Board: Rome Mechanic

Size: 153

Camber Option: Contact rocker. Flat through the middle with rocker in the tips.

Bindings: Rome Black Label

Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy

Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10

My Weight: 200lbs

Resort: Arapahoe Basin

Conditions: Sunny bluebird skies, some wind, warmer temps, chop, chunder, sludge, slush, and the occasional section of perfect hero groomers.

Flex: It’s a beginner board with rocker so of course it’s soft. The tips are only slightly softer than the flat section but it’s still soft. The torsional flex is highly abundant and lets you twist this board however you want. Overall it comes in below a middle of the road flex.

Stability: Throw that out the window. This thing is loose! You will feel everything with it. Death cookie? Yep that’s going to jar you. Rut in the snow? Yep you’re getting bucked. Keep those knees bent as it just wants to get bucked around. Then again it’s a beginner board so of course it’s soft and forgiving.

Ollies: It has skate pop to it which means you roll back at the last minute and pop off the tail. It gets the job done but it’s nothing mind blowing as you will probably over power the tail if you know what you’re doing and cause it to fold.

Pop On Jumps: If you have a death wish send it in fast and loose. If you know what you’re doing you might have a death wish too. Basically small features are where you want to keep this thing and that’s it. There’s no stability for the landing.

Butterability: Here’s where this board shines. The flex is super soft so you can butter your heart out. That flat to rocker profile also makes it super easy to get up on the nose and tail. If you’re just learning how to butter this thing is perfect for that as there’s no rigidity, it won’t fight you, and it’s super playful.

Jibbing: This board will clap out if you come down hard on a rail. There’s nothing to it. But if you’re just learning how to ride on to boxes and features then send it to the moon. The flat to rocker profile is playful for getting up on the nose and tail. Sure you can over power it if you start to learn what you’re doing so tone it down there muscles.

Carving: Oof this was rough. There’s severe limitations on this board. If you’re just learning how to turn it’s going to be great but the second you try to drive it into a medium carve it just buckles. There’s no rigidity to it and it gets super floppy. But if you’re just learning how to turn it’s forgiving with an easy to engage toe to heel transition that is amplified by more ankle steering than actually driving it. Basically it’s a great board for learning the basic of turning but then kind of plateaus.

Rider in Mind: Never ever that’s just starting out and won’t progress too fast.

Personal Thoughts: If you’re going to progress rapidly I’d say just bump up to the Gangplank it’s just as forgiving but has more rigidity so you don’t outgrow it. But if you’re just going to cruise the bunny hill for the next 1 to 5 years then it’s perfect. This board has severe limitations and it shows. It’s super floppy, it’s very forgiving to the point it will just help you fall down gently rather than buck you and kill you. It’s not a bad board for what it is, but I gauge beginner boards on how fast someone might outgrow them and this thing would be outgrown pretty fast.

Comparable Boards: K2 Standard, Nitro Cheap Thrills, Nidecker Play

Binding Recommendations: Rome Slice, Ride C-4, K2 Indy