Domestic Decks: 2010 USA-made Snowboards

I don’t know if this is the “first ever” American-made Snowboard Review. But let’s just say it is anyway. There are a lot of things to like about these boards—from bomber, detail-oriented construction to eco-smart design. Not to mention they’re built in our backyards. If a product makes the cut for this review, it has earned the SWB stamp of approval.

These aren’t just arbitrary grab-bag picks based on graphics and gratifying advertisers. Truth is, this past March we had a crew of testers romp and stomp on over 70 boards for a week at Crested Butte Mountain Resort as part of Backcountry Magazine’s Annual Snowboard Test. I’ve managed and written BCM’s Snowboard Review for the last 4 years as their “Rider in Chief”, and we have hyper-intelligent, ripping testers that make selecting the best decks easy as… riding pow.

We’ll post three boards per week until we run out, or it takes too much time away from snowboarding. Let us know if there are any American-made boards you want to see reviewed, and we’ll do our best to put them through the paces. Ride on… —Mike Horn

Special Thanks and a Shout out to:
THE TESTERS!
Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Peak Sports // One Track Mind
Oskar Blues Brewing
Jack Link’s
Clif Bar

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Lib-Tech T. Rice C2BTX

$539
Sizes [cm]: 153, 157 [blunt park/jib shape] 161.6, 164.5 [pow shape]
libtech.com
Made in Sequim, Wash.

The pow-shaped Rice was refined this season with “C2BTX”: it breaks down to rocker profile binding-to-binding, with camber on either end, and Magne Traction (think “serrated”) edges. Travis Rice is into saving birds of prey—he donates some proceeds from board sales to the Peregrine Fund—watch a harpy eagle snatch up a sloth here.

TESTERS’ TAKE:

• “Quick and surfy in powder, very responsive on hard snow. Handled all conditions like a tank; can overcome any foe.”
• “Floats like ice cream in root beer—over the top!”
• “One of the best big-mountain pow boards out there.”

Never Summer Lotus-R [Women’s]

$450
Sizes [cm]: 146, 149, 151, 154, 157
neversummer.com
Made in Denver, Colo.

Shaped with rocker from binding-to-binding, and camber outside the mounts, the women’s-specific Lotus blends rocker’s float with camber’s control, offering a surfy-yet-stable ride.

TESTERS’ TAKE:

• “This board is fun and poppy but fast and firm—the perfect combination.”
• “Works well in powder and crud, and runs any turn radius. The Lotus is a smooth-riding machine.”
• “Your Yoga instructor would approve of her flow—smooth, ‘Ommm-ing’ her way down steep, deep, and tight alike.”

Winterstick TB 172

$735
Sizes [cm]: 172
winterstick.com
Made in Placerville, Colo.

Tom Burt was a math teacher before becoming one of the best big-mountain snowboarders to ever strap in. His pro model, the TB 172, is a directionally-shaped deck that has a stiffer tail than nose, and moderate sidecut which enables long-radius carves at hyper-speed.

TESTERS’ TAKE:

• “Who needs reverse camber when you have this board for the pow?”
• “Fast edge to edge, very surprising for a 172cm board.”
• “Very damp, capable in variable conditions—a real crud buster.”
• “Carved beautifully at speed.”

// Top Photo: Jim Deshler Rider: Pete “Captain Commander” Kelly