try the plus versions and also TF57 which both the guys at Korua said was better suited for my specs than the 54. Not sure I want that kind of width tho but I suppose you get used to it.

 

[Kevington]

I’m also surprised you guys sized down to 159 Pencil. I have Cafe Racer 159 (so Pencil 164) and fighting the urge to buy 164 CR to test it because the CR 59 is for me what you say about 159 Pencil. What boot sizes do you have? It might be that you prefer normal width boards or just less taper.

I'm a EU 42.5/US9.5. Above a certain width it just becomes a novelty board for me and I don't have a big enough quiver or live close enough to the mountains to really justify one : (
I'm not very heavy or strong so its a lot of effort to change edges on a wide board. Even the nose on the TF54 felt crazy wide to me. I think I've just spent too long on camber twinish boards around 25cm waist width. I would definitely try the bigger Pencil and TF next time but I think that extra width just narrows the scope of what is enjoyable terrain and conditions. I want the manouverability and lightness of a normal sized board most of the time. The Pencil59, Otto57 and TF54 I could ride on any mountain in any conditions and they would work well. I would guess the big guns need deep pow or quiet, well groomed pistes for someone of my puny strength to make them work.

 

[Kevington]

I saw something at Korua HQ in Germany. A prototype. They had one on the wall that I looked at and a stack of them in the wrapper. It looked to me like a long board with a very deep, tight sidecut. My memory is hazy but I remember it didn't have the usual long, smooth blend zones that the others did.

 

[Kevington]

I suppose the other question is (not necessarily limited to Korua, but any board where the base is perhaps not as fast as you might like), would having a stone grind/structure put into the base make it noticeably better?

Fastest board I have ridden in terms of the base was a Capita that had way more base structure than anything I have seen before or since. Most noticeable on flat sections and like WigMar said, slush and soft snow. For what it costs I think its worth it to get a base structure added, particularly if you ride not so steep mountains and/or are feeling that its slow.

Another thing to be aware of when comparing base speeds is the camber profile and the edge bevel. The Capita had rockered tips and a 1.5 degree base edge so there was very little drag to slow the board down. The contact points are lifted so its really only the middle of the board that is pressing down on the snow. A fully cambered board with a 0 degree edge but the exact same base would be slower for example. Korua have plenty rocker in the nose and a 0.5 degree base edge so should be fast enough if properly waxed and very fast with a base structure added.

 

[Kevington]

I would recommend the latter. Theres not much of that sort of knowhow in the UK. I know a good place in Glasgow but I'm guessing you're down south near Tamworth or Milton Keynes. A good bet is to go to a ski service place in the Alps, they know stuff about base tuning and boot fitting that is way beyond the knowledge in 99% of snowboard shops. Maybe look for a skier in race training gear and ask where is good?

 

[Kevington]

Amazing how Wolken just rides as he usually does on all the different shapes.

I saw the Korua guys at Hintertux this summer, all riding the ridiculous Pocket Rocket.
Most of them were struggling, particularly in the lumpy slush. Wolken was just doing his thing regardless, nice balanced carves of equal length and radius, assertive edge transitions. On a board that looks like a dinner tray and probably rides quite like one too.

 

[Kevington]

I've been wondering what bindings are people using on their Korua boards? I can see in their videos they are mostly on Union but thats probably a sponsorship thing. I just started riding Now Pilots (at the same time as I got a Korua Otto) after falling for the skate tech, mostly for the comfort but the lack of adjustability is frustrating. I like canting and a rotated highback so I can move my weight around more on top of the board without obstruction. I just feel a bit too locked in on the Nows. Any thoughts would be welcome

 

[Kevington]

Yeah I still have the Katanas. I had planned to sell them after switching to Now but maybe I’ll give them another try. I haven’t used them on the Otto, could be perfect.
Now bindings are so frustrating, there’s no doubt the skate tech is a real engineering breakthrough in terms of putting energy to the edges but the lack of basic adjustments makes no sense. I always found the Katanas to be both responsive and comfortable, while allowing good lateral movement. I guess I need to apologise to them and take them out of the storage

 

[Kevington]

You have Rome Katanas, right? 🙂
I’m clocking days in my new Now Drives (with the X Base straps) and Burton X Base this season but whenever I swap to another board with my Katanas on it, they just remind me that I could ride my all collection with them and be happy (what I pretty much did last season).

So you don't notice a loss in power or response when you go from the Nows back to the Katana?

 

[Kevington]

Thanks @Yeahti87 for your insight. Dude, you have a lot of fast boards!

Sounds like my concerns about the Nows are really to do with how freestyle I want to ride. I have an Otto57 and am about to order a TF57 too. I love the Korua shaping and sidecut but I still want to get air and tweak it! The Pilots felt amazing for carving around at high speeds and for sure absorbed a lot of vibration but I felt a bit restricted when getting air or buttering. I also think that Korua boards work best when you can move your weight back and forwards to pressure different parts of the edge/sidecut through a turn or when slashing. I could do this a little with the Pilots but I was fighting them, particularly the front highback when trying to shift my weight towards the tail. At 24 degrees its just in the way if it cant be rotated. I honestly considered sawing off part of the highback to get it out of the way. Or drilling new holes to mount the highback to the frame in a way that give it rotation.

I set up the Otto with the Katanas and bounced around the carpet at home. Could definitely move around a lot more. The question is: will I miss the power transfer and comfort of the Pilots?? Why J.F. Pelchat did you come along with your brilliant idea and confuse me?

As far as the toe straps go, I gave up trying to find the right place on the boot for them to not slip and just use them over the top, old style. Feels great! Faster heelside response with less clicks, which makes sense if you think about the mechanics of lifting the front of you boot up with a straight strap vs an angled one going out from the mounting point out towards your toes .

 

[Kevington]

How was the flex on the Otto? I’d like to get a board that I can mess around with a bit with some butters and jumps but wasn’t sure if that board may be too stiff.

Dancehaul FTMFW!!!

I agree with @Yeahti87 on the flex of the Otto. Riding the 57 back to back with the Pencil59 and the TF54 it felt somewhere in between in terms of flex. Within Koruas line, sure, its a 'freestyle board' but in the bigger picture its not really. I actually found the TF54 to be more fun for freestyle around the mountain: butters, sidehits, ollieing ropes etc. The softer overall flex but more reactive torsional flex on the TF was just more encouraging to me for that sort of thing. I'm 75kg and US9.5 boot, just so you have an idea of how these boards flex for me. The Otto was more stable and due to not being tapered it just goes straight until you tell it to turn, its a very polite board which makes it good for freestyle if you're looking for something that can really carve and ride pow too.

 

[Kevington]

Cheap Tranny Finders and Ottos over at TSA again. £13 shipping for two boards to mainland Europe.

Korua Tranny Finder Snowboard 2020

SURF INSPIRED ALL MOUNTAIN CARVING MACHINE Aimed squarely at intermediate to advanced riders, the iconic Tranny Finder’s combination of surf-inspired

www.snowboard-asylum.com

 

[Kevington]

Did you miss the whole Brexit thing? Wont be that cheap and shipping could take a long time.

As a Scot with a British passport, living in Denmark with a Swedish partner and son, I am acutely aware of the Brexit thing!
I’m not going to let a bunch of wankers like Boris Johnson stop me buying more snowboards than I really need.
There was no mention of it when I ordered both sizes of the Tranny Finder. Said it would be 3-5 days delivery, let’s see what happens. To be honest, the whole thing is such a mess it might just be business as usual for a while as they haven’t actually put any of the changes into effect yet. That’s what I’m hoping at least

 

[Kevington]

I would try the Pencil64. Its right in between the Dart and the Cafe Racer. It'll be better in pow than the Cafe Racer and have a more solid tail for hard carves than the Dart. They are all 3 the same board with different tail shapes. Cafe racer has less rocker in the nose than the other two. I've ridden the Pencil and its the best carving experience I've ever had, by a large margin. One look at the shape and you know it will be amazing in pow.

 

[Kevington]

Alek Oestreng killing the park on the Cafe Racer 64. His cab 540s off the toe edge are just amazing.

Snowpark LAAX on Instagram: "Positive vibes, positive stance, smooth turns and an incredible style would be a good description of our early morning laps with @alek_oestreng. Back in 2012, Alek came to LAAX and took gold at the Burton European Open. Earlier this week, we bumped into him on the slopes and convinced him to come up early to cruise through our freshly groomed parks. Thanks for sending it early in the morning Alek! #SnowparkLaax #vormnznuni #before9 #earlybird #snowboarding #GoPro #Hero9 @gopro @laax @korua_shapes"

Snowpark LAAX shared a post on Instagram: "Positive vibes, positive stance, smooth turns and an incredible style would be a good description of our early morning laps with @alek_oestreng. Back in 2012, Alek came to LAAX and took gold at the Burton European Open. Earlier this week, we bumped...

www.instagram.com

 

[Kevington]

Damn, didn't realize Oestreng was off Rome. He had signature boards as recently as last season. I guess Rome needed to free up some money to give Stale 3 different pro models...


Are you sure it's a 64? All of his pro models were ~155. Mega impressive if so. Like... extra impressive on top of his usual baseline level of impressive.

It was reposted by Korua and they said it was that board. Like @Yeahti87 said, these guys can do it on anything. I also think he's in that upper echelon, even within pro snowboarders, who are naturally extremely good at it. Not just from practicing tricks over and over either.
I read an interview with him recently where he said he was getting more into splitboarding and finding good snow. Also Rome got bought by Nidecker. I can imagine some questions were asked about why a small American company needed 3 Norwegian pros.