Gnu B Nice BTX

By Andrea

Board Model and Year: Gnu B Nice BTX 2010

Board Size: 145

Age: 30

Riding Style: freestyle

I bought the GNU B Nice BTX 2010 freestyle board in August of 2009 for my snowboarding session in Chile. The 2010 boards had just arrived in the local shop so I bought it. Wow, this board is incredible. My trip consisted of 7 nine hour days in a row on the snow. We had the slopes all to ourselves. You would not see another rider on the mountain for five or ten minutes. Also in Chile you can ride out of bounds at you own risk. It was like a dream. I did all sorts of riding, park, out of bounds, powder, early morning ice, and afternoon slush. Normally this intense riding would leave me extremely sore but, with this board it was a breeze.

The main reason this board rocks is the two new technologies engineered into the board. The first is banana technology. This is a reverse camber built into the board so it rocks or bends up. Gnu does something special and different from the other brands by keeping the banana rocker between your feet. When you stand on it the board goes flat so you will still have full contact with any hard packed snow conditions. If you are 50/50 in a rail or box you will have full contact there too. The second technology is the Magne-Traction. Which is a gentle wobble in the edge that creates 7 biting points of contact along the edge. When carving with this board in hard packed or icy snow it is so easy because of the super glue grip. This is the best grip you can get in a womens board right now. As soon as you pop it up and do a turn it is predisposed to turn. This makes snowboarding easier to learn on this board. For a more advanced rider it just takes less effort to turn. I also love the pop on the board and my landings stick.

Another cool attribute is the base. It does not require much waxing, is easy to maintain and repair. The board is entirely hand built in Washington state buy snowboarders. Consequently it has an excellent factory finish. The best I have seen out there today. It has a 4×2 insert pattern for a really great stance with adjustments. It has a nice wood core with plastic tip and tail bumpers. This is great because if someone puts a big slice in the nose or tail you can get it repaired. If the board was all wood you could not fix it. The flex rating on the board is 4 and will work for 90% of the riders. It is a great park board but, with the Magne-Traction it also works well as a carving board. With the banana technology it also works well in the powder too. I love this board it just makes everything so much easier, from tricks, to carving, to powder. Thank You Gnu.

Ride Machete – 2010

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The new 2010 Ride Machete snowboard was voted Snowboarder Magazine’s number one in the Men’s Best of Test category, and given its incredible all mountain performance, we’d have to agree.

The Ride Machete comes loaded with Ride’s innovative board technology, including LowRize rocker sidecut which minimizes hook while maintaining great pop. As with most Ride’s 2010 boards, the Machete features 85A Slimewalls which are extremely durable, and maintain forgiveness even when the temperatures dip below zero degrees. The board is soft enough to be fun in the park, but remains stable at high speeds.

Bottom line is the Ride Machete is a Swiss army knife on the mountain, suitable for intermediate through very advanced riders.

Key Features of the Ride Machete Snowboard include the following:

85A Slimewalls sidewals
LowRize Rocker
Cleave Edge edges
Performance Tuned Core
Biaxial Glass top
Fusion 4000 Base
LowRize sidecut

Where to Buy:

ProBoardShop.com

The-House.com

LowRize Rocker Technology from Ride Snowboards on Vimeo.

Atomic Alibi 2009

1 Reply

By: Elliot

Board Model and Year: Atomic Alibi 2009

Board Size: 156

Age: 25

Riding Style: All mountain

Pros – Nice flex and pop to the board. Floats a lot better in powder than I expected, especially since it’s not a wide board. Pretty fast for a board in this price range, and it handles excellently (probably the best handling board I’ve ridden – if the terrain is good, see cons below).

Cons – the edge, it kind of sucks. On powder and ungroomed terrain you won’t notice it. On packed powder (as long as it’s still powder) it probably won’t bother you. On hard packed or icey terrain, you’ll be pissed. It just doesn’t respond well here and the edge will give out if you make a hard turn. Also the board is NOT durable. After day 3, I noticed some big scratches/gashes in the base and the edge already needed to be sharpened. And I wasn’t doing anything crazy, just normal riding. Top sheet was also chipping away. Either Atomics QC department snoozed on this one, or they just don’t use good materials.

Final Thoughts: Overall it’s a good board and a moderate to advanced rider will be happy. West coast riders will find a lot to like about it, it’s handles powder nicely and it turns very well (especially good in the glades). East coast riders won’t be so pleased, since the edge won’t hold well on hard packed runs. Overall stability is a question mark at high speeds. But it’s not a very expensive board either (I paid $225 for mine), so overall you’re getting a little more than you’re paying for. Don’t expect it to last forever though, after 1 season of moderate use (no cliffs) it’s showing the mileage.

Burton Custom X 2008

2 Replies

By: Elliot

Board Model and Year: Burton Custom X 2008

Board Size: 155

Age: 25

Riding Style: All Mountain

Pros: Very good, fast base. One of the faster boards out there and it eats up groomed terrain. The edge is solid and holds very well (though I haven’t tested it on icey conditions – I live in the northeast – so I can’t confirm just how good the edge is). Very stiff board which is a pro or con depending on your riding style and abilities. I’m also a big fan of the design – intricate yet understated.
Cons: Doesn’t float very well in powder. I found myself sinking even when going fast and leaning back on the board. The stiffness of the board makes it difficult on un-groomed terrain and riding through the glades. I’m also not a fan of the binding layout, the holes were designed for Burton bindings and don’t give a lot of flexibility in binding positioning.
Final thoughts: I used this Board in Jackson Hole and Smuggler’s Notch (VT). Really this board is made for the East Coast. It’s got an excellent edge and it’s fast making it ideal on groomed runs and those unfortunate icey days that riders in the Northeast know all too well. West coast riders will notice its shortcomings a lot more, particularly on powder days, glades, and above the tree-line riding. East Coasters – don’t hesitate, Custom X is the way to go. West Coasters – you might be disappointed.

Burton Snowboards

K2 Brigade – 2010

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Another great all mountain board from K2, the 2010 K2 Brigade features K2’s new catch free technology. By adding a small amount of Rocker in the tip and tail, and reducing camber, the board is less likely to catch an edge, providing forgiving, easy to ride performance.

A great board for intermediate riders, looking to improve, the K2 Brigade provides consistent all-mountain performance at a reasonable price point. The Brigade comes equipped with K2’s latest board technologies including the W1 pure-wood core which adds flex, durability and a healthy snap. Hybritech construction combines the tip and tail into the sidewall, allowing for silky smooth turns.

The graphics are simple; classic bad ass k2 styling.

Additional features of the K2 Brigade include the follow:

Set Back Twin Dual Progressive Shape
1″ Back Stance
Biax Top and Base Glass
Extruded 2000 Base
Base Bevel: 3 Degree

Where to Buy:

ProBoardShop.com

TheHouse.com

Burton Deuce – 2010

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The 2010 Burton Deuce is the one of the best value snowboards this season, selling for less than $400. Light on Price, and Heavy on Features, the Burton Deuce provides superior edge hold, great pop and solid strength.

The Deuce features Burton’s own Super Fly core and Sintered base which allow the board to perform well in virtually any mountain condition. Burton recommends pairing the Deuce with their Custom bindings and Moto boots, which complements the Deuces performance and value. The graphics on the Deuce are pretty flat, but that’s typical with most of Burton’s boards; your money is going into board technology, not the graphics, and that’s a good thing.

Additional Deuce features include:

Twin Shape and Flex
Biax React Fiberglass
Grip and Rip Tune Edges
Slanwall Sidewalls
Pro Tip

Where to Buy:

The-House.com

ProBoardShop.com

Burton Fish 2010

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The new 2010 Burton Fish is built for no-nonsense, easy to ride, point it down the mountain speed. The Burton Fish is great board for all experience levels, and and features a Swallow Tail and S-Rocker, and more taper than any other board in the Burton line.

The Fish floats effortlessly through all snow conditions, turns on a dime and accelerates with ease. Featuring ‘The Channel’ technology, the Burton Fish offers unlimited stance options, with a direct connection between the rider and the board. ‘The Channel’ is designed to work Burton’s 3D and EST bindings.

Additonal features of the Burton Fish include the following:

Tapered Shape
Directional Shape
Medium Flex
Powder Fly 3 Core with Dualzone Edge
Negative Profile
Triax Response Fibergall
Sintered N20 WFO Base
Grip and Rip Tune Edges
Surf Rail sidewalls
Swallow Tail & Elliptical Nose

Where to Buy:

The-House.com

ProBoardShop.com

K2 Parkstar 2010

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The 2010 K2 Parkstar snowboard was created because they did not want to mess with the Darkstar, and they wanted to try something different. Therefore K2 decided to take all that people love about tech K2 Darkstar and add some new tech to come up with the K2 Parkstar.

The 2010 K2 Parkstar is a twin tip, high performance, FreeStyle machine. The difference between the Parkstar and the Darkstar is this board is built with the K2 Jib Rocker. The Jib Rocker is described by K2 as “loose, buttery feel while jibbing around the park or slaughtering the streets. Whether you’re pressing boxes or just playing around on the flats, JIB ROCKER has a forgiving no-catch feel that allows you to pull off even the most wild combinations. The flat mid-section allows you to lock into rails like you were on a skateboard.”

One thing to note on the K2 Parkstar is not to let the name fool you, even though this board has the name Park in it does not mean that is what it is all about. When K2 designed this snowboard that wanted to create a board that rip up the mountain from the top all the way till you hit the park. So for all the FreeStyle riders out there that like to treat the mountain like a playground, you may want to give this K2 a chance.

Check out this Board:

Proboardshop from $429.99

The-House from $429.99

K2 Jibpan – 2010

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If you live in the park, than the 2010 K2 Jibpan is the board for you. The K2 Jibpan features the K2 JIB TIP which integrates a longer effective edge with a shorter nose and and tail to provide a more maneuverable board without losing stability. As great as this board is in the park, it can also hold its own carving through the powder.

Hyper Progressive sidecuts and carbon inlays provides a quick response and a powerful pop. Like most of K2’s boards this year, the Jipan features the 4000 Sintered base, which K2 calls the “fastest natural material available”. Bottom line, this is a good all mountain board, and GREAT board for the park.

Additional features of the K2 Jibpan includes the following:

Integrated Harshmellow
Jib Tech Tip Tech
Twin Tip Hyper Progressive Shape
Centered Stance
Wh4 Core
Triax Top, ICG 20 Base Glass
Carbon Matrix ll Torsion Fork
Sintered 4000 Base
Base Bevel: 1 degree
New Jib Rocker Baseline

Where to Buy:
The-House.com

ProBoardShop.com

Rome Artifact 1985 – 2010

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by Matt P.

The 2010 Rome Artifact 1985 puts you in control of your snowboarding experience. Rome and it’s designers have one thing in mind when they design boards; a great day on the mountain for their riders.

The 2010 Artifact 1985 was designed with the rider in mind and is loaded with features. Glass Reverse-V Stringer Technology focuses energy in the center of the tip and tail for more pop. You’ll also get bronze edges for more baseline speed and added reliability. This innovative board will give you a whole new outlook on riding.

Key Features of The Artifact 1985 Men’s Snowboard 150cm:

Pop Core Matrix: Lightweight and smooth flexing
Impact Base: 90 Degrees off-axis glass fibers give a mellow, easy-to-control flex profile
Bronze Edges: Baseline speed with added durability
Glass Reverse-V Stringer Technology: The Reverse V focuses energy in the center of the tip and tail for more longitudinal pop
Jib Bevel(-3 Base/-3 Side): Extra to minimize hang-ups on rails, ledges and boxes

Buy this board

From $389.95 at ProBoardShop

From $389.95 at The-House