# Thoughts on LibTech Dark Series



## djsaad1 (Nov 7, 2008)

Height doesn't it really matter much, your weight matters more for size.

The dark series is a great board, but it seems like the salesman is trying to up sell you. If you haven't been snowboarding in a while you don't really need the dark series, its an expensive board made for charging the mountain. There are many wide boards that might suit you better that are also cheaper.

Give us your weight and what type of riding you do and we can recommend a few boards.


----------



## Raines (May 1, 2011)

The dark series is an awsome board....

I had the MTX model and then the BTX c2 model...


I dont know what your riding style is, but is a bit on the stiff side and demanding board.

Its not as easy to go fun around as my NS SL , but is a super fast, responsive and powerfull board

I liked it a lot and i regret selling mine so cheap


----------



## Volt (Mar 7, 2012)

djsaad1 said:


> Give us your weight and what type of riding you do and we can recommend a few boards.


I currently weigh right around the 200 mark, and just do some recreational riding, but would maybe like to get back into doing some jumps and tricks again.


----------



## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

Volt said:


> I currently weigh right around the 200 mark, and just do some recreational riding, but would maybe like to get back into doing some jumps and tricks again.


Nah, doesn't sound like the Dark Series is the right board for you. 

There are a lot of wide boards out there, and depending on what you really want from your board, many others that will fit you better than the Dark Series.

Determine exactly what type of board you want, and your pricerange, and your options (if you are buying from a local shop) and then this forum can really help you narrow it down to the right one.


----------



## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

The 161w sounds like a great fit for you size-wise. The Dark Series is a very versatile all mountain board that will do well in pretty much anything but the park. One of the guys in my crew picked one up for this season, and has been riding it about as much as his Bataleon.


----------



## Volt (Mar 7, 2012)

schmitty34 said:


> Determine exactly what type of board you want, and your pricerange, and your options (if you are buying from a local shop) and then this forum can really help you narrow it down to the right one.


Can you give me a list of types of boards and options to maybe help figure it out? I've really been out of the game for awhile so I'm not sure what's new out there or options... Pricerange really doesn't matter. If it's the right fit I'll buy it.  

Right now I have a Burton Balance 156 with Burton Custom bindings... Pretty basic setup. But the toe catch is driving me crazy.




Triple8Sol said:


> The 161w sounds like a great fit for you size-wise. The Dark Series is a very versatile all mountain board that will do well in pretty much anything but the park. One of the guys in my crew picked one up for this season, and has been riding it about as much as his Bataleon.


Sounds like I have a contradiction here... Haha. I really do love the look of the Dark Series, but I know that doesn't mean it's right for me.


I really appreciate all the help I am receiving in here. This forum is probably the best one yet that I have received great help and replies from.


----------



## bseracka (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm riding a 2011 dark and love it. I have found it to be demanding to ride and I end up riding some of my softer boards when I just want ot mess around. Big mt, jumps and high speed riding it's great super stable and has good edge hold. I've found at slow speeds it feels unstable. The dark doesn't do rails and it's pretty stiff to butter


----------



## Lstarrasl (Mar 26, 2010)

I have one, great for bombing, powder, big mountains. It's good in the park on the jumps. It's not very playful though. I prefer my Skatebanana in the park 100%. IF i could buy just one board it would be the Riders Choice or TRS (Skunk ape for you) in the Mervin line.


----------



## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

Volt said:


> Can you give me a list of types of boards and options to maybe help figure it out? I've really been out of the game for awhile so I'm not sure what's new out there or options... Pricerange really doesn't matter. If it's the right fit I'll buy it.


I’ll try to give you a quick overview (not gonna do all your work for you), but reading up on the different types of boards offered by each company would be helpful if you really want to own your board shopping process (it’s daunting I know). 

Fist, decide what type of board you want for the type of riding you plan on doing. Do you want something soft and playful for doing tricks and messing around in the park? Do you want something versatile that can mess around in the park a little but also performs pretty well all over the mountain? Do you want a mostly all mountain board, but is still a little less aggressive and is fine for a little park? Do you want a hard charging board for big mountain riding?

Second, look at the camber types. Your old board is most likely a standard camber which is stable and holds carves better. A lot of the new boards have some time of revers camber witch is more surfy and less catchy. There are many hybrid cambers or flat cambers that try to give you the best of both worlds. Most likely you will end up getting some type of reverse/hybrid/flat camber, so figure out which one sounds the best for you.

Third, think of the types of features you want. If you want extra edge hold, you can look at magnatraction (Lib and GNU) or grib tech (Arbor) or other edge hold technologies. If you want more dampening (i.e. shock absorption that give you a smooth ride) look a Neversummer or K2 with harshmellow. Or maybe Triple Base Technology (Bataleon)…you’ll have to look into that yourself. 

Finally, here is a quick list of some of the companies you should check out:
Burton
Neversummer
Lib Tech
GNU
Capita
K2
Ride
Bataleon
Arbor
Nitro
Atomic

So, have I confused you?


----------



## crow79 (Feb 26, 2012)

Volt said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I currently ride a Burton Balance 156. It's a little short for me since I'm 5' 11". But the other problem I have is I wear a size 13 boot and the board seems to catch the toe edge quite often. I went and did some shopping around at a local snowboard / ski vendor. Being that I haven't been back in the game for awhile I'm not sure what's good any more and/or new.
> 
> ...


Just in comparison, I'm 5'11" 220lbs with a size 10.5 boot. I just picked up a never summer raptor 164. However, I like charging the mountain and hitting natural features, so this board and size is suited for my style. I also own a 2010 T. Rice 157. That's my all around board, and I love it. Might be more suited for your style than the Dark Series.

For you, what you need to determine is if you want traditional camber, rocker or R/C (C2BTX, clash rocker, etc.), or even a straight up flat profile, like various K2 boards.. You also need to decide what kind of grip tech you waqnt on your edges. Almost every manufacturer has some kind of new sidecut on their product - unless you go to the "B" brands like 5150, or whatever.

Personally, I always suggest taking a good look at Salomon boards. They don't seem super popular, and are always on sale this time of year. They make very nice stuff, and you won't be disappointed. I almost decided on getting a Salomon Burner for $300 CDN NEW, but I couldn't resist the hype of the NS Raptor. For what you are looking for, I would suggest the Salomon Grip, or XLT.

Don't ignore brands like Flow or Capita either. Capita in particular make high quality boards at reasonable prices. I personally don't like the graphics, but that's subjective. Smokin' has some very nice stuff too. Do as much research as you can before deciding, and figure out what board is tailored to your style. Lots of things to consider:

Flex
Damping
Camber profile
Edge tech
Weight
Shape


----------



## Justin (Jun 2, 2010)

Volt said:


> I currently weigh right around the 200 mark, and just do some recreational riding, but would maybe like to get back into doing some jumps and tricks again.


im 200lbs with a size 12.5 boot, you should probably look for a board around 159 to 161 for what you are looking for.

i don't have a ton of experience with a lot of diff boards but here are a few that would probably be the type you are looking for:

ride machete wide
nitro team gullwing wide
flow drifter wide
k2 turbo dream wide
Salomon riot magnum, i currently have this board and i like it but i wish it were a bit wider so take that into consideration.

there are many others as well, you 100% need a wide unless you ride with your bindings at 25 degrees or more. 

i also have a ride highlife right now and would think it would be similar to a dark series and would say to get something more playful, i only like it on days with lots of snow and steep lines.


----------



## djsaad1 (Nov 7, 2008)

I would look at the lib skunk ape, arbor blacklist (not sure if your foot will fit), neversummer proto ctx, turbo dream wide.There are a ton more but these are the ones I have ridden that I think would be great for just recreational and messing around.


----------



## Samara (Mar 10, 2012)

my weight near 170 height 6`2 - now I ride on 164w DS 2012. there is a real rocket. if your weight 200, then U need board longer.


----------



## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

Samara said:


> my weight near 170 height 6`2 - now I ride on 164w DS 2012. there is a real rocket. if your weight 200, then U need board longer.


not true at all. 

He may want a longer board, but definitely does not need a longer board. I'm 6'4'' 210 lbs and ride a 161.5 TRice and love it, even in powder. If I was going for a true powder board I would go a little bigger but at 200 lbs. something in the 158-162 range would be fine depending on what type of riding he is looking to do.


----------



## Volt (Mar 7, 2012)

schmitty34 said:


> Do you want a mostly all mountain board, but is still a little less aggressive and is fine for a little park?


Yes. Exactly what I'm looking for.



schmitty34 said:


> There are many hybrid cambers or flat cambers that try to give you the best of both worlds. Most likely you will end up getting some type of reverse/hybrid/flat camber, so figure out which one sounds the best for you.


Did some quick research here. Sounds like the hybrid rocker is what I'm looking for for versatility.



schmitty34 said:


> Third, think of the types of features you want. If you want extra edge hold, you can look at magnatraction (Lib and GNU) or grib tech (Arbor) or other edge hold technologies. If you want more dampening (i.e. shock absorption that give you a smooth ride) look a Neversummer or K2 with harshmellow. Or maybe Triple Base Technology (Bataleon)…you’ll have to look into that yourself.


Edge hold is a big one I feel for changing snow conditions and never knowing what the conditions will be like.



schmitty34 said:


> Finally, here is a quick list of some of the companies you should check out:
> Burton
> Neversummer
> Lib Tech
> ...


I've always been a big fan of Burton but know many other companies have come a long way, so I'm willing to give something else a shot.



schmitty34 said:


> So, have I confused you?


No, you didn't confuse me. Really helpful actually so thank you. 

So based on that info, what do you guys recommend I should look for?


----------



## Raines (May 1, 2011)

i have tried lib tech, never summer, bataleon and all of them are at least the same quality of burton if not more


----------



## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

Okay, based on what you have said, here are a few options I think fit. I am sticking to boards I am at least somewhat familiar with so this isn't a full list.

*Lib Tech Skunk Ape* - has MTX which is very helpful for edge hold
*GNU Riders Choice Wide *- Similar to the Skunk Ape with MTX
*Neversummer Legacy X* - similar rocker/camber profile as the first two. No MTX, but I heard vario grip helps with edge hold as well.
*Neversummer Heritage X* - similar to the legacy just a little stiffer and more all mountain
*Ride Highlife Wide* - sounds like a pretty sick board...may be a little more big mountain / powder oriented than you are looking for, but I'm sure it carves with the best of them and is real poppy

Like I said, these are just a few options that would be great. There are most definitely several more that would work as well.


----------



## Samara (Mar 10, 2012)

TS, if U ask me again - what kind of desk I wanna buy?

I again will buy my Dark Series but a bit longer - 167w(if it sometime will possible).


----------



## Volt (Mar 7, 2012)

Thanks for all the input guys. I really appreciate it. I'm going to do some more research over this summer and hopefully pick up my new board before the season starts. Looking forward to chatting with people here and maybe finding a group to ride with on the east coast.


----------



## asavi4 (Feb 11, 2011)

i'm 195 5'10" and have the 2011 dark series 161 normal. incredible board. i switched over from a 2008 burton t6. i'd say the t6 is more like a dodge viper or ford mustang with 600 hp and the dark series is more like a ferrari. both stiff (t6 is 8/10 and ds is 7.5/10) and very fast boards but the dark series feels a tad bit lighter and easier to maneuver and whip around. great board for park jumps but certainly no rails. awesome in powder and sketchy east coast conditions.


----------



## Volt (Mar 7, 2012)

Well, after many discussions and research and reviews I have decided on the board for my 2012 - 2013 season...










I've decided on the Burton Custom Flying V 158W... Now I am researching bindings... Yay...


----------



## Lstarrasl (Mar 26, 2010)

booooooooo buy American!


----------



## Nolefan2011 (Mar 12, 2011)

Don't do it!! The one rocker camber combo board that I honestly felt completely missed the mark. If you love Burton - get the Forum Doubledog Destroyer. Owned by Burton, but much more dialed in.


----------



## Sick-Pow (May 5, 2008)

Nolefan2011 said:


> Don't do it!! The one rocker camber combo board that I honestly felt completely missed the mark. If you love Burton - get the Forum Doubledog Destroyer. Owned by Burton, but much more dialed in.


Missed nothing, Burton Flying V with their version of magna is like riding an actual hovering, hovercraft.

Dark series is sick too. Mervin has always been outside my price range.


----------



## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

I personally have not ridden the flying V but just from reading through this thread it doesn't sound like what you are looking for to me.

I have a never summer proto CT which is the same kind of profile with rocker in the middle and two camber zones further out.

Its a superb all round board and can carve well and is very playful. 

Just looking at reviews on here and on other sites the flying V has a pretty mediocre reputation (some do love it but they are the few). On this forum and on other independent review sites the proto gets rave reviews. Also has a 3 year warranty.

I swear by my proto and the Never summer SL (which is a little more carving oriented but still playful) is a good board to look at too.

There are many great boards. Why pick one that many independent reviews say is not that great:dunno:?


----------



## miked (Feb 19, 2012)

Best of luck with your decision- I just hope you rode the flying V before buying. The V is the most rockered board I have ever been on, I did not personally like it too much. While I have not ridden the Dark Series- I believe it is a very different board from the V.


----------



## Liv4Sno (Apr 1, 2010)

It looks like you are from the EC. Get something with Mag. You will never go back with the edge hold. I would recommend Lib's Skunk Ape too. The Dark Series is very stiff from what Ive heard. I'm not a big fan of Burton boards. Boots and bindings are another story...


----------



## Volt (Mar 7, 2012)

Well, since the most recent posts, I guess I'm going to think twice about my pick. Sorry for the delayed reply... I moved this weekend. 

My other choices are the NS Heritage / Legacy, or the LibTech Dark Series or Skunk Ape...


----------



## Liv4Sno (Apr 1, 2010)

Volt said:


> Well, since the most recent posts, I guess I'm going to think twice about my pick. Sorry for the delayed reply... I moved this weekend.
> 
> My other choices are the NS Heritage / Legacy, or the LibTech Dark Series or Skunk Ape...



Take a look here too:


Snowboard Gear Reviews By The Good Ride


----------



## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

Volt said:


> Well, since the most recent posts, I guess I'm going to think twice about my pick. Sorry for the delayed reply... I moved this weekend.
> 
> My other choices are the NS Heritage / Legacy, or the LibTech Dark Series or Skunk Ape...


Now you are talking sense

thing is the flying V sticks out like a sore thumb next to the other candidates

just a totally different category

NS make great boards and either of those would be sweet with the Heritage being more freeride and a little stiffer. 

With the legacy a little more playful but still plenty freeride carving capabilities.


----------

