# Anyone ride an Oz?



## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

thompsonbr87 said:


> Looks like a small company out of Colorado. I can't find many reviews or opinions on them. Anybody out there have experience with them? Specifically interested in the Woody.


You might ask Killclimbz as he has at least ridden some of their splitboards..

I don't see many around, and have never ridden one. I have ridden with 2 of their team riders and they are very good and (unsurprisingly) love their boards.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Now that Nightmare is coming out of GP87 Oz are the worst quality snowboards from Colorado. What they shipped to Colorado Ski and Golf last year was laughable. When I made snowboards, what they shipped would have been Bs and never would have been shipped to a retailer. Terrible finish quality and I could tell looking at them they're pressed poorly as well. 

Also I find it hilarious their kook owner tried to call out Arbor a few years ago for copying his wood topsheet, which Arbor has done since day one, and now he has a board called the Woody. Wanna know what Bob called the first Arbor? The Woody. 

The only thing he has going for him is he's using beetle kill wood, which is good for CO. But then so is Meier and I would wager quite a lot that Meiers decks are of much better quality. 

I don't know what kind of board the Woody is supposed to be, but if you want a CO brand look at Weston, Venture, or Unity. Unity will feel like a classic snowboard as they haven't really updated much recently, Venture are similar but have more modern shapes and flexes, and Weston is made by one of my favorite engineers in snowboarding at GP87.


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## thompsonbr87 (Mar 5, 2015)

I've seen a little more about their splitboards than the 1-piece variety. Still not very much, but pretty unanimously positive. 


The Woody is their all-mountain board. I've finally moved to a location that is closer than 6 hours to the nearest slopes, so I'm looking for an upgrade from my first board and trying to do my research. The only real review I could find was on TheGoodRide, and they gave it some of the highest marks and selected it as one of their favorites.

I saw the thing with Arbor on AngrySnowboarder, and quite honestly, I couldn't care less about some social media spat from 4 years ago. What was it about the press quality and finish that made it seem sub-par?

I like the idea of supporting a smaller company and domestic-made products, but it isn't necessarily a must-have for me.

Thanks for the info. I'll check out some of those other brands, too.


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## UVMboarder (Aug 6, 2015)

My buddy met one of their team riders a few years back and ended up meeting the owner. My buddy then bought two boards from them at a pretty good discount. We broke both in a weekend. One delaminated and the other snapped at the tail. Don't waste your money


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## deagol (Mar 26, 2014)

If the negative stuff about Oz is true (I have no opinion) and the support of small domestic snowboard companies is important, than perhaps Venture would be the best of both worlds?


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Buy a Venture if you want a CO brand. OZ's quality is on par from a failed brand circa 1997. Some of the worst made decks I've ever fucking seen. I think the only thing worse is Prospect out of Wisconsin.


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## thompsonbr87 (Mar 5, 2015)

BurtonAvenger said:


> Buy a Venture if you want a CO brand. OZ's quality is on par from a failed brand circa 1997. Some of the worst made decks I've ever fucking seen. I think the only thing worse is Prospect out of Wisconsin.


Haha, looks like you make friends everywhere! Side note: thanks for your reviews. I actually went looking for info on it there, but couldn't find a formal review of any of their products.

Like I said, manufactured in a certain state/country isn't a priority, but I'll give Venture a look. There are a lot of things that are nice about manufactures. A board can have the best graphic, made locally, and be hyper-eco-friendly, but for me, the question is still, "How does it ride?" There are several boards on my radar from the "big guys", but reviews of those are plentiful.


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## stryk3z (Jan 22, 2015)

Thegoodride gave the woody/oz custom (camber) good reviews saying its their favorite board from what i remember. For me, its tough to want to shell out so much money when their pretty difficult to find for demo's. Haven't tried one so can't comment there.


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## MisterNarwhal (Dec 6, 2016)

I guess this deserves a quick follow-up (FWIW, I am OP). I tried to wade through the BS and personal drama flames to get some honest reviews and opinions from people who had actually ridden one. Almost all of it was positive (UVM's account was the lone "actual experience" exception, but I'm glad to hear the backstory behind it). I decided to take a chance on the Woody and couldn't be happier with it.



OZ Snowboards said:


> I personally reach out to every one who has purchased one of our boards to make sure they are 100% happy with the ride and quality 30-60 days after their purchase. I don’t know of any other manufacturer that does that


I sent a couple of messages to Oz/Adam before buying, and always got a prompt, helpful reply. While he was very responsive and easy to communicate with, I can't say for sure that the quote above happened in my case. I had a lot going on at that time, so I could've easily missed it. (Order #1206 if you want to QC your "follow-up").



stryk3z said:


> For me, its tough to want to shell out so much money when their pretty difficult to find for demo's. Haven't tried one so can't comment there.


That was one of my original concerns. Adam assured me that I could take the board, ride it for 30 days, and return it for a full, no-questions-asked refund if I didn't love it - essentially offering me a personal 30-day demo. I've gotten a lot of comments/questions about it from people on the hill, and have offered to let a few take a run or two on it.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

OZ Snowboards said:


> It’s a bummer most of you who have negative opinions of our boards have never owned one or rode one. We have stacks of rave reviews from people who have purchased our boards listed on our website. Not to mention a significant amount of industry awards and reviews from professionals.
> 
> UVM boarder I assume you are referring to 3 boards we sold back in 2013 to a group on the East Coast. I remember it vividly because I am still disappointed we had that issue. Those were boards we experimented with using a super light weight environmentally conscious wood core. At the time we were trying to advance snowboard design but it obviously didn’t work out. We made a handful of those boards and had issues with them so we went back to a poplar core. We refunded all of your friends money for the boards he returned to us. I don’t know what else we could have done to make it right.
> 
> ...


I'll say again, every single board of yours I've seen in person has had a manufacturing issue. Burnt edges, thin spots in the base, edge gaps, unfinished edges, unfinished sidewalls. That's what you shipped to one of the largest retailers in the country. You called out Arbor for biting wood topsheets from you then named a board after their original model from 20+ years ago. I want CO brands to succeed. But first they need to give a shit what they put out and have at least a vague grasp on the industry. You don't. I'm in Summit, if you really think I'm full of shit drop off a deck and I'll ride it, and give it back, I have enough snowboards as is. BTW eco friendly cores are very doable if you make snowboards with tech and techniques from this decade. Niche does it, Signal has, there's a brand making 100% bamboo decks (name is evading me), Burtons Family Tree, Capita has, if you use the right materials it is absolutely doable.



stryk3z said:


> Thegoodride gave the woody/oz custom (camber) good reviews saying its their favorite board from what i remember. For me, its tough to want to shell out so much money when their pretty difficult to find for demo's. Haven't tried one so can't comment there.


The Good Ride are morons who copy and paste catalog info as reviews, can't ride for shit, and review boards to get free boards. Trust nothing they say.


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## Fielding (Feb 15, 2015)

I've got a unity deck that I like quite a lot. It's a big, soft, rocker flat rocker twin called the Reverse. Its fun to play around on. The fit and finish is good for the money. But If i was going to buy a new deck from someone in Colorado right this minute I think it would be Donek. Lately I've started to move away from consumer grade gear.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

Nivek said:


> I'll say again, every single board of yours I've seen in person has had a manufacturing issue. Burnt edges, thin spots in the base, edge gaps, unfinished edges, unfinished sidewalls. That's what you shipped to one of the largest retailers in the country. You called out Arbor for biting wood topsheets from you then named a board after their original model from 20+ years ago. I want CO brands to succeed. But first they need to give a shit what they put out and have at least a vague grasp on the industry. You don't. I'm in Summit, if you really think I'm full of shit drop off a deck and I'll ride it, and give it back, I have enough snowboards as is. BTW eco friendly cores are very doable if you make snowboards with tech and techniques from this decade. Niche does it, Signal has, there's a brand making 100% bamboo decks (name is evading me), Burtons Family Tree, Capita has, if you use the right materials it is absolutely doable.
> 
> 
> 
> The Good Ride are morons who copy and paste catalog info as reviews, can't ride for shit, and review boards to get free boards. Trust nothing they say.


You lost all credibility after.............."I have enough snowboards as is".....................:hairy:


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## Dazmori (Feb 22, 2017)

I have an Oz. They're pretty well made. I'd recommend them.


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## MisterNarwhal (Dec 6, 2016)

Nivek said:


> Burnt edges, thin spots in the base, edge gaps, unfinished edges, unfinished sidewalls


Mine doesn't have any of that...did I just get lucky? Or do they QC the direct-sell products a little more stringently? Or perhaps quality has improved? They are picking up some accolades and credibility in the splitboard world, and as apparently the only person on here who has actually ridden one, I can say they are worth a look.




Nivek said:


> The Good Ride are morons who copy and paste catalog info as reviews, can't ride for shit, and review boards to get free boards. Trust nothing they say.


I don't really know much about them, but it does appear that they have ridden a LOT of different boards and have one of the most well-organized, user friendly snowboard review sites around. Maybe you feel like they "can't ride for shit", but at least they've ridden the boards they review.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

In terms of TGR, sometimes I question whether or not they've actually ridden all the boards that they review or if they've actually spent enough time on those boards to give a decent review. It's prettyuch impossible to review as much equipment as they do and be able to out in enough time on alll of it to give a truly well informed review. Combine that with the fact that a lot of their reviews seek really generic and, well... I don't know.

Plus, have you ever seen them give a truly negative review? Anyone who has tested a lot of gear is going to occasionally come across an item that just plain sucks.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

MisterNarwhal said:


> I don't really know much about them, but it does appear that they have ridden a LOT of different boards and have one of the most well-organized, user friendly snowboard review sites around. Maybe you feel like they "can't ride for shit", but at least they've ridden the boards they review.


Website lay out is fantastic, but if it doesn't fit their specs it gets marked down. Anything mid wide is "hard to turn for our size 9s" if it doesn't have some kind of edgetech it's "washy, bad on ice" if it has setback and taper it's "surfy" anything above mid flex is "hard to butter" etc. 

Their biases scream out on every review. The on the table stuff is cool to see profiles etc, but overall I wouldn't base buying a board on what they say.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

MisterNarwhal said:


> Mine doesn't have any of that...did I just get lucky? Or do they QC the direct-sell products a little more stringently? Or perhaps quality has improved? They are picking up some accolades and credibility in the splitboard world, and as apparently the only person on here who has actually ridden one, I can say they are worth a look.


 The kind of things I'm talking about aren't immediately noticeable to an untrained eye. I made snowboards for a year. I finished 15-20 a day 5 days a week. My eyes know what to look for and can tell what things point towards certain issues and know where in the build process other issues are caused. Maybe they do have higher QC for direct sales. That's fucked. Fuck shops right? Send them the Bs.




MisterNarwhal said:


> I don't really know much about them, but it does appear that they have ridden a LOT of different boards and have one of the most well-organized, user friendly snowboard review sites around. Maybe you feel like they "can't ride for shit", but at least they've ridden the boards they review.


Do you trust a shitty driver to review a performance car? I've seen them ride, they're mediocre at best. And I've seen them give flat wrong information, and like Linville pointed out, if it isn't what they LIKE, it isn't as good. There's a difference between what you like and what's good. That's what makes a good reviewer. I do not like 90% of RC decks out there. But the Flow Era and Rome Agent Rocker are great boards. I would probably never own the new Jones Lone Wolf, but there is a dude out there it's built for and for him, it's great. I will never get on with an Arbor Draft, but that 22 year old kid who's been skating for 15 years and wants his deck to feel like a skateboard and is a rail gypsy is gonna love it. The Good Ride is incapable of making this kind of distinction.


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## stryk3z (Jan 22, 2015)

linvillegorge said:


> In terms of TGR, sometimes I question whether or not they've actually ridden all the boards that they review or if they've actually spent enough time on those boards to give a decent review. It's prettyuch impossible to review as much equipment as they do and be able to out in enough time on alll of it to give a truly well informed review. Combine that with the fact that a lot of their reviews seek really generic and, well... I don't know.
> 
> Plus, have you ever seen them give a truly negative review? Anyone who has tested a lot of gear is going to occasionally come across an item that just plain sucks.


Their video on the salomon huck knife says "i wouldnt even want to own this board". Theres a negative one for ya lol. I own the board so I just thought it was funny.


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## roaringfork (Jan 30, 2018)

I wanted to chime in echoing the sentiments of OZ Snowboards extremely poor construction quality. I bought their Alpenglow 2 years ago which was their flagship model at the time. I've been riding for 25 years, live in a resort town, and usually get out 60-70 days a season. I can say unequivocally my oz snowboard is the most poorly constructed piece of outdoor gear I've ever owned across any sport. After a single use INBOUNDS it was starting to delam, now after a dozen or so INBOUND uses it is peeling at the edges all over the board. Stay away from OZ Snowboards, they are complete garbage.


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## GLR476 (Jan 30, 2018)

I got a custom Oz snowboard towards the end of last season. Put 21 days of riding on it so far and just got back from another 3 day trip Sunday night. 

It needed a base grind and wax out of the factory in my opinion but that's it. You can pretend you have super vision that lets you see details I don't but I don't buy it. If it comes to light down the years I'll come back and let you know but I don't see it. 

I'm riding a 157 which is slightly big for me at 148 lbs but it just feels that much more stable for it I think. I get good leverage with my 10.5 boots which even have an enlarged footprint. The board also feels pretty light for its size which I love. 

The Oz comes truly alive for me at speed, deep carves, and jumps. The quality of the wood and carbon fiber in the board gives it a great kind of flex underfoot and pop. I love how stable I feel coming off the jump, landing, or just bombing down a run. Descriptions of this board as aggressive all mtn are well warranted. It felt like it was always calling me to ride faster and harder. I enjoy obliging. 

It isn't just TGR that gave this board a thumbs up. It has also done very well in the 2018 blackboard reviews and all the positive things I heard about the board before I bought it seem pretty spot on. I'm very happy with it so far and at least once a day I have a stranger compliment and ask about the board.


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## coloradodirtbag (Feb 9, 2017)

GLR476 said:


> I got a custom Oz snowboard towards the end of last season. Put 21 days of riding on it so far and just got back from another 3 day trip Sunday night.
> 
> It needed a base grind and wax out of the factory in my opinion but that's it. You can pretend you have super vision that lets you see details I don't but I don't buy it. If it comes to light down the years I'll come back and let you know but I don't see it.
> 
> ...


Nice try Adam, your decks still suck.


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## GLR476 (Jan 30, 2018)

coloradodirtbag said:


> Nice try Adam, your decks still suck.


Keep your personal drama off threads for reviewing boards. So clear some people shitting on the boards have personal beef and probably didn't ride them. 










And do I look like Adam you douche? Look at my board. It is beautiful. Of course people compliment me on it. :grin: I'm even flipping you off so you know its me.


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

I have no dog in this fight and have no opinion on Oz boards as I have no personal experience with them but it's definitely suspicious that there have been two single post posters come create accounts just to say something positive about Oz on this thread.


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## GLR476 (Jan 30, 2018)

linvillegorge said:


> I have no dog in this fight and have no opinion on Oz boards as I have no personal experience with them but it's definitely suspicious that there have been two single post posters come create accounts just to say something positive about Oz on this thread.


Well I've proven I'm real(post#24). While you are at it you should note there are also people who have 1 post accounts who just shit on the board repeating what others who apparently haven't ridden the board have said.

Maybe they should post pictures of their damaged boards they all have. Least they can do since it cost them $500 and Adam even said on a post in this thread he would address such problems and was ashamed of them. Provided that is true, what more do you really want from a starter company?


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## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

GLR476 said:


> Well I've proven I'm real. While you are at it you should note there are people who have 1 post accounts who just shit on the board repeating what others who haven't ridden the board have said.
> 
> Maybe they should post pictures of their damaged boards they all have. Least they can do since it cost them $500 and Adam even said on a post in this thread he would address such problems and was ashamed of them. Provided that is true, what more do you really want from a starter company?


stick around as proof, 1-10 posts doesn't mean shit. There have been tons of shady accounts made within this January with similar handjob reviews, if you're not one of them, don't worry about it. 

I have no qualms about the board and know nothing about it.

p.s. your board looks like a lib before they swirl it with their fingers.


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## WasabiCanuck (Apr 29, 2015)




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## GLR476 (Jan 30, 2018)

jae said:


> stick around as proof, 1-10 posts doesn't mean shit.


I'll try. Pretty sure I'll check in at least when I come back from trips or get new gear. Whenever my snowboard passion is peaking. I'm getting a pair of arbor cypress bindings I want to ride ASAP. So yea I'll be back. 



> p.s. your board looks like a lib before they swirl it with their fingers.


Thanks. I actually always vaguely liked Lib tech board art.

I even saw this years attack banana this weekend, it caught my eye, and it did remind me of my OZ in color pallet.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

GLR476 said:


> Keep your personal drama off threads for reviewing boards. So clear some people shitting on the boards have personal beef and probably didn't ride them.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Your board looks like I ate too much acid.
https://youtu.be/QA0kTP8wbdI


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## GLR476 (Jan 30, 2018)

Snow Hound said:


> Your board looks like I ate too much acid.


Say what you will. People on the mountain seem to dig it. 

And it makes a damn awesome piece hanging on my living room wall psyching me up to board during the off seasons. 

It is actually a pretty high quality colorful painting of the mountain I learned to ride on and usually go to. So it even has sentimental value. The 500 kb limit pic doesn't do its vibrancy and detail justice. Anyway clearly I like or I wouldn't have paid extra to get the custom topsheet!


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## OZ Snowboards (Jan 12, 2012)

roaringfork said:


> I wanted to chime in echoing the sentiments of OZ Snowboards extremely poor construction quality. I bought their Alpenglow 2 years ago which was their flagship model at the time. I've been riding for 25 years, live in a resort town, and usually get out 60-70 days a season. I can say unequivocally my oz snowboard is the most poorly constructed piece of outdoor gear I've ever owned across any sport. After a single use INBOUNDS it was starting to delam, now after a dozen or so INBOUND uses it is peeling at the edges all over the board. Stay away from OZ Snowboards, they are complete garbage.


I doubt this is a legit post because if you would have contacted us we would have taken care of you. Prove me wrong and post your order number or name or something and any correspondence that said we wouldn't help you out. 

Thanks, 
Adam
Owner
OZSnow


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## roaringfork (Jan 30, 2018)

GLR476 said:


> Well I've proven I'm real(post#24). While you are at it you should note there are also people who have 1 post accounts who just shit on the board repeating what others who apparently haven't ridden the board have said.
> 
> Maybe they should post pictures of their damaged boards they all have. Least they can do since it cost them $500 and Adam even said on a post in this thread he would address such problems and was ashamed of them. Provided that is true, what more do you really want from a starter company?





GLR476 said:


> Well I've proven I'm real(post#24). While you are at it you should note there are also people who have 1 post accounts who just shit on the board repeating what others who apparently haven't ridden the board have said.
> 
> Maybe they should post pictures of their damaged boards they all have. Least they can do since it cost them $500 and Adam even said on a post in this thread he would address such problems and was ashamed of them. Provided that is true, what more do you really want from a starter company?


I sent Adam photos of the delam that started after a single ride and he told me to get lost. Happy to post our exchange here. Since you are suggesting I am a liar, I'll post photos of this piece of shit for the world to see. Give me a few days. They are shocking for a board that has only been used inbounds a dozen or so times.

Yes I created an account to come here and let other snowboarders know this brand is garbage. You would too if you spent a lot of $$ on a piece of equipment from a brand that brags up and down about being hand made craft snowboards, but are actually total garbage.


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## MisterNarwhal (Dec 6, 2016)

GLR476 said:


> The Oz comes truly alive for me at speed, deep carves, and jumps. The quality of the wood and carbon fiber in the board gives it a great kind of flex underfoot and pop. I love how stable I feel coming off the jump, landing, or just bombing down a run. Descriptions of this board as aggressive all mtn are well warranted. It felt like it was always calling me to ride faster and harder. I enjoy obliging.


This has been my experience as well. The harder I ride, the better it feels. It doesn't like hesitation, and if I'm not riding aggressively and confidently, it will make decisions for me. I've got probably 60 days on it in my 2nd season and I'm enjoying it as much now as the first day I got it. It has held up well. No delam, only a couple of minor nicks in the topsheet. It has been more trouble-free and maintenance-free than most of my other gear. But I don't have thousands of (or even 100) posts, though, so I'm probably Adam, too.


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## GLR476 (Jan 30, 2018)

MisterNarwhal said:


> This has been my experience as well. The harder I ride, the better it feels. It doesn't like hesitation, and if I'm not riding aggressively and confidently, it will make decisions for me. I've got probably 60 days on it in my 2nd season and I'm enjoying it as much now as the first day I got it. It has held up well. No delam, only a couple of minor nicks in the topsheet. It has been more trouble-free and maintenance-free than most of my other gear. But I don't have thousands of (or even 100) posts, though, so I'm probably Adam, too.


Even better description that mine. My first 2 runs on my OZ felt difficult and awkward. Precisely because of what you described; I was hesitating. Thankfully for my 3rd fun I went along with my friends to a more difficult steep run and suddenly the board was easy edge to edge and its best carving and stability qualities came to forefront. My friends even remarked as we got to the bottom that they could see the board had clearly clicked for me on that run by the way I was riding. 

However I have to admit on a 3 day trip I still seem to have two occasions per trip where I catch an edge at moderate to slow speeds. Usually the back toe side edge, tends to really catch me off guard and probably comes a little bit from me slacking on my riding technique at those slower speeds. That said I've learned I can recover without falling from those edge catches on the wider points of the board. Compared to catching edges on rocker type boards that give you no chance if you catch the center. 

As for durability I've gone twice more since my last post and still looks brand new. Still gotten people complementing the graphic both times. The kind of gripe tape sparkle the top sheet has looks fantastic imo. Really makes the graphic and board pop out to the eye.


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## fazy (Feb 3, 2017)

Subscribed!


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## rayt100 (Aug 29, 2016)

Hey, where are the pictures of the delaminated board ? I don't own a Woody but was researching the brand and found this on the forum.


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## rayt100 (Aug 29, 2016)

rayt100 said:


> Hey, where are the pictures of the delaminated board ? I don't own a Woody but was researching the brand and found this on the forum.





roaringfork said:


> I sent Adam photos of the delam that started after a single ride and he told me to get lost. Happy to post our exchange here. Since you are suggesting I am a liar, I'll post photos of this piece of shit for the world to see. Give me a few days. They are shocking for a board that has only been used inbounds a dozen or so times.
> 
> Yes I created an account to come here and let other snowboarders know this brand is garbage. You would too if you spent a lot of $$ on a piece of equipment from a brand that brags up and down about being hand made craft snowboards, but are actually total garbage.


roaringfork, where are the damaged board pics?


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