Board: Salomon Highpath
Buy it here:
Christy Sports: https://bit.ly/3ERIZSh
The House: https://bit.ly/3AS4KQw
Blue Tomato: https://tidd.ly/3VALj6L
Evo: https://bit.ly/3Bjs9L9
Size: 156
Camber Option: Rock Out Camber. A mellowed out camber 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: Copper Mountain
Conditions: Sunny bluebird skies, zero wind, warm temperatures, left over hot pow on the sides of some runs, chop, chunder, and perfect corduroy.
Flex: I don’t care what they say about this board, it’s soft and I mean soft, it’s below a middle of the road in terms of flex. You have a lot of play in the tips where the rocker is and then a slightly stiffer mid section with a ton of torsional flex.
Stability: If you keep your knees bent on good terrain it’s not that big of a deal, but if you charge into rutted out terrain you feel everything with it. This is a board that’s lively, reactive, and not that damp. Chatter will get to you the longer you ride this board. You’ll believe initially that this board isn’t that unstable and it might be a little damp but then you warm up and charge harder with it and that’s when you start to feel everything.
Ollies: The camber profile is super easy to load up and has a skate-like pop to it. This means that you can be laid back with how you engage it. The snap is actually really exceptional on this board if you don’t fold the tail. So be aware that you can man handle this thing. With that said I found popping off rollers, side hits, and bumps was relatively easy and got you in the air.
Pop On Jumps: It gets the job done, this isn’t a board I’d take to the big line necessarily since it isn’t the most damp. It’s a deck that does give you a little boost off the lip without having to be overly precise or calculated.
Butterability: The tips are super soft and with that rocker you can really manipulate them with ease. This board never feels hooky or that it can’t handle a butter variation. You can over press it if you’re a hulk of a human so be aware of that.
Jibbing: The tips are floppy so pressing is easy but if you don’t know how to hold a press they can slap down on the feature. Going sideways it cradles fully around the feature and locks in. Basically it’s playful enough for jibbing without ever having to worry about it.
Carving: The edge to edge motion is smooth and fluid, but you have to be aware that there are limitations with this board. You can over power it on a carve. I found that medium mellow carves were its strong suit. The ones where you swoop from one side of the run to the other but you’re not trying to power through the carve or lay it over. When you do lay it over the tail can kick out on you.
Rider in Mind: Eco friendly all mountain rider that wants a softer flex.
Personal Thoughts: I rarely say this but I think you need to size up on this board. It’s just that soft. I kind of wish I had gone up to the 59 or even into the 60’s range with this board. For what it’s marketed as and how they claim the flex is they’re wrong. It’s playful and very soft. It’s a fun ride once you learn the limitations and it’s also versatile in that regard, but it’s just not the stiffest thing out there. A little more girth might help it. Surprisingly I didn’t have any issues with the sidecut feeling hooky, but then again the snow really wasn’t that icy.
Comparable Boards:
Telos Mike Ranquet: https://bit.ly/3GWUpGJ
DWD Kwon:
Jones Stratos: https://bit.ly/3VDUP9b
Binding Recommendations:
Salomon Rhythm: https://bit.ly/3XGmk3L
Union Strata: https://bit.ly/3P20W5j
K2 Line Up: https://bit.ly/3XHVtnW
