# One Board To Rule Them All



## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

So I've formed this shortlist of highly recommended all-mountain/freestyle boards, and I need help to decide which would make the best quiver-of-one for myself.

I've been running cambered rentals up to this point, but I'm transitioning from beginner to intermediate and want to make an investment I can stay with.

My stats:
Weight: 75kg (165 lbs)
Boot size: 10.5
Riding style: 50% park, 50% bomb n carve
Age: 25
Budget: No limit
Location: East coast, USA (mostly hardpack/icy conditions)

The list:
Bataleon Riot
Capita Black Snowboard of Death
Capita Ultrafear FK
GNU Altered Genetics
Lib Tech Attack Banana
Lib Tech TRS C2 BTX
Rome Mod Rocker
Salomon Grip
Never Summer Proto
Nitro Rook

From an experienced standpoint, what separates these boards besides the paint jobs, as it applies to my uses?


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## civic2tegg (Sep 30, 2011)

Hey I was just in the market for a very simular board as I too ride all mountain and live on the east coast and wanted to go from my traditianl camber wood plank I've been riding for the past 4 years to something more cutting edge. I decided to get something not on your list. The Rossignol One Magtek, I also ride alot of Ice Coast ice and this boards Magnetration was supposed to be solid it also has some decent flex to hopefully get me started in the park. But most websites say this is the one board to own if you can only own one. So I went with it, I rode this weekend and man it's way more fun to ride then my old board. Also I was riding Hunter which due to this weather was litterally and ice skating rink and I was gripping nice. Just something to look into for us east coasters. I'm sure people with way more experince then me will have some more choices.


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

That sounds good. Is the One Magtek a reverse camber? I've been hoping getting a reverse camber would make my turns easier and improve my whole experience. The cambered I've been riding is a pretty ghetto piece from the 90s that's stiff as a log and catches like no tomorrow.


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## civic2tegg (Sep 30, 2011)

Its a hybrid so it has a small amount of camber between the feet and then rockers out after the bindings... This video explains the board pretty well. 2012 Rossignol One Magtek Snowboard Review - YouTube


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

here's a good review of it Rossignol One MagTek Review - 2012 Snowboard Reviews - Board Insiders Rossi OneMag review - YouTube


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

Yeah, the OneMag sounds right up this alley. There also seems to be tremendous support for the Arbor Blacklist on the forum. Lots of great choices, really hard to draw the line!

Also, if my boot is 10.5, whats the ideal board width I want?


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

normal width


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## civic2tegg (Sep 30, 2011)

Yeah and to be honest Rossi doesn't have alot of support from snowboarders it's actually really over looked so it deff doesnt have the amount of reveiws youll find on a NS or Arbor product. On here alot of people seem to like NS alot. I never rode it before but the Proto looks pretty cool as well. I just couldnt find it at any local shops to see it in person so I got the Rossi which I know love  .

But if you just snoop around here you will see everything you need to know about the Proto and Blacklist is also mentioned a lot.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

I only saw 3 candidates for quiver killers in your list. Grip, Proto, and Rook. From Nitro though i would say the pro one offs over the Rook, thats my experience.

I would add and Arbor Coda to that, from Bataleon the Goliath over the Riot, for sure check out the Signal omni, same camber profile as the Rossi but Signal did it first and i still think they do it best. From Rome replac the Mod with the Reverb Rocker. And if Organic Flex is your deal check out the K2 Fastplant.

My top 3 quiver killers are the Omni, Pro one off, and Goliath/Whatever(which is a bit softer version of the Goliath).


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

I think I got the board of the future for you. It has a brake too.


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

I'm tempted to jump on the Rook as I found last years model new on ebay for $290. Just wasn't sure if the completely flat profile would make turning any easier and if it'd have much pop.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

For me at 145lbs the 54 Rook was one of my all time favorite jump sticks. Plenty of pop. And on top of that zero cam is really my favorite flavour. If that Rook is really in the right size I'd for sure snag it.


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

Someone grabbed it up pretty much as soon as I made that post, haha. Fail on me. But oh well! Now I guess I'm deciding between the Signal Omni, Jones Twin, NS Proto, or Arbor Blacklist for an all-in-one.

Or I found a couple deals and I could grab myself both a Rome Artifact Rocker and a Bataleon Riot for a little over the price of one board above. Which I guess would probably better cover my needs of park and speed. But then I'll have to drop more on bindings.


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## jyuen (Dec 16, 2007)

i have a proto..
i'm 5'9" 165-170lbs and i have the proto 152
feels much longer than a 152, great edge hold, doesn't chatter at high speeds, can take it off jumps.. 

my only gripe with the board is that it's a little catchy on boxes/rails...


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## Kesson (Nov 25, 2011)

I have a Rook and A Reverb Rocker. Much prefer the Rook. The Reverb has loads of pop and is fun to butter around at low speed but it feels unstable at high speeds to me. The rook is just solid, the flat base is predictable and stable. Flex pattern is great for presses and butters and there's no lack of pop. Fast base, beefy edges. I usually ride 156cm+ but I downsized to 154 for the rook just to try it and I really like it. 

Solstice has last years 154 Rook Mcnett (which is what I have, size 11, 155lb.) and the 156 Rook Austin Smith for $288. They're a west coast shop so shipping might cost a bit but still..

Search results for: 'nitro rook'


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

Well guys, I finally ended up snagging a mint Lib Tech Banana Magic 2011 for $500. Only catch is, its 152cm, which I'm aware is a tad short for my "recommended" length. I haven't had it out yet, but I'm hoping for the best. I find it hard to believe that an 1.5 inches of length could ruin my ride!


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## Nsane1 (Jan 25, 2011)

I think the GNU Riders Choice would be worth looking at as a quiver killer.


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## mrsalazar59 (Jan 12, 2012)

Question for anyone, Crimzn mentioned the Rome Artifact Rocker. Any thoughts on that board for a transitioning beginner to intermediate that is looking for a reverse camber with flex?


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## Nsane1 (Jan 25, 2011)

super noodle board. Will be my next board but only for park/small hills. I don't know if it would be a good all-mountain board... Hence a quiver killer.


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## mrsalazar59 (Jan 12, 2012)

gracias for the input. any recommendations for a reverse that it is somewhat well rounded?


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

Well I got this 152cm 2011 Banana Magic sitting in the living room and it looks 20x sicker than its picture. But damnit guys, I'm havin buyers remorse. Kind of afraid to ride it since then I couldn't return it.

Honest opinion, on this board, do you think 152cm at 165lbs is too short to get a quality freeride out of it? Or will I be washing out like a tool?


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## danm (Jan 16, 2010)

Crimzn said:


> Well I got this 152cm 2011 Banana Magic sitting in the living room and it looks 20x sicker than its picture. But damnit guys, I'm havin buyers remorse. Kind of afraid to ride it since then I couldn't return it.
> 
> Honest opinion, on this board, do you think 152cm at 165lbs is too short to get a quality freeride out of it? Or will I be washing out like a tool?


Honestly, for freeride... yeah that's too short... I'm your weight and my 154 TRS washes out at bomber speeds that's why it's my early season/park board. I prefer my 157 T.Rice for freeride/all mountain...


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## 604al (Mar 11, 2008)

Crimzn said:


> Well I got this 152cm 2011 Banana Magic sitting in the living room and it looks 20x sicker than its picture. But damnit guys, I'm havin buyers remorse. Kind of afraid to ride it since then I couldn't return it.
> 
> Honest opinion, on this board, do you think 152cm at 165lbs is too short to get a quality freeride out of it? Or will I be washing out like a tool?


The magnetraction should keep you from washing out... whether or not you think it's sufficient is up to you. 

Put me down for the Rossignol One Magtek as a nice quiver killer though... medium flex so it can butter (not ideally though) yet can handle chop, stable camber profile, lightweight makes it more playful, twin shape, directional flex, nice sidecut that likes to carve... it's a nice ride. A magnetraction board with a full wrap around metal edge is a big bonus to me too. 

I've tried the Rook and hated the sidecut that likes to go straight and fast. 

Tried the Agent Rocker and it's surprisingly soft and loose feeling due to the camber profile. I'd put this in the freestyle board category. 

Tried the Arbor Blacklist and it's not as stable and doesn't have as good edge hold. Another fun freestyle board.... doesn't feel as comfortable to me straight lining it and carving vs the Magtek.


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

Any idea why they recommend 159cm for our weight range on the Capita BSOD? Seems like it would be their 156.


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## Karasene (Oct 20, 2010)

you'd be surprised just how different a 152 feels compared to a 156. 

I'm a chick so I ride a smaller board but I went with a super small board at the beginning of season (got a new rocker board with magna for $100) it was a 139. I was riding the same exact board in Argentina that was a 146 and LOVED how it rode so much I went to buy it.. but then my friends left it in Argentina and sold me the 139 instead (I'm 5'1, 120lbs) and I hate it. Well not hate.. but it is a completely different ride from the 146.. it doesn't carve like the 146, it's squirrely when bombing. It is super light tho and easy to jib with but not a good all mountain board. I demo'd a Signal at Dew Tour in Breck and I wanted to swap it rode so nice. 

I'm now on a Rome rocker for my second board.. and I'm not completely sold on it either.. I hate that it slips out on me when I'm trying to get a good carve. I'm thinking I still prefer camber or definitely hybrid over rocker but it's all preference.

One option for you would be to ride it see how it feels and if you don't like it sell it on craigslist.. but yeah $500 is a decent chunk of money to gamble.

Oh ps. My buddy Andrew Burns rides for capita says the Indoor Survival dominates all areas of the mountain and is his go to board for this season. He does a lot of backcountry and park. Just to make things more confusing.


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## Crimzn (Jan 8, 2012)

K, advice will be taken.

But another idea: how would you consider the 152 Banana Magic as just a park and freestyle board?

In comparison, the Ultrafear FK is marketed as Capita's highest end, slightly stiffer, park and freestyle board. My weight to length recommendation on that board is 151cm. Both boards at that length are flex rating 6. So would the Magic be the LibTech brand equivalent to the Ultrafear at that point?

Thanks for all your help everyone.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Crimzn said:


> K, advice will be taken.
> 
> But another idea: how would you consider the 152 Banana Magic as just a park and freestyle board?
> 
> ...


Completely different boards. The Ultra is softer than the Banana. 

The Magic wont be too difficult to freeride as long as you're a decent rider. It's very doable. Hell, apparently I've gained weight and now at 160 my all mountain stick is a 151 Signal OG Flat.


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## jyuen (Dec 16, 2007)

saw someone with the magic at my local hill asked him about it
he was a pure park rider but said it was a great board tons of pop, could take it off the 30/40 footers, saw him land a cork...

i figure if a board can handle that kind of freestyle riding, shouldn't have a problem going down the mountain...


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## cjcameron11 (Feb 5, 2011)

that magic is a pretty sick board i know a guy who rides a 158W and he is about 280lbs, I'm sure you will be fine with your choice. +2 on riders choice though its sick!


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