Board Exam: 2011/2012 Capita Charlie Slasher Snowboard Review

First off, I didn't demo this board. I got a good price ($240 after 40% off, late-season deal), so I bought it straight off. The difference with this board is that I rode plenty of other pow boards, so I knew what I liked and didn't like. Charlie is a good combo of the likes without most of the dislikes.

What the rep said: Take it straight from Blue.

Stats/Setup: I'm around 6'1" and 165# and I went with the 164. I generally strap Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) into Union Force SL bindings.

Conditions: Everything, but this board was made for powder. You'll have a better board for other conditions. This is a quiver board. Not to be confused with a quivering broad.

First impression: Big and gnarly. I'm so stoked it just snowed.

Uh, it's the one on the left.

The Ride: I was lucky enough to pull the trigger on the Slasher just before one of the best pow days I've ever ridden at Mt. Hood Meadows. Knee-deep and sunny in Oregon just doesn't happen. Enough about my luck.

My biggest concern about the board was that it wouldn't perform in the trees. The combo of not much sidecut and a wide waist had me even more scared than the graphics. This video calmed me down. Then I took it into the woods myself and it lived up to the hype. Why? My guess is it's taper and enough torsional looseness to steer quickly. The nose rocker also aids maneuverability in powder's 3D world.

The true test of a powder board is its float and you know Charlie is on top of that. The 6mm rocker from the front insert pack to the tip, the 20mm taper and the overall width and surface area keep the Slasher cruising like a missile. Ride enough deep pow and drop enough cliffs and you'll eventually find yourself too far over the nose. It happens to everyone. Charlie has an answer for that, too. The two, 30mm-wide carbon stringers extending forward from the waist to the tip will bring you back where you belong. I'm not sure I've fully exercised these yet, but I've definitely had the nose sunk and not tomahawked. At the same time, I'm able to center my weight to a point where my back leg isn't nearly as tired as it normally is on a deep day. All of this on a board with a real tail that has power through turns and decent pop. A tail that buries trees and skiers alike in tsunami slashes.

Negatives about this board have to do with taking it out of its element. This is not an all-mountain, do-everything board. The only time you should ride it switch is when buttering. Short-radius turns on hardpack expose that shallow sidecut and wide waist and make it feel a little sluggish.

This board is not called Charlie Side-Slipper for a reason. Open it up and crank out bigger turns and you will be rewarded. If you have to ride it on hardpack, say between your favorite stashes, point it straight and rip it hard. Bury a skier and disappear.

Bottom Line: Pow-specific board with a freestyle feel. This should not be your first board, it should be your second.

Similar Boards: If you take this another step towards all-mountain it would look like the Ride Berserker. One more step and it's the Lib Tech Lando Phoenix.

For a limited time, check Capita for the full scoop.

Board Exam: 2011/2012 K2 Turbo Dream Snowboard Review

What the rep said: The Turbo Dream is flat between the feet with an early rise nose and tail (slightly higher nose), Harshmellow dampens vibration underfoot, Carbon web stringers will pop your socks off.

Stats/Setup: I'm checking in at 6'1" and 170#. I rode the Turbo Dream in a 159 with Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) and K2 Formula Bindings at Mt. Bachelor, Oregon.

Conditions: Hardpack, ice, some slush

First impression: Some bright-ass bindings, but nothing else out of the ordinary.

The Ride: Right off the lift all systems were go. The board went edge to edge just fine on slow, short-radius turns. Pop was OK, probably due to its stiffness and carbon webbing and in spite of its reverse camber profile. Stability at speed and on landings was a high point. Nothing bothered the Dream on that front. Again, this board is pretty stiff longitudinally, maybe a little less so torsionally. Also not a board you'll be pressing too much.

Then, it came time to crank a turn. Higher speed carving was a sore spot as the board wanted to wash or rotate a little. I would attribute this to the camber profile and traditional sidecut. Reverse camber boards that carve best have some sidecut augmentation, whether it's magne-traction, grip tech, vario power grip or what have you.

Stolen from K2's 2011/2012 site. Check it while you can.

Bottom Line: I was disappointed in this board. It might serve well as a pow board, but I can't see riding it in all-around resort conditions. The stability was there, but the sidecut didn't lock on like some of the alternative sidecuts that are available leading to a looser turn than I'd like. Overall, I think this board might work better with regular camber.

I have a buddy who has an older model of this board, maybe I can get him to weigh in on it in the comments.

Similar Boards: Bataleon Omni

Board Exam: Arbor Wasteland 2011/2012 Snowboard Review

What the rep said: The System is how rocker should be. Parabolic rocker means more rocker at the waist and less at the tips and Grip Tech gives you four extra contact points. This all sounds so familiar.

Stats/Setup: I'm checking in at 6'1" and 170#. I rode the Wasteland in a 161 with Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) and some old Tech Nine MFM Pro Bindings at Mt. Bachelor, Oregon.

Conditions: Hardpack, ice, some slush

First impression: Another fine wooden topsheet from Arbor

The Ride: This is my second nose-to-tail rocker demo, the other being the much softer Arbor Cascade. The flex was stiff enough to maintain pop, but still soft enough to butter like a cheater. Not so soft that you just fall over the tail when you try to press, though. Maybe a 6.5 out of 10 (10 being your femur).
The Grip Tech sidecut held on through everything I threw at it and that included every size turn imaginable. When you're cruising a resort on a mediocre snow day, that's the one thing you have time for, lots of turns. The Wasteland got edge-to-edge quickly and locked in hard, like a ninja.
Stability was on-point, but I didn't throw anything huge at it. Speed wasn't a big issue and the air I got just wasn't that big. Speaking of which, the dampness was only moderate. Not as damp as my Never Summer, for example. This is a matter of taste, I know, as some people think overly damp boards feel 'dead.'

For all the blood and guts, check out Arbor's site.

Bottom Line: I'm impressed with this board. It does everything you could ask of it at the resort. It's as good as a rockered board could be. With the full rocker and elongated nose, it should perform well in powder, too. If that is the case, I could easily ride the Wasteland every day. You won't want to ride it in an actual wasteland, though; no water. 

Similar Boards: GNU Altered Genetics BTX (not C2)

5th Annual Dirksen Derby Dec. 17-19

Here's what you need to know-

This is not a tightly regimented event, so details are still in flux.

The GOLDEN rule: All proceeds from everything go to Tyler Eklund, a friend and rad kid who was paralyzed while snowboarding. Paralyzed. Think about that when you reach for your wallet.



Dirksen Derby Kickoff Party: Friday, December 16th. Doors @ 7pm, Band at 8. Location: the Poet House in downtown Bend. All ages. Music, Drinks for 21+, Raffle, and “Broken Board” art auction.  All proceeds go to Tyler.

Racing: The whole weekend! Depending on weather, snow fall and poor planning, the schedule of the event will remain flexible. All participants are expected to be on-hill both Saturday and Sunday ready to either race the course, cheer on their fellow competitors, bash some windlips or stuff their faces with Parilla clam chowder. If everything goes perfectly as planned, Friday the course will be open for timed practice, Saturday we will hold both the Mens qualifier and the Splitboard race, and then Sunday will be everything else (the top Mens qualifiers from Saturday, Derby Elites, Womens, Older and Wiser, Groms and Sit-ski). But remember, the actual schedule can change quickly!

Registration: $25 per racer, per event. All proceeds go to Tyler. Racers can register online at MtBachelor.com or at Mt. Bachelor`s West Village lodge on Friday afternoon, Saturday morning (8:00-10:00) or Sunday morning (8:00-10:00). There will NOT be a limit to the amount of competitors allowed in the event. Discounted lift tickets will be available at registration.

Sponsors: Our exclusive list of sponsors include: Salomon snowboards, Patagonia, Dakine, GoPro, Mt. Bachelor, Hydro Flask, Oregon Adaptive Sports, Boneyard Beer, Smith Optics, Drink Water, Spark R&D, Rebound Physical Therapy, Parilla, Gummi Love, Skjersaa's, SideEffect, Aspect, Exit Real World, Mt. Hood 26, DeckTech, BAF, Mountain House, and Skull Candy.

Board Exam: Lib Tech Mark Landvik Phoenix 2010/2011 Snowboard Review

What the rep said: Stiff, wide and not much sidecut. Point it and hang on.

Stats/Setup: I'm checking in at 6'1" and 165#. I rode the Lando in a 157 Wide with 32 Focus Boa Boots (size 10.5) and Union Force SL Bindings at Mt. Hood Meadows.

Conditions: Boot-top pow and soft groomers

First impression: Two-headed cobra. Awesome!

The Ride: I only got one run. After what the rep said, I decided not to hold back. The board did just what it was meant to do: charge. High-speed, big-radius turns were made for this board. Crud? What crud? Like any assassin, it goes by two names. Those are 'stability' and 'dampness.' If it were a Mexican assassin it would have a third name, but I don't know how to say 'merciless' in Spanish.

View all the gory details over at Lib's site

Anyway, the more you put into this board, the more you get out. But you better be ready. Prepare to overshoot your everyday jumps because it pops like that. Prepare to run into lifties because you can't stop. Check that, prepare to run into waitresses. In the upstairs restaurant. That's how hard this board charges.

Don't worry about pressing, buttering, dancing or getting out of the way. Some avoid, some get avoided. When you're on this board, you'll know you're role.

Bottom Line: Charge!! Not exactly a board for beginners.

Similar Boards: Burton Supermodel X, Salomon Burner
(I kinda wish I had those reviews back. I'd charge harder...)

Board Exam: 2010/2011 Arbor Cascade Snowboard Review

What the rep said: An all-mountain board. This board has the Mountain System: parabolic rocker (more rocker between the inserts, less rocker outside of 'em), grip tech (a sidecut that adds contact points underfoot) and other stuff that made my mind wander to the mountain. Also, this board is similar to the Arbor Coda, but a little softer flexing. Finally, the Cascade has base graphics done by contest winner Dan Burns and it's only available at REI.

Stats/Setup: I'm checking in around 6'1" and 165# wearing size 10.5, 32 Focus Boa boots inside Union Force SL bindings. I rode the board (a 161) at a demo day at Mt. Hood Meadows.

Conditions: Boot-top powder and soft groomers

First impression: Classic Arbor wood topsheet, average weight

The Ride: This is my first experience with full-length rocker and the first thing I noticed was the instant press-ability. This stick lets you get waaaay back. As a consequence, it's less poppy and the pop engages later. Once I adjusted to the rocker, I found this lively board at home with its fellow trees. With full-length rocker and some extra length on the nose, it should do well in powder. I didn't get a chance to dive into anything substantial, but it did fine in the few inches we had.

Rockered boards can get a little squirrelly underfoot and the Cascade is no exception. A nice longitudinal flex pattern kept this to a minimum while preserving turn initiation. 

Another sacrifice was stability at speed, which kept me from testing many high-speed turns. The one flat-out, toe-side turn I arced felt like riding a mechanical bull. The Grip Tech sidecut holds through short- and mid-radius turns and engages subtly without grabbing. I liked it better than a radial sidecut, but the runs weren't icy, either.

Bottom Line: Fun to butter and cruise around with. It might be an all-mountain board, if you live in the Mid-West. Otherwise you'd want to look for something a bit more damp that could handle speed better. The reps said that's it's bro, the Arbor Coda.

Similar Boards: Lib Tech Skate Banana

Arbor Cascade, available only at REI