WE PICK THE 2006 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM P.

82
FUTURE SNOWBOAROING
NOV. 20D5 VOL.1 ISSUE I

EXCLUSIVE TEST!

EVERYTHING YOU
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
WHISTLER
Í+ 3 THINGS YOU'RE NOT
SUPPOSED TOJ
 • Each men's board was naden tiy s minimum
of six guys and o maximum of seven. Each
women's board was ridden by four w o m e n -

Mi5l:limlfilii!i!i
ranging in size from 105 pounds to 170 pounds.

• EACH M E N ' S B O A R D W A S R I D D E N
A N AVERAGE O F 17,766 V E R T I C A L
FEET O N T H E T E S T C O U R S E .
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR
DETERMINING THIS YEAR'S BEST BOARDS • Each women's board was ridden an average
of 11,848 vertical feet on the test course [less
Names can be misleading, What you call "freeriding," your buddy might just call "snowboarding." testers=less vertical).
"All-around" to one manufacturer might mean some ironing board with no sidecut made to handle icy *SEE PAGE B8 FOR THE WOMEN'S RESULTS
steeps, while to another it might mean just what it implies—a board that can ride everything. Some
park boards turn on a dime; some carving boards are great in the pipe; and some boards just don't do • EACH TESTER RODE EACH B O A R D
anything very welt. Our goal was to find out which was which and to present them to you in a way that I N THE M O R N I N G ON HARD S N O W
makes sense and helps you make choices appropriate for your weight, height, foot size, and riding style. AND I N THE AFTERNOON ON SOFT
We decided to screw the nomenclature and ask all of the manufacturers for their best board for a S N O W . W E RODE T H E B O A R D S
rider who wants to do everything—without buying multiple boards. We tried some amazing boards that J U S T A S YOU W O U L D R I D E T H E M :
really dodo everything and we got some boards that should have never been taken out of the box. From F R E E R I D I N G I N THE M O R N I N G . AND
the unbelievably good to the almost unrideably bad, tested by snowboarders ranging from taxi drivers to FREESTYLE I N T H E A F T E R N O O N
bartenders to snowboard coaches and old, creaky editors, we rode em all. ONCE T H E PARKS S O F T E N E D UP.

• We tested boards in three different price points—without letting the

testers know that we were doing this. Nobody knew whether they were
riding a $250 board or a $700, top-of-the-line quiver killer.

• Testers rede and rated their own personal boards at the end of the
test by the same methodology. Stab'stically, most testers' personal boards
would come in around the bottom third of the test if put head-to-head with
the '06 boards.

• S I X B O A R D S W E R E RETESTED FOR P O T E N T I A L S C R E W -
U P S , A N D F O U N D TO T E S T A L M O S T IDENTICALLY. PHEW.

• Boards were masked with the ugliest contact paper ever made, and kept
base-down when entering or leaving the changeover area. This was done
to keep tester bias and what marketers at Pepsi and Coke call "sensation
transference" to a minimum, to stop great or god-awful graphics from
influencing the perceived riding characteristics in any way. Plus, everyone
has companies that they think they love or hate.

• A L L B O A R D S W E R E S T R I P P E D , WAXED, A N D DETUNED
TO T H E S A M E S T A N D A R D EVERY N I G H T FOR T H E
F O L L O W I N G DAY.

• Testers rode their own bindings when testing boards.

• Men's hoards were all chosen in a size between 152 and 159
centimeters, and ridden by testers who qualified as "average" size in
North America. The smallest male tester was "just shy of a buck fifty"
and the largest male tester was 170 pounds. Foot sizes ranged from
eight to 11.

•
f REMEMBER: THE BOARDS PRESENTED HERE ARE
THE BEST OF THE BEST. 90 WERE TESTED—ONLY
THE WORTHY CAN BE SEEN ON THESE PAGES.
Whether i t s No.1 in the SUPER PREMIUM category or No.10 in the
ECONOMY CLASS, every board you see here is killer, a Most Valuable
Product. These are the boards we would recommend to our friends,
buy w i t h o u r own money, o r use as gifts to influence rich and power-
ful snowboarder-bosses. If a board made it in, it is w o r t h buying,
simple as that.
Testers, techs, and taxidermy. Pimío-. Oici K Ham

ON-SNOW TESTING EXPERT: RICK KAHL

to snowboard equipment. Nobody without Isec page 68). Kahl made fun of FSM when we
FSM CONSULTED RICK KAHL EARLY ON.
a manufacturer bi3S has as much on-snow made stupid mistakes—and then figured out
white we were trying to establish legitimate
testing experience as Rick Kahl. Nobody. ways to correct them before they influenced
test parameters that would really help people
Kahl, also a founding editor of Guitar the results in any way. He skied next to our
make belter board choices. With more than
World and current editor of Ski Area testers and shouted, "you're riding like
20 years of experience testing ski equipment
Management, helped keep the testers stoked pussies," if he thought any of us were cruising
and editing test reports as the editor of Skiing
and aware of our roles as highly calibrated just a little too rccreationally. All in all. Rick's
magazine. Rick proved to be an invaluable
instruments-no small task. Kaht told us that wisdom on the nature and worth of on-snow
resource for us—both before, during, and
"every test needs an Australian," so we were testing helped raise the standards of our first
after the test. We worked together so his
glad we picked Miffy for the Women's Test annual FSM Board Tesl immeasurably.
vast ski testing knowledge could translate
FSM 2005-06 BOARD TEST
L.

READ THIS BEFORE THROWING DOWN.

PERFECT SNOWBOARD: BODY TYPE. RIDING STYLE, AND PREFERRED of picking a plank. Gorio Bustamente, snowboard buyer for Olympic Sports
TERRAIN. These factors will determine the snowboard's length, width. in Seattle, says being honest with sales staff is key. "A lot of people don't
really answer the questions correctly," he says. "I ask how often they go,
attributes differs from rider to rider. (Check out the sidebars throughout they say 'a lot.' And then they let me know how good they are. I don't need to
this story to learn a bit more about the most important elements.) know that—neither of those things tells me anything."
"Thetength of the board is the first thing I'd look at," says pro rider JJ Bustamente recommends being specific about how many times you
Thomas. "Then flex and shape, and, of course, graphics." The FSM Board go a week, ora season, where you like to ride, and, perhaps to the chagrin
Test lets you lind out exactly what other riders like you thought of a board of some, your weight. This information will help staff determine the board
before you buy it. Demos are the best way to feel out the different shapes that's right for you. Gorio says paying $350 to $400 for a board is average.
and sizes for yourself, yet they can be time consuming and aren't always But, he warns, make sure price isn't the main factor of your selection. "You
available when and where you need them. If you have the time and live in a only have to pay as much money as it takes for you to have fun, but make
well-serviced area, use the FSM Board Test to narrow down your options to sure you're not too much of a tightwad or a cheapskate," he says. There are
three boards and then demo those to find your ultimate ride. cheap boards out there that are basically toys and, generally speaking, when
Finding a good shop in your area is also crucial. If they seem you pay $400 for a board you're getting real equipment. —Katie Bailey

f HOWTOBET THE MOST OUT OF r 9 OVERALL RAT1NC: T h « board's rating in its category,

I THE FSM BOARD TEST d e t e r m i n e d by a v e r a g i ng scores f r o m t h r e e aggregate d

- • FíiÉífiillE RATING: Aggregate m e a n score f r o m
Individual " f r e e r i d e " t e s t c r i t e r i a : t r i c k i n g on
Nats; h i g h - s p e e d stability; l o w - s p e e d t u r n i n g ;
h.gh-speed turning: and base « p e e d . V i l u t •
33 3 % o f o v » r a U r * t r f r g .
c a t e g o r i c « : t r e e r i d l n g ; fre»style ; overall Impression. ( I n
t h e very rare case of a n u m e r i c a l tie, tester c o m m e n t s
r « W D T H : Look h e r o to s e e If
t h e r e ' s a board In your l a v o n t »
length t h a t ' l l a c c o m m o d a l »
w e r e used lo break the t i e t . Keep in m i nd ih.it 1C" your f e e l . And see our p r i m e r
d e e * not equal "last p l a c e , ' W e cut t h r o u g h the crap for on w i d t h on page o3.
rm 80AAD DESCRIPTION: This p a r a g r a p h w m m M i l i i you a n d ALL of the p l a n k s seen in the following pages
all th e lest d a t a — n u m e r i c a l and c o m m e n t a r y — a n d a r e worthy.
gives a broad overview af w h at m a k e s I h i * board
r-B 5I2£ TESTED: The s i «
w o r t h y of Inclusion in i r e F S M V P , including
board w e tested at M a m r
construction notes.
M t n . always appears b o l

BOARD DESCRIPTION: More stable than the band

Name is an advanced freeride board that sells it
Some of the testers agreed, but might add
speeds" to the e n d of each sentence. It has a pintail
shape and <s loaded with rows of Technology a n d
^ k Technology in the Jamma^. The result is an
^ ^ increased stiffness without overkill on the
torsional rigidity. Emsnmim naca caca
CONSIrt'lcnON.
LUHE I N 3 > i q f SI7ÉS; lbG. 16J, ANO ICÉ

"• AND l * S T TUMiS Y/tRfrG&r AT U £ H U M SPEKULA

»MWQttnON OF STAfcltfTY A i t e i ^ L K t s S . '
GOOD

•• AnuT ' S ' ^ - Í I ' ^ T ^ S N T T V R ,

-fÚtf)?f(7

I .REESTYLE M T I K S : A g g r e g a t .
I OVERALL IMPRESSION: At the end ol the day, this - • SIDECUT RADIUS: Everybody puts
m e a n » C O T * f r o m individual a CONSTRUCTION: Most
n u m b e r r e p r e s e n ts Ihe degree to which the t e s t e r s these numbers in their buyer's guidi
' f r e e s t y l e " lest c r i t e r i a : cUi« factor, boards are either sandwich/
' e n d o r s e * this board after riding ¡I in a l l t e r r a i n and but hardly anybody knows what the)
takeoff; transition behavior; and sidewalt or cap—or a
conditions. This n u m b e r is NOT a n a v e r a g e of FR a n d • QUOTES; H e r e i exactly w h a t I h e t e s t e r s
mean. 5ee our sidecut primer belo»
landing, Value > 3 3 . 3 % of overall hybrid of both. Many targe
FS n u m b e r s but r a t h e r a long view of t h e b o a r d , a n and impress surly shop employees
rating. said after riding this b o a r d . Keep in m i n d that
overall impression of its n d e once the s m o k e c l e a r e d .
companies otter boards In when you drop science on 'em. Gel
they didn't know w h a t it w a s , w h o m a d e it, or
Value - 3 3 . 3 % of overall rating.
both constructions. quadratic on their ass<
w h at t h e board w a s "supposed" to ride like.

Sidecut does not perform alone; II functions in tandem Rome Snowboard Design Syndicate Co-rounder
BOARD B A S I C S 1 0 1 : wilh other attributes, such as Ilex and camber [the "sprung" Paul Maravetz says a rider's primary type ot riding should
part under your feell. There are three sidecut patterns: radial, determine how much sidecul is best. Ajib board might have

flUUHl a circular arc for evenly pressured lurns; quadratic, more V

A board's sidecut is the arc that creates Its hourglass shape.
Generally speaking. Ilie greater amount of sidecut. the more
circle—a board with a deeper arc will turn harder in order to
(allow Ihe circle s path than one wilh a lesser arc. The shape
ot Ihe arc is called sidecut radius and is represented by a
number, usually measured in meters |e.g. "7.8 m"l. Since the
number represents ihe circle to which said sidecut belongs, a
board with a V h sidecut radius actually has more sidecut than
the same board wilh a 9.5. and will bo lurnicr as a result. Yes,
its counterintuitive.
shaped, where Ihe crux ol a lurn is locused in the arc's middle:
less sidecut, to reduce the chances ot hooking an edge when
over-rotating on a landing. Halfpipe boards have lots of side-
and elliptical, an oval-shaped sidecut with a slraighter arc and cut lo carve up Ihe pipe walls. A board that's meant for fast
tighter ends lo place more pressure at the beginning and end freeridtng might have less sidecut and stiller Ilex to keep il
ol the lurn. stable al high speeds, while a Ireende board for cruising might
Oillcrent companies lean toward dilfercnt sidecut be softer with a deeper sidecul tor enhanced turning —KB
conligurations depending on belicl and intent. Alex Warburton. HINT: THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT SIDE-
product manager lor boards and bindings at The Program, CUT NUMBERS ARE. IN MANY WAYS, BEST LEFT TO THE
told FSM that Forum and Jeenyus boards, for instance, are al- ENGINEERS WITH THEIR TAPED-UP GLASSES AND COFFEE
ways made with a radial sidecut because, he claims. "Anything BREATH. READING OUR TESTERS' COMMENTS AND CHECK-
other than a radial sidecut is lighting what the board naturally ING A BOARD S TEST RATING WILL PROBABLY GIVE YOU A
wants to do. This neulral (eel is pretty important for riding BETTER IDEA OF WHETHER YOU MIGHT LIKE OR HATE A
switch pants—which we do a lot ol wer here in Irvine. Calif." BOARD THAN PULLING OUT YOUR CALCULATOR.

056 F5N\ NOVEMBER 2G05

 *íá>*
^.T«.«^

BOARD DESCRIPTION-.
The Rome Design Syndicate
started making boards a few
years back when the owners

left their engineering jobs a«

Burton. This Design 158 suggests they
m i 9 h t be onto something.The Design domtnated

J l l p e t i t i o n and had Associate EditorTracy

£ £ — in conniptions - £ £ ^
performance all over the mounta.n.This do every
.ngdirectionaitwinowessomeofitsg^yo

o f . L s fiber toning (a process whereby 30, 45,

1 , 0 degree libers are s t r a t e g , ^ ^ , b-
boards like this usually involve at least a lit.

-Mo»

BOARD BASICS 1 0 1 : a board that's too stiff. "Wide boards ridden by also play a role in choice of board width. "If you're
small feet turn about as fast as an oil tanker," riding steeper (i.e. higher) angles, you don't need

WIDTH according to former shop worker and current

A snowboard's width should be proportional
to your foot size. A board's "waist," or middle
section, should fit your feet so that neither your
heet nor toe extends over the edge so much that
it touches snow. If your board is loo narrow, it'll
dig into the hill and cause all sorts of problems.
But the part a lot of people don't realize is that a
board that's too wide is even harder to ride than
FSM Editor, Colin Whyte. "And it hurts your feet
to ride a wide board if you don't need to—it turns
it into a job."
At Burton Snowboards, regular snowboard
waist width is about 250 mm, a mid-wide board
is about 255 mm, and a wide board is about 2A0
mm. Women's and children's boards usually have
smaller waists (or smaller feet. John Gerndt.
Burton testing coordinator, says binding angles
as wide a board," he explains. "But if your angles
are a bit flatter, then you'd want a bit wider board
so you don't get toe and heel drag." —KB
HINT: IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT BOAROS. CHECK
YOUR FOOT AGAINST THE BASE, NOT JUST lllr
TOPSHEET. CAP BOARDS AND SLANT-WALL
BOARDS ARE CONSIDERABLY WIDER WHEN VIEWED
FROM THE BASE SIDE, AND THIS IS THE SIDE
THAT'S GOING TO BE DOING MOST OF THE TURNING
LAST TIME WE CHECKED.
 TOP

f NDER
350
Luft SOME OF THE BOARDS BELOW ARE CHEAPER THAN A
K l i r M I T A - I - f . • • * - . ~

\
Hi/onori Katsuyama testing what really matters; powder
performance. Vbfkl Wall AM board. Photo-, diristün Soul«
, , , v v i n . • ne uiuy nangover
you'll get with these, though, is if you buy one that's too narrow for
your feet. Low price doesn't have to mean low performance and,
believe it or not, the highest scoring board in the entire men's test
came from down here on the poor side of town. Remember: the
testers didn't know if they were driving a Ferrari or a Pinto, (riding
a $700 board or a $300 onel. Many of the boards below tend lo be
lorsionally softer, easy to turn at stow ínosHc m r i ••"•-•
M V I u i i u vci y tut i . j m n i j II
you're lazy, learning—or hungover. If you've had boards in the past
that felt like they were riding you, check out the respectable rides
in this division and spend the money you save on a decent pair of
boots with custom footbeds. Or buy a subscription to FSM. Your
choice. The FSM sub is cheaper, though.

Ill
RIDE BOARD DESCRIPTION: Marketed as
CONTROL a board for the weekend enthusiast, the
Ride Control is an ideal fit for the intermedi-
ate rider who wants some room to grow. The
li'lrlilftttl'l model features new Thermal Sidewall technol-
BBHgjgaii nag! Earning ogy, a 45-degree cut designed to optimize Si) 7B8 7 9 2
IvMliUVHflflli^M ETH Htt ETE1 R H F3CJ response and dampening over the steel edges.
The tip and tail are inlaid with Ride's Fusion feature,
HHti'iMM'H
an aluminum wrapping that acts as a bumper for your
CONSTRUCTION • S10EWALL board. Its directional shape lends itself to corduroy
-NARROW SIDECUT MAKES FOR QUICK, SHORT cruising and freeriding, but our testers found this board
TURNS. BUT STABILITY AT HIGH SPEED ISA to be quite fun in the park and pipe as well.
CONCERN." -eannooN
THiS BOARD CAVE ME CAT-UKE SKILLS WHEN IT HELPED
TNITlAnjIG MEDIUM AND SLOW TURNS. IT HANDLED WELL
ME STOMP A TRTCK Ott A MEDWAI-SEED KICKER THAT 1
I FELT CONftBEKT ENOUGH OK THIS BOARDTOPUSH MY-
SHOULDNTHAVE LAIiDED.', - W Í »
SELF ONTOEJUMPS AND IN THE PIPE."

BOARD DESCRIPTION: Do you fancy yourself a park junkie? Yeah? Then SIMS
you may want to check out the Sims Vice. A couple of our testers found
that its soft torsional flex and wide twin-tip shape are ideal in the VICE
event that you forget snowboarding requires balance and need to
come up with a clean landing—stat. Several of our riders en-
MSRP: $349.99
joyed this board in the park and pipe but rated it low when 5 I Z E S AVAILABLE; 1 1 5 3 I 156 1 1 5 9
t came to all-mountain performance. At intermediate
I EZIEfflEU
speeds it faired well, but became unpredictable and
unstable in spring crud.
«egg
BBBTOB IE332ZS
—
"FUN AND PREDICTABLE. I FELT
1 LIKED THE WAY IT COMPRESSED AND RESOUNDED FROM TUHN
CONFIDENT ON THIS BOARD, THOUGH
i o TuBN.rr WAS NICE AND i i m j m v t THOUGH A u r n « reno»
IT WOULD BETTER SUIT A MORE MTflErLATS—«I«
AGGRESSIVE FREESTYLE RIDER."-WW

064 FSNV NOVEMBER 2005