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482 Posts
They say so them self, not a good tactic to sell premium boards.
Who rides a Korua?
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198 Posts
White ones have more wood, plus series have more resins/polymers in them. Wood retains its qualities for longer. Also i have the TF plus, it’s been 4 seasons already, i think, and it holds its snap pretty well. Light weight is an important quality for a split board for me, escalator is light.
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3,725 Posts
Anything made with the expressed purpose of being just about as light as possible for the job will have tradeoffs. Sometimes that's with cost, sometimes with durability, and sometimes with both.
The light amplid split has a similar thing going for it. People love them, but seem to be aware that they're not going to take as kindly to abuse as a regular board. Frankly, I wouldn't sweat it unless you have a habit of riding over rocks and destroying stuff. At the end of the day, it's gear for a pretty specific purpose. If you think the alleged tradeoff is worth it, you should go for it.
Will the lighter weight and better profile make all the time you spend in the backcountry more enjoyable? If so, you have your answer.
The light amplid split has a similar thing going for it. People love them, but seem to be aware that they're not going to take as kindly to abuse as a regular board. Frankly, I wouldn't sweat it unless you have a habit of riding over rocks and destroying stuff. At the end of the day, it's gear for a pretty specific purpose. If you think the alleged tradeoff is worth it, you should go for it.
Will the lighter weight and better profile make all the time you spend in the backcountry more enjoyable? If so, you have your answer.
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198 Posts
Well escalator and plus series are durable. It is about the snap, pop thingy, carbon boards are believed to loose the snap faster than heavier (more wood in the core) boards.
It depends what you want to do with the split. Focus on uphill certainly will make it more sensible to go for the lighter construction. But as others have said lighter construction usually comes at the cost of less durability overall.
I’ve myself decided to go for weight saving to improve the uphill (amplid Millisurf vs Surf Shuttle). Bear in mind that 95% of the time your walking uphill when touring so at least for me this is an important factor. As @ridethecliche said, if you don’t go for super rocky terrain and generally are a bit cautious you should be ok with a light weight board.
I was also intrigued by the escalator but in the end decided to go for a set with bindings, skins etc saving quite a considerable amount and they didn’t have Koruas...so maybe next year or when the amplid is done 😉.
One thing to consider referring to the black colour of the top sheet: I think next year’s version will come with a new top sheet which is meant to stop snow from sticking (wax able top sheet, can’t remember where I read it...). Sounds like a great improvement (amazing idea btw if it works) so if you can Id maybe wait and get it next season.
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198 Posts
I’d describe it as the breaking in process for carbon boards is more exagerrated/dramatic compared to traditional boards, as carbon boards are a bit more snappy from the start, both will end up kinda same, but carbon would loose more snap
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198 Posts
I ve been testing quite a few splits during last season, escalator’s top sheet was the least sticky, and the board is plenty durable, i witnessed a snowshark collision, the stone hit the nose near the edge with the consequent cartwheels, i flew over the nose myself few times and i’m heavy, the edge remained in place, nose did not fold
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198 Posts
I ended up with AT boots, phantoms and furberg allmtn, was curious about that floorboard tech, and thought that furberg being damper than carbon would be a bit more comfortable with AT boots. Both korua and furberg are made in Nobile factory, the quality is superb. I think that escalator with kohlas skins is one of the best splits i’ve tried.
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31 Posts
Nice, I hadn't seen the furberg splits - they are now on my list of potential purchases as well. Are you happy with the decision? Is the floorboard tech worth it? I'm worried that it adds a bit of hassle to the transition process.
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198 Posts
The floorboard makes for unique flex patter, there is no torsional or lateral flex in the middle of the board, don’t buy unless tested))) Transition is a transition - practice makes perfect. My main concern was the lamination around floorboard tongue and groove, T&G in general is a concern, like not hitting rocks or bending it, but so far so good. Ride is completely different from escalator, or any other splits. Easy to pivot, cuts through everything with ease, floats exceptionally well
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3,725 Posts
So on the note of koruas... been having not the best luck buying second hand koruas. My stealth showed up in slightly worse condition than advertised. Just picked up a 'brand new with one day on it' otto recently and the thing looks pretty beat for something that was referred to as brand new. It's still fine, but I'm pretty pissed that someone would misrepresent a board like that. Top sheet is roughed up a fair amount and base has a few nicks. Edges are pretty jagged... Oy.
In any event, pretty stoked about the otto. Haven't ridden it yet and likely won't for at least another week, but it's definitely a lot stiffer than I was expecting it to be! I thought it would be a hair stiffer than my signal yup but it's significantly stiffer. Can't wait to get out on it and see how it compare to boards like the yup and even the GNU spam I'm going to be riding for the first time this weekend.
Edit: Otto mayyy just be going back.
In any event, pretty stoked about the otto. Haven't ridden it yet and likely won't for at least another week, but it's definitely a lot stiffer than I was expecting it to be! I thought it would be a hair stiffer than my signal yup but it's significantly stiffer. Can't wait to get out on it and see how it compare to boards like the yup and even the GNU spam I'm going to be riding for the first time this weekend.
Edit: Otto mayyy just be going back.
So I finally managed to try the bullet train today.
what can I say...a very stiff board, would say the 9/10 Korua rate it at is probably good, maybe just a touch softer but certainly in the league of the UNW8 and alike.
Conditions unfortunately weren’t perfect as it had snowed quite a bit of fresh snow over night so that the runs had like 10-20cm of loose snow on top which turned into somewhat bumpy runs quite quickly and I don’t think the BT is great in these conditions or at least I didn’t manage to adjust during the couple of hours I was on it. When finding some smoother spots was possible to properly ride it and then it shows all its potential.
extemely long EE at 132cm obviously gives amazing edge hold which you need as the BT just wants to go fast. It’s not nimble at all, just a hard charging beast really. Also, can definitely feel the large sidecut radius, need to push very hard to get around smaller turns. Otherwise turns are relatively long. And definitely not a board for beginner/intermediate rider. You need to know what you are doing otherwise the board takes you for a ride.
As said I only had a few hours on it and probably should spend some more time to make a final judgement. But from the experience today I would say that the BT is a board for very specific conditions from harder snow to icy slopes and fairly smooth runs. However, still felt that the UNW8 has better edge hold on ice.
For me personally not a board I would consider buying as too limited for me in use plus I prefer a more nimble board with smaller sidecut radius. When in the right conditions, its great and is super stable though.
Might be something you’d like @Yeahti87 given you are in for long EE and bigger sidecut radius 😉.
what can I say...a very stiff board, would say the 9/10 Korua rate it at is probably good, maybe just a touch softer but certainly in the league of the UNW8 and alike.
Conditions unfortunately weren’t perfect as it had snowed quite a bit of fresh snow over night so that the runs had like 10-20cm of loose snow on top which turned into somewhat bumpy runs quite quickly and I don’t think the BT is great in these conditions or at least I didn’t manage to adjust during the couple of hours I was on it. When finding some smoother spots was possible to properly ride it and then it shows all its potential.
extemely long EE at 132cm obviously gives amazing edge hold which you need as the BT just wants to go fast. It’s not nimble at all, just a hard charging beast really. Also, can definitely feel the large sidecut radius, need to push very hard to get around smaller turns. Otherwise turns are relatively long. And definitely not a board for beginner/intermediate rider. You need to know what you are doing otherwise the board takes you for a ride.
As said I only had a few hours on it and probably should spend some more time to make a final judgement. But from the experience today I would say that the BT is a board for very specific conditions from harder snow to icy slopes and fairly smooth runs. However, still felt that the UNW8 has better edge hold on ice.
For me personally not a board I would consider buying as too limited for me in use plus I prefer a more nimble board with smaller sidecut radius. When in the right conditions, its great and is super stable though.
Might be something you’d like @Yeahti87 given you are in for long EE and bigger sidecut radius 😉.
Alright guys, need your sage advice. I'm a decent intermediate rider and I'm looking to get a board that I can begin to learn to start carving with. The reason I ask here is I'm very interested in the Cafe Racer. Would this be a good choice?
For reference I'm about 187cm, 86kg, boot 46.
Thanks!
For reference I'm about 187cm, 86kg, boot 46.
Thanks!
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651 Posts
Cafe Racer 159 is a decent fit. With a 269 waist and heavy taper, you're just borderline with the boot size (46 EU is roughly a 13 US or 29.5 mondo). However if you're an intermediate, you're not likely to get enough depth out of your carves to be booting out. Boot out may become an issue if you start driving higher board angle or riding steeper terrain.
The CR 164 is a better fit from a waist width perspective, but I would reckon too much board at your size if you're not a confident rider with strong technique.
If a CR then I’d certainly agree with the above. However, although Korua advertise the CR as a board suitable for beginners Im actually not 100% sure whether that’s the case. The 59 for sure is easier to ride than the 64 but overall I think that e.g. the pencil 64 might be a better option as I found easier to carve on (strangely, given they have the same shape and geometry...).
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8,027 Posts
"Decent" is a relative term. But I think anyone who can get down a green or blue without sideslipping is past beginner status. "Intermediate" is probably the widest grouping and takes up most of the bell curve.
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1,215 Posts
I’m 186 cm 86 kg 9,5 US Adidas (10 US nominal size), have owned CR 59 and 64 at the same time and tested them the same day on multiple occasions.
I’d go 64 in your case. But first double check and measure your both feet, 13 US seems huge and probably can be downsized. But with 13 US I’d go 64. Basic carving skill you can learn on any mid-flex board and you probably have one already.
I’d go 64 in your case. But first double check and measure your both feet, 13 US seems huge and probably can be downsized. But with 13 US I’d go 64. Basic carving skill you can learn on any mid-flex board and you probably have one already.
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3,725 Posts
I think people forget that the scale goes:
Beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert, pro, godlike.
I'd say there are atleast 3 categories of intermediates: those that just got there, those that are working on technique, those that are almost at the advanced level but have a few things they need to sort out with technique when the terrain gets challenging. I'd say advanced riders can ride almost all of the resort within their comfort zone with good technique. I wouldn't call someone that can get down a black run 'advanced' though it might be to the average person.
Carving is a skillset like anything else. People can be half decent freeriders that can ride an edge and not be into 'carving'. You can leave thin lines in the snow without having your hips almost touching the snow.
It's easy to forget that most of the people on this forum aren't the average snowboarder you see on the hill that get out for maybe a week a year, if that.
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