Donek Razor Hybrid 160

[scrapster]

Since you can technically ride this board with hardboots, I figured I could sneak in a review here.

Donek Razor Hybrid 160

("Hybrid" as I ordered it with the special dampening juju from the Saber model)

139 Eff Edge--slightly longer than standard (which adds a nice hammerhead)

24.5w--slightly narrower than standard

9scr (radial)

Decambered tip and tail.

Note: Donek recommends that you actually go longer with this board than a regular freeride board--but I'm short, so I went my own way.

Setup: Nidecker Act Carbons and Driver X's

Conditions: Frozen cord to Corn to Slush (ie. springtime in New England)

Once I had checked the snow coverage on my rock board and was duly satisfied, I whipped this baby out for its first turns (and my last ones of the season.) Oh my. This is why I snowboard.

Truth be told, I had misgivings going into it. Two paradigms of the rumor mill were about to crash head on --"dampening makes boards feel dead," and "Donek makes 'west coast' boards." What on Earth was Sean about to send me?

Heaven. Having tested out an older Razor, I already knew that their edgehold was borderline ridiculous for a softboot board. I was completely sold on the shape. And adding in the dampening from the Saber (which Sean described as "lots of rubber") made my legs feel downright bionic! There was nothing dead about it all, just pure, smooth power. I haven't had the feeling that I was actually attacking a slope since I was quite a bit younger. Yes, this is the type of board that can lead you to ride with a heightened level of aggression and past the Surgeon General's speed warning. You just immediately and completely trust it. It subdued the feel of frozen cord, silently destroyed the denser corn snow, and handled afternoon mush piles without hesitation--at least until I took a digger in supersoft snow unwisely trying to EC on it, and my legs and bravado finally gave way. Having that wide & flat tail on a softy board is a thing of beauty, with the decambering still allowing it to be nimble edge to edge.

Can't wait to test it in other conditions. I'm suddenly losing attachment to the rest of the boards in my quiver and dying to head back to the mountain just one last time before the snow is all gone.

[Gcarve]

Great review of what sounds like an amazing board!! First day on the new board was also the last (of the season)!! I think you need to get that board back on snow asap!