Lib Tech T.Rice Pro C2BTX Snowboard - Blem 2013

Comments about Lib Tech T.Rice Pro C2BTX Snowboard - Blem 2013:

My background:
6' tall
185 lb
23 years skiing + 23 years snowboarding
previous boards: Burton custom, Burton Supermodel, Burton Omen
Board tested: Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro 161.5cm,
with Burton Cartel bindings
and Burton Ion boots.

Overview - this is the best board I have ever ridden.

Straight Running:
First off, how does the TRP work when running straight down a flat run? I am not big on speed, but I did run the board up to 47mph according to an IPhone. On all other boards I have ridden straight, I needed to ride either one edge or the other rather than flat to
avoid catching either the tip or tail. I assume this is due to the standard camber applying pressure mostly at the tip and tail. Amazingly, the TRP never caught edges even at high speed and when ridden absolutely flat. It felt extremely stable and well behaved. This is true for all other tests - I never found the TRP to catch at the ends - this is just great.

Groom Carving:
When forced to ride on groomed runs, I will typically carve S-turns with the board rocked high from one edge to the other. I am used to my big mountain boards holding the carve at the tips but washing out a bit in the middle, resulting in a mushy carve. The TRP holds the complete edge very solidly and does not wash out. Driving my weight forward, I can force the TRP into a very tight decreasing radius turn and still hold the edge - excellent hold. And here's a fun test: initiate a turn, then sink your body down into a crouch on the board - sweet J****** - talk about g-forces. I was also able to link the tightest carved S-turns ever. I have heard rumors that some folks believe that Magni-traction causes edge drag -- I feel absolutely no edge drag - ever.

Ice Boarding
To really see if board is good, I say take it on ice. Well, not clear-ice, which I will not attempt, but super-packed snow which hurts when you kneel on it. I have never had a board that I felt held well on ice, and not only that, I found that a day of icy boarding left me with aching joints and a general stressed out feeling. Here is where the TRP really shines. Of course nothing is perfect, but it grips the ice better than any board or ski that I have riden over 42 years. I would guess that it is the Magni-traction that does the trick. My buddy and I bought the TRP at the same time, went boarding on an icy day, found out how well it worked on ice, and spent the rest of the day looking for the iciest runs to attack. In the past, I would not go boarding if it looked like there would be icy conditions. Now, I actually look forward to slashing the ice. In fact I would never ride icy moguls before and now they are fair game. One important feature of the TRP is that it has a much wider "sweet spot" when setting an edge in ice, so if you lose your balance slightly you can still get a grip and not slide like a pancake. Another important feature
is the flex in the board - it soaks up enough of the bumps and vibration that the body and bone shock is much lower than I am used to. In fact I rode ice all day and did not feel the normal fatigue at the end of the day.

Pipe and park:
Sorry, I don't do those.

Moguls:
As a reformed skier, I believe it is my destiny to conquer moguls on my board. Switching to the TRP allowed me to notch up my ability in the bumps by quite a bit. This was due to several factors. First, I can hook tighter radius turns. Second, the edge holds much better. Third, the board has more flex to soak up bumps. Fourth, the board doesn't "pop" out of the turns - you might like "pop" but I don't - when I'm are riding the troughs down the zipper line I don't want to pop anywhere - this baby stays glued to the surface. I still can't ride 'em like I did on skiis, but I'm getting really close.

Crud/Rubble:
I spend most of my time off-piste, since groomed runs are boring. This is why I have always bought big-mountain boards like the Burton Supermodel and Burton Omen. These big, stiff boards can rip through junk. Although the TRP is a bit softer than these, I actually prefer it. The flex soaks up a lot of the vibration and the board is excellent at climbing up on top of the junk. At faster speeds it feels even more stable than my other boards probably due to the flex.

Powder:
In 1.5' powder, I set my bindings to full back position. The TRP performs as promised in powder - it climbs up and out like a dream. Just like on ice, it has a wide sweet spot so it was much easier to handle than other boards I'm used to. I rode so high that I could execute really tight s-turns - don't remember ever being able to do this on another board. I also took the TRP out on a sticky wet powder day -- it was a more touchy in that snow.
I suspect that it was a combination of not waxing the board and it being fairly flexible, where the drag caused the board to flex and drive my feet down. I never noticed much of a problem with wet powder on my big stiff board - maybe this is where a big stiff board rules.

Tip-Wash Maneuver:
Under certain conditions, its nice to be able to slow down without turning the board sideways. For example, when boarding a gulley or through troughs between moguls. To do this, I would like to place the board on edge, bend the tip, and drag the tip rather than initiating a turn. I used to do this on skiis but have found it difficult on boards. Enter the TRP. If I position my front binding full forward or one notch back, then I find that I can
easily initiate a tip wash. Granted, you need to be careful with your weight to avoid starting a carve, but it works really well. This is another reason why the TRP shines in the moguls.

Drawbacks:
I have found only one drawback, and that is a fragile topsheet. When I first demo'd the board, I had three delaminations (one tip, one side, one tail). 5 minute epoxy and a clamp fixed the problems. Between my friends and I we have owned 8 Burtons over 15 years and have had many edge chips but not one delam. So I must say that the Burtons we had were bulletproof. I considered not buying the board for one day, but came to my senses, bought one as did my buddy, and have have been more impressed every time I ride. I have been out 6 times and have had to fix 4 delams. I don't run into things but I ride hard, so I don't know the cause here. If I look at the TRP topsheet, I can see ripples which I assume are fiberglass below the surface, whereas the Burtons have a glassy surface. So, I suspect that Burton seals the top with some bulletproof epoxy. It would be great if this aspect were improved by Lib Tech on the TRP, but it's possible that the excellent performance depends on the fiberglass being close to the surface. I am more than willing to live with 5-minute epoxy sessions in order to ride this board.

Summary:
Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro = Magic.
Superb in ice, moguls, junk, high speed runs and powder.
Love it.
I might buy another just in case it is discontinued.

Comments about Lib Tech T.Rice Pro C2BTX Snowboard - Blem 2013:

Easy to use

Comments about Lib Tech T.Rice Pro C2BTX Snowboard - Blem 2013:

Board is perfect for charging big lines
I found one little dimple on the board that i assume is the blemish. Everything else looks ok. Would buy another blem

Comments about Lib Tech T.Rice Pro C2BTX Snowboard - Blem 2013:

Great board here... did the research and very satisfied with the purchase... The only negative (which actually is a positive as well) is that its edge hold is GREAT. Which is amazing for carving on that famous BEAST COAST ice (represent), or just leaning into those nipple draggers all day long, but also can take a little getting used to from someone coming off a board that did not have magnetraction.

Comments about Lib Tech T.Rice Pro C2BTX Snowboard - Blem 2013:

Perfect all around board with not too much flex to carry you through high speeds, yet enough pop to launch any kicker and ride out of unperfect landings

Comments about Lib Tech T.Rice Pro C2BTX Snowboard - Blem 2013:

Love the banana camber, perfect all mountain and park board