Board: Amplid Souly Grail

Size: 162

Camber Option: Cruise camber. Mellow camber with a little early rise in the nose.

Bindings: Rome Black Label

Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy

Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10

My Weight: 200lbs

Resort: Copper Mountain

Conditions: A mix of sunny blue skies with high cloud levels, warm temps, moderate winds at time, firm fast groomers, frozen groomers, chunder groomers, chunder, ice, and lots of slush in really sunny spots.

Flex: This board is on the stiffer side of the freeride/carving spectrum it’s not a full on plank. You have one major clearly defined flex point right in front of the back binding. The overall flex goes like this a little softer in the nose till just past that micro rocker zone then it stiffens up through the front insert pack to right before the rear, then that clearly defined flex point, then it stiffens right back up. There’s a lot of torsional rigidity in this board so don’t expect to be able to really twist it.

Stability: This board is overly smooth and stable. Not damp, just smooth and stable which gives it a ton of liveliness. You do get a tiny amount of chatter up at the nose way out by the contact point but it isn’t something you feel under foot. When you smash into death cookies or sail over frozen corduroy you can feel it underfoot but it doesn’t change the ride of the board at all.

Ollies/Pop: While the camber prof ile isn’t the most aggressive you do have to load it up to engage it and that will provide you with some snap. As this board needs to be ridden fast that helps contribute to any spring you get as you push off the tail to drive it.

Butterability: Why even bother?

Carving: Now lets talk about this boards carving ability for a minute here as this is what this board is known for. It has a very fluid and defined entry and exit into a carve. It’s not overly nimble but it is precise and fluid this can only be attributed to the fact it does have 3D shaping in the nose. This board lets you know when you are and aren’t on edge. Which goes into another talking point about this board it rides light on its edge which means that you don’t fully feel locked in but you can still drive it. The flex point inside the rear binding really lets you push into the tail and keep your weight on the tail as you exit a carve which can help change how you drive it. The lack of torsional flex means you steer more with middle body movements and you will need some space to let this board hit its apex carve. That’s really what its strong suit is.

Rider in Mind: Fast riding long carving freerider.

Personal Thoughts: This board is a carving cruiser through and through but it’s also a rocket ship. This is a board for hitting mach 10 speeds and letting people know you are all about the precision of a fine carve. Sure you have to stay light on your feet but that’s what makes this thing fun and unique to ride. It does have a great dampening system in it and you shouldn’t overlook that aspect of this board.

Comparable Boards: Korua Cafe Racer, Bataleon Carver, Nidecker Smoke

Recommended Bindings: Nitro Phantom Carver, Union Atlas, Ride A-10