Board: Lib Tech Golden Orca

Size: 153

Camber Option: C2X. A longer camber section under foot with a shorter reverse camber between the feet.

Bindings: Rome Black Label

Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy

Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10

My Weight: 200lbs

Resort: Copper Mountain

Conditions: Overcast skies, falling snow, heavy wet pow, chop, chunder, and dusty groomers.

Flex: The overall flex comes in right at a middle of the road all mountain freestyle. You get a little more play in the tips right where the C2X ends then it stiffens up under foot to the center where the reverse camber is. Right there it gets playful again. This is coupled with a decent amount of torsional flex.

Stability: This board is fairly stable due to the width of it and core construction. You do get a tiny amount of chatter in the tips that you can slightly feel underfoot. In rutted out terrain it’s real easy to transition your weight around so you can get on top of any bump or rut this helps with keeping it on top of things and makes it less likely to get bucked around.

Ollies/Pop: This has more snap than the regular Orca. It’s very easy to engage as you have dual camber zones under each foot. As such it has a skate-like pop to it that will help you porpoise in fresh snow, launch off a side hit, or boost a pillow popper.

Butterability: It’s not the most butterable board in this category but it works. You’ll notice that it sometimes feels a little hooky when you have all your weight on the nose or tail and are getting sideways. This is due to the Magnetraction in my opinion. Can it butter? Sure, but it might take a little more work than you’re thinking it will.

Carving: The edge to edge power transmission is quick and nimble. This is partially due to the independent camber zones of the C2X as well as the torsional flex. You’ll notice how much ankle steering you do with this board and how it changes the dynamic of how it carves. On edge you feel the Magnetraction grip and lock in. This board feels secure on edge. When you really drive it hard you can lay a nice deep trench with it but you will hit some limitations of going fully over. What that means is that it does lay over but won’t go as deep as other decks in this category. Can it carve? Yes, and that’s all that matters.

Rider in Mind: Someone that wants a more freestyle Orca to add to their pod.

Personal Thoughts: I was riding around asking myself what are the biggest differences between this and the regular Orca. All I could conclude was a little lighter, better snap, and slightly different shape in the tail. Otherwise pretty much felt like a regular Orca and wasn’t as much of a difference as I would have expected. It floated well, was good in trees, and handled the Peace Park just fine.

Comparable Boards: Ride Warpig, Yes Warca, Nerd Relic

Recommended Bindings: Bent Metal Transfer, Rome DOD, K2 Formula