Amplid Souly Grail Snowboard Review

A Breakdown Of How The Amplid Souly Grail 2027 Rides And Who Its For Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

Overview

How It Was Tested

I rode this primarily with my Union Force bindings and my Nitro Team BOA boots. I didn’t get a lot of time on this because this was one of the worst seasons on record at Mount Bachelor.

Because the shape, camber profile, sidecut etc didn’t change, I know this 162 really well because I rode it last year and owned a 157 in the past. So all I really wanted to do was feel this new construction underfoot and make sure I understood it before I started talking to you.

When I rode this, I did compare this against the Surfari, the Soul Mate, and a few other boards. There will be comparisons up on Patreon and YouTube for paid members, so check those out if you want to learn more about how this compares to other boards.

I borrowed the  for an extended demo and will either send this back or due to tarrifs these days sell it for Amplid and send them the cash.

Size: 162
Days: 2
Conditions: One good groomer day and then 1 day with 2 inches of wet thick compacted snow on top of uneven snowment. 
Riders: James (Size 9 E, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 850+ boards, 200+ bindings, and 120+ boots
Boots: Nitro Team BOA, Nitro Team TLS
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Force, Union Atlas Step On
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse Jacket, Jones Mtn Surf Anorak
Pant: Skyline Fase 3L Bib Pant, Skyline Faze Pant, Jones Mountain Surf Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag Low Bridge Fit
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

United Shapes Cadet, Jones Flagship Pro, Burton Counterbalance, Weston Gnarnia,
Nidecker Megalight 2026 or later, Stranda Descender Evo, Lib Tech Son Of Birdman, Lib Tech Ejack Knife

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Sizing

How it Fits Me

When it comes to sizing, I’ve ridden the 157 and the 162. The 157 is definitely the size I’d want to buy because I can turn it easier when the conditions are uneven. This new 162 was easier to control than the old 162 and I could easily make this work if I liked bigger boards. However, I’m more into control and easy turning all day so the 157 is a perfect compromise between my weight and boot size. One problem with Amplid is with my short legs their stance width is wide so I can’t set back my stance much with the 162 and it’s only a little better with the 157. I wish this had a narrower stance range.

How It Might Fit You

Sizing is highly subjective and personal, and many factors come into play when choosing a board. I rarely use “all caps to emphasize something, but NEVER TRUST ANYONE who just references their height and weight. Here are all the factors to consider

Boot Size

You should always start with your boot size first. If your board is too wide for your boot, you can’t turn it; if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag. This is the most important part of sizing a board, which is why so many snowboards come in various widths, such as Narrow, Normal, Mid-Wide, Wide, and Ultra-Wide.

Most brands don’t include a recommended boot size because it’s very complicated and time-consuming.

Here is the sweet spot to turn easily with mid-response bindings/boots and not boot-out. You can go wider if you carve really hard or have very responsive bindigns/boots.

153: 8-9
157: 9-10
162: 10-11

Weight

Your weight determines how the board flexes underfoot, giving you more or less pop, speed, etc. An easier-flexing board can also be easier to turn. I would stay close to Amplids weight recommendations but if you go over a little to better match your boot size it won’t ruin the boards ride. It will just flex easier.

Height

The length of the board determines the swing weight/control. If it’s short, it’s easy to spin, and if it’s longer, it floats better and can help with speed.

Boots and Bindings Response

Always factor in your boot and binding’s responsiveness to determine how well you will be able to turn/control a board. The Souly Grail doesn’t need a super responsive boot/binding to make it turn. Especially with the softer flex between the feet.

Stance Width

Check your stance width against their reference and/or the set back stance to see if it fits you. The Souly Grail has a wider reference stance vs. many other boards out there and also doesn’t follow that width from riding reference to riding set back. So make sure you are ok with the much wider stance range. Especially if you set your stance back in powder.

Personal Preference

Some prefer control, so matching the boot size to the board width is first, with weight second. Others prefer speed over control, so they size up to a wider/longer ride and have very responsive boots/bindings.

Design

Base

Starting with the base, this is a very fast base. Maybe not the fastest of the fast, but way in the upper tier. Wax retention is really good. There’s a little structure too, so it’ll work pretty well out of the wrapper in most conditions.

I can barely feel this die-cut. That is so hard to do. There’s a lot of die-cut here. The only problem with this is this multicolored base is not going to look pretty when it’s time to repair it.

Construction / Weight

Going from edges to sidewall, this dual-material sidewall is incredibly well done. The edges are great. There are no construction flaws that I’ve found. Amplid knows how to build a board really, really well.

This matte topsheet is prone to fingerprints, and when you rub it too much in one area, let’s say with the sole of your boot, it’ll get a smooth look instead of matte. But it’s very resistant to the marks that your bindings leave when mounted.

Overall, this is a well-built, long-lasting board, and this one in a 162 feels pretty light. I don’t have the old 162, but this feels lighter. But that can vary board to board, and weight is so inconsistent. Like this board is almost 12 ounces lighter than the weight posted on Amplids site. This is common with every brand as wood is too incosistent when it comes to weight and that won’t change unless we stop using wood cores.

Shape & Setback

When it comes to shape, the Amplid Souly Grail is the same shape as the old model. There’s only six millimeters of taper, but it’s a very directional ride with very little surface area in the tail.

You’re only riding 15mm back on sidecut or contact length on board, so you’re not really that set back on board. In comparison to something like the Surfari, this sits more in that traditional freeride world.

Camber/On Snow Feel

When it comes to the camber profile, this has a mellow camber with a little bit of rocker before the tail and a little bit more before the nose. This is one of my favorite types of lifted tech.

There’s lift all around here, and it’s more pronounced on the sides, but then it ends really abruptly. By the time you get into the contact area, there’s none. So you never feel that washy feel like you do with a lot of other lifted-tech boards that run the lift way down into the sidecut. But you do get that fun turning experience in softer snow to powder.

This is stable one-footing and flat basing, has that same feel underfoot in all conditions, and it’s a very easy board to get to know.

It’s best still for advanced-expert riders. Committed intermediates can go for this. Just make sure you size it right and that I’ve warned you that it’s a little more technical, a little more catchy than a lot of more forgiving, intermediate-friendly boards out there.

Flex Personality

Let’s talk Souly Grail flex. This has an overall medium-ish flex, bordering on medium-stiff in some areas. The tail is more medium-stiff. Between the feet, there’s a lot more give. Makes it easier torsionally to twist and play around with your carves.

Then the nose is softer than the tail, but not by too much. This isn’t a hard board to butter, but it’s not perfect either. The spring and pop is more than previous years.

On Snow Performance

Edge Hold

When it comes to grip, I do have to dial back my turns a little bit if it’s really hard, and it’s not an ice specialist. But I think most people will really like the sidecut and what it’s doing, especially those who don’t like the feel of a disrupted sidecut in softer snow.

Uneven Snow

When it comes to uneven snow, this poppier, more responsive construction is a little less chatter resistant than the older Souly Grail. But here’s the thing: this is still way up there, and it’s very good, especially for this flex and this kind of poppy personality.

This is a great all-day ride, and Amplid’s Antiphase technology is no bullshit. This is the real deal. It’s special, and it makes this board handle all conditions incredibly well.

Switch / Jumps / Pipe

Even though the Souly Grail is somewhat tapered and very directional, it’s pretty easy to throw around switch, and it was much more doable than I thought it would be.

When it comes to getting air, there’s lots of pop. This is better than the older board. It’s a fun board for side hits off the groomers that are sometimes hard to approach, but it’s great for sending it off large features off-piste or even in the park occasionally.

If I had the 157 and our pipe was open, I would have loved to have taken some laps in it.

Turning/Carving

Turn Initiation

When it comes to turning, this is pretty quick edge to edge, and this new construction makes turn initiation a little faster, which I really appreciate being on a 162, which isn’t my personal ideal size. I like the 157 better.

This turned pretty quickly, though, and if I was on the 157, this would be medium-fast bordering on fast. It’s a great board for making turns exactly when you need to in tight, critical spots, and it’s not bad in the trees.

I’ve had better boards, and I do feel a little bit of tail behind me, but it’s still really good, especially for slaloming through a clean tree line.

Carving/Committed Turns

When you get the Amplid Souly Grail committed to a turn, you feel like you have more camber than you have here. There is a good bit of spring when you’re unweighting out of a turn, and it sets you up very well for your next turn. It’s a board I love to turn with.

You can front-foot weight this really well, center weight this really well, and it’s not bad back-foot weighting. There are better boards for that, but it’s still doable, especially once you get to know this board.

Turning Experience/Sidecut

There’s just something hard to put into words about how the sidecut, the flex personality, and the camber profile all work together to give you a unique turning experience in comparison to a lot of boards that I’ve ridden in North America. It’s really different and fun, yet not tricky or complicated. So I think a lot of people could really enjoy this.

When it comes to turning experience, circle carves aren’t the best but are very doable. Medium-radius turns really light up with this board, and those turns that are kind of in between medium radius to longer, drawn-out, down-the-line, high-speed turns really are special with the Souly Grail.

If you want to really go down the line and make those narrow S-turns, this is very comfortable and competent.

Speed

If you want to just straight-line it, there are better boards for this if that’s all you want to do. But if you want to turn a lot but occasionally straight-line, this is going to light it up for you.

The sidecut is not going to fight you. This has excellent chatter resistance. It’s a very damp, comfortable board at high speeds. Very stable.

Powder

When it comes to powder, this is a bit of a mixed bag for me. For low-angle powder riding, there are a lot of better boards out there. I think this would be better in low-angle powder if it had an extra insert in the front to match the back one.

Because for me, with a 21- to 21.5-inch stance width, I just can’t use a 23.25-inch stance width when set all the way back. That will tear my taint. The 157 is not that much narrower in terms of stance and setback either, so that’s a problem for me there as well.

But if you’re riding medium- to steeper-angle powder, this is going to light up. Especially if you love to get air because you have a lot of tail behind you and a more centered, stable approach into powder jumping.

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Overall, other than not having a setback insert for the front foot versus the back, there isn’t much that I have to criticize.

I like this poppier, more dynamic, more responsive construction, and I think it makes this board even better. I’d love to own a 157, and this is a board I recommend a lot.