Who rides a Korua?

Paxford said:

Totally confused by the above. Isn't a board laid sideways ( presumably in a turn) that takes off on it's own (drivey) a "drivey s-turn" board? Not trying to be a dick, it just seems to me that the board is doing for you exactly what Goodride said it would do. Maybe we don't have the same understanding of "drivey"? I'm shopping like you and absolutely loved your thread where you almost settled on the Amplid, but then got the Pencil. I want to understand what you are saying about the Pencil now, but I don't get it.

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The Goodride compared the Pencil Plus with the Puzzle. They said the Puzzle was more off the tail and surfy. That it liked going from side to side etc. And the Pencil Plus was more front foot driven and "drivey" and that it liked accelerating turns. The Puzzle liked going across piste and the Pencil just wanted to be pointed.

I don't disagree with the board being front foot driven. In my short experience I've found it to like s-turns and that it picks up speed doing that. The board has a longer sidecut radius towards the tail. What I meant was that I find that it likes to take off in sharper turns when you increase the board tilt and drive into it. And that when you do that it really takes off into the turn from the beginning. The radius seems to be shorter in the front (I know it's longer towards the tail from asking the Korua guys) so that when you press into the start of the turn it immediately launches into it if you commit to the turn.

After a few days of riding and having tried my First Call 162 in between I find the Pencil much more demanding and that the tail is a bit washy unless you ride it just right. Last night it started to dump it kept on snowing with -7C all through the day and I've had a full day of absolutely awesome snow. The Pencil is a blast in the powder and I find myself going into trees that I didn't enjoy riding before. In the powder it's so surfy and easy to ride it is ridiculous.

For the record, I've never tried the Puzzle. I also enjoy watching the Goodride reviews in general even if I sometimes fast forward through some of the bantering between friends. Mostly I like the parts where they show the boards on the table.

F1EA said:

Yeah I'm thinking either Pencil or Apollo. But it depends on when Fullbag releases that 160 Lifer, also which board(s) I retire for next season. I'm at a point where I need to sell/retire 1 or 2 boards before getting any other one.....

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Final verdict for my Pencil Plus is that it's a great powder board that you can take all over the mountain.

It's ok even for a second season rider like me. I've taken it down black diamond pistes and similar open powder faces, both wide and narrow. It's very easy to move around on steep slopes but it also feels stable just letting it go at higher speeds in powder. After a few days on it I felt confident taking it through denser alpine birch trees and it's nimble enough for a bigger rider at least. It also has great float.

The edge hold on windswept icy surfaces off piste is ok but not fantastic (note that I'm only comparing this with my experiences as a skier and one other snowboard, so maybe it's actually great.... or lousy).

It's great fun carving it but the tail is a little washy for me and I think the board is a bit chattery on icy pistes and not great in choppy resort snow. On fresh corduroy it's really fun and you can turn it however you want. I think the washy tail might also be a bit of a problem with my inexperience and that I like to shift my weight back on the tail as the turn progresses. One funny thing that I've experienced with this board is that if I'm too enthusiastic when I initiate a carve in softer snow the front part of the sidecut will dig into the snow too much resulting in a a nice faceplant. Also perhaps because of my inexperience.

As for riding with the family it's good in the sense that it lets you have fun on the side of the piste without having to change board. It's nimble enough to chase around the narrow forrest trails with the kids even if it would be easier if it was a bit softer.

I love this board, and they will pry it out of my dead frozen fingers before I let it go. Not sure this can be my only board though... I might need a couple of new ones for the next season. Maybe that Cafe Racer... and something to ride with the family. :wink: