Board: Korua Cafe Racer
Size: 156
Camber Option: Traditional Camber.
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, warmer temps, a bit of wind, fresh corduroy, chunder corduroy, ice, lumpy snow, and some heavy pow for good measure.
Flex: This thing is a freeride carver so it’s a little on the stiffer side with a directional flex. Obviously you’ll have a softer nose then right inside where the camber starts it begins to stiffen up back through to the tail. The torsional flex is there and while it’s noticeable it’s not overwhelming.
Stability: This boards stable which is a combination of flex, camber, and shape working together. You get flap in the nose at high speeds and there’s a little bit of reverberation back towards the front foot but it mostly dissipates. Then from insert pack to insert pack you get this lively yet slightly damp ride. Sure you feel the big jarring drops and divots in the snow but it doesn’t buck you. In really rutted out terrain the nose flexes and the rest of the board plows through everything in its path.
Ollies/Pop: There’s some serious snap in this board whether you want it or not. Having full camber this board wants to rebound right into its natural camber shape. Load it up and you will pop, but just ride along and want to roll back on the tail and you will boost. The thing with the load is that it always feels like it’s loaded due to how you ride it on edge and the camber profile, so prepare yourself for this thing to want to get in the air.
Butterability: I did a few high speed tail wheelies and that’s about where I’d keep it with this thing.
Carving: Here’s what this board is designed for. There’s a slower turn initiation off the front foot, it has a slight delay, but then when you get it on edge and pressure it you disengage the nose outside the front foot and it comes alive. You steer it aggressively and it wants you to lay it over as hard as you can forcing you to disengage that front foot and steer from the center through the tail. This will give you power in and out of turns and there’s a ton of power. What’s nice is you can sit on that back foot through a carve whether on your heel or toe and it feels locked in with a ton of power. Short quick turns require more hip movement to drive the board but it’s worth the extra effort. It’s those medium mellow carves to long hard drawn out ones that you see this thing come alive. If you are afraid of speed and carving this is not the deck for you.
Rider in Mind: Resort carver that cruises.
Personal Thoughts: This thing isn’t as aggressive as I thought it would be with the full camber profile, but it is precise. You feel it on edge and it’s like a surgical scalpel through the snow just leaving a fine line wherever it goes. The power that’s exuded down through the edges is immense and gives it that added locked in grip. Overall this is a board for days you just want to go turn.
Comparable Boards: Nidecker Blade, Bataleon Carver
Binding Recommendations: Now Drive, Burton Cartel X, Rome Katana
