Amplid Aloha Vibes Snowboard Review

Amplid Aloha Vibes Snowboard Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. We do make money from the “Where To Buy” links, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

A Breakdown Of How It Rides And Who Its For

How This Amplid Aloha Vibes Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 157
Days: 4
Conditions: Pretty deep, somewhat tracked pow, good but not great pow, good to uneven groomers and perfect groomers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs)
Boots: Ride Fuse, Burton Tourists
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket,
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Yes Hybrid, Jones Hovercraft, Lib Tech Orca, Never Summer Harpoon, Gnu Gremlin, Ride Psychocandy, Telos Backslash, Korua Transition Finder, Salomon Dancehaul, K2 Excavator, Cardiff Powgoda, Jones Mind Expander, YES PYL Uninc, Nidecker Mellow,

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +24/+6, +21/+3 back. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

How It Was Tested

I rode this on its own but also compared it to the Amplid Snomellier, Amplid Surfari, Amplid Souly Grail, and Korua Pin Tonic

Approximate Weight

The Amplid Aloha Vibes feels heavy for a 154 but not heavy for this much surface area. It’s a very wide board.

(We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

So I think the Amplid Aloha Vibes was a pretty good fit for my weight but only a touch big for my boot size. Still, it was more than manageable, and if they made a smaller size, I don’t know if I would be into it. Maybe a 150 might be fun to try, but I was pretty happy with the 154.

Davey is another story though. This was too soft for him, and it didn’t handle his 235lbs.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Amplid Aloha Vibes. You can, of course, go bigger or smaller depending on your riding style and boot’s footprint, but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe and heel Drag.

154:10-12 but a 9-9.5 could handle it with a little slower turn initiation in everything but deep pow. You could go over 12s as long as you aren’t too heavy.

For weight, I would stay close to Amplid’s recommended weight range or even a little below the upper end. With this board, weight is more important than boot size.

Shape

The Amplid Aloha Vibes is a very tapered and directional board, but doesn’t feel that way. Amplid seems to do this with many of their boards.  You feel much more centered on the board, and it doesn’t have that tapered/washy feel.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Amplid Aloha Vibes has a mellow camber that is more pronounced near the tail but then has a pretty long mellow transition into the early rise from the front foot to a little before the nose. It tracks very well without feeling unforgiving, but it is super wide, so kinda hard to skid a turn for smaller boot sizes like mine. Still not a deal breaker, though.

Flex Personality

The Amplid Aloha Vibes didn’t feel like a 7 out of 10. I would say it felt more like a 5 out of 10, and I personally appreciated that easier flex to boards this wide and stiffer.

Very easy to butter for me but also very easy to get this to pop off the small hits I came across on the mtn.

Uneven Terrain

The Amplid Aloha Vibes did wasn’t easy to turn in uneven snow but this softer flex had some dampness and chatter absorption to it for me at 185-190lbs. For Davey, he was just too big and this bucked a bit too much for him.

Edge Hold

The Amplid Aloha Vibes has competent edge hold, and it didn’t buck me when driving through a turn like some similar flexing boards can. It bucked Davey at 235lbs though.

Speed/Base Glide

The base glide is upper middle. Not the most glidey, but not slow enough to be a deal breaker.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Amplid Aloha Vibes was a surprise here. It’s no Surfari, but it can rail a turn very well for a pow-focused board. Yeah, it turns really slow and is slow when you get it on edge, but it has a fun, springy, somewhat balanced turning experience to it.

Powder

We got this in some pretty deep snow, and it was very competent. I think for both Davey and I, the Snowmellier was a better fit for Mt. Bachelor’s low-angle pow but this super wide 154 didn’t get bogged down in the deep stuff.

With a 22” stance width, you can set it -8” back from the center of the board if you measure from the center of the swallow tail. I forgot to measure from the end of the tail, but it would be a good bit less. Probably 5” or 6” back, but there is no denying this is very setback.

What I liked about the Amplid Aloha Vibes is how not tapered and set back it felt. I think Davey wanted a very slashy/turny ride. This isn’t that. It can slash, but it likes a less back-foot-weighted turn in pow riding, which is cool because usually, more center-weighted/planning kind of riding tends to lead to cartwheeling if you get off your game. This doesn’t.

Conclusion

So overall, I really enjoyed this Aloha Vibes. Davey didn’t. It was too soft for him, and it bucked him around a lot. I think if you want a really wide but not super short ride for super deep pow but still want something that can carve up groomers, this is a great option.

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