Board Exam: 2012/2013 Burton Con Artist Snowboard Review

What the Rep Said: Aggressive powder board; high-end, Dragonfly core (same as in the Custom X); 20mm taper, only available in a 152

First Impressions: Not the best day to demo a powder board, let's see how she rides in a resort setting. What's up with the name? Lighter than average, but it's also shorter than anything I've ever ridden (besides my girlfriend's board).

Stats/Setup: I was 6'1" tall and 165 pounds when I rode the Con Artist 152 at a Mt. Hood Meadows demo day. I completed the setup with Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) and Burton Cartel EST bindings.

Conditions: Variable groom, some powder off the groom (boot-top at best), chop and chunder

Ask Burton for the whole story on this board. Specs on pull-down menu here.

The Ride: First, the paradox: you want to demo a powder board in real powder, but would you really want to risk a board you're unfamiliar with on a rare and precious deep day? Risk vs. reward. In this case I didn't have a choice. The demo day was not a pow day. I walked up to the Burton rep and asked him, "What's new?" This is what he gave me. I was intrigued and did my best to find some pow.

The Con Artist combines specs like a tight sidecut and 20mm of taper for the ride of your life through the trees. I found one grove that held boot-top powder and she was right at home, slashing mercilessly and floating effortlessly. It got back and forth on edge faster than some caffeinated ping pong pros.

Despite almost entirely lacking a tail, the Con Artist popped nicely. That's the camber and Dragonfly core talking. Burton calls it a 5 of 10 flex, but I'd say 6, especially torsionally. Lengthwise, there's so little board that it's easier to flex and even press on the nose and tail, but the waist holds firm through turns.

Even with the benefits of camber and all the carbon in the Burton universe, this is not a board you want to be blasting away on at high speed on hardpack. Unless your normal resort board is also a 152. Or you have a titanium skeleton. It definitely got squirrely on me as I pushed it. Interestingly, I've seen racers who are fast as hell through banked slalom courses on small tapered boards.

Bottom Line: The Burton site says it best, "Depending on your reality, it's a quiver board or a lifestyle choice, but either way this is for those days that define light and deep." I'd love to either make that lifestyle choice or at least be able to test powder boards in deep powder. Until then this will have to do. I still prefer a bigger board in the pow, but the Con Artist's deep sidecut and heavy taper performed better than some of its fishy kin. I don't fee like it conned me out of anything. 

Similar Boards: Jones Hovercraft (stiffer and less sidecut)

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Ride Berzerker Snowboard Review

What the rep said: Camber board with a little reverse camber in front of the front insert pack for powder float (nobody really rides switch in powder), urethane sidewalls for dampness, carbon fiber in the tail for pop, Jake Blauvelt pro model

Stats/Setup: I rode the Ride Berzerker 161 with Union Force SL bindings and Salomon Dialogue boots (size 9.5) at a Mt. Hood Meadows demo. I am 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 165 pounds at the time.

Conditions: Variable groom, a few inches of fluff off the groom, the rest chopped up

First impressions: This scene from Clerks. Lots going on in that topsheet. Says 'Made in China' right there. If it made me ride like Jake in Naturally I would buy any board, no matter where it was made. Lighter than average dangling from my foot.

Let Ride tell you the rest. Some specific technology may be hard to find.

The Ride: Wow, I like this board. It may be my favorite board yet. It ate up the tree slalom course, popped like a champagne cork on a contest podium, and evened out the chop like you were riding behind your own personal grooming fleet.

This board gets edge to edge so fast, other DJs say, "Damn." This is owed partly to its narrowness (25.0 at the waist of a 161 board). Big-footers, fear not; the Berzerker is also available in a wide platform for the big dogs. The nose rocker also helps with turn initiation, while the camber powers you through and on to the next one.

Speaking of camber, this board pops. I don't know what Pop Rods are, but couple them with camber and this board want to get off the ground. Maybe that's the carbon in the tail the rep mentioned. I think they're in the nose, too (the website is pretty unclear). That would help keep you from going over the bars on pow landings.

Seeing how narrow this board was coupled with the nose rocker, I was surprised at how stable it was at speed. It blazed hard through some dicey conditions on a flat base or on edge. The edge hold was remarkable for a non-wavy sidecut.

The flex was mid-firm. Ride calls it 7 of 10 and I agree. The nose rocker helped out presses; the tail, not so much. It was just waiting to pop you.

I did not test in pow, pipe or on rails. The last two might not be it's bag, but it should rip the pow apart. Note the nose rocker and set-back stance. Things to keep in mind are its narrow overall width and long relative effective edge. This will translate itself better into high-speed pow applications. Not for beginners or the timid. Size up and step up.

Bottom Line: A damp, yet poppy freeride board. Straight-line aggro and fast edge to edge. Pow-friendly features and stable on the hardpack. I'd buy this board. In fact, I tried to find it in a 164 after the demo for a good price, but failed. My love for you is like a truck, Berserker.

Similar Boards: Maybe the Yes Pick Your Line

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Salomon Man's Board Snowboard Review

What the Rep Said: Camber and a radial sidecut, crazy right? More bamboo, less fiberglass.

Stats/Setup: I was 6'1" and about 165# when I rode the Man's Board 159 at a Mt. Hood Meadows demo day. Salomon Dialogue boots and Union Force SL bindings completed the kit.

Conditions: variable groom, some ice, some old fluff off the groom

First Impression: Beer and a scantily clad woman, I guess I'm a man now. Average weight.

Nothing says 'manly' quite like it. Just ask Salomon.

The Ride: There is no substitute for camber pop. If you want to get up like a pole vaulter, do yourself a favor and get a cambered board. I've got to say that the bamboo Salomon uses is legit. This board not only boosts, but it maintains stability at speed, too. It's pretty stiff though, a full 7 out of 10. 

That's the key to this board, speed. It wants to be ridden hard and fast (mmhm). Low-speed turns don't get much reaction. It would rather blast fast turns that spray everyone from here to the nearest green run (which is waaaay over there).

On edge, I prefer a board with some sort of augmented sidecut. I feel more confident on ice and other hard conditions with the extra contact points. Not that you're going to be riding icy slalom courses all the time, but it would be nice for this board's straight-line aggression to carry through the curves. The tight tree run gave this board fits (again, lower speed turns).

I didn't get to test this board on rails or in pow. It should be fine in pow with rockered tip and tail and a little stance setback.

Bottom Line: This board rips hard in a straight line, but not as hard on edge. Point it and let loose. If anything is in your way, don't turn, just ollie.

Similar Boards: Lib Tech Jamie Lynn C3 Phoenix

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Lib Tech Jamie Lynn C3 Phoenix Classic

What the rep said: C3 is camber dominant, banana submissive. The board is based on an overall camber shape with a small amount of rocker at the waist.

Stats/Setup: I checked in at 6'1" and 165 pounds when I rode the Jamie Lynn 157 Mid-Wide with Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) and Union Force SL bindings at Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon.

Conditions: variable groomers, some ice, some ankle deep fluff from a couple days ago off the groom

First impression: Of course, Jamie's signature graphics. The base is as curvy as the sidecut. I wonder when Lib is going to make a board with C4. That would really pop... Average weight.

Move on over to lib-tech.com for more specs and Jamie Lynn videos.

The Ride: The first thing I always do when I demo a board is get up to speed and rail some mid-radius turns. This board handled those turns well enough to put a smile on my face that didn't leave until I gave the board back. Magne-traction is the real deal, people. With less banana than C2, this Phoenix was really ripping. While we're on the subject of ripping turns, this board got edge to edge pretty well for a mid-wide, though my feet would have preferred the narrower 160. It was at home in the trees, too, but its real element was laying down deep trenches with big, fast turns.

Going from C2 to C3 also rewards you with a welcome increase in pop and stability. This board had some spring that's been missing from Lib boards since the banana takeover. It's also less likely to rotate through turns and more apt to link them up with power. It handled speed and landings like a boss with that trademark Lib Tech dampness.

You're not going to butter this board around like a full banana, but it's not plywood-stiff, either. It has a nice, all-mountain, medium-stiff flex. It won't do your nosepresses for you, but it will give you what you put into it.

As with most demo days, I didn't ride any rails or substantial pow. I think this would be a capable board in either of those avenues. It has a relatively short contact length for its overall length, giving it plenty of nose to float. It's also set a half-inch back on a twin shape. Move the bindings back more for pow and closer to the center for optimal switch riding. If you want to ride switch in the pow, well, get a bigger board.

Bottom Line: More camber means a more snowboardy, less skateboardy feel than past Lib offerings. The pop is back. The flex is right. For me, this is where it's at. This is my favorite Lib Tech board since a pre-banana TRS MTX. And I'm not the only one who likes it. Snowboard Magazine made it a Platinum Pick this year. It definitely lets you charge the whole mountain. Can you cover the bill?

Similar Boards: Salomon Man's Board

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Never Summer Proto CT Snowboard Review

Shred over to Never Summer's site for all the specs

What the rep said: True twin; all mountain; deep sidecut; carbonium (whatever the hell that means); same shape as the Never Summer Evo, but different construction and longitudinally stiffer; don't forget about our 3-year warranty

Stats/Setup: I checked in at 6'1" and 165 pounds when I rode the Proto CT 160 with Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) and Union Force SL bindings at Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon.

Conditions: variable groomers, some ice, some ankle deep fluff from a couple days ago off the groom

First impression: Much lighter than previous Never Summer boards

The Ride: Right off the chair, it was evident this board was doing things right. Edge-to-edge it was almost telepathic. It had a 'spidey sense' of when and where you wanted to turn next. Not only could it get back and forth on short- and medium-radius turns, the Vario Power Grip sidecut had it holding on to even the high-speed, long-arcing, laid-out eurocarves. Not generally a park board's domain. It shone in the mandatory, trenched-out, banked-slalom tree run.

That's a carbonium topsheet, ladies and gents.

The Proto CT features NS's patented Rocker & Camber Technology: camber under each foot, rocker at the waist. It pops as hard as any board of this hybrid camber style while holding that edge and not washing or rotating like some full rocker or flat boards. It's similar to Lib Tech's C2 Banana Traction.

As with all Never Summer boards, the Proto CT has a long running length. This provides a stable base for landings and high speed action. It charges hard for a park board. However, this tends to diminish performance in the powder. A shorter nose leads to more nose dives in the light stuff. While I didn't test this board in pow, it's something you'll want to keep in mind. It's not a dedicated pow board, so you'll be leaning back unless you size up. And I ride a similar Never Summer SL-R every day.

Bottom Line: The Proto CT is quick, poppy and burly. It's also a true twin. It's a park board and then some. All-mountain freestyle boards are big right now and the Proto CT is at the front of the pack. Oh yeah, it also won Snowboarder Magazine's Alpine Lab Golden Seal of Approval and Outside Magazine's Gear of the Year, so I'm not the only one who likes it. Now what the hell is carbonium anyway!?

Similar Boards: Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro

Binding Review: 2012/2013 Now IPO

How much have bindings changed in the last 10 years? Not that much. 20 years?? 30!? A couple step-in options that came and went. A couple that stuck. Lots of small incremental changes, not much different thinking. Until Now. (The puns just write themselves.)

JF Pelchat thought the same thing. In 2004 he filed his first patent and in 2006 he began work on what would become the Now IPO. As with Jones and Yes Snowboards, Nidecker stepped up to the plate on production. With a quality team behind him, production dialed and six years of work into the product, it was time to unveil the IPO binding.

JF was on hand at the Baker Banked Slalom to demo his bindings. As such, he breezed through the setup with the speed and efficiency of someone who has been inside these bindings for six years. I have no idea how long it would have taken me, but I'd imagine no longer than an average binding. Now has one mounting disc to take care of 2-hole sliders, 3-hole and 4-hole insert patterns. The foot pillow that covers the disc gets out of the way without tools. Forward lean is tool-free as per usual. The highbacks are even pre-rotated a few degrees to solve a common problem.

I rode the Now IPOs on my Never Summer SL-R with Salomon Dialogue boots. My size 9.5 (US men's) boots went into a medium binding. Now lists 9.5 and smaller boots as their medium size and 10 and bigger as Large. JF set me up with the Medium bushings at the binding-board interface.

The fit was great. The first thing I noticed was how tight the heelcup held my boot in place. I couldn't just step out at the end of a run, I had to pull my foot out of the binding. Not difficult, but not effortless. JF mentioned that this is something they're still dialing in for future models. Once I got used to it, I liked that snug feeling. It was like having another strap that locked your heel down without actually having  to buckle it. Also, the highback is sandwiched between the heelcup's two loops. This makes it a snap to take out the highback and go no-back style without altering the fit. I'd love to try that, especially on a pow day. Imagine the Japan you could tweak out. Knee to the deck! With the highback in place, flexibility was still good without being gooey.

Speaking of the straps, they are standard. Not big and puffy, not bare bones, just medium. Comfortable enough. You can ride the toe strap up top or out front.

The vibration absorption of these bindings is next level. Between the 5mm bushings and the 15mm foot pillows Now has your dogs swaddled in EVA for a magic carpet ride through the most unforgiving chop. I'd like to see thinner foot pillow or bushing offerings for a lower ride with more board feel. Again, it could make for a rad pow day.

See the rest of JF and more IPO tech and specs Now

What about response? My main preconceived concern with these bindings was that taking the binding out of direct contact with the board and setting it up on bushings would sacrifice response. Not the case. My board responded as good or better than with traditional bindings. As JF explained, the kingpin and bushing system transfers energy more directly and eliminates the performance-robbing binding warp in other models. Translation, you say "Carve," your board says "How hard?"

The bushings bring about another question for me. What about the possibility of setting up the bindings asymmetrically? With snowboards again messing around with asymmetrical sidecuts, could a similar benefit be achieved by putting the hard bushings under your heels and the soft ones under your toes? What about using thinner bushings under the instep to create a cant?

One long-term worry I would have with these bindings is the extra moving parts. Add moving parts to a system and you add liabilities. As with any new product, it remains to be seen how rugged these parts will be. The next few years will answer the durability question.

I'm intrigued to see where Now will go next. They have some room for improvement, but their IPO was a solid offering. Freestyle, freeride, big mountain, all mountain; I'd say the next big thing in bindings is right here, right Now.

Board Exam: 2012/2013 Yes Pick Your Line Snowboard Review

For more info (and better pictures), just say YES

What the rep said: Directional all-mountain ripper, freeride Camrock, DCP-styled

Stats/Setup: I'm around 6'1" and 165# and rode the 159 in Salomon Dialogue Boots (size 9.5) with Union Force SL bindings.

Conditions: Mt. Baker, Hardpack, chunder, ice, generally not that rad

First impression: Gnarly graphic, pretty light dangling from the foot

The Ride: Like I said, the conditions weren't great, but when you want to test a board, you want to see how it handles the muck. The first thing i noticed was the flex. Not firm, but not too noodley either. It gets edge to edge really quickly and still butters well for a freeride board. Those pow butters you always see Travis Rice and Nicolas Müller do? This board is all over those. Thank the freeride Camrock: camber between your feet, rockered outside. I'd call it a 5/10 flex and a 5/10 dampness. It was easy to get bucked that day, but this board handled its fair share and maintained stability at speed. It also had a surprisingly lively pop. As quick as it was edge-to-edge, it also held those edges as long as you wanted with a serrated sidecut. That wavy edge with a few extra contact points keeps you locked on the line you intended instead of making that nail-on-chalkboard scratching sound so common on icy days. I didn't get a chance to ride this board in pow or on rails. Just looking at the specs it should handle the pow just fine. It has a long nose and 2mm of taper to sink the tail a little. Rails aren't exactly this boards intended audience.

Bottom Line: I'm impressed with this offering from Yes. It was my first time on any Nidecker imprint and it has me sold. I'd take this board anywhere on the mountain and shred with confidence. Maybe after a while everyone will call me by my initials just like David Carrier Porcheron.

Similar Boards: Lib Tech Travis Rice, Never Summer SL-R, Ride Berzerker