carverboy Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Just wondering if any Int/adv riders have ridden the banana traction boards from Lib/Gnu and if so there impressions. For my part I took a Cygnus 160something(dont remember) out for a day last season. Im reluctant to pass judgment on one days ride but here is how it felt that day. When put on edge the board dove in to the turn much to easily for my taste. There was no stored energy that I could feel turn to turn. I found myself riding with more weight on my back leg, possibly from trying to get some "push" exiting the turns. The board was very stiff and I was riding hard choppy conditions at speed this felt like it might shake a filling loose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 Full rocker ie bannana is great for "porpoising" & spinning in deep snow. It is incapable of any other function. Magna trac ie wavy edge allows rockered boards some semblance of edge grip on packed snow but only inbetween the feet, forget about loading the nose or tail. I would like a powder board that has tip&tail rocker, but has camber (not just flat) extending at least a few cm beyond the bindings, giving it a little carvability on hard snow & groomers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Stevens Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 There's "Bannana tech" and "Magne-Traction". The two are different, and not always used together. On a standard, cambered Lib with MT, I didn't find much difference in carved turns, but sliding turns seemed to have more grip.That was cool. BT wasn't something I liked. I rode a Skate Bannana with the NoBoard setup (no bindings, no rope either) and found the nose really wandered. I don't have much experience with rocker and possibly this is something that all rockered boards do, but I like the "direct" feeling that standard camber seems to give. The second impression is likely up for debate. The first..? I have alot of experience in that department and found that for freeriding, where most turns are slide-carve, rather than pure carve, that the board did perform as advertised. The non-BT "Skunk Ape" could be my next board and I am really picky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 I demoed the skunkape as well as the skate bannana last year. The sk8bannana was useless. The skunkape I liked for all around but they're much too wide for my liking, the 181skunk is built for size 13 with duckstance in mind. If they made one like my original grocer (186, 24 waist) I'd be interested. I was told at the local groundzero shop all libtechs are now magnatrac and at least partially bannana-ed, flat not cambered between the feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gus Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 I have the 172 skunk ape with the wavy sides. Rode two days soft set up. not bad but still not what I was expecting. Rode three days with hardboots. One day was great. Conditions where mashed potatoes. Had fun in that stuff. On the cat tracks board keep trying to catch an edge. Turning was ok. Deep powder it Still would rather ride the 15 year old litagator. Anyone want to buy the skunk Ape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverboy Posted October 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 yep, Pretty much what I thought. The banana is not for carvers. I spent a few days on a Gnu altered genetics with magnatraction and was in love from the first couple turns on ice. Someone needs to mate magnatraction to a alpine board.That would rule east coast boiler plate! And yes all the lib product is now banna, which I think is a mistake. Do they really think no one free ride's anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 Not all current Lib boards are BTX. The TRS, Dark, T-Rice, Skunk Ape and Mullet all come in MTX models. I have no interest in BTX, but I would like to try MTX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverboy Posted October 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 Yes, apparently my rep does not Know his product. As he was the one who told me all banana. How do you tell a rep is lying? When his lips move LoL! I really liked the Altered genetics and Im not really a fan of boards that soft usually. The magnatraction should be on everything but beginner boards(seems it causes a lot more edge catching for them) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 How do you tell a rep is lying? When his lips move LoL! I'll be stealing that quote (and substituting many professions for "rep").:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfell Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 I've ridden a skate banana and a banana TRS. They both are awesome. The banana tech allows you to be very smooth transition between a skid and a carve. They are not just for park monkeys, but they are not for every condition/rider either. In all honesty after riding these boards I'm convinced that in some courses/hill a reverse cambered race board would be the choice. Look at the shape of the newer SG's and the KST camber profile......Rumor has it that Bezzetto had a Kessler for ice that was fully reverse camber. I can't confirm this, but it makes some sense for racing and on steep SL courses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr D Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 I am not so sure they are good for jibber monkeys either. I watched one float a nice kicker into deep snow last year and listened to the core snap when he landed. He swore there was nothing wrong with it after but it sounded like a rifle shot and with the floppy reverse camber it was nearly impossible to tell if lasting damage was achieved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf Rat Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 I have ridden the magna traction lib teck.....looks like a way to have dull board for jibing and still make it down ice. not my style has any one tried the K2 Gyrator????? looks like a better stab at the decamber style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.