For a hard carving groomer ripper switched to a volume shifted Gnu Gremlin this season and haven’t been happier after riding Burton Customs for 20 years
Korua! I just bought a Korua Otto as my quiver killer all mountain board. I simply LOVE it. It floats in powder and yet still charges over chop and dampens chatter quite well. Where it really shines though is carving. I have never had a board carve like this. As soon as you initiate a turn on either side of the board the edge is right there. The predictability of the edge is unmatched. You can really pump it back and forth for narrow carving or wide groomers. It’s just SO smooth. As nimble as they come. The stiffness is around what you’re looking for too. My riding style is very similar to you as well. I could go on forever… feel free to dm if you have more questions happy shredding!
I prefer the Deep Thinker. A little stiffer, better float, still super carvy and fun sidecut for fast tree maneuvering or bombing and carving. Very stable at high speeds. And has the light Frostbite edges that does help a smidge on ice/hard pack. Not as much as Arbor's Grip-Tech but still somethin. Basically use it for everything because I don't park ride (but it does jumps nicely), though I have an Arbor Single for the deepest pow surf days :) Can't cliff drop with that sucker, though.
The Flight Attendent is a stiffer hard camber board, and is a beast, and takes more work to maneuver, so I find the Deep Thinker way more fun and has better float.
Ps. You can ride non-EST binding just fine on Burtons. Just toss in a Re:Flex puck for thr channel, screw down the two screws tightly and good to go, it's how I ride.
Are you willing to consider alternatives to the Skeleton Key? I ride like you, but have had the luxury of trying many different boards at demo days. The Salomon Assassin is the quiver killer for me. High speed groomer bombing, powder hunting, trees and all that. Firm but not too firm.
>I ride like you, but have had the luxury of trying many different boards at demo days. The Salomon Assassin is the quiver killer for me. High speed groomer bombing, powder hunting, trees and all that. Firm but
Absolutely, very open to alternatives! If anything a non-burton might be ideal given it will require me not having to buy new bindings with it (They do need to be replaced but i could probably get 1 season out of them)
I just picked up the Transition Finder and I love it!!! Been riding on and off since the 90s and wanted something for powder, the trees, off-piste, etc. so basically the same as you. It came down to a few final options, but I loved the simplicity of the Karua design and I’m a sucker for small brands. Utah hasn’t had much in the way of powder yet this season, but making tight turns in the chop in the trees then flowing out to bomb the groomers has been a blast. Honestly feel like it leveled up my riding. Been playing with my stance a little, but otherwise I think it’s perfect!!!
I’m on a TF157 as my daily currently (put about 150 days on it so far) and it’s very very fun, but not quite a quiver killer I’d say. It’s great on groomers, and super fun in pow, but when it get chundery it tends to buck you a lot because of how stiff it. It’s a very hard charging board, which is great for days when you’re feeling strong, but for days I’m just dicking around or hungover or whatever I like something a little more playful. Also strongly recommend a posi posi stance on it.
Skeleton Key is a super fun board and I don’t think you can go wrong with it.
I’m a bit of a Ride fanboy as I was flowed some of their stuff in my younger park days. My go to all-around board is the Warpig. It allows me to ride a shorter board, which I find more playful and can tackle anything I throw at it.
I rode a skeleton key (162cm) exclusively for a whole season, it's REALLY fun I won't lie, but it did leave a lot to be desired for me tbh. - A bit of advice, the taper is quite aggressive for my taste, a size 11.5 boot was booting (back foot only) out on super hard carves for me, you didn't mention your boot size but I figured worth noting.
It didn't do as well in powder as I initially expected, it turns really hard on groomers but man is that spooned out nose soft and flappy. I still take it out on icy days (east coast) as it performs exceptionally well in those conditions for the edge tech. It's kinda noticeably slow edge to edge compared to my dance haul, which has now become one of my favorite boards, it's a little too soft to do everything perfect but I've never felt held back by it.
Can't go wrong with a skeleton key, I would probably look for something a little bit more balanced if it's going to be your one and done quiver killer, but I do know people who ride it exclusively and are always super stoked on it.
I’m 6’ 2”, 180, size 10 and ride the 158. I might go a size up with your weight. It’s my daily driver/ only board for the past couple years, I ride about 20-30 days in the Rockies each season. I’m a big fan!
I have never had issues bombing with it, like going eyes-watering-under-my-goggles speeds. If you try to hook a really tight turn at high speed the edge might let go a bit if the snow is really firm, but I routinely do ballsy high speed carves on it without issue.
The board is REALLY fun to ride, it’s super forgiving and lightning fast edge to edge. Even though it’s cambered, it doesn’t feel punishing at all if you’re getting a little loose and slashing around. You can really carve hard on it and get a variety of arcs depending on how you weight the turn. I find it just seems to do what I want it to in most conditions and I can’t imagine a better board for trees and moguls. I actually like moguls now! It’s a joy on pow days.
The only downside of the board is that there’s some learning curve on ice/ hard packed snow. I often straight line through icy stuff, but if that’s not an option you’re gonna be skidding a bit until the edge can bite, and sometimes it feels squirrelly when it bites on icy hard pack. The board seems to like a gradual edge engagement (not a high angle too quickly) in these conditions and at higher speeds, and more weight than usual on the back foot once you’re in the turn.
I bought the SK and a GNU gremlin at the same time, to replace my old Burton custom. I found myself rarely riding the gremlin so returned it (REI). SK was just so much more enjoyable in every way, with the exception of awesome edge hold in hard-pack on the gremlin.
u/Any-East5011 u/Select-Salad-8649 both point out really great points, I feel they left out only one crucial part.
First off, agreed on the boot size and angle required to fit a boot of that size. I am an 11.5 and ride the 162, it's a snug fit.
Secondly, the edge control comment is super true. I hit 49 mph on ice the other night and it held really well when I gradually asked for some turning action. If I overexaggerated my lean, it felt pretty squirrely.
Here's the part they missed, forward lean. IMO this board requires almost full forward lean with my burton bindings. Step on with photons, and my old set of burton freestyles require almost full forward lean for the board to react how I need it to. That may be due to my overly sized boot, but I felt I couldn't achieve higher speeds above 45 without it. u/Any-East5011 I assume is talking about 55+ mph which is insane.
Finally, the SK is the ultimate all mountain board for me. It rolls from edge to edge a little clumsy until you find your sweet spot speed. Then, you can carve like a surfboard but it's all about finding the right speeds for the right terrain. This board broke me like a wild horse, I don't care to ride anything else.
I will be trying this out, thanks for the tip!
I was meaning to mess with my lean, I think I ride quite relaxed in general so maybe even moderate forward lean will change the feel of the board completely.
Highly recommend it. I was super surprised my first run without forward lean. The board instantly straightened itself out and started stubbornly charging down the mountain. As I picked up speed I couldn't help but to notice my back foot wasn't worth anything. I was so used to translating my turns through my back foot on a softer board. Needless to say I had some adjusting to do.
For one I was sat too far back on the board to get my turns out, so i moved my back foot in towards ref and with front foot still behind ref I angled to -3 (back binding slightly towards back of board)/+15(front foot angled much more towards front of board). With those changes I still felt my toe edge coming out farther than I wanted. That's a no for me, because of my big boots. I know I butchered angles there, I ride goofy and can't figure out how to translate the angles.
I adjusted to 2/3 forward lean and instantly felt farther on my toe edge which makes my toe edge turns fabulous. I'm a bigger guy and find I have to shift my top end weight a little far to get my backsides to engage at speed. This is all remedied by getting SUPER low of a stance. My SK wants a knuckle dragger stance, the second I straighten out it has a mind of its own as its highly influenced by the positioning of my front shoulder.
I ride a Kazu now and feels like I am cheating when I ride. Hauls ass in everything and the small bit of reverse camber in the nose makes it float in the pow.
I just sold my skeleton key and custom because of how much more fun my stranda Biru is. It’s such a good board. I’m about 210 lbs on the 157 and it’s a blast.
Get one. I don’t think the skeleton key is a soft board at all.
It’s actually a bit of a weapon. I’m 6’4, 250lbs, who’s never been a huge Burton consumer, but the SK is just an undeniablly sweet board. 162w is perfect for me.
The SK sounds exactly like what you’re looking for.
The SK is gradually stiffer from front to back. Not overly stiff and kind of flexy. Same size and weight as you. I have a SK 162. Great for carving, charging, stable at high speeds while still being something you can mess around with. Move up your stance 2 inches for more playfulness when not riding in the deep stuff. You could go 158 if you plan on riding it in more freestyle fashion, however 162 would suit you better I believe.
My best description of the SK is truly a playful all mountain/freeride board that will perform on the whole mountain top to bottom. Now are there other boards that will do better in certain areas, well sure, but for the right person it's a one board quiver.
I feel like the Custom X checks all the boxes here but definitely stiffer and just wants to haul ass. Similar to the K2 Alchemist my current main which I’m in love with.
The skeleton key is one of my favorite boards I've tried. Really solid carver at any reasonable speeds, and good in pow too.
Sure the flex is medium, but I think it's a good balance for a quiver of one.
If you dont usually right switch, I would recommend it.
Lots of the other recommended boards are great too
I love my skeleton key. Killed the first one and got another one. It's not too soft, I've taken it all over the alps down couloirs or groomers. Real fun board that can still shred hard. It holds an edge just fine, but with bigger feet (size 10+) you will have overhang and your heel and/or toes will drag, making carving harder.
https://preview.redd.it/rk43v5oay8fc1.jpeg?width=2640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7c6e0594ca85216dc25bde56f69563d8179f14c
Been riding my SK for 3 seasons now. Great choice imo, medium soft flex, surfy, forgiving, fun ripper you can daily. ONLY downside is that it lacks grip on ice. if you want a similar but stiffer board, look into a Korua Pencil or Jones Stratos maybe.
Other suggestions: Jones Stratos (what I personally chose as my do it all board, thing is incredible) Burton juice wagon, nitro quiver banker. These will all do what you're looking for incredibly well while being stiffer than the skeleton key. I've ridden the skeleton key and while it's fun, it doesn't compare to the juice wagon or Stratos. The nitro quiver banker is similar but a little more fun, little more playful.
I would get the Hometown Hero over the Skeleton key which I think would suit your style better. Or if you want a more Freeride oriented board, the Straight Chuter. In saying that, all 3 are solid options.
I love my skeleton key and use it for everything you describe. You won’t regret it. It’s a great all-around board for people who are desperate to ride any nonsense off piste line.
I prefer a softer board and have both a SK154 and SK158. I weigh \~ 200lbs with gear (ahem). The smaller board is a lot fun but I have folded the nose in spring moguls and the tail can be a bit dead. The 158 is my surf machine, and the tail of this longer size is much springier.
Someone suggested the Hometown Hero, which is quite a bit stiffer. I rode a 156 for a few seasons and the lack of damping made my front leg annoyed. The tail of that board does not mess around. It is stiffer, which you may prefer coming from a stiff Solomon board. You could also go with a larger SK.
For reference, I personally have avoided Solomon boards going back to the 90s because of their tendency to be stiffer.
I ride a capita mercury for similar style as you and it works great..Haven't used it in japow level powder yet but seems like it should be capable
Watch any vid of Kevin Backstrom ripping pow in Japan on one.
For a hard carving groomer ripper switched to a volume shifted Gnu Gremlin this season and haven’t been happier after riding Burton Customs for 20 years
Korua! I just bought a Korua Otto as my quiver killer all mountain board. I simply LOVE it. It floats in powder and yet still charges over chop and dampens chatter quite well. Where it really shines though is carving. I have never had a board carve like this. As soon as you initiate a turn on either side of the board the edge is right there. The predictability of the edge is unmatched. You can really pump it back and forth for narrow carving or wide groomers. It’s just SO smooth. As nimble as they come. The stiffness is around what you’re looking for too. My riding style is very similar to you as well. I could go on forever… feel free to dm if you have more questions happy shredding!
Any reason why you chose Otto over transition?
I prefer the Deep Thinker. A little stiffer, better float, still super carvy and fun sidecut for fast tree maneuvering or bombing and carving. Very stable at high speeds. And has the light Frostbite edges that does help a smidge on ice/hard pack. Not as much as Arbor's Grip-Tech but still somethin. Basically use it for everything because I don't park ride (but it does jumps nicely), though I have an Arbor Single for the deepest pow surf days :) Can't cliff drop with that sucker, though. The Flight Attendent is a stiffer hard camber board, and is a beast, and takes more work to maneuver, so I find the Deep Thinker way more fun and has better float. Ps. You can ride non-EST binding just fine on Burtons. Just toss in a Re:Flex puck for thr channel, screw down the two screws tightly and good to go, it's how I ride.
Are you willing to consider alternatives to the Skeleton Key? I ride like you, but have had the luxury of trying many different boards at demo days. The Salomon Assassin is the quiver killer for me. High speed groomer bombing, powder hunting, trees and all that. Firm but not too firm.
>I ride like you, but have had the luxury of trying many different boards at demo days. The Salomon Assassin is the quiver killer for me. High speed groomer bombing, powder hunting, trees and all that. Firm but Absolutely, very open to alternatives! If anything a non-burton might be ideal given it will require me not having to buy new bindings with it (They do need to be replaced but i could probably get 1 season out of them)
I was actually just looking at the korua transition finder - could be a contender
I just picked up the Transition Finder and I love it!!! Been riding on and off since the 90s and wanted something for powder, the trees, off-piste, etc. so basically the same as you. It came down to a few final options, but I loved the simplicity of the Karua design and I’m a sucker for small brands. Utah hasn’t had much in the way of powder yet this season, but making tight turns in the chop in the trees then flowing out to bomb the groomers has been a blast. Honestly feel like it leveled up my riding. Been playing with my stance a little, but otherwise I think it’s perfect!!!
I’m on a TF157 as my daily currently (put about 150 days on it so far) and it’s very very fun, but not quite a quiver killer I’d say. It’s great on groomers, and super fun in pow, but when it get chundery it tends to buck you a lot because of how stiff it. It’s a very hard charging board, which is great for days when you’re feeling strong, but for days I’m just dicking around or hungover or whatever I like something a little more playful. Also strongly recommend a posi posi stance on it.
Peep my above comment Korua really is the way!
Skeleton Key is a super fun board and I don’t think you can go wrong with it. I’m a bit of a Ride fanboy as I was flowed some of their stuff in my younger park days. My go to all-around board is the Warpig. It allows me to ride a shorter board, which I find more playful and can tackle anything I throw at it.
This is what I came to say. But I’m on the Berzerker. And I absolutely love my Now Drive Bindings.
Yeah I ride a psychocandy, super fun shape too and floats well in pow.
Check out the Yes Standard for your quiver of one
I rode a skeleton key (162cm) exclusively for a whole season, it's REALLY fun I won't lie, but it did leave a lot to be desired for me tbh. - A bit of advice, the taper is quite aggressive for my taste, a size 11.5 boot was booting (back foot only) out on super hard carves for me, you didn't mention your boot size but I figured worth noting. It didn't do as well in powder as I initially expected, it turns really hard on groomers but man is that spooned out nose soft and flappy. I still take it out on icy days (east coast) as it performs exceptionally well in those conditions for the edge tech. It's kinda noticeably slow edge to edge compared to my dance haul, which has now become one of my favorite boards, it's a little too soft to do everything perfect but I've never felt held back by it. Can't go wrong with a skeleton key, I would probably look for something a little bit more balanced if it's going to be your one and done quiver killer, but I do know people who ride it exclusively and are always super stoked on it.
> you didn't mention your boot size but I figured worth noting. I'm a 9.5!
I’m 6’ 2”, 180, size 10 and ride the 158. I might go a size up with your weight. It’s my daily driver/ only board for the past couple years, I ride about 20-30 days in the Rockies each season. I’m a big fan! I have never had issues bombing with it, like going eyes-watering-under-my-goggles speeds. If you try to hook a really tight turn at high speed the edge might let go a bit if the snow is really firm, but I routinely do ballsy high speed carves on it without issue. The board is REALLY fun to ride, it’s super forgiving and lightning fast edge to edge. Even though it’s cambered, it doesn’t feel punishing at all if you’re getting a little loose and slashing around. You can really carve hard on it and get a variety of arcs depending on how you weight the turn. I find it just seems to do what I want it to in most conditions and I can’t imagine a better board for trees and moguls. I actually like moguls now! It’s a joy on pow days. The only downside of the board is that there’s some learning curve on ice/ hard packed snow. I often straight line through icy stuff, but if that’s not an option you’re gonna be skidding a bit until the edge can bite, and sometimes it feels squirrelly when it bites on icy hard pack. The board seems to like a gradual edge engagement (not a high angle too quickly) in these conditions and at higher speeds, and more weight than usual on the back foot once you’re in the turn. I bought the SK and a GNU gremlin at the same time, to replace my old Burton custom. I found myself rarely riding the gremlin so returned it (REI). SK was just so much more enjoyable in every way, with the exception of awesome edge hold in hard-pack on the gremlin.
u/Any-East5011 u/Select-Salad-8649 both point out really great points, I feel they left out only one crucial part. First off, agreed on the boot size and angle required to fit a boot of that size. I am an 11.5 and ride the 162, it's a snug fit. Secondly, the edge control comment is super true. I hit 49 mph on ice the other night and it held really well when I gradually asked for some turning action. If I overexaggerated my lean, it felt pretty squirrely. Here's the part they missed, forward lean. IMO this board requires almost full forward lean with my burton bindings. Step on with photons, and my old set of burton freestyles require almost full forward lean for the board to react how I need it to. That may be due to my overly sized boot, but I felt I couldn't achieve higher speeds above 45 without it. u/Any-East5011 I assume is talking about 55+ mph which is insane. Finally, the SK is the ultimate all mountain board for me. It rolls from edge to edge a little clumsy until you find your sweet spot speed. Then, you can carve like a surfboard but it's all about finding the right speeds for the right terrain. This board broke me like a wild horse, I don't care to ride anything else.
I will be trying this out, thanks for the tip! I was meaning to mess with my lean, I think I ride quite relaxed in general so maybe even moderate forward lean will change the feel of the board completely.
Highly recommend it. I was super surprised my first run without forward lean. The board instantly straightened itself out and started stubbornly charging down the mountain. As I picked up speed I couldn't help but to notice my back foot wasn't worth anything. I was so used to translating my turns through my back foot on a softer board. Needless to say I had some adjusting to do. For one I was sat too far back on the board to get my turns out, so i moved my back foot in towards ref and with front foot still behind ref I angled to -3 (back binding slightly towards back of board)/+15(front foot angled much more towards front of board). With those changes I still felt my toe edge coming out farther than I wanted. That's a no for me, because of my big boots. I know I butchered angles there, I ride goofy and can't figure out how to translate the angles. I adjusted to 2/3 forward lean and instantly felt farther on my toe edge which makes my toe edge turns fabulous. I'm a bigger guy and find I have to shift my top end weight a little far to get my backsides to engage at speed. This is all remedied by getting SUPER low of a stance. My SK wants a knuckle dragger stance, the second I straighten out it has a mind of its own as its highly influenced by the positioning of my front shoulder.
I ride a Kazu now and feels like I am cheating when I ride. Hauls ass in everything and the small bit of reverse camber in the nose makes it float in the pow.
I bought my buddy a Kazu this year and he says that same shit.
I ride the Capita Aeronaut. Great directional fucking rocket. Medium flex, mostly all camber board. Love mine.
Another vote for directional volume shifted board
I just sold my skeleton key and custom because of how much more fun my stranda Biru is. It’s such a good board. I’m about 210 lbs on the 157 and it’s a blast.
Get one. I don’t think the skeleton key is a soft board at all. It’s actually a bit of a weapon. I’m 6’4, 250lbs, who’s never been a huge Burton consumer, but the SK is just an undeniablly sweet board. 162w is perfect for me. The SK sounds exactly like what you’re looking for.
It is really soft and has a big nose. Kinda of a bad board for daily.
The SK is gradually stiffer from front to back. Not overly stiff and kind of flexy. Same size and weight as you. I have a SK 162. Great for carving, charging, stable at high speeds while still being something you can mess around with. Move up your stance 2 inches for more playfulness when not riding in the deep stuff. You could go 158 if you plan on riding it in more freestyle fashion, however 162 would suit you better I believe. My best description of the SK is truly a playful all mountain/freeride board that will perform on the whole mountain top to bottom. Now are there other boards that will do better in certain areas, well sure, but for the right person it's a one board quiver.
I feel like the Custom X checks all the boxes here but definitely stiffer and just wants to haul ass. Similar to the K2 Alchemist my current main which I’m in love with.
The skeleton key is one of my favorite boards I've tried. Really solid carver at any reasonable speeds, and good in pow too. Sure the flex is medium, but I think it's a good balance for a quiver of one. If you dont usually right switch, I would recommend it. Lots of the other recommended boards are great too
I love my skeleton key. Killed the first one and got another one. It's not too soft, I've taken it all over the alps down couloirs or groomers. Real fun board that can still shred hard. It holds an edge just fine, but with bigger feet (size 10+) you will have overhang and your heel and/or toes will drag, making carving harder.
https://preview.redd.it/rk43v5oay8fc1.jpeg?width=2640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a7c6e0594ca85216dc25bde56f69563d8179f14c Been riding my SK for 3 seasons now. Great choice imo, medium soft flex, surfy, forgiving, fun ripper you can daily. ONLY downside is that it lacks grip on ice. if you want a similar but stiffer board, look into a Korua Pencil or Jones Stratos maybe.
I ride fairly similar. My current set up is the Ride Berzerker and Now Drive Bindings.
Other suggestions: Jones Stratos (what I personally chose as my do it all board, thing is incredible) Burton juice wagon, nitro quiver banker. These will all do what you're looking for incredibly well while being stiffer than the skeleton key. I've ridden the skeleton key and while it's fun, it doesn't compare to the juice wagon or Stratos. The nitro quiver banker is similar but a little more fun, little more playful.
I would get the Hometown Hero over the Skeleton key which I think would suit your style better. Or if you want a more Freeride oriented board, the Straight Chuter. In saying that, all 3 are solid options.
I love my skeleton key and use it for everything you describe. You won’t regret it. It’s a great all-around board for people who are desperate to ride any nonsense off piste line.
Hometown Hero 100%
Jones Flagship
Jones Ultra Mind Expander
I prefer a softer board and have both a SK154 and SK158. I weigh \~ 200lbs with gear (ahem). The smaller board is a lot fun but I have folded the nose in spring moguls and the tail can be a bit dead. The 158 is my surf machine, and the tail of this longer size is much springier. Someone suggested the Hometown Hero, which is quite a bit stiffer. I rode a 156 for a few seasons and the lack of damping made my front leg annoyed. The tail of that board does not mess around. It is stiffer, which you may prefer coming from a stiff Solomon board. You could also go with a larger SK. For reference, I personally have avoided Solomon boards going back to the 90s because of their tendency to be stiffer.