[Yeahti87]

Right still a question before I hit the slopes tomorrow - have you followed Koruas recommendation of a narrower stance with positive angles for both bindings in the CR? It’s a beast of a board (so far side wise) and almost feels wrong to have such a narrow stance (think they recommend 55...).

Also, any recommendation re set up, i.e. centred or set back binding set up? I’ll of course play around with it tomorrow as I go but thought you might have some pointers as to what worked best for you guys.

I’ve ridden it 55 most of the time and works great with ++ on a nice groomer. Tried it lately with 57-58 , both with ++ and 0 at the back foot inspired by the toy guys that usually run it wide for their height. Way more stability when it gets bumpy. I think I’ll keep it that way for now. Bindings with the default setback 20-25 mm.

 

[Yeahti87]

that said, I will try the bullet train tomorrow and see how that goes 😂

Waiting for your impressions on the Unw8 vs Bullet Train. Like all the Koruas it will be a different carving style but wondering how the flex/dampness etc. compare

 

[Yeahti87]

I'm going to try and go to a Swiss/Austrian glacier in the summer, but those conditions aren't really great for Korua-like boards

Wrong The best scenario is softer snow, be it a nice groomer or slush. Take it for a summer glacier trip!

 

[Yeahti87]

@edi414 Where is your feedback on the BT!

 

[Yeahti87]

CR 59 floated great in powder. I haven’t tried 64 there yet but must be even better. You are interested in carving hard so I’d go CR 64. Dart 64 should be the choice if you want pow plus trees (easier to slash the tail). In the open pow both will deliver super well anyway. The Dart will float even a bit better but we’re talking about some difference at the ‚great’ float level.

 

[Yeahti87]

Seems a couple of you own the Surfari, also. It's still sort of on my radar, though a little concerned about the "medium" flex and mellower camber compared to their Penta, as I prefer a healthy bit of camber. Any of you Surfari owners able to compare it to the Pencil, with regards to flex on snow, pop & stability/dampness at speed? Cheers.

Rode the new 161 Surfari my buddie has. Not a medium flex at all. Compared to the old Penta 156 that you own, the new Centrifugals are way stiffer (and I like it more). Can’t flex them one by one now but the nose and the tail on the new Surfari is for sure stiffer than the old Penta and softer than the new Penta. The Surfari has a stiffer nose than the Koruas as well. When it comes to the camber feel, you feel the rocker in the nose. It takes longer to get that full bite and locked in feel compared to a true full camber that beats them all on a nice groomer imo. I also feel that my Cafe Racers 159 and 164 grip earlier but the lock in feel, once engaged, is not as strong (more taper and a degressive sidecut on the Koruas). CR 59 (and Pencil 64) is a quicker turner than the 161 Surfari.
When it comes to pop, my impression is that this is comparable between the CR and the Surfari but yet to truly test it and focus on that. Pencil might be easier to pop as you have more tail to spring off.
Stability and dampness at speed goes to the Surfari due to the 3D nose shaping with a stiffer flex, less taper and a radial sidecut what makes it more consistent imo.

 

[Yeahti87]

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"

2,330 Likes, 32 Comments - Snowpark LAAX (@snowparklaax) on Instagram: "Positive vibes, positive stance, smooth turns and an incredible style would be a good description..."

www.instagram.com

That’s the guy that invented the carve flip trick (or at least made it famous) 😁 He can probably do the same on a door. But yeah, amazing riding.

 

[Yeahti87]

Can anyone help explain the otto to me? Angry's review seemed pretty unremarkable till the verdict.
Is it a good freestyle board for folks that like the ride for koruas or is it a good freestyle board period? There are so many boards in that category that seem to be so good that it's a bit wild to think that korua got one dialed in as well as some of the experienced players... thinking the likes of rome in that category though I guess their boards are definitely not as wide.

I rode @dudi_wroc Otto 161 yesterday. From Angry’s review you think it’s a freestyle board. It’s not. You have the Stealth. The flex on the Otto is SLIGHTLY softer than their tapered boards like CR/TF/Pencil etc. The tail is stiff, it was hard to tail press it. I had easier time yesterday pressing my Nitro Pantera 166 than the Otto
It does ride switch well, has a lot of pop but it’s rather an all mountain-freeride board with a twinnish shape. Rode my other buds Flagship 161 yesterday as well, easier to tail press again and felt more playful. Ravine is a noodle compared to the Otto. And I like stiffer boards.

Take your Stealth, soften it just a bit keeping the same directional flex pattern, reshape it and you have the Otto.
It’s a board for a guy who wants a twinnish Korua that doesn’t suck switch as the other shapes.

 

[Yeahti87]

I took away that it is a carving board with a moderate waist and twinnish shape...like another board I’m very familiar with

Overall the review is spot on. Just that flex section with a middle of the road freestyle flex is off. Change it to a middle of the road freeride flex and noone will mistake it for a freestyle deck.

 

[Yeahti87]

Does anyone know how the flex of the Otto compares to something like a Ride Superpig? I imagine them to be similar, but maybe the Otto is a little siffer?

Our bud has a Superpig. The Otto is indeed stiffer, like one step up in a 1/10 scale, similar directional flex.

 

[Yeahti87]

I imagine they wouldn’t ride similarly at all

Yup, different boards. Very different sidecuts and the Korua is more beefy and damp for sure.

 

[Yeahti87]

Snowboard Robot ++ on a TF

 

[Yeahti87]

KORUA 21/22 Snowboards Preview - Boardsport SOURCE

BoardSport Source presents a preview of KORUA 21/22 Snowboards collection by conducting an interview with a member of the team behind it.

www.boardsportsource.com

Pocket Rocket with steel edges.
A new more switch friendly Transition Finder. Alek’s influence? No more Tranny’s
Pin Tonic - Trenchdigger 2.0?

 

[Yeahti87]

Makes total sense to change the TF to a less tapered board. Less overlap with CR/Pencil/Stealth etc. Now I can have an incentive to add one...

 

[Yeahti87]

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.

 

[Yeahti87]

I think people were kinda using the TF as the Otto... pre-otto if that makes sense. It's the most freestyle friendly of their older shapes and reducing the setback seems like it would make it more freestlye friendly while still letting you move the bindings back for powder or more carving.

Pretty much. Yet a board with a 3 cm taper, 2 cm setback and a long degressive sidecut in the tail isn’t much fun switch. CR with the same geometry is one of the worst boards for switch I’ve been on. Doable but let’s be honest - bad. I like that change in TF, makes more sense to grab it in the future (depending on the quiver moves).

 

[Yeahti87]

More stoke

 

[Yeahti87]

I rode Pentaquark once, was ok but I liked Cafe Racer more that day. Yeahti87 is Pentaquark fan and he says the same to me everytime we talk, so I guess I need to try it again soon

Pentaquark 158 is great as an all condition daily carver (though too small for my 85 kg).
But I wouldn’t say it’s a dedicated softboot carver for the reasons @garikgarik mentioned here.
When I’m on a smooth groomer, be it icy or not, I have been taking out my Endeavor Alpha 160W lately (again a bit too small but the grip is better due to the EE). That’s a civil softboot carver for me. Now looking to add a bigger softboot carver that fits my specs like SG Soul 164 or the likes.
Dedicated softboot carvers should have a lot of EE and more than 10 m sidecut imo. And a choice of sizes that are up to high 160s imo.

I’m telling @snow & pow adventures to get the Bullet Train but that bastard resists 😀

 

[Yeahti87]

I'm not sure I agree. Unless they changed something there's really no rocker in the nose. That board is all effective edge and I don't know if I'd like to go off piste with one. I tried the old one though.

No rocker but some setback, little taper and a great nose shape float quite ok. Not for deep powder but I didn’t have any issues in some pow on it. And about the EE = 158 Penta has the same EE as my all mountain freestyle carving board Nitro Suprateam in 162 (though Penta still grips better due to the flex). For someone around 70 kg that might be a lot. For 85 kg like me (I think it’s a pretty average weight for a male) it’s not the EE for a dedicated softboot carver. The Pantera 166 I used to own or the Alpha grip better on icy steeps, you cannot cheat the EE there if both boards are stiff enough in a full camber.

 

[Yeahti87]

Hi everyone, first time poster here.

I've been riding a Cafe Racer 159 for a couple seasons now, and in general I've been very happy with it. I consider myself an experienced rider with 30 years of riding, and I've also been a snowboarding instructor in one of the biggest resorts on my country.

At 175lb and a bit over 6 ft with a US11.5 boot, I have felt the CR 159 is manouverable, great in powder and definitely not too stiff, more on the loose side and the tail sometimes feels even too short and loose. On soft groomers, I still have suffered some toe and heel drag with +35° / +10° angles, and on hard groomers it feels a bit nervous and skips when I'm charging hard.

So, I went and ordered the Cafe Racer 164 and yesterday rode it for the first time. A completely different beast. The tail is a lot longer, wider and stiffer. Overall, the 164 lets me carve a lot harder, is more stable and holds edge better than the 159 did. I can now drag my elbows instead of just touching with my hands. It also demands more speed, determination and power from my quads to ride it to its full potential.

I kind of miss the 31mm taper the 159 had, and the 164 doesn't have a similar riding from the back seat feeling. Because of the longer, wider and stiffer tail, the 164 is not as good in powder and it causes rear leg burn more than the 159 did. The loose and playful feel of 159 also was something I liked.

Comparing my experiences of these two boards led me to think of getting a Dart 160! It has the same width and taper as CR 164, but a shorter and looser tail, and the rocker nose probably would help with the iron rod feel that CR 164 has in lower speeds.

Has anyone ridden both CR 164 and Dart 160, and how you would compare them?
Is there a big difference between the camber and rocker profiles?

I used to own the CR 59 and 64 (kept it) at the same time and compared them one by one on the same days. I also rode the Koruas from @dudi_wroc quiver. I don’t find any float issues at 6’2 195 lbs 9 US (my feet are 10 US). The CR 59 was way more playful and agile but didn’t fit the quiver. Dart 160 feels very similar to my Cafe 164, they are both camber with some minimal rocker in the nose. It’s the width difference that you feel the most.
Make sure your boots are properly fit, I bet you could go down to 10.5 US and be happy with the CR 59.