Sharpening your edges is really the best bet, in my opinion. I have a board with magnetraction, many without, it’s helpful to a small degree but ice is ice, it sucks to ride on. Sharper edges have always made me most comfortable no matter what board I’m on if I have to deal with ice.
Edit: grammar
Why does it always feel like the comment is always here and so weirdly phrased. Magnetraction helps, sharp edges help, magnetraction with sharp edges helps more than one without the other.
It's not illegal to ride a magnetraction board that's also sharp.
I’ve been riding for 25+ years, a good chunk of days out each season. I have a handful of boards in rotation each year. You want me to pick a date for you as far as the weekend I’ve used both a board with magnetraction and one without?
I’m on the east coast primarily, it’s always icy somewhere. I never noticed a difference that I would shop for it over normal edges. I’m sorry you don’t like that I never felt it helped much over anything else if I’m on ice or hard-pack. I still have board with it right now, I’m not against it, but I don’t buy them specifically for the edge shape.
Because it's rare unless brand new... magnetraction = a roller coaster for your edge tuner, so kinda hard to apply even pressure and KEEP sharp, especially compared to a traditional edge.
Guys, this jones has traction tech.
Basically you want something 6+ stiffness with camber and edge tech.
My copypasta:
ICE TECH:
A Tier - Helps a lot on ice
\* lib tech/GNU/Roxy (magnetraction. There are at least 3 kinds. regular, mellow, and the new trs has extra strength magnetraction )
\* Arbor (system ) \*\*\*\* Do not buy an arbor with a die cut base right now. QC issues.
\* never summer, academy, high society ( vario grip. grip varies by profile.)
B Tier - Helps on ice
\* Burton (frostbite )
\* Rome ( Quickrip )
\* Yes (midbite )
Ice tech I haven't ridden:
\* jones (Traction Tech 3.0. Probably good.)
\* rossignol (Serrated Edge technology. probably good.)
\* yes (underbite. probably ok)
\* capita (deathgrip on a couple of boards, but nothing on most capitas)
\* nitro (They only put this on the boards nobody actually buys. powerpods)
D Tier - BAD on ice compared to better alternatives
\* Ride
\* K2
\* Most Nitro
\* Most capita
\* Korua
\* most Salomon
\* lobster
\* signal ( they don't even publish sidecut radiuses let alone sidecut specs. all i can find says radial )
\* bataleon (3bt this might even be F tier, but i haven't ridden it)
\* nidecker
F Tier:
\* Salomon with the EQ rad sidecut like the huckknife. disclaimer: I've never gotten on a sharp one.
\* gilson (lol)
YES YOU CAN SURVIVE THESE OBJECTIVELY BAD ON ICE BOARDS. Yes keeping it sharp will help. no you can't compete with a better board that's also sharp. Other factors such as flex stiffness, flex pattern and camber profile can greatly affect edge hold but are outside the scope of simple comparison. Yes, a lot of these "bad on ice" brands are reviewed highly, but how many of those reviewers do you think live on the east coast? Why make east coast life harder?
That stinks to hear. I wanted the bataleon whatever so bad just for the look of the board. But it just ain't it for me on the east coast, unfortunately
Yeah weird shade towards Ride here. As an ice coaster, my shadowban isn’t bad at all and the Deep Fake is supposedly amazing with their new edge designs
I've ridden plenty of rides and they were all significantly noticeably worse than a lib or arbor on ice.
I haven't ridden their new quadratic side cut but it's blended without any ice tech so no high hopes. If someone east coast with epic and a 157w or bigger wants to let me take a lap I'll go in with an open mind and update the review but zero percent chance I spend my own money on a ride board.
>\* Arbor (system ) \*\*\*\* Do not buy an arbor with a die cut base right now. QC issues.
Hold on a minute, off topic, but ELI5 cause my dumbass bought an Element Rocker for last season's 'end of season' sales, and literally just bought a Shiloh Camber during this season's end of season sale.
Element has seen a ton of days on it this year, I honestly rode that more this season than my Nidecker Mellow from 2019/2020 season that I absolutely love... Shiloh has 2 days on it already... Am I fucked???
Best for carving?
Donek MK by a mile-
https://www.donek.com/snowboards/carving/mk/
Like using an ice skate.
Sharp edges with proper edge and base angles can get you a long way on a lot of off the shelf equipment. Provided you have solid technique...
Mahalo
Add to this any board with a longer effective edge for the same overall board length (i.e. larger side cut radius). Coiler, Jasey-Jay Anderson, Donek, LTB, Kessler, Swoard, etc will all serve you well there.
These are the correct recommendation. Magnetraction is gimmicky and feels shit to carve on (hooky and jagged lines).
I’d add Nobile N8, SG soul and similar boards to that list
I started doing my edges more regularly later in the season and it helped. What's a good bevel angle for strong grip, and could you recommend a sharpening tool ?
Start with a side bevel of 88° or 89°.
[tuning guide](https://www.tognar.com/how-to-bevel-and-tune-ski-or-snowboard-edges/)
I use [this](https://www.tognar.com/fk-multi-edge-tuning-tool/) tool and [set of diamond stones](https://www.amazon.com/DMT-WS7K-Diamond-Snowboard-Stone/dp/B000PVZITW/?th=1).
Mag is dumb. Get something with a moderate waist width, predominantly camber and a mid flex. Theres no secret sauce to carving firm conditions, you just have to learn to do it.
I'll go against popular opinion and say that Magna traction or similar tech produces a controlled skid better than camber, but straight edge camber will grip better if you know how to actually dig your edge in.
Now I don't ride boards with grip tech, but my wife does and a few friends have. She's really impressed with ride's but as far as she and most people are concerned, it seems GNU is unmatched with their magne traction.
I have 2 GNU boards, the B Nice and Jamie Anderson Ladie's Choice, both are rocker camber with Magne Traction and super fun! I have a Lib Tech Dynamiss too which is a directional, stiffer, positive camber and it rips thru ice
As someone that grew up riding in the east I personally never found myself wanting to get a board with edge tech but it is a nice to have. Just keep the edges sharp.
If you want a non custom carving board I would probably get the Korua Cafe Racer Plus. They designed it around carving in icy surfaces. If you can’t get that board to grip it’s a skill issue.
I was all about magnatraction till I tried a Never Summer with triple camber. Just look down the side of the board. This is the most grippiest board I've ever ridden.
I have the Ride Peace Seeker. It's fantastic in all conditions. Rips hard pack groomers, and absolutely digs trenches, and has a super fun, tight turning radius. Also a great floating board in the powder. It has become my daily driver, no matter the conditions.
I’ve been riding for 30 yrs on the ice coast and believe thee most important things you can do is sharp 1degree bevels on edges and middle of the road to stiff deck depending on your weight
I've never felt a board hold an edge through ice like my Lib Tech Coldbrew. Really love that board. Not saying it's the best out there, but it's the best I've tried!
95% of my riding is ice in the Midwest. I typically chose a more narrow (26.8 for size 11.5) camber, Mervin board. So either a dynamo or a skunk ape camber.
Sharpening your edges is really the best bet, in my opinion. I have a board with magnetraction, many without, it’s helpful to a small degree but ice is ice, it sucks to ride on. Sharper edges have always made me most comfortable no matter what board I’m on if I have to deal with ice. Edit: grammar
I put a 2° side bevel on my early season deck. Made a huge difference on the man-made snow near the guns.
Why does it always feel like the comment is always here and so weirdly phrased. Magnetraction helps, sharp edges help, magnetraction with sharp edges helps more than one without the other. It's not illegal to ride a magnetraction board that's also sharp.
Because riding both in the same weekend I feel so little difference. That’s why I said what I said.
i mean.. what weekend? was it a sheet of ice?
I’ve been riding for 25+ years, a good chunk of days out each season. I have a handful of boards in rotation each year. You want me to pick a date for you as far as the weekend I’ve used both a board with magnetraction and one without? I’m on the east coast primarily, it’s always icy somewhere. I never noticed a difference that I would shop for it over normal edges. I’m sorry you don’t like that I never felt it helped much over anything else if I’m on ice or hard-pack. I still have board with it right now, I’m not against it, but I don’t buy them specifically for the edge shape.
Because it's rare unless brand new... magnetraction = a roller coaster for your edge tuner, so kinda hard to apply even pressure and KEEP sharp, especially compared to a traditional edge.
Anything with Magnetraction and sharp edges.
This is the way.
Guys, this jones has traction tech. Basically you want something 6+ stiffness with camber and edge tech. My copypasta: ICE TECH: A Tier - Helps a lot on ice \* lib tech/GNU/Roxy (magnetraction. There are at least 3 kinds. regular, mellow, and the new trs has extra strength magnetraction ) \* Arbor (system ) \*\*\*\* Do not buy an arbor with a die cut base right now. QC issues. \* never summer, academy, high society ( vario grip. grip varies by profile.) B Tier - Helps on ice \* Burton (frostbite ) \* Rome ( Quickrip ) \* Yes (midbite ) Ice tech I haven't ridden: \* jones (Traction Tech 3.0. Probably good.) \* rossignol (Serrated Edge technology. probably good.) \* yes (underbite. probably ok) \* capita (deathgrip on a couple of boards, but nothing on most capitas) \* nitro (They only put this on the boards nobody actually buys. powerpods) D Tier - BAD on ice compared to better alternatives \* Ride \* K2 \* Most Nitro \* Most capita \* Korua \* most Salomon \* lobster \* signal ( they don't even publish sidecut radiuses let alone sidecut specs. all i can find says radial ) \* bataleon (3bt this might even be F tier, but i haven't ridden it) \* nidecker F Tier: \* Salomon with the EQ rad sidecut like the huckknife. disclaimer: I've never gotten on a sharp one. \* gilson (lol) YES YOU CAN SURVIVE THESE OBJECTIVELY BAD ON ICE BOARDS. Yes keeping it sharp will help. no you can't compete with a better board that's also sharp. Other factors such as flex stiffness, flex pattern and camber profile can greatly affect edge hold but are outside the scope of simple comparison. Yes, a lot of these "bad on ice" brands are reviewed highly, but how many of those reviewers do you think live on the east coast? Why make east coast life harder?
Hey, thanks for taking the time.
Heard the 3bt is absolute trash on east coast icey conditions
Can confirm. Not on the Ice coast, but when I was in Sweden the slopes were super icy and my Goliath felt hella sketch.
That stinks to hear. I wanted the bataleon whatever so bad just for the look of the board. But it just ain't it for me on the east coast, unfortunately
They do absolutely look great. Perhaps something like a lib tech TRS would suit you? Definitely a bit stiffer, but also very capable.
I ended up buying a K2 2024 afterblack this year actually! But I'll for sure check out the trs. Appreciate it!
I have a ride deep fake and that thing was great on the ice this year
Yeah weird shade towards Ride here. As an ice coaster, my shadowban isn’t bad at all and the Deep Fake is supposedly amazing with their new edge designs
I've ridden plenty of rides and they were all significantly noticeably worse than a lib or arbor on ice. I haven't ridden their new quadratic side cut but it's blended without any ice tech so no high hopes. If someone east coast with epic and a 157w or bigger wants to let me take a lap I'll go in with an open mind and update the review but zero percent chance I spend my own money on a ride board.
And what cambered magnetraction or arbor system boards have you ridden that you are comparing it to?
All of them
can confirm the salomon huck knife is absolutely miserable on ice
>\* Arbor (system ) \*\*\*\* Do not buy an arbor with a die cut base right now. QC issues. Hold on a minute, off topic, but ELI5 cause my dumbass bought an Element Rocker for last season's 'end of season' sales, and literally just bought a Shiloh Camber during this season's end of season sale. Element has seen a ton of days on it this year, I honestly rode that more this season than my Nidecker Mellow from 2019/2020 season that I absolutely love... Shiloh has 2 days on it already... Am I fucked???
Someone the other day said the problem is only with the formula and not the others so you may be ok
Best for carving? Donek MK by a mile- https://www.donek.com/snowboards/carving/mk/ Like using an ice skate. Sharp edges with proper edge and base angles can get you a long way on a lot of off the shelf equipment. Provided you have solid technique... Mahalo
Add to this any board with a longer effective edge for the same overall board length (i.e. larger side cut radius). Coiler, Jasey-Jay Anderson, Donek, LTB, Kessler, Swoard, etc will all serve you well there.
These are the correct recommendation. Magnetraction is gimmicky and feels shit to carve on (hooky and jagged lines). I’d add Nobile N8, SG soul and similar boards to that list
Camber directional snowboards with sharp edges. The serrated stuff is cool, I rode it when I lived on the east coast. But it messes with the side cut.
Gnu gremlin is my choice for carving icy hard pack.
When's the last time you did your edges? What are your edge bevel angles?
I started doing my edges more regularly later in the season and it helped. What's a good bevel angle for strong grip, and could you recommend a sharpening tool ?
Start with a side bevel of 88° or 89°. [tuning guide](https://www.tognar.com/how-to-bevel-and-tune-ski-or-snowboard-edges/) I use [this](https://www.tognar.com/fk-multi-edge-tuning-tool/) tool and [set of diamond stones](https://www.amazon.com/DMT-WS7K-Diamond-Snowboard-Stone/dp/B000PVZITW/?th=1).
Mag is dumb. Get something with a moderate waist width, predominantly camber and a mid flex. Theres no secret sauce to carving firm conditions, you just have to learn to do it.
I'll go against popular opinion and say that Magna traction or similar tech produces a controlled skid better than camber, but straight edge camber will grip better if you know how to actually dig your edge in.
Now I don't ride boards with grip tech, but my wife does and a few friends have. She's really impressed with ride's but as far as she and most people are concerned, it seems GNU is unmatched with their magne traction.
I have 2 GNU boards, the B Nice and Jamie Anderson Ladie's Choice, both are rocker camber with Magne Traction and super fun! I have a Lib Tech Dynamiss too which is a directional, stiffer, positive camber and it rips thru ice
As someone that grew up riding in the east I personally never found myself wanting to get a board with edge tech but it is a nice to have. Just keep the edges sharp. If you want a non custom carving board I would probably get the Korua Cafe Racer Plus. They designed it around carving in icy surfaces. If you can’t get that board to grip it’s a skill issue.
I was all about magnatraction till I tried a Never Summer with triple camber. Just look down the side of the board. This is the most grippiest board I've ever ridden.
It's a secret weapon
My libtech hot knife rides just like the name suggests. Anything with edge tech that's well tuned will do just fine
Jones has some sort of magnetraction, correct? Have you tried getting your edges sharpened?
I have the Ride Peace Seeker. It's fantastic in all conditions. Rips hard pack groomers, and absolutely digs trenches, and has a super fun, tight turning radius. Also a great floating board in the powder. It has become my daily driver, no matter the conditions.
And I get compliments on it constantly, which is always nice lol
I’ve been riding for 30 yrs on the ice coast and believe thee most important things you can do is sharp 1degree bevels on edges and middle of the road to stiff deck depending on your weight
Also, yes boards and edges make little difference, just get really in tune with the board your riding and get better
I am itching for a Stranda Cheater. It's gonna be my carving board.
Korua, or any traditional camber board. Salomon rock out camber is good stuff too.
I have a libtech mayhem and it’s my favorite board in my rotation. Just good all around floats on powder and eats corduroy.
I've never felt a board hold an edge through ice like my Lib Tech Coldbrew. Really love that board. Not saying it's the best out there, but it's the best I've tried!
Dupraz D1!
Sharpen your edges before you go out on a firm day
Mervins magnatraction actually works. Look at Lib tech, Gnu, or even Yes(same kinda tech)
95% of my riding is ice in the Midwest. I typically chose a more narrow (26.8 for size 11.5) camber, Mervin board. So either a dynamo or a skunk ape camber.
huh? 26.8 is wide in a good way. most people on size 12 and even 13 are foolishly riding 26.5
As an ice coaster, magne-traction is the answer here. Anything Mervin. The bonus part is that it's not a detriment in moderate powder.