RIDE MTNPIG Review
We have been testing out next years MTNPIG from Ride Snowboards and here is what we have to say about this new board. The MTNPIG is a unique all mountain board that is a great example of what a modern snowboard can be. There are a couple of things that separate this board from others, and we are going to dive into what those are now. We will admit that there was a small learning curve when it came to adapting to this tapered crud busting, waffle stomper, but we managed to figure it out after a couple of tumbles.
Some of the things that make the MTNPIG awesome are as follows; a unique shape, a large sidecut, and a powerful directional flex all combine to set this board apart from most other boards on the market. Lets jump into the shaping of this board first, and how that influences the ride.
HYBRID SHAPING
The MTNPIG shape is very rare! This deck is tapered which means that the board is slightly narrower in the tail than the nose, which does a number of beneficial things. It helps to keep the nose up in fresh snow by riding lower in the tail and adversely bringing the nose to the surface. The large shaped nose maximizes the effects of the taper and creates a platform that you can be confident pushing into and out of deep snow carves, or big landings. These two things combine incredibly well to allow you to comfortably size down a few centimeters from your current board without losing any stability at speed, or float in powder.
We have been testing out next years MTNPIG from Ride Snowboards and here is what we have to say about this new board. The MTNPIG is a unique all mountain board that is a great example of what a modern snowboard can be. There are a couple of things that separate this board from others, and we are going to dive into what those are now. We will admit that there was a small learning curve when it came to adapting to this tapered crud busting, waffle stomper, but we managed to figure it out after a couple of tumbles.
Some of the things that make the MTNPIG awesome are as follows; a unique shape, a large sidecut, and a powerful directional flex all combine to set this board apart from most other boards on the market. Lets jump into the shaping of this board first, and how that influences the ride.
HYBRID SHAPING
The MTNPIG shape is very rare! This deck is tapered which means that the board is slightly narrower in the tail than the nose, which does a number of beneficial things. It helps to keep the nose up in fresh snow by riding lower in the tail and adversely bringing the nose to the surface. The large shaped nose maximizes the effects of the taper and creates a platform that you can be confident pushing into and out of deep snow carves, or big landings. These two things combine incredibly well to allow you to comfortably size down a few centimeters from your current board without losing any stability at speed, or float in powder.
RADICAL SIDECUT
After you grow to love the amazing shape of this board, you are going to need to get used to this boards unique sidecut. As we tested this board on the advised mounting location we noticed that the setback stance combined with the sidecut proved to be a unique ride. The sidecut in the MTNPIG focuses the majority of the turn in the nose of the board which means that when initiating turns the board is very responsive, but as you begin to shift your weight back you will notice that the tail of the board has a much calmer sidecut, and a more relaxed feel. This sidecut feels best when opening up some high speed groomed arcs, letting it rip in the open pow, or riding that backfoot through mid afternoon mashed potatoes. See our testers note at the bottom to hear more about what we liked this board best for.
POWERFUL DIRECTIONAL FLEX
With a Directional Hybrid Camber, Carbon Array 5, and Carbon Slimewalls this board is built to ride. It is no joke when we say that this board just wants to rip. With a rockered nose, and camber underfoot this board is stable and sturdy at high speeds, and in predictable in chopped up snow. Meanwhile, the "Carbon Array" adds snap and edge hold by providing torsional rigidity underfoot by laying an 'X' of Carbon stringers under each foot. Top all this off with a urethane sidewall loaded with carbon in the tail and this board not only dampens through adverse snow conditions, but helps to provide extra stability when landing airs, or finishing turns.
Overall we loved this board and would recommend it for anyone looking for an all-mountain board that is truly more focused on riding well off piste, and through choppy snow, than it is riding through a park, or moguls.
Riders Notes:
These are the opinions of Nate our tester:
"This deck is awesome, but it took a little bit to get used to as a heavy back foot rider. When I had the deck mounted where it was recommended I noticed that I was personally struggling to make the board perform in tight trees with the long sidecut in the rear. I noticed that with my back foot heavy style, I felt most comfortable riding high speed groomers, which is totally awesome and amazing on this board, but when I tried to get techy in the trees, I noticed that this board simply wanted to be down the fall-line, and killing speed took a lot of effort because I had to heavily enunciate my back foot movement to bring the tail through the fall line and kill speed. After a full day of satisfied riding, I remounted the board much closer to center, which allowed me much better control in the tighter trees."
"The MTNPIG wants to be ridden on the front foot, and with my style I noticed that I ride the back foot more than my front, so after a day trying to lean forward, I simply moved my bindings forward to counter act my naturally tail heavy style. Once, I had mounted the board closer to center I was thoroughly impressed. The board still stayed on top of the snow and didn't show any signs of sinking, or giving out which made it much easier for me to charge on, and with the additional 3/4" in the tail I noticed an amazingly stable, and reliable landing gear for blasting around the mountain. The more centered feel gave a little more agility in the tight trees, and an easier time initiating turns quickly, and shedding speed in those situations. I would honestly promote this board to anyone who wants to ride quickly, hold deep carves, and blast through any type of snow you can find. I have really enjoyed the time spent on the MTNPIG, and have noticed that I miss riding it after going back to a more conventional board..."
"The shorter but powerful size made it easy to be nimble, while still having the guts to hold high speed lines, and know that the tail is not going to blow out. The sidecut gave me plenty of options for turn shape, whether I wanted to be making high speed soft "S" turns, or flopping back and forth between the edges in tight terrain I was confident in the board, and was able to ride quickly and confidently through a mix of terrain. Lastly, the Urethane SLIMEWALLS are truly unique. The MTNPIG holds an edge like the best boards out there, but what really caught me off guard was how smooth and damp every turn was, and that is all thanks to the soft Urethane sidewalls that absorb vibrations in even the most mixed of snow conditions."
Photos by Dustin Ascheman (@nwest_media_snow)
Riding by Nate Blackburn (@bate_nackburn)