Hey everyone, guess what? Its snowboard (and ski) season! I was over at Jay Peak yesterday for opening day with the new setup and it was awesome: plenty of nice and soft snow with plenty of coverage and manageable lift lines. At the same time, it did get pretty tracked out and icy later in the day. Perfect conditions for testing out Banana rocker and Magnetraction!
So first off, this was my first experience with a reverse-camber board. I described the feeling to my friend as "riding a wet noodle...but not in a bad way". In general, the board board was fun: it had an easygoing feel and moderate flex for a very loose, playful ride that held up to the varied conditions quite well. Compared to my Ride Kink (see review), this board was a bit stiffer and, even though both boards are 152cm, the Banana felt longer. It felt wrong how easy it was to just butter around on this thing and I can now see where the term "snow surfing" comes from. The upturned nose just plowed overs piles of snow and seemed to glide effortlessly over bumps in the trail. The transfer from ice to light and fluffy was seamless; the board just took it all. This leads me to my next point: Magnetraction.
I'm going to be honest, I didn't feel the difference right away as much as I imagined I would. At first it felt like a newly-tuned board: no "magnetic" edge hold on the mixed conditions. What I did notice, however, was how many people kept sliding out when they hit ice, losing their edge and helplessly slipping down the steep slope. I was immune. Like I said, no "extra" hold on regular snow, but it gripped the ice like it was corduroy. Patches of ice that would normally send me sliding were transformed into hardpack. As long as I didn't try any Euro-carves on the ice, I was otherwise fine. As far as Magnetraction goes, its nothing stellar, but it keeps you at a "normal" leveling of riding when it comes to crappy afternoon conditions (or a regular day in New England).
Now back to the fruit. My belief in reverse-camber has been affirmed: I stand by my Banana and could not be happier with my choice of getting it. No pop? No problem! Sure, it doesn't snap like a slingshot , but you're halfway there anyways with the pre-curved tip and tail. And for all you haters who claim this thing has no pop to it, get in the gym and do some legwork, really. One of the biggest potential downsides I was worried about when I got this was the rumor of it lacking high-speed stability. I don't know the exact mph cutoff for where "high-speed" begins, but I felt pretty comfortable and in control pointing it down "The Jet" at Jay Peak. It felt a little loose when making tight carves, but the Magnetraction helped to keep me in line and upright on the icier snow. As far as just tooling around and popping off random snowdrifts and tapping ice boulders, this board felt great. The easygoing style of Banana rocker made this board a lot of fun to just hop around on, throwing in some small spins and butters and making just about anything jibbable (new word?). I know I sound like a broken record at this point but, if I had to sum up this board in one word, I would have to say "fun".
The Bottom Line:
Pros
- Rides well as an all-mountain board
- Fun and playful for jibbing/spinning
- Slightly stiffer than other jib boards
- Takes a little getting used to after riding only regular camber
Full-length shot
its upside down, by the way
its upside down, by the way
Magnetraction in action!
check out those lovely snowboard lumps
Laying flat on the ground
Note: the black line is the "ground", check out the upward curve
One final note: I'm selling the first batch of ECGR "Mtn Logo" vinyl die-cut stickers/decals. So far 7/10 have been claimed. Get in touch with me and you can get one for $3 (and that's cost, by the way, so I'm not making a profit off of these). If there's a demand for more I can print extra, or wait it out for the next design to be printed (possibly a re-print of the "Gold" logo?). Now get out there and enjoy the snow people, peace!
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