Blogs Results

All Prospect Snowboards offer bamboo sidewalls and longer effective edges for better overall control. The Bamboo sidewalls offer multiple benefits. Specifically it is lighter, stronger, and adds stability to the overall ride. Without getting too technical, bamboo is 25% lighter and its tensile "burst" strength is 2 times as strong as regular core material meaning more pop. Being set at the sidewall, the stiffer bamboo offers torsional stiffness and natural vibration dampening, leading to a faster, more stable platform. Bamboo is being used more in snowboarding not only because it of its high strength to weight ratio but it also lasts because it is continuously strong even when temperature drops. Neil Henderson, the owner of Prospect snowboards says "My goal was to make the fastest, hardest carving true twin snowboard available".

To accompany the benefits of bamboo sidewalls, Prospect's geometry stretches out the effective edge, aka contact points as far as it can go. This adds to the ride stability andactually provides the performance of a longer board. According to Neil, "It's like adding 2 to 4 cm of length without having to ride a heavier, longer board." The longer effective edge puts the contact points closer to the tip of the board giving your edges more surface contact to grip in turns. This means less washing out of hard carves and smooth, stable turns for maximum control. Together, bamboo sidewalls and the longer effective edge Prospect's boards offer harder carves and a ride smoother than other freestyle decks. Neil believes this sidewall and effective edge combination are the most underrated manufacturing techniques that contribute to his goal of making the fastest and hardest carving true twin available.

Also underrated in the design of snowboards is rubber dampening, carbon fiber beams, and even more so their placement inside the construction of the board.

Prospect uses rubber in sandwich/sidewall snowboard design to reduce shock and vibration in turns and while landing big hits. According to Neil, rubber stripping is placed around the outside of the board and in the middle sections to act like a shock absorber. He says “Rubber placement is key to a boards ride because it turns the overbearing rigidity into smooth fluid movements.” His smooth ride philosophy on rubber dampening also contributes their boards lasting ride and overall durability. The way snowboards are ridden they are continuously flexed over and over again. Without sufficient rubber dampening the epoxy bonds break down leading to a lifeless board with no pop and it will eventually break. The rubber Prospect places inside the board allows small amounts of flex between the layers reducing wear on the epoxy bonds.

The Carbon laminates Neil puts in Prospect’s boards are common among most snowboards, but he believes his carbon “X-beams” also add to the boards ride. “Our X-beams are placed from the feet to the contact point at the edge. This allows Prospect to have lighter cores with added spring back. The carbon placement also contributes to their tensional stiffness, adding to the overall stability at high speed. Neil’s take on carbon fiber is: “We tried different carbon patterns, stringers, an “A” pattern on each end, Inverted “A’s”; the X pattern is the only thing that directly transfers power from your feet to the edge. There is a small sacrifice in low speed carving, but who rides slow?”

Also on the top of Prospect’s priority list is making bombproof boards. While no one should condone using a snowboard as a bomb shield, the fact is Prospect has developed 2 more ways to ensure Prospect is known as a brand that makes premium snowboards that perform and last. Neil’s philosophy is “I’m a product guy. I believe that the best products are better than the best marketing. Prospect isn’t a statement in style as much as it is a statement in quality.”

There is a few steps Prospect has taken to assure they achieve that quality. First, the Premier Special Edition Models have “Seamless edges”. Their edges are high carbon, hardened steel with no cut seam; a real 360 degree edge. This was developed to reduce edge failures from hard hits against rocks, trees, and rails. Second, the Two-part flexible epoxy serves as a dampening system, increases flexibility, and prevents delaminating. Neil’s take on Prospect’s epoxy system: “Our epoxy mixture adds a rubber like characteristic to the compound. It makes the boards tough as nails. “When we do Prospect Demos we always tell riders Hey, go break this board. We’re still waiting.”

Prospect Snowboards is on a mission to bring some killer decks to the table. They aren’t well known and they don’t dump their cash into marketing. Instead they stick to their mission. To drive home their point they gave all Prospect Snowboards a 2 year warranty and Neil Assures they stand by their warranty; if you break your board riding we’ll fix it free or you get a replacement if we can’t fix it. Good points, and Neil concludes by saying “Hey, ya know, we’re putting up a true effort here to bring out boards that pushes the accountability of a snowboard company. We listen to what each individual rider wants and we work to build that into our boards.”

 Add/View Comments (0)

I am going to talk to you about affiliate marketing or what is most commonly know as MLM – Multi Level Marketing.

For those of you who have not heard of MLM it is considered the best way to make money online although I have to say this method has received a lot of stigma over the years namely from those people who never made money from them and quit.

The fact is that 70% of people that TRY MLM programs usually quit within 2 months of joining and are usually for the same reasons, that they never made any money.

Truthfully those people were probably told they would make a small fortune in a very short period of time but sadly the person that introduced them was only interested in signing them up and failed to explain how to build a successful business.

To build any business successfully will require hard work and should be treated as a full-time job although this is not permanent it is necessary to build a solid foundation in the early days.

Sadly most are not presented with these facts so I guess you cannot blame them for quitting or even giving the MLM opportunities a bad name.

There are 3 main reasons to be able to succeed in any MLM program which I am about to share with you and in my opinion are key to success.

• The Right Program - You need to find the right MLM program that is low cost and offers the best compensation plan.
• The Dream – This has to be one of the most important ingredients because if your dream is big enough you will do whatever it takes to achieve it.
• Support – You need support with anything that is new especially from those who are already successful and are willing to help you succeed.

Ok now let’s look at these 3 key reasons in more depth to help put things in perspective.

The Right Program

Now although there are a lot of MLM programs on the internet it is important that they are an established company, offer an excellent compensation plan, provide tools to help you build your business and have a product that most people want and need.

GDI or Global Domains International are in my opinion the only MLM company that offers all of this and for only $10 a month.

Now one thing you have to realise is that if you want to work online from home and be successful in any business there will be some cost attached to it. Although GDI offers you your own business, product and unlimited income opportunity for only $10 a month plus you can try it for 7 days free.

So lets break it down and see what you get for your hard earned $10 a month.

• Web Hosting
• Your own domain name
• 10 email addresses
• Web site building tool
• Access to the GDI Forum
• Tools to promote your business
• Unlimited income opportunity

As you can see you get your own website, the tools to build it and can be active online within a few short hours but what’s more incredible is you can earn money too.

So who are GDI and how do I make money?

Global Domains International, or GDI, was founded in 1999 by Michael Reed, CEO and Alan Ezeir, President who both recognized another opportunity that was largely ignored. The dot com boom that was so popular back in 1995 reached its peak around march of 2000. What Michael Reed and Alan Ezeir wondered was if there were other available extensions that businesses could use as a domain name. They ultimately focused on the domain extension .WS, which belonged to the tiny island nation of Samoa, deep in the South Pacific. They were able to execute a deal with Samoa stating they had to produce 15,000 registered domain .ws extensions in 3 years. Well they accomplished that goal in GDI’s 1st month of business and the rest as they say is history. In the 2002 Special issue of Inc. magazine, Global Domains International placed #37 on the Inc 500 magazine’s “List” of the USA’s 500 fastest growing private companies and #5 in the state of California. If you have come across any .ws adresses on the internet you can rest assured that they have been registered through Global Domains International, as GDI has single handedly captured the market share for the .ws extension. But what really puts the icing on the cake is the amazing business opportunity they have incorporated in to the equation.

So now let’s talk about how you earn money.

For every person that you refer to GDI you will earn $1 every month for as long as that person remains a member.

That person that you refer – for every person that they refer to GDI, you will earn $1 every month for as long as that person remains a member. This continues down for 5 levels.

So even if you only refer one person, but that one person referred 50 people, you would earn $1 for each of those 50 people. If those 50 people referred just 1 person each, that’s another $50 per month you’d earn.

Remember though, as I said earlier you only get out of a program what you put into it. You could very easily get someone in your downline that could refer 50 people and that would be great, but you might not, so don’t just rely completely on your downline, especially in the beginning, try to refer a few people.

Let’s look at an example of the sort of income you can earn with GDI.

If you referred 10 people and those 10 people referred just 5 people each, and those 5 people referred 5 people each, and so on for 5 levels. Your monthly income would be $7810.

Sound Good???

Well that’s not all, GDI also offer a weekly bonus scheme of $100 for every 5 people you personally introduce. So for example if 20 people joined your business you would be paid $400 for that week and best of all there is no limit to the amount of people you refer. If you were to do the same every week that would an average of $1600 a month which for a lot of people would replace their job salary.

You may be thinking it sounds too good to be true or how can I refer 10 people, I don’t know 10 people that would be interested in this.

Well its not too good to be true, there are people earning even more than that with GDI.

As far as referring people GDI offer the tools to help with this however as I mentioned previously support in this business is key to your success from those who are already successful.

The Dream

To be successful you need to have a reason or a dream this could be a few hundred dollars a month to begin with or a new car.

What I have found is that people fear to dream because they don’t believe it will happen. It has amazed me being around this business how quickly people underestimate themselves and what started out as being a dream of making a few hundred dollars a month turned into buying their dream home cash.

This business offers so much its about people helping people and the feeling of knowing you have helped others take back their lives is priceless.

Support

Most people that join MLM programs have little or no experience on how to build a successful business and sadly quit before they even get started.

Having support from those who are already successful in this type business is by far priceless and it amazes me that so many people do not grasp this when inviting people to join.

After all the core of all MLM businesses is helping others to succeed which in turn helps you succeed.

Failing to grasp this simple concept and not put in any effort will surely lead to failure and again these types of people will only end up hopping from one opportunity to another but never finding success.

So there you have it an honest opinion on Multi Level Marketing which I hope this article has helped you in your pursuit for financial freedom

Donna Fielding is a successful network marketer with GDI. Click the link below to watch a video presentation on the GDI opportunity and the 7 day FREE trial and see if Global Domains International is the right choice for you.

www.themoneyprospect.com

(copy and paste into your browser)

 Add/View Comments (0)

Whistler recently hosted the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival from April 11th to the 20th. In what has become an annual event for me, I made my usual pilgrimage to Whistler to attend; an attempt to escape the concrete, mortar, metal, and glass wilderness for the snowy peaks of British Columbia.

Upon unloading at the bus loop in the main village, I came to the realisation that my accommodations were actually in the upper village. This meant that all my gear had to be hauled to the proper location. I guess the gods wanted to make sure that I was properly warmed up and exposed to the nature I was so fervently seeking, so I ended up rolling my wheelie locker through Fitzsimmons trail (a failure of my geographic knowledge of the village indeed) to the condo. When I finally got myself and my gear to Glacier Lodge, it was time to ring up the peeps in order to exchange greetings, hugs, hi-fives, and tall tales. I tracked them down at the Longhorn and joined them up for a little après (après bus trip for me, après snowboarding for them).

The amazing thing about the Telus World Ski and Snowboard festival is that, although it only happens once a year, there's a sense of familiarity when you run into friends you haven't seen since the last festival. It was as though last year's festival never ended and everyone just picked up where they left off (with the possible exception of the new faces which were promptly integrated into the group of dirtbags).

Saturday morning finally rolled around and it was time for the long awaited first runs up Blackcomb to hold congress with the mountain. In keeping with my usual modus operandi of deep metaphysical self-discovery on the chairlift (not self-exploration you perverts), I got to thinking about the struggle between the physical and the divine. I was cogitating on the true nature of the connection between the body, soul, and the mountain. The physical connection is obvious (this was on my mind due to a knee injury sustained the week prior in Banff), but the spiritual connection was a bit more difficult to pin down.

I went snowboarding everyday that I was in Whistler resulting in my body being in various states of "ache and pain" throughout, but I felt content. The crew I was riding with was also changing daily from groups as large as twelve to being by myself. The same sense of contentment, however, was always there regardless of how large or small the group was. This led me to remember a quote from a famous Jedi master in the movie "The Empire Strikes Back." When Luke asks Yoda what might be found in the cave, Yoda's answer was "only what you take with you." This is significant in many ways and is especially evident on those solo freshie manoeuvres that I often partake in. It led me to realize that whenever I'm snowboarding, all my loved ones are there with me in their purest essence (without any noise caused by things so caustic as cliques or inter-personal drama). This I believe is where the spiritual comes in. Although Whistler/Blackcomb, the resort, is itself a morass of steel, concrete, cables and glass, when the p-tex hits the snow, none of that really matters, all that's there is what you brought with you. Although the sensations are dramatically physical, the exileration is just as dramatically spiritual and this is what drives me, and I'm sure many others, to pursue this congress with the mountain.

Between the crazy parties, the jokes about shi*t-tickets (toilet paper), the drinking, and the general shenanigans, the occasional runs on mahogany ridge, the important part of Telus seems to have been coming together with people we care about in the nature we all love. To borrow a phrase from a loved one, I left Whistler with my body having that used and abused feeling, however, I also left Whistler feeling enriched from revisiting old friendships and making new ones. With that, I can honestly say that I can't wait until next year's festival. I hope to see you all there. Until then...

Keep Shreddin' the GNAR!

 Add/View Comments (4)

Though I’m a man of few words, I do actually have a lot to say.  I’ve covered a few things here, probably enough to think about for a while. 

It’s been said, probably many times over many years, that "the best things in life are free."  If that’s the case, then why do so many people seem to think they NEED that new Lexus, $900 purse or the 7000 square foot home?  Why do so many people feel the need to live in excess?  When did ’the little things’ stop meaning so much and become overrun with desire to posess?  Is it greed?  Is it because they lead boring lives completely void of humbling experiences?  I guess I just see so many people focused too much on material things that enhance their net worth, and not things that enhance their LIFE, their character, their entire existence.  It’s rather sad that it seems only in times of disaster are most people brought to their knees, only then do they realize how fragile we humans are.  Only then do they truly begin to value their life, just being alive, having their friends and family alive, etc.  Of course no one is perfect, and I will be the first to admit I have taken things for granted from time to time, but I try to place value on the things that I’d miss most if they were gone.  And just to clarify this, when I say ’things’ I am not referring to anything material, the things I’m referring to cannot be held in your hand, hung on your wall or parked in your garage. 

A few months ago, I was snowboarding with some friends at Whistler and I had a rather memorable experience.  While waiting in a lift line I noticed Natasza Zurek standing nearby, just minding her own business eating a granola bar.  We ended up being on the chair behind her and when we got to the top I went over to say hello.  Though I’d never met her before, I’ve read many interviews over the years and always held her in very high regard.  She seemed to think very much like I do and I’ve always admired her skills and possibly most of all, her ability to remain humble.  I introduced myself and we talked briefly about living in Canada, how much snow had fallen so far, etc.  We talked about how much fun snowboarding is and then she asked me, "Do YOU love snowboarding?" almost as if it were rare to encounter another person who felt the same way.  I said I do, and that it’s the only thing that really makes me feel alive anymore.  We went our separate ways but that question has stuck with me, and as rare as it may be to encounter someone who truly loves snowboarding, I think it’s even more uncommon to encounter someone who is so down-to-earth, realistic and humble as she is.  It seems like any day you go snowboarding there’s always some fool who think it’s okay to cut you off or snake your line because they just spun their first 540 and they’re going to be the next Shaun White.  Sorry kids, but attitude only takes you so far in life.  We need more people like Natasza.  We need more people with a true love and passion for things that no amount of money could ever buy.  It doesn’t matter if you love snowboarding, painting pictures, or watching grass grow...pour your heart into it and feel the LIFE it breathes back into you.  Feel the satisfaction of doing something yourself, or better yet, doing something for someone else.  I know this blog is going all over the place, but hang in there, I’ll get to the point eventually. 

I wore a helmet while snowboarding a few times early in the season but got out of the habit at some point, probably because I was riding so much powder and not really thinking I’d need it.   On the morning of Friday March 21st, I put my helmet on for the first time since mid December, and set out to enjoy the new snow.  It was softer and deeper than I had expected, so I made my way to the backside of the mountain to ride some steeper terrain.  To make a long story a little shorter, I was riding down a narrow (single cat width) trail, going approximately 35 mph.  There were 3-4 people about 100 feet ahead of me when I came around the last corner before the trail drops to a flatter area with a wide, slow corner.  I was moving faster than the people in front of me but they were doing their own thing and I watched the first person I’d come up upon first as they did mild carves, staying entirely on the right side of the trail.  The people in front of this person had accelerated and were much farther ahead by this time, so I saw my opportunity to make it to the flat corner without slowing down.  Right about as I got up to the person riding on the right of the trail, they made a sudden sharp left turn, right into me.  I had nowhere to go but off the trail.  The next thing I knew, I was laying in the snow, leaning downhill slightly with blood running out of my nose like a faucet and my right eye wouldn’t open all the way.  I looked back up hill to see that I apparently hit a tree, which pretty much brought me to an immediate stop.  My goggles were in my hand, though I don’t remember taking them off.  Luckily the guy who ran into me was very concerned and talked with me and we determined he was okay but I defnitely needed to get some help.  After about 10 minutes of laying there (all I wanted to do was lay there, things didn’t look right), I still couldn’t get the bleeding to stop.  At the time I didn’t know, but my goggle lenses had broken and apparently sliced me pretty good above and below the eyebrow, which also bled a lot.  We finally rode the rest of the way to the bottom of the chair, where I decided I was well enough to ride up to the top.  The second I got on the chair I realized I probably should have waited at the bottom, but it was too late to change my mind and I made it to the top alright.  When I got to the top of the chair, Ski Patrol was waiting for me.  They gave me gauze for my eyebrow and oxygen, which didn’t really seem to help.  Then they took me down in a tobaggan, and some ambulances took me to the hospital.  The end result?  My nose is broken and has been pushed to the right, my right eye is partially full of blood, ten or so stitches above the eyebrow, a few below, cheekbone broken in at least 3 places and pushed back into my face which apparently pinched off some nerves, I have no feeling whatsoever in the right side of my nose, right upper cheek/under eye and both right and left (why the LEFT side??) temples.  My jaw seems to be in the same place, but because the bones above it are broken my teeth don’t line up the way they used to.  The next day my knees hurt and it appears that I must have almost straddled the tree (good thing my board prevented this!) as both knees had huge bruises on the inside and the left knee was scraped pretty good.  Nothing permanent though, thankfully!  Other than being in a little pain, occasional dizziness, and a fair amount of discomfort I’m doing alright. 

Various people have since said to me, "That’s why you gotta wear a helmet!" and I have had to correct them, "No, you don’t understand...I WAS wearing a helmet."  I’m not exactly sure what would have happened had I not been wearing it, but I do know that you never hear much from people who hit their head on a tree while moving at 35mph and NOT wearing a helmet.  Probably because they’re in a coma, brain dead, or just plain...dead.  Without knowing how close I came to any of those results, it’s hard to say how ’lucky’ I am, but I feel pretty damn lucky!  Having several days to reflect on what happened and what could have happened, it really made me think of many things.  It makes me realize how important family and friends are, as well as allllll of the little things we do every day that we take for granted.  Everything from breathing through our nose to chewing food, being able to fall asleep comfortably or even just yawning.  I thought about all of the things I love to do, and how much I’d miss them if I were never able to do them again.  I thought how much I wish I could just go up to the mountain, ride down a ways and just sit down and look around, breathing in all the fresh air and listening to the sounds, watching my good friends having fun, etc.  It reallly made me saddd to think about losing that, among other things. 

I read an interview with Jonaven Moore in Snowboard Canada magazine recently, and I’d like to quote a few things he said because...well, because I don’t think I could have said them any better myself.  SC magazine basicly asked how he would justify or explain the risks he takes (as we all do) to someone who doesn’t know or understand why we do it.  "It really comes down to the love [you have] for something. I’ve had quite a few friends die snowboarding, and I can honestly say they were so truly in love with the mountains and the connection they found there.  We do some crazy things when we’re in love."   I couldn’t agree more.  Just look at the things people do when they are in love with anyone or anything, not just snowboarding.  We do some crazy things when we’re in love.  They also ask him about an accident he had where he broke his jaw in 4 places, and what he learned from it.  "...I went into it your average, reasonably attractive, white kid--things really don’t come much easier to you on this planet.  I woke up in the hospital and looked in the mirror at a face I didn’t even recognize.  I looked like my head should be attached to someone who weighed more than 300 pounds.  It’s come a long way since, but the aesthetics of my facial structure were downgraded on some level, and they’ll never be the same again.   We have a lot attached to the face we see in the mirror.  It is very much who we perceive ourselves to be, and I don’t think I’m being shallow by saying that s much as I’m being honest.  That one accident has taught me so much about how I look at people, what I see in people and what really matters."  What really matters.   WHAT REALLY MATTERS.

So what really matters?  A new Lexus?  That $900 purse?  The 7000 square foot home?  I may never get the feeling back in my face, and it may never look like it used to, but I’m okay with that because I do realize that I AM lucky.  I’m the lucky one!  Countless people are hurt every day, far worse than I am right now.  Some will never see again, some will never walk or talk again, some will never wake up from their sleep and some will never think clearly again.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, tomorrow is not promised to anyone.  Be thankful for what you DO have today, and again, I’m not talking about material things.  Be thankful that you woke up this morning, and that you are able to push your own shopping cart around the store, and that you see someone extraordinarily handsome or beautiful when you look in the mirror.  Go outside and take a deep breath of fresh air and just be happy you can breathe!  And every time you do something that seems rediculously mundane, just remember that there are millions of people worldwide who can no longer do those things and would probably trade anything for one more walk through a park, one more breath of fresh air, one more look at something beautiful, one more minute with a loved one.  Someone once said that the moment we are born, we begin to die, and it’s true.  We only have so many hours, so many days to spend doing whatever it is we choose to do with our time.  Once we’re gone, we’re gone for good, and the same goes for those we love.  Money can be wasted, time can be wasted.  You can earn new money, but you can never regain wasted time.  I’m not concerned whether you agree or disagree with me, I just ask that if you happen to have read all of this that you take some time and determine what is truly important to you, what things you truly love and are passionate about.  And remember, I’m not talking about material things!!!  Watch the news someday.  Though it’s unfortunate, you’re bound to see coverage of some disaster somewhere and inevitably you’ll see people involved in it and possibly catch a glimpse of what is really important to them...and you.

 Add/View Comments (0)

1.        164 Flow Solitude WX with NXT FX's (07/0). 
Conditions: Crunchy icy man made snow mixed with natural snow, brisk but slightly overcast with hints of sunshine.
Stance: 22 wide 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: 06/07 Vans Fargo Boas size 11 with 100 plus days on them.
One word description: Fun
This board is straight up fun, you can haul on it and rail a carve like no other.  The carbon fiber X's that make up the Whiskey X construction allow for ultimate pop in the tail, yet provide lots of stability under foot.  This board held an edge like no other and was amazing.  Seriously blew my mind.  Also super light.  The bindings were phenomenal, my boots are shot and kind of loose but the bindings compensated like no other.  You get awesome stability in these, the ease of Flows as usual, and the ability to drive.  If anything I found edge initiation easier on these bindings than my 390's, and have to say probably one of the best bindings I've been on so far.
 

2.       Atomic Rapture 157 (07/08) with Rome 390's (06 - 07)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: End of the day sunshine going down, pushed snow, icy, windy, temps dropping.
One word description: Mediocre
The new shape of this board makes it semi overlap the Alibi in my opinion.  Also the introduction of the Nomex in the core has severely reduced its weight, but made the flex almost unpredictable, as it is a softer material.  Edge to edge this board is fast and butterable, but knowing that nomex honeycomb is crap I'd be afraid this board would blow apart.  Had decent pop, but this board is far from what the rapture of yore was, the Axum and pivot would be better choices since they are on the same chassis.
 

3.       163 Salomon Burner with SPX 45's (07/08)
Stance 22 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Flat light, mid morning, sun was starting to peak through the clouds.  Rollers and push mounds galore.
One word description: Springy
This board for being a super free ride board was kind of sad, I felt it was way to soft.  The best way to describe it is springy.  At high speeds I could feel some vibrations under foot, but the ERA tech in it definitely distributes pressure outwards towards the edge.  The edge hold was ok but its sidewall is poop in my opinion.
 

4.       157 Lib tech Jaime Lynn (07/08) with Rome 390's
Stance 22 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: End of the day flat light in spots, shadows, sun setting, windy, icy, harder push mounds, lumpy snow.
One word description: Old school
So since everyone claims I'm on crack with my interpretation of this board I took it out again.  I'll say it again this board is relatively soft and butterable.  Its ok edge to edge and you can noticeably tell the difference between the sidewall to the cap.  All in all it’s like riding a board from 10 years ago.  I wasn't overly impressed hence why you don't see my recommendations of this board all that much.  It’s got decent pop but nothing spectacular.  I think the JL name sells it more than the ride.
 

5.       161 K2 Believer with Formula bindings (07/08)
Stance: 22 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
conditions: Early morning, firm but softening up, with corduroy still available
One word description: Interesting
First thing you notice with this board is the rubber style top sheet with about 1038484848 different sayings on it.  After that you'll realize this board is built to be a BC POW killer for lighter weight guys.  Weighing in at 170ish lbs.  I'm more the average person that will ride it.  Edge to edge it was great but seemed washy in the heel.  After talking with the rep we realized he set me a bit heel heavy.  So to be fair I did take it out again in a different size.  But for a 161 I could have annihilated it in the pipe with this thing.  Very poppy has a great sweet spot.
 

6.       157 K2 Believer (07/08) with Rome 390's
Stance 22 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo boas
Conditions:  Sunny bluebird day, soft snow, 2 inches of fresh.
One word description: gnar
After figuring out that the ride on the 161 had skewed my view of this board I brought my gripper grips to kill on it.  First things first the edge to edge was perfect.  I was getting a bit burly popping FS 1's off rollers and landing on edge.  What I noticed with me was that at my weight I would land more on my nose coming down and go right into a carve from pushing in the nose.  Not a bad thing, just this board is a bit softer in the nose/tail than what I'd like.  Popping was great and you can really rail a carve on it.  Switch is easy and the side cut isn't crazy aggressive.  I hit a natural QP and this thing did have boostability like I thought.  Definitely a board that you can ride anywhere.
 

7.       162 K2 Podium (07/08) with Rome 390's
Stance 22 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas
Conditions: Sunny, slightly choppy, soft slushy snow, kind of windy and cold
One word description: Fast
This board does have a 1mm taper and a 3/4ths set back but the sidecut is set back so you ride it centered even though you have a longer nose.  This board is for charging and laying carves, wicked fun I have to say.  No chatter in it and there's an amazing sweet spot in the tail for popping, its right where the Carbon Kevlar fibers overlap the torsion forks which creates for boost city.  It reminded me a lot of popping on the jibpan which has to be one of the best boards for loading up the tail and popping I've ever been on in my life.  It’s definitely the free ride elite board of the K2 line up.
 

8.       162 K2 Eldorado (07/08) with Rome 390's
Stance 22 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas
Conditions: Sunny, bluebird, windy, firmer push piles and rollers.
One word Description: Busted
This board has an easier to initiate sweet spot in the tail than the podium, but its not as good as absorbing the impact of dropping on ice.  I felt a few of my impacts on this board, even though it’s got that integrated topsheet with the riser/ dampening.  The nose did get the chattery butterfly effect at speeds.  Edge to edge it was great and held well as long as I wasn't pointing it.  I'd say its just a hair past midstiff.
 

9.       165 Unity Pride Wide (07/08) with Rome 390's
Stance 22 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas
Conditions: Early morning sunshine, bluebird, and beautiful.
One word description: Slug
I can ride a big wide board with no problems.  This thing was a slug, slow edge-to-edge initiations, sluggish flex, and just all around it was like a slug that just keeps trudging along.  Pop was mediocre; flex was a bit more than the eldorado but still nothing to rave about.  All in all it didn't ride really damp and I felt a lot of vibrations.  I think the construction of this mixed with the Carbon fiber wrap just made this board the lame.
 

10.   155 Flow Era with NXT AT's (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas
Conditions: Very early morning, sun just peaking the mountain, bluebird, fresh corduroy with rollers
One Word Description: Slayer
Flow has to be doing something right, this board was amazing.  It had the right amount of mid flex for a park stick, but a lighter weight.  It puts my Hatchet to shame, and makes me question my TR.  Load the tail up and pop, yet roll into the landing easily.  Switch was amazing on this, perfectly fine, control was great, and flex was brilliant.  Bindings are ok, not as great as the NXT FX's but these are noticeably softer and jibbier.  Once again I will state that I felt I initiated flows on edge a lot quicker than traditional straps.  Buttering with this board is amazing and throwing every variation of butter and spin to butter and butter to spin was easy.  Flow has a great 350-dollar park slayer here that easily competes with others in that category.
 

11.   156 Flow quantum with NXT AT's (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 11
Conditions: Early morning, sun peaked the mountain, bluebird, semi fresh corduroy with rollers
One word descriptions: Stiff
this is a more torsionally stiff board than the Era.  It has the brass edge and definitely is a pipe board as this is Scotty Lago's pro model.  I could get it on nose to butter fairly easy, but then the torsional rigidity would kick in and kill that.   Edge to edge it was a bit more muscled and popping off rollers required some effort.  This board is built for transitions not for flat land tricks.  The bindings were ok again but I think stiffer ones would have helped me a bit more on this.
 

12.   157 Salomon Sanchez with XLT relay's (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots Vans Fargo boas size 11
Conditions: Mid day, blue skies, brisk, slightly icy rollers
One word description: Butterworth
This board is definitely the jib stick they make it out to be.  Very spongy and just flexed like no other.  Pop was ok but for it being so soft I would flex the tail/nose out a bit more than I'd like so it didn't give me the pop I wanted.  Edge to edge its like any other jibstick so it doesn't super excel at it.  The Relay XLt's are different at this point I'm not saying whether I like them or hate them.  It’s just different and allows for different flex than I'm used to.  I could really get into butters.  So for now I'm going to say the jury is still out on this one.
 

13.   169 Never summer titan (07/08) with Rome 390's
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 11
conditions: Overcast, blustery, slightly icy, with trace amounts of snow
One word description: Burly
I have a bit of a vendetta against this board and needed some revenge.  I had the 160 of it most of last winter which I thought was an amazing board, but the 169 and I had some unfinished business to take care of.  First off this is truly one of the only boards I've ever had to stay on guard at all times with.  If you don't ride it like you mean to, it will own you.  Its fast and you can haul; the side cut makes turn initiation insane on it.  This board just cuts through the crap and charges like a bull in a china shop.  You don't butter with this board (unless you're me) and if you're popping its just so you avoid some gaper that made a sudden turn.  I love this board and can't stress how great it’s become since I first rode the 169 in WA about 2.5 years ago.  Plus come on its built in America and has a 3-year warranty.
 

14.   162 Libtech Skunk Ape MTX (07/08) Rome 390's
Stance 22 18 negative 15 Goofy
boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Icy, choppy, overcast, just plain nasty
One Word Description: Plank
So everyone’s been hyping this up I figured I'd go hop on it and see how great it is.  Really its nothing special, the Dark series and TRS are way better in my opinion.  Its sluggish edge to edge and kind of chattery.  It didn't hold well on edge either and that’s saying something since it has MTX which as everyone knows I'm not a fan of but it does have its uses like the conditions I was in.  Buttering wasn't happening on this stick.  I'd have to say it wasn't that great of a ride, I was kind of turned off in general by it.
 

15.   161 Ride Concept UL with Alpha bindings (07/08
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Early morning icy corduroy, bit overcast with sun peaking through
One word description: Light
The top sheet on this board is insanely light, like no other.  I give them credit for that for sure the board was light.  But right off the bat those evil barrel roll ratchets and I had a shi*t fit.  So after even more adjusting I got it dialed in, or so I thought.  This board does have good pop but then again with 7 pieces of carbon fiber in the tail I'd hope so.  I could pop on it and the side cut was great for turn initiation, but as always happens with me, squirrelly on edge.  It seems to be something with me and rides.  Also the way the boards constructed it seemed to get a bit to squirrelly at speeds and do the death flutter.  Switch was easy to initiate and buttering was effortless even for having carbon array 7 in it.  The bindings though, were crap flex wise.  I guess after all these years I'm a plastic guy still.  The new slime cap or whatever they're calling it does grip really well and that’s a good concept I give them credit for that.  But when unstrapping yet again I had to do the Chewbacca yell and pull as hard as I could to get the damn things off. 
 

16.   158 K2 Zeppelin with Formula bindings (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Bluebird sky's and super sunny, soft snow
One Word: Softer
Anyone that’s rode the Zeppelin in years past knows it for being a hard charging freeride beast.  Now they've added Nomex, one of the gayest things on earth for any board to the core between the bindings.  It gave it too much torsional give while being more stable in the nose/tail.  This board does have a great sweet spot for popping on the tail and the longer torsion forks in the nose allow for a better nollie rate.  Other than the gay nomex in the core the boards really sweet and the bindings are fun on it but need more padding.  Great edge control on this board and super stable.
 

17.   158 Never Summer Heritage with K2 Autolocks (07/08)
Stance 22 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Push mounds and ice mixed with slush and blue sky’s
One word: charge
This is definitely one of the funnest boards in the NS line up and matched with the Auto's it was even more fun.  I was just charging the fall line with this board and popping off rollers.  Great edge-to-edge and burlier than the NS SL, which is basically its little brother now.  The flex on this board is grand for all mountain freeride, not so wondrous in the freestyle side of things but that’s what makes this board great.  See a pile of chud run it over, see a gaper in the way run it over, see a small furry woodland creature run it over.  This board just straight up kills it.
 

18.   158 Rome Graft with Rome 390's (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots Vans Fargo boas size 11
Conditions: Sunny, slushy, bluebird Loveland days
One Word: Popmaster
This board is very light and poppy when mixed with the new 390's.  First as a huge fan of the 390's I have to say how much better these bindings rode because of the strap, although with them being lightened up they did feel a bit more flexi.  Anyways the Graft has awesome pop in the nose/tail mixed with a great side cut.  While the side cut is great I wouldn't exactly rail a carve on it as its not as smooth as other boards in the line up.  Torsionally this thing is soft as hell, which makes boning out a butter a lot easier, but man load the tail up and pop to the moon for sure.  I definitely wouldn't put this in the all mountain freestyle category more the freestyle category for sure.  But you can ride switch on this thing fine and just pop fs and bs 180's like nothing coming down a trail.
 

19.   158 Rome Mod with Rome 390's (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Bluebird slushy and sunny preseason
One word: Over hyped
This board for being a 550 "high end" park board really didn't wow me. For a board that is supposedly going to offer insane amounts of pop it wasn't happening, and at speeds it wasn't stable.  It was almost like riding a broke down Rome headroom really.  Edge to edge it was fine but nothing-spectacular if anything a bit more hooky.  Butters were easy and the blunted nose/tail makes grab tweak ability super easy but like I said its nothing that wowed me.  The flex is definitely softer than a high-end park board should be; the k2 Jibpan is definitely stiffer as is the new alibi/rapture from Atomic.
 

20.   165 Venture Westland with Flux Streams (07/08)
Stance 22 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 11
Conditions: Sun going down, icy, cold, blue skies
One Word: HUGE
The bindings weren't an exact match to this board so it didn't do it justice, but I needed a binding and it was the end of the demo days so this was a quick fix.  I hate Flux cap straps and every time I use them they prove why they're just so f*cking horrid.  The flex on this binding was too soft for this board but I made due.  Venture has a great thing going with being hand built in Silverton CO, and being all about renewable resources.  This board had ptex top sheet, sidewall, and the base of course.  It was a bit on the stiff side but it hauled like no other and the side cut was great.  Through the end of the day chop it just charged like no other and was really great and stable.  Downside was the 4 x 4 inserts god that stuff is so horrid for stance options but whatever.  I wouldn't recommend this to many people but it was a fun ride for me and compares to the NS titan.
 

21.   155 K2 Darkstar with Formula bindings (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Mid day sunshine, some ice, few push mounds
One Word: Blastacular
They narrowed this board up which changed the flex slightly and it being more of a twin this year compared to last.  This board is very butterable and poppy.  Quick edge to edge but not as all mountain freestyle as before definitely more of a freestyle kind of ride.  Had insane pop and was great for throwing spins coming down the mountain.  Switch was a breeze.  My biggest gripe though has to be the lack of padding on the K2 bindings I just feel I'm going to bruise my heels in these things because of the lack of dampening.  If you're a smaller guy though this boards flex is ideal for all mountain riding, me being slightly bigger not so much.
 

22.   157 Nitro Team Art Attack with Raiden Phantom Bindings (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Past midday, sun slightly setting, push mounds and slush
One Word: Frightening
With the new profiling of Nitro in there cores I'm a bit scared to ride their boards.  This thing just felt brittle if you will and I was almost afraid I'd snap it.  Flexwise its rather soft and not super poppy but decent.  The board and the bindings didn't wow me all too much, more so the bindings.  I felt that they were just knock offs of other companies I'd been riding.  Plus after all these years they still utilize that gay ass cable in the heel straps which actually weighs them down and flops them open so you step on them all the time.  The edge to edge was ok and switch was fine, at speeds there was death flutter in the nose and I got the wump chunk bang of death in the nose.  Popping 180's on this thing was a breeze because of its lack of weight, but as mentioned that reprofiled core scares me.
 

23.   162 Gnu Billy Goat Temple Cummins series with 06/07 Rome 390's (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: 15 plus inches of pow
One Word: Smooth
This board is a pow freeride killing beast much like I'd expect since Temple designed this.  Edge to edge it was awesome, popping on rollers it was great, and thigh deep pow was awesome.  This board was smooth and damp, felt like riding a never summer.  Turn initation was a breeze and this thing had great float in pow but I wish I had set it back a lot more. 
 

24.   156 Lib Tech Skate Banana with Rome 390's 06/07 (07/08)
Stance: 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 11
Conditions: Choppy mid day pow
One word: Buttery
I've ridden the SB before and absolutely hated it but it was the first gen.  This one was obviously different and rode so.  It was decent in the pow for being a 156.  This board was noticeably more banana techy (is that a word) compared to the other one and was fun in the choppy mogul pow I was hitting.  Biggest downside was the gay ass MTX grabbed and pulled me to the ground.  Edge to edge other than the constant grabbing was fine and it was butterable, the float was amazing.  All in all I was far happier with this version than the one I previously rode
 

25.   161 Dark Series w/ MTX with Rome 390 bindings 06/07 (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 11
Conditions: Real choppy mid day pow
One word: Killer
In this day and age there's so many boards claiming to be the quiver of one.  This is one that sticks out to me as one.  It’s fun, lively, and great for anything.  It did great hoping fences, slaying mogul pow, and dipping in the trees.  I just hate MTX other than that it was fine.  It handled small drops great, switch great, and the flex was awesome.
 

26.   158 Nitro Wiig with Raiden Phantom Ettalla (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Sunny some gray clouds negative 15 degrees F
One Word: Popomatic
Ok so it was ungodly cold that morning but I still braved Keystone for this demo and since my old ride rep Josh took over for Jeff the former Nitro rep I went out to support him cause he's a good guy and actually dials my shi*t in.  I'm going to give the bindings credit they were more dialed in than the last ones I took, super cushy, great response, and a true 0 on forward lean.  The board had pop like no other and a great side cut to it.  I was boosting over obstacles left and right, buttering it fine, and able to lay out a hard carve like no other with it.  The base was fast and this board was smooth, the precambered cores are awesome for the pop that they give to their boards. But once again still sketchy on durability in the long run for me.
 

27.   148 K2 Mix with K2 Formula bindings (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
conditions: Frigid ass cold
One word: Stable
Ok so I've ridden like all the k2 line at this point, this board was there for me to ride so I snagged it.  Yes its a chicks board I'm starting a new trend on the hill narrow stances baggy pants and chicks boards.  Actually for a little 148 it was stable under foot with good pop and a nice side cut this would be for a beginer advanced female rider.  Switch it was fine, it actually carved surprisingly well even though it was tiny as hell.  I did do some nice ollies on it and had a blast with it.  For something built for someone about 40lbs under my weight this thing was great.

 

28.   155 Rossignol Decoy with HC 3000 (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Slightly warmer but still frigid ass cold
One word: Surprising
So I've been known to hate on rossi for some time, frankly most of their shi*t is wacked out.  Case in point these bindings were absolutely f*cking horrid piles of shi*t.  No real support, highbacks flexed too much on turn initiations, not enough give when pressing it was so weird it was just like being restricted when I wanted to ride park, but not enough support when freeriding.  Anyways the board surprised me a bit with how stable it actually was for being a 155.  Had a great shape, good side cut and was awesome just cruising, buttering, popping.  A bit on the stiffer side but still not so bad it was a plank, it is after all a higher end freestyle board but it was surprising.
 

29.   155 Rossignol Alias with Flow M9 (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 Negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas Size 11
Conditions: sunny bluebird day about 30 degrees great conditions
One Word: Fun
 
I can't describe in words how much fun this board was.  For something in the 350 dollar price point this board slayed.  Straight up fun, it was poppy, lively, stable under foot, great side cut.  It reminded me of riding a Hatchet which is awesome as everyone knows that was one of my favorite boards for the longest time.  This board just handled it all well and at that pricepoint I would recommend it.  The bindings were a bit softer than I'd have liked but then again its supposed to be that way its a mid level binding.  It did everything I wanted it to do even for having some technical issues I went over with the rep on.  Flow makes a solid product.
 

30.   159 Infinite with Flow Teams (07/08)
Stance 22.5 I think it was something like maybe 9 degrees on the front negative 12 on the rear
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Sunny, crisp, good day for a board test not too crowded
One Word: Oakley
 
So my rep who I will say is a great guy set me up wrong and I realized it by the point I was on the lift so anyways its time to ride.  This is Risto Matilla's exact set up but man those Team bindings hated me.  They're very anatomically correct so much so that a Vans boot is a squeeze in these.  I won't lie there was no way in hell a Vans boot fits in there properly.  Even with the wacked out angles the bindings were supportive although made of magnesium and having worked on one too many ski buckles over the years I know how magnesium breaks so I'd be a bit skeptical of that plus the 500 dollar price tag.  Granted if nothing ever went wrong you'd own this binding for the rest of your life.  Now the board was interesting to ride in meaning that it was light and poppy, had great stability under foot yet the nose was still playful for butters.  Switch was a breeze on this and pressing wasn't a problem, the pop was decent not anything substantial, I'd consider this more of a down graded solitude personally.
 

31.   158 Nitro Misfit with Raiden Phantoms (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Sunny, end of the day skies, little gray bird going on, some shadows
One Word: Slug
 
So my rep recommended this to me otherwise I'd probably have ignored it and for good reason.  This thing is a slug it was heavier than the other 2 nitro's I'd been on the last 2 days.  There was pop in the tail and nose but man it felt like a plank to initiate it, but when it did it was good.  The side cut was the poo weiner for sure, I just couldn't initiate a turn like I should with this and it was such a slug to get into a carve.  It seriously sucked the donkey weiner.  But obviously every company has a board that sucks donkey balls but man this took the cake for the day.  The bindings I have to admit are growing on me the ratchets are solid the straps are solid, decent dampening but man I swear the original Nitro rep didn't have my shi*t dialed for me like my new rep because these are growing on me except that damn cable that holds the heel strap in.
 

32.   Ride Society 157 with Ride Delta (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions Sunny, end of the day skies, gray clouds, more shadows
One word: Chattery
 
So the rep didn't believe me that this thing was chattery and most people dont' on here as well.  But that board just doesn't dampen like a lot of other boards I've rode, pop was ok, but the chattering made the edge wash out and that sucked donkey balls.  Side cut was ok for turn initiation but man it just wouldn't hold and was kind hooky if I popped a 180 with it.  For a board with this much CF in it, it sure didn't pop well or stabilize good.  The bindings were crap.  First off too rigid so they didn't flex well with the board at all, the straps were mediocre, and for some reason when initiating toes and heels it felt like something was blocking the flex of my foot in the heels, it was just pure shi*t I couldn't stand it.  Seriously ride might make some good products for some people but man they need to dial in their shi*t on the boards.
 

33.   Bataleon 155 Riot with their last years bindings
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Sunny blue skies some clouds early morning
One Word: Popmeister
 
So its been a while since I hopped on a TBT board.  It took me a minute to get used to this puppy again.  The Riot replaced the Hero which I used to own and it has a stiffer nose.  This thing was poppy and fun and the tbt wasn't as pronounced as my Hero thats for sure.  I was railing carves with this and popping over small children left and right and ripping the corduroy.  It was light and agile and far more stable than my hero.  The bindings on the other hand were a pile of Suck seriously.  No dampening not a real good heel hold.  But then again this was an SP binding with a Bataleon graphic on it and it was a pile of poo.  Next year no bindings from them the year after that bindings again but they're designing them from the ground up.
 
 

34.   Bataleon 157 Jam with K2 Formulas (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
Conditions: Sunny Blue skies early morning
One word: Killer
 
The tbt was a bit different on this one so turn itiation was a bit different.  Although it was a super fun board and with having a better binding I think I rode better.  Edge to edge on these boards is a f*cking riot can't go wrong with them you just get on it and go.  Switch was a breeze on this board and buttering was fun.  Flexwise I'd say it was similar to the riot actually just a bit more playful in the nose/tail, I could pop on this puppy with no problems and it was fast thats for sure.
 

35.   Bataleon Goliath 157 with K2 formulas (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 Goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 11
condtions: Mid early morning blue skies again
One word: Stellar
 
So the TBT was more pronounced on this and made turn initiation more agile I felt.  This board is more freeride geared and straight up stellar underfoot, no chatter, but still playful when need be.  I didn't have to be on top of it as much as I thought I was going to be.  Charging was a breeze with this and I managed to offend some jack ass instructor with it and carving was amazing.  I'd say it was stable as could be.
 

36.   Bataleon undisputed 168 with k2 formulas (07/08)
Stance 22.5 18 negative 15 goofy
Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 11
Conditions: After lunch blue skies hunger pains, leg cramps
One Word: Burlinator
 
This board is burly straight up burly.  It is like a never summer titan with tbt.  The tbt is so unique on this board with how its set back and defined.   There was no buttering, no playing around, no switch it was charge and go and that was it.  If something got in my way I rode over it or gaped it.  This was fast and meant for someone that isn't f*cking around you charge with it and thats it, not for the rudy poo candy ass weekend warriors.  This board was fun but I swear its from the future sent back to destroy me.

37. 158 K2 Jibpan (07/08) with Rome 390 bindings

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas first day size 11’s all days after size 10’s

Conditions: Knee deep powder, wind blown, sunny bluebird, heavy pow

One Word: Love

You know the more I ride this board the more I have come to regret my choices on not buying this at the beginning of the season. I can’t stress how much fun this board is, load the tail and pop, hit a jib and press it, ride a run and ollie a gaper. Seriously I find this thing amazing. I took it out the Windows gate at Breck and was hitting pillow lines and a open pow field. While its size wasn’t the best for pow that tail sunk like a champ and nose popped up. I did find it a bit soft in the middle where the under layer is Nomex Honeycomb but that’s to be expected given the nature of the board. It did fine off small 5 to 10 foot drops, and was awesome at hitting mini poppers in the trees. Edge to edge it was grand. I will note that riding a smaller boot that wasn’t packed out changed my edge to edge and power transmission greatly. 

38. 155 Unity Origin (07/08) with Rome 390’s

Stance 22.75 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: Slightly sunny into overcast and snowy, very cold

One Word: Washy

Everyone raves to me how great Unity’s boards are.   Honestly they don’t ride any better than a lot of the crap boards I’ve been on. The construction is just poop. Anyways this board was just washy at speeds, had decent pop but nothing to rave about. My problem is that I could feel every inconsistency in the snow, there wasn’t any dampening or so it seemed. Buttering it felt like there was a dead spot as if I’d hit a peak and that was it, couldn’t push it further. In the pipe it didn’t suck up a tranny as well as I’d have liked either. The side cut wasn’t as bad as the other Unity I rode (see above reference) but when laying into a carve it would spring out and start to wash out, to the point I had to stay on top of it.

39. 160 K2 After Black with Rome Targa’s (homemade bastardized version) and K2 Formulas (07/08)

     Stance: 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

      Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

   Conditions: Freezing cold, knee deep pow, blue bird sunny days, with higher winds

    One Word: Stable

           I’m going to note on this board that the Targa’s are the bastardized version I made off the            first year 390 chasis. So the toe straps aren’t the same as this years targas. I’ll note that the heel ratchet is amazing with its quick in and out compared to my old 390’s and I’m totally happy with building this binding. Highback sits higher and has a more rigid flex so it allows for better power transmission. The formulas I’m so stoked on buying. I find depending on how I ratchet them down is how they flex. I crank them, stiffer, moderate pressure more jibby. With my new boots all previous complaints about dampening are gone, actually this binding rides so much better in my new boots. The ratchets are so quick to release and easy to use the strap just feels so solid, adjustability was a bit of a bitch, I find it almost similar to adjusting a flow binding but whatever its dialed in 100% now. The board is light and poppy for being a wider stick. The side cut allows for great eurocarve ability while still being fun for riding pipe and jumps. The boards flex is very rail friendly, but yet still smooth enough for tranny’s in any sized pipe. The tail on this has a wicked sweet spot that you have to be careful to not over load as you will end up over shooting a jump. In pow this board has great float but the tail doesn’t sink that well, then again it’s a true twin park board, it was nimble in the trees and just a blast for hitting poppers and boosting. Switch is very easy on this board and just super fun in general. All in all it is a very solid ride that I was super stoked to be on.

40. Rome Anthem 158 (06/07) with 390’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 11

Conditions: Cold sunny day, wind packed, slightly crowded

One Word: Poppy

I took out this board a couple months back so I’d have a clearer perception of the differences between last years and this years. This board rides very similar to the Never summer SL but with a bit better pop in the tail/nose. Switch was fun and edging was ok even though the edges were pretty damn haggard on this board. I could really rail a good carve on this and it was stable. The pop was great and it was fun. All in all I really did like riding this.

41. Rome Anthem 159 (07/08) with K2 Formula’s

Stance 22.75 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditons: Sunny, overcast, cold, warm, slushy, icey

One Word: Soft

This board was really soft to me even for being in the 159 size. At speeds it was very chattery and through a carve it just wouldn’t hold the way I wanted. I was really struggling and muscling it into deep carves. Switch it was fine and still very butterable. All in all this ride just wasn’t as much fun as I’d have liked, way to soft for what I wanted and very hooky. In the pipe the edge hold was so sub par after coming off riding that 160 afterblack. I just couldn’t understand why at times it would get hooky when initiating carves. Rome makes some awesome products but this was not one I can say I was in love with. 

42. 161 Never Summer Premier F1 (08/09) with K2 Formula’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: Soft snow, very sunny, light wind, blue bird skies, waist deep pow

One Word: Unique

I’d like to note that my board is the first off the production line so this is not initially the real production model. At first this board started out really stiff, but about after the first hour when I broke in the fiberglass and core it was flexing like how a premier should. The new F1 is a stiffer tail, with a bit more torsional give between the binding inserts and a softer nose forward of the contact point. You notice right away the stiffer tail which allows you to push it through a hard carve, while still having the added playability of the torsional give between the feet. I do need to detune my edges a bit as for some reason compared to my SL and Legacy they’re thicker and noticeably sharper. The board did seem a bit hooky, but I’ll get another couple days on this to add to the review. Anyways in pow this does what its intended for, the tail sinks, nose floats. One of the more noticeable features on this is the weight is drastically reduced. There’s substantial pop which makes this fun for hitting little poppers. I wasn’t too happy with it off park jumps or in the half pipe, but then again I wouldn’t ride this board for that. Off rollers though it was fun. 

43. 162 K2 0 with K2 Auto Evers (08/09)

Stance 22 with 18 negative 15 Goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Small amount of gray bird, sun poking through, fresh corduroy

One Word: Absorber

So the 0 is K2’s answer to all the environmentally green things coming out and the fact that people have pixie sticks for legs and need light weight boards. This board does have light weight, but it isn’t the lightest I’ve ever ridden either. The side cut on this allows for great carves, while still being very stable under foot, and having great edge hold. The flex on this thing is definitely not rail friendly, park friendly, tree riding friendly, or people friendly. Flexed very similar to a NS titan with it just being very hard to bend. The harshmellow padding under the bindings and in the binding is awesome, for absorbing chatter. I felt next to no vibrations while riding this. The pop in the tail has to be man handled to get it to actuate. The new Auto Evers are stiffer than the old Auto’s but way more responsive. The cable on mine was so new it needed to break in so getting in and out was a bit of a pain. The heel strap is very cush and holds you in super well. The weight of this binding has been drastically reduces as unnecessary parts were eliminated and put into a better capacity for user use.

44. 159 K2 Turbo Dream with K2 Auto Evers (08/09)

Stance: 22 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditons: Slightly windy, bit overcast, and 6 inches of windblown powder

One Word: Rocks

So the Turbo Dream has the all mountain rocker. This rocker makes it far more versatile for going any where on the mountain. The board is meant to be ridden centered, so if you ride in the backseat or with a forward stance you’ll be falling over. When initiating into a Tail press or butter it takes very minimal effort to achieve this, but over all press ability on this board is so good.  In the pow this board does exactly what its intended to do and sinks right in and goes for it. Riding this board on hardpack is no different than a regular board. I was still laying hard carves and just charging as fast as I could with this board. Popping on it off rollers was very easy, if anything the Rocker allows for better pop as the board actually flexes more to initiate the tail. Just so everyone knows with K2’s rocker on the Gyrator and Turbo Dream you ride it bigger than you normally would.

45. 152 K2 WWW LTD with K2 Auto Evers (08/09)

Stance 22 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Overcast, windy, cold, real crappy out

One Word: Retards

Let me sum this up, if you can not press a snowboard especially a jibstick then you are a retard. But this board is like training wheels for the retarded in how it allows you to get into the press position. Doing tail blocks was so easy I don’t even think I lifted my back foot off the ground it just went right into that position.  The big problem with this board was the bindings, they were way to stiff for it so they kind of overpowered it. By that I mean if I wasn’t careful this thing would just get retarded and buck me around. Popping on this board would be better if it was a hair stiffer but then again it’s a WWW and we all know how soft that is. Edge to edge it did what it needed to do but was still slightly squirrelly.

46. 153 K2 Jibpan with K2 Auto Evers (08/09)

Stance 20 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Overcast, windy, cold, pure crap

One Word: 90’s

Seriously I didn’t realize in the 155 and down sizes with k2 the reference stance drops from 22 to 20. My god it was weird riding something that small with that narrow of a stance. The new Jibpan is basically the Super weapon, with a 5 cm longer effective edge, some minor tweaks to its flex, and what not. This thing charged like a 158 that’s for sure, was butterable even with my gay ass narrow stance, and had pop like a jibpan should. I’ll definitely be getting on the 156 to see how that rides.

47. 158 Omatic Celebrity with Nidecker ACT Carbons (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Celsius CLS 8 Double Boa size 10.5

Conditions: Overcast, windy, cold

One Word: Stability

The Celebrity is Louie Vito’s pro model for next year, replacing the Wig Out. It has a similar flex pattern to the old wigs but a bit more jibby in the nose/tail. The pop on this beast is amazing and the edge to edge control is super stable while coupled with a great side cut for laying carves with. Buttering with this board is a breeze and switch is super stable. The bindings were a bit on the stiffer side but whatever its what I wanted and they locked me down and I was good to go. The boots my god now I don’t know where to begin with this. It felt like I was in a knee high ski race boot the cuff was so high on them, the heel hold was amazing, but the side to side play was just too much. The boot didn’t fit my foot shape and probably will only fit a D plus width of a foot.

48. DC PBJ 155 with Atomic Mojito’s (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 Goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: Pure shi*t

One Word: Work

This board needs work, for being there jib stick I’d feel more secure dropping off a 30 footer than hitting a 30 foot double barrel. For some reason DC has the sidecuts and edge hold dialed in perfectly, but the flex patterns are so wacked out. It’s a bit of work to press and pop, but the ride is so damn stable and damp. It just needs a different core profile and a changed carbon array. The bindings from Atomic are solid except for the toe cap it needs some work, and the ratchets have minor issues which can be worked out. They have really great dampening in them and are super stable.

49. 158 DC MLF with Atomic Mojito’s (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: Pure crapola

One Word: Plank

This board is supposedly there all mountain freestyle board, the only thing all mountain freestyle about it is the shape and that’s it. The flex on this thing is about the same as a NS heritage which made it a choir to butter. Its very stable and the side cut is great for carve initiation. The board rides pretty damp too, but for something in their all mountain freestyle line I wouldn’t call it a contender at all.

50. 157 Ellis Felix with Ellis Felix bindings (08/09)

Stance: I think 24ish inches with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: Crapola again

One word: Jibgnar

Ellis is a relatively new snowboard company from So Cal that I had a chance to hang out with in Vegas for a day. The Felix is a total jibbers dream the stance has a max of 27 plus and its retardedly soft. The bindings coupled with this board are super soft so its just jib on jibber. The board had decent pop for being so damn soft, but you can feel every little bump in the snow. The bindings still need a bit of work, I had some issues with them that are going to be resolved in production. It’s a unibody binding so the flex is more uniform, the toe straps need some work to become more like a dual purpose strap, but the ratchets are quick in and quick out. The highbacks have great padding on them and are very plush.

51. 172 Smoking TK with Smokingtraction and Nidecker Carbon ACT 1’s (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Crap

One Word: Hauls

Jay from Smoking saw what Mervin was doing and created Smoking traction (called magnetraction on the board through the license he got from them) but  his is completely different. Its not as defined as any of the MTX boards I’ve seen, you have to eyeball it down the sidewall to properly see it. All my average gripes about MTX were gone with STX. I was able to lay down a hard euro carve no problem, it didn’t buckle under the pressure, it was very stable, and super smooth. The board needed a bit more dampening even for being a 172. It definitely hauled ass and was a fun ride for sure. Pop wasn’t super great, a little more in the tail would have made me a bit happier. Jay uses the same base as NS so I was stoked that it glided the same as all my NS boards. 

52. 156 Smoking Super Park mid wide with Nidecker Carbon ACT 1’s (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: poo weiner

One word: Responsive

For a midwide it seemed kind of narrow, but the edge hold was superb with the STX, and the side cut was great for carving. This board was stable off drops, jumps, and rollers. It was decent to butter around but not anything I’d super rave about. Big thing with STX is to know that Jay doesn’t order it from Mervin, he has it built for him using his design which is a far mellower version of MTX, less defined at the tip and tail contact point, and more between the feet.  The pop on this board is great for boosting and felt fairly lively. At speeds there was minimal chatter so I wasn’t sketching out about that.

53. 156 Ellis Bot with Ellis Lithiums (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Fresh corduroy, sunny, perfect conditions

One Word: Hatchet

Rarely do I find a board that rides like my old Hatchet. This board did just that. Anyways I was out riding with one of Ellis’s sales guy so we were just doing warm up runs and seeing as he just got in from Sea level I had to take it easy on him. Right off the bat this thing was a pop o matic machine. Came close to landing a cab 5 flatland on this. Side cut was great for turn initiation and edged perfectly fine. Torsionally this board was perfect for what it is, a higher end park board. Switch was a breeze, and pressing was insane. Definitely a fun board. The bindings had a minor issues I was warned about but I didn’t notice it. The disk cover needs some work, but the straps and ratchets were really good.

54. 162 Smoking Mike Basich Pro with Ellis Lithiums (08/09)

Stance: 22 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: Freshies with blue skies

One Word: Stiffmeister

Board is relatively stiff laterally, with a bit more torsional give. The STX grips really well at speeds. I ended up making speed runs with Jay the owner of Smoking and doing some pow laps on the backside of Keystone. This board was stable off the various drops I did with it, and maching through the pow lips was intense. Tree riding it was fun and nimble. The bindings actually complimented it pretty well too. The shape is a bit weird as its all blunted out and snow would pour over it onto the top sheet, which is no bueno for pow riding. Popping took a bit of effort with this board and it was a tad sluggish, but then again its Mikes pro model, so its his specs. As of this writing there’s only 2 of them in the world.

55. 155 Smoking MIP (minor in possession) with Ride Contrabands (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Overcast, windy, and poop weiner

One Word: Poppy

The board is absolutely sick, super light, and poppy. While being stable at speeds with minimal chatter. The bindings however suck donkey balls. The board was stable off small drops, great for popping, easy to jib, has a great shape for doing tweaked out grabs. The bindings took forever to set up and ended up having 3 people work on it before they got it done for me. The toe strap is a weak ass design at best, it grips right over the big toe and the side of the big toe. Its actuated by the heel strap which has too put way more torque on it to feel locked in, and even then I was still feeling play. The damn thing crippled my feet so bad its still hurting 5 days later. There was no cush to that heel strap and it just tweaked my foot bad. This binding needs serious work. The toe clip thing is cheap ass plastic and doesn’t do shi*t to hold you in tightly.

56. 153 Ellis Heist with Ellis Lithiums (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Some sun, tree powder, bit windy

One Word: Jibtasticulastic

This board is a jib stick took no effort to do weak tail blocks and presses. The pop on it was ok but nothing special, edge to edge it was fine but unstable. In the Pow Pow it sunk, but then again it’s a little 153. The weight of it is ridiculously low and its super soft. Put it in the pricepoint jib stick category.

57. 158 DC Devun Walsh Pro with Atomic Black Russians (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Overcast, windy, pure crap

One Word: Slaptacular

Normally I don’t perform slappy’s on boards but this one just called for it so it was slap, slappy, splaptastic. This one of the 3 DC boards I’ve ridden was the most fun. Great pop, just a hair stiff in the nose/tail, but with a f*cking amazing side cut, and edge hold. This board was stable yet playful, but it’s a lot like other boards on the market so would I buy it probably not. The bindings have changed a lot with that new highback, straps, base construction etc. etc. Ratchets need some minor tweaks but other than that it was a good binding very damp as well.

58. 164 Flow Solitude WX with NXT FX (08/09)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: pure shi*t

One Word: BLAH

I loved this set at Loveland, but this time around it was no bueno. Probably because my rep didn’t set me up it was one of their in house guys. Anyways the board is a hair softer torsionally, but due to the fact my bindings were so f*ckered up and I wasn’t dialed in it sucked balls.   It felt like my heel was lifting in the binding, while the toe strap was just held wickedly down. I felt like I was slipping out on edge because of this sensation and it just wasn’t that much fun at all. Bindings had the heel slip issue, I think they put forward lean on it which is the lame. All in all not a happy camper on this one.

59. 155 Rome Agent with Rome Uniteds (08/09)

Stance: 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas size 10

Conditions: pure shi*t

One word: Limp

This board rode like a f*cking graft. This board is not the agent I was so disappointed with it. Way too much torsional and lateral give. This is the first board in a long time I heard the death rattle from the chatter and got scared. I felt everything in this board. The pop was good, and the side cut was nice except when I hard carved it and then it was topple over time. The uniteds suck balls big time. Too soft, toe caps suck, flex is wacked out. There was no rigidity from the binding and it would just fold over. Felt like riding a Burton mission from 2000.

60. 159 Ride Concept UL with K2 Formula’s (07/08)

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Northwave Decades size 10 (08/09)

Condtions: Golden

One Word: Mislabeled

Ok so everyone knows I’m not a ride fan boy, or even impressed, or even cares for them. Frankly this board is definitely mislabeled. It’s a 749.99 dollar park board and that’s where it excels. Would I take this board out as my all mountain freestyle board like they suggest, f*ck no. This board has a lot of torsional give that’s for sure and makes it a stable butter board similar to a Never Summer SL. Popping on this thing is decent if you actuate the sweet spot. This board straight up kills it in the pipe though, I can’t deny that at all. No matter what I threw at this board it just wanted to slay the pipe, probably the highest airs I’ve ever done in the pipe since I rode a Dragon back in 99. On jumps this thing could make you or break you, but the reduced weight of the Tek Style top sheet was nice. Problem with the top sheet is how much it frays, my god it frays like no other. The side cut on this thing is so so, I couldn’t carve as hard as I’d like because it would wash out just a bit, and edge hold could be dicey when on edge going over ice. Now the boots are the golden gem. I haven’t been a Northwave fan since my KJ’s lead to the foot problems I have now. But f*ck these’s boots were amazing, I have a calcium deposit on my right ankle bone that has been killing me all winter. I put these boots on after pulling hard for 3 minutes, but once in man the fit is perfect. I did get a pressure over my right foots pinky toe, but in all fairness that toe is so messed up I can’t fault the boot. These boots are cushy as hell, like ungodly cushy. The weight is way more than my fargo’s which I consider a heavy boot. The flex is stiff I think an 8 on their scale, but my god its supportive. Also the speed lacing is amazing with the pulley’s for eyelets but the handles are so small they hurt my hand when I give a hard tug. I used the stock insoles something I don’t do anymore and my god talk about comfort, this boot was designed for a flat footed rider. Just going to add now that I’ve started putting a bunch of days on this boot its packing out at an astronomical rate.

61. 156 Omatic Awesome with K2 Formulas/Rome 390’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo boas’ size 11 and 10

Conditions: Everything

One Word: Awesome

What better word to describe this board than what it is, Awesome. I’ve ridden this board over every condition and I love it, but alas I did break it. Full separation of the sidewall from the edge, starting at the back binding going to the tail. The pop on this board is amazing for how little carbon it has in it. The side cut is fun for pipe and park, all mountains not so much. Stability is only a concern when straight lining runs or its icy. In the pipe I think this is where the board is most at home and over park tables. The flex lends itself a lot for buttering though, but still stable on decent sized park features. One problem I did notice was at the contact points the sidewalls aren’t plush with the top sheet so it’s like a cap construction, I Panzer filed that away and then it rode fine.

62. 160 Salomon Sick Stick with Rome Targa’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Northwave Decades size 10

Conditions: Epic bluebird pow day

One word. Surfy

This board is a trip. From the get go it was face shots and pow slashers. This board is a giant surfboard whether you’re on edge or in a foot of fresh. I was doing such laid back slashers, boosting off huge rollers, riding all sorts of wondrous conditions. This board just dominated that mini rocker rises out of the pow like a sharks fin and the tail just sinks right in. Stable at speeds with minimal chatter. Downside is that metal sheet under the top sheet, mine was broken in 4 places, I also managed to pull out an insert that was so lovely to find. You can butter this board, pop 180’s like nothing, and generally just slay it all over.

63. 156 Drake Player with Drake Supersports

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Northwave Decades size 10

Conditions: Bluebird soft snow, some push mounds.

One word: Plank

This board for an “all mountain” board is a f*cking plank. Seriously whoever designed this should be kicked in the face. It was a slug edge to edge, the hold was mediocre at best, it wasn’t damp at all, and the flex was crap. It was so inconsistent with the pop it was crap. In the pipe it would start by charging the tranny but near the end just putteringering along as though it was geriatric. Off jumps it would pop good maybe half the time the other half it was poop. The bindings have been redone and the heel straps were very solid that’s for sure. I had to rock them cap because if I rocked them over the top there was only like a half cm between them and the overly large heel strap. Typical of Drakes I had to put on 2 degrees of forward lean because of how they fit with the boots, and yes Northwaves are made to mesh well with the drakes. Adjusting them was easy as pie and they’re a solid binding, but for this board I think it held back on the binding itself.

64. 155 Burton Fix with Burton Triads (08/09)

Stance: My guess is somewhere around 23.5 since the kid was an ass hat with 18 negative 15

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Grey bird lightly snowing with soft snow on the ground

One Word: Broken

This goes out to any and all reps that might read this. If someone says 22.5 inch wide stance, give them a 22.5 inch stance, do not argue with them for a half hour about their stance then set it up to what you ride. It is their stance, it is what they know they are right you aren’t. I know my body, I know what works for me, a gangster stance does not. Do I look like a snowmie, NO. Secondly do not argue about binding size with me, I’m a large, I have always been a large, I know what works for me. Don’t lie and say your bro bra guy that’s turning screws is a size 12 in a medium, I know you are full of shi*t. So anyways on to how this thing rode. The flex is pretty damn inconsistent with it it. I could butter it but at times it would be really soft, others stiffer. Pop was ok but not something I’d be like OMG wowza I’m all that is jibber. In the pipe this thing would get all squirrelly and it bucked me twice. Off booters it just didn’t feel stable at all. When tracking this board would pull either way at any given time. The sidecut was blah, I just couldn’t get a hard carve down on it. Now on to the bindings, what the hell is Burtons issue with not giving me a true 0 of forward lean. Look I understand that the vast majority of Burton users are Euro Trash that ride straight legged and need it, I’m not Euro Trash nor do I ride straight legged. I need a true 0. Secondly the straps on this thing were the gayest on earth, they just aren’t that great. The toe strap reminds me of something MFM shi*t out on his bindings and said nope not gangsta enough for me. It holds ok, but gives you no option for over the top. The heel strap isn’t that great and ultimately because of the binding and the crappiness of this strap it tweaked my leg in the pipe. Not happy with that at all, I’d have given this board at least a full day of riding had the reps not been real ass hats about it. f*ck the Colorado reps seriously. As far as this board goes its not the fix it’s the broken and should be fixed.

65. Libtech McKink 157 MTX and micro BTX? (08/09) with K2 Formula’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 Negative 15 Goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Sunny, blue skies, storm rolling in, medium to high winds at times

One Word: Stiffy

Ok I was a bit excited to take this out as I don’t know many people that have ridden it. But seriously what a f*cking let down. First off the base is really fast, but waxing it, the damn thing wouldn’t absorb the wax as I’d have liked. The MTX is less defined, and I think the BTX is minimal. I say that only because when I put a flat edge across it, there was some slight upturning at the edges, but not as much as a skate banana. Now on to why this board was such a let down. I figured it’d be a high end park board, oh how I was sadly mistaken let me tell you. This thing is f*cking stiff, and I’m not talking like a stiffer park board, no its stiff like a Riders Choice, NS Titan, K2 Podium. I don’t know how you’d jib on this thing, I had to man handle it into nose presses on bonks. Now on to riding pipe with this. What a slug in the pipe, sure I could push off the tail to gain speed, but dear god it wouldn’t boost or dampen when taking a tranny back in. Off jumps the swing weight is greatly reduced in the tips which was fun, but the boards heavy, and clunky to fling around, and once again not damp. Charging this board hauls the base is fast, but you feel everything underneath you, I wasn’t impressed. Going on edge the MTX would grip and then slip as usual, sure its less defined on this board but whatever. I also can’t get over the shape on the tip/tail on this bitch its kind of like a k2 www f*cked last years salomon prospect and then got jizzed on by a steak knife.

66. 158 Never Summer SL with Rocker (08/09) with k2 Formula’s and 1 day on Relay Pro’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas size 10

Conditions: Everything

One word: Funster

This board is the epitome of fun all mountain slayer. I’ve tried to hate it, I tried to dislike it, hell I even tried to break it. The new construction with the new side cut ( I call it Never Slip Grip) is amazing, you can pop to the moon, yet charge and not feel shaky. The big thing with the sidecut is its kinked, think a cross between a tri radial sidecut and the salomon equilizer. These kinks aren’t like MTX that it sticks out and is serrated it just creates two bends in the sidecut then kind of flattens out and lets you steer between the feet if need be. Unlike other companies rockered boards this one rides different. I only notice the rocker when I need it or when I ollie. I no longer have to preload my tails I can just slap it down and pop like a skateboard, if I do preload it then I just boost insanely high. Presses are a tad easier because the nose/tail is raised a bit so you just lean into it and go. With the rocker the center of the board sits a tad higher so buttering around on boxes and wallrides is easier. The big thing to note with this rocker is unlike the k2’s that I’ve been on where you have to stay centered, you can get nose/tail heavy and still ride comfortable and not go ass over tea kettle. When riding on flats because the nose is lifted you don’t get that drag that slows you down so you can charge through cat tracks, I haven’t gotten stuck on it yet. A downside to rocker is the duck walk, that takes a bit of time to get used to it. I did notice with this board it took me a good 3 days of riding to become fully adjusted to how it rides. You can carve on this board better than anything I’ve ever been on without any downsides. Those kinks just grip so much more. Flexwise this board has a different flex than the regular SL, its stiffer in the nose/tail because of the double carbon fiber x’s, but that also adds more pop, and better stability. In the dead center of the board there is a flex point, when you push it hard, you can feel it in butters, jibs, jumps. It’s a true center flex if you do a hand flex on it and look at the side you see it kink. This board is damp and stable, kills it in the pipe, dominates on jumps, and slays jibs. Now lets talk about those Relay’s. What a pile of shi*t, sorry but I like a rigid heel cup, I don’t like feeling like my ankle is unsupported when I go into a press. I had to exaggerate all movements to press it and by that point it was like oh shi*t rocker initiation time and it was crappy. I could ride them but I wasn’t happy at all, Don’t say they weren’t dialed in, they were set 100% to my boot. I will say the heel straps were phenomenal I really liked them, toe straps sucked, and the foot pad blew donkey dick. I felt like I had snow under my boot all day with them.

67. 156 Never Summer Revolver with Rocker (08/09) with K2 Formula’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas

Conditions: Everything

One Word: Parkgnar

Rarely do I think to myself well f*ck this board just reinvented snowboarding. Such was the case after day one on this behemoth. So I got up to Keystone on this beast, strapped in and blam I was like pop from my nose to my tail like it was nothing, then buttered it around, and threw a cab 3 like it was nothing. After that I laid into a hard carve and the edge gripped like my SL, but had a tad more chatter as this board is noticeably softer. After that it was game on to the bonk line. I was a tail tapping, nose stalling, wall jibbing machine. I got close to a butter 5 on the big butter wall ride Keystone has. Took this sucker into the pipe, that edge hold grips and just lets you float a lofty air like no other. The shape of the revolver is better for spins than the SL in my opinion. With the flat kicks on it I was doing nose butters like no other. On jibs I would just have to do subtle movements and be locked in to presses and what not. This board is stable to a point, but not as stable as my sl. Which was fine for the size of the jumps I was hitting. Switch is so much fun on this sidecut you just roll it around and blam off you go.

68. 155 Salomon Official with Rome Targa’s

Stance 22.5 with 18 negative 15 goofy

Boots: Vans Fargo Boas

Conditions: Sunny with clouds about 32ish degrees into puking snow and 6 inches of wind deposited pow

One Word: Ungripable

The only reason I rode this board was to compare its Equilizer sidecut to the new sidecut on the Never Summers. First off let me say I was highly disappointed in this side cut. When I’d initiate a turn it would get hooky at the kinks in the straight edge, then get chattery in the tail. The board didn’t track too well either. Riding switch was a chore and a half with this board because that sidecut was sketch ball as hell. The flex was fun I liked that a lot and popping on jumps was great, but half pipe it wasn’t happening. On jibs the board was just how I imagined it’d be, its like a tweaked Prospect more than anything. But that sidecut is just sketchy as hell. The base is incredibly slow and I waxed it. When waxing it though, it didn’t want to absorb as I figured such a higher end base would. All in all not impressed with the sidecut on this board.

 Add/View Comments (0)

Westbeach unveils the Emperor’s New Collection

VANCOUVER, BC, April 1, 2008 – Today, Westbeach, the Canadian Snowboarding Original,

presents the Emperor’s New Collection, a limited edition late-season line injection boasting

sensational performance and ballsy design.

“The first time people witness the Emperor’s New Collection, they’re shocked by the beauty

and power of the design—sometimes even speechless,” says Jon Cartwright, Westbeach’s

GM. “This is gear fit for a king.”

Created by world-renowned designer H. C. Andersen using ultra lightweight materials, the

Emperor’s New Collection allows maximal movement and features the industry’s best

breathability rating. Though not intended for extreme conditions, each piece incorporates

strategically placed insulation in areas prone to hypothermia or frostbite.

Extensive prototype testing concludes that consumers will find the Emperor’s New Collection

liberating to wear. “The fabric is so light, it’s as if you’re not wearing anything at all,” says

Westbeach team rider Matt Belzile.

Industry leaders have already voiced their appreciation for Andersen’s grassroots approach,

which embraces minimal design elements without foregoing serious wow factor. “The lay factor

is asstronomical,” according to team rider Dick Flapper. “This Collection brings women to their

knees. And it keeps men honest.”

In addition to terrific performance and styling, the Emperor’s New Collection requires little care.

Washing is seldom required. On those odd occasions when you get really dirty, Westbeach

recommends handwashing garments from the Collection in warm water, as using cold may

result in shrinkage.

See attached picture for details.

 Add/View Comments (1)

you know what...

I've been thinking... I know surprising eh ? haha shut up.

What would life have been like if everything was different ? I don't mean like absolutely everything or else I would be named Wolf, and most likely wouldn't be in the situation I am in currently, I'd already be out on the streets saving people. but here is what I mean, what if certain things in my life were strategically different. Well there is the absolutely obvious, school choices, what I did at school, or the lack thereof. But what I am specifically talking about was when I was living @ 88 Culver Crescent in London.

So there was 2 of the 5 that moved in earlier than the rest. You would think that we would be like having dinner together, lunch whatever. But for some messed up reason, we really never did? Which looking back at it now could be because the other half wanted it her way or no way. But that is how she was brought up so there was nothing I really could do to combat that. So that could be why we were two completely different functions items. But now that I am looking back, it really bothers me. It honestly does. Like I could not imagine how much better it could have been if everything could have just been more pleasant in the first couple weeks leading up to signing the lease and then the following weeks of move in days/time. All of the emotional convo's that we did have just me and her either sitting in my room and just chatting for hours, or sitting in her room on the bed drunk off our asses, or me sitting on the stairs and just shooting the shi*t, why could those experiences happen, but we could not just get together and have a meal ? I mean, me and her were the original 2 that would chill in Pre-Health, and then in Residence. But back to the whole meal thing. How many things would have changed if only we got together for meals. Guidelines might have been easier to be set (None were set in reality). When dinner would roll around, I would eat upstairs, she would downstairs. but why ? duh, the confrontations. It was just weird, flipping back and forth. How many confrontations never would have happened if only we ate together once and a while. Only in the final months were we "sorta" closer. We gathered around Pussycat Dolls: The Search for the Next Doll. Yes I watched it and called them all whores. and yes I cheered for Chelsea to win, or the other girl to win, oh well. I know I am not normal, shut it!

I know I also have been talking in circles, but it happens once and a while... and I mean the Rockstar obviously is helping this haha. Let's see. then there was the girl. What was I thinking... and since I am posting this on Deviantart, Fb, Snowboard colonies, along with a couple other places, sooner or later she will prolly read this, if she admits it or not. Was it a right choice, at that point I thought it was because she looked like one of the girls on my brothers baseball team that I, in the simplest terms, adored. This girl was just stunning in my young eyes, and since I knew I never had a chance with this girl since I was so young, I averted my eyes to this new girl, that as I saw it looked like her. and I mean being with her for as long as I did, I don't even see the likeness at all anymore. But I did at the time. oh well. I wouldn't call my life ruined from her, but my life didn't get much easier when she was around. I did enjoy her company, because I never had someone who I could go to that wasn't my mom or brother. Sorry to myself, but it's the truth. I have never had someone whom I could just talk to and let everything go, I could laugh with, talk to for hours about nothing, just sit and say nothing, or play video games and actually not have to teach the person how to play, they would just try and really wasn't that bad. Not better than me, a durr, I couldn't have that now could I ? yeah I didn't think so either haha. So yeah, I never have had someone like that that wasn't blood, and I was at that time, glad I did have it. Wow Rockstar works eh ? haha. I am shaking... Although it could be from the coldness of the room. Back to her. So shi*t was alright, I felt like the protector, and I really liked this new power. and Since she will prolly find this sooner or later (I hope) here goes the big secrets. The friend I said that I argued with about you, and I said that I lost touch with because I didn't like what she was saying about her, never happened. There was no arguement between my good friends back in good ol' St.C. If there was, no girl comes before my friends, sorry, My friends come first, especially the person I was saying I lost touch with. I mean yeah, we do butt heads once and a while when I think she needs to go to College or know that some of her choices are stupid, but shi*t happens, and we have (hopefully) gotten past that past instances. back to the girl. There was a conversation with my one roommate about her though, while I was still in res. I talked to the one guy, and he told me to get out because obviously I wasn't happy. a year later... I didn't listen to him obviously. But time happens. Next, I never wanted you to meet my friends, why people would most likely ask... because in my eyes at least at that time, I thought you were good enough for me, but you would never be good enough for my friends. I know it doesn't make any sense that you would be good enough for me, but not them. I was just I guess embarassed to show them that I had in fact found something out in the "REAL WORLD" that I enjoyed. In the back of my head the entire time I knew I should have been with someone more "fit" or "athletic" maybe a volleyball player or something like that... you people reading this understand right ? The typical girl. Someone who I could take home and be like see, she is my girl, not.... bring someone home and be see, here she is, not here is MY GIRL. just here SHE IS... Obviously this is pig headed of me and I realize this. But for some reason still beyond me, I wanted some sort of companionship. I guess I got that from her ? Don't know about her since she doesn't write like I do, like this for example. Which is really another reason why we don't talk now. She can't talk, it is like a permanent tongue cut... make sense ? not trying to make that a jab at you if you are still reading this. You just could never communicate with me in your own "heart" and "feelings". they were always someone else's feelings or thoughts.

Which brings me to paragraph 3. EVERYONE ELSE'S FEELINGS. wow my hands are cold. keep going. no more Rockstar tonight. It was never you and I, and I think that was one of the problems we had. Since you couldn't say what you thought, at least as much when you would, I would shut you down and make everything you said look wrong. My linguistics did that and I apologize, not like it helped. Back to the topic. Since you couldn't say what you thought and felt, you went to surrounding passers-by, who divulged into lives and lurked for too long for me to be comfortable. Those passers-by were your voice. Wow. I never should have taken that long of a break. My brain isn't in the same mindset anymore. Ok Let’s try this again… Rob Zombie will help me now. So as I was saying, your passers-by were your voice and as I saw it, they were you. I was not with you, I was with them and had to deal with them because you refused to live your life, you let others do it for you, and thus up to that point that is exactly what got you by. With that said. Where is she going now ? Well since she is back in the home city, she has been manipulated from what I thought I had created to keep the head on straight and possibly create an own person. I was wrong, they have sucked the life out of you. You are finished for life now till you finally break away and find out that these people are telling you what to do, what to think. When you were in your first yrs of college, you couldn’t bugger off to other provinces, but what a freakin’ surprise, the second you are forced back to your home city, now you are being spoon-fed bullshat! That’s right BULL-SHAT ! You have been shown that as long as you dwell under the home city, the world is yours and you have no problems or worries. “Just don’t ever leave or we will disown you and leave you for dead on the side of the street” “We don’t care what you think, because you are useless to the world, and will amount to nothing… why is that you ask? Well you aren’t allowed to ask questions, so shut the fack up and get back into your overcrowded room and sit till we tuck you in for bed.”

Wow that felt good to get out FINALLY.  So you can think what you want from that, but isn’t it funny that you “lost all feelings for me as soon as you slinked back to the home city ?” yeah, that’s what I thought too. The brainwashing and hand-feeding has commenced. I guarantee with everything that is holy, that if you were in any other city but the current one, you would still not be “over me”. And why is that, because you don’t know who you are, so you rely on other people to tell you what to say and what to think. Isn’t it surprising that when you were living in the house, and had temporarily lost contact with the reliers, that you were HAPPY, you were enjoying life, you had an honest fun time. I don’t think you can deny that. There were obvious rough patches, but those were because of situations at the house, or your reliers trying to wedge back into the situation and I got frustrated when you were letting them (Calling them every single night and filling them in on daily occurances)… What are you going to do when they finally pass ? who are you going to call then ? one of your other reliers and spill to them. Where will you live ? Since they like the younger half more than you, Younger will have the house. And we all know younger won’t want you hanging around.
You know that you need to get away. I know you do. But unfortunately you will never be able to see this until you stop listening to background noises and see what YOU REALLY WANT. Not what everyone else has told you you want to hear and do.

So this was fun. I got a lot out. No clue why this all came up, but it did. Kinda for some reason just pissed me off. Damn people randomly getting on my nerves for no reason haha.

 Add/View Comments (0)

Ok, let's just get down to nitty gritty (or as gritty as I can get): I've been watching horrible movies lately. So, here's my reviews of  horrible movies that you should avoid at all cost, unless suicide is on your top list or you are just really bored. But if you're that bored to watch this mindless pap, you should consider if you really have anything to live for. I kid, I kid. A little.

  I will say that just because these movies are horrible, this does not mean I didn't like some of them...just a note...

JUMPER

Jumper is not really a serious, feature film. It barely qualifies as a film. But I enjoyed it, for all it's flaws. It's the kind of movie you watch at 2 AM on TNT when you're up on a boring Friday in April. Bonus points for Samuel L. Jackson, who amazingly is not tired of playing The Angry Black Man in every movie, and for that wooden actor from Star Wars, for doing something different in every film (but yet always acting the same.)

Grade: C-

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES

I'm not a fantasy. Yeah, I read Lord of the Rings, but I skipped many parts of the book (mostly boring elven songs). I do like the Hobbit. Best fantasy book ever written. But this movie? Nah.

  Three things I can't stand in films: kids saving the world, divorce sub-plot, and the always tiresome situation that I call the "But I Swear!" cliche'. How does this work? You know in every movie where a kid sees something and nobody believes him, and he spends the whole movie trying to prove it but stuff keeps getting in the way? Some call that "delayed tension", I call this "annoying boredom."

  Spiderwick has all three of these, plus ridiculous fantasy elements that are too scary for young children, and too goofy for everyone else. I should have watched Step Up 2 the Streets instead. At least there's dancing, and the fantasy is funner anyway.

My Grade: D

MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM

One word: dreadful.

 Only watch it if you enjoy getting kicked in the head repeatedly and spit on by tobacco chewers.

My Grade: F

 Add/View Comments (0)