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Amplid Surfari 2024 Review by The Good Ride

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Amplid Surfari Snowboard Video and Written Review

You have arrived at the Amplid Surfari Snowboard Review from an average rider with extensive board knowledge and an exceptionally objective perspective.

Positives/Swipe Right: Incredibly damp! Exceptional in uneven snow. Excellent carver.
Negatives/Swipe Left: Not as much float in pow as some of its peers.

Summary

The Amplid Surfari didn’t have the float in deepish low angle pow I hoped but more than made up for it with how hard it carves. I really enjoyed this ride and I’ll be recommending this for those that want a pretty tapered/directional shape for hard carving, getting air and steepish angle pow.

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 Surfari Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back. 1 day demo. A few laps at a demo. Liked it so much, asked to keep it (only do this with favorites).  Liked it so much we bought it.  Precious Good Ride dollars were spent to buy this and review it.
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
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Redunancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket. Burton AK Helitak Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib,  Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
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. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +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 in pow compared it to the Jones Hovercraft and forgot to mention in the review the Rome Stale Fish. Then I compared it to the Jones Snowmelier, Morning Glory and Aloha Vibes

Approximate Weight

The Amplid Surfari doesn’t feel heavy or light. Just down the middle.

(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 Surfari 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.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Amplid Surfari’s 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 & Heel Drag.

157: 9.5-10.5
161: 10.5-11.5

For weight I would stay close to Amplid’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would make sure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape

 

 

 

 

 

The Amplid Surfari is pretty tapered and directional but it doesn’t feel that way on snow. It feels more centered and is agnostic to how you want to weight a turn which is really cool. Many tapered boards need more back foot weight on groomers to keep it from washing out.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

 

 

 

The Amplid Surfari has a lot of camber from the tail go just a few cm before the nose. After the pretty aggressive early rise the sides of the actual nose are lifted. I love the way they lift the sides because you only feel the more smooth turning experience from the lift in powder and really soft snow. On groomers it doesn’t feel washy and you only have a normal camber feel. This means you get a pretty locked in feel that isn’t washy like some boards with lifted sides or spoon nose tech. This is not that easy to skid a turn if you get off your game but it tracks soo well one footing and flat basing.

Flex Personality

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a medium stiff flex but it also has a little bit of a rubbery flex that feels like you cant break it no matter how hard you flex it. There is a lot of energy/snap back after the flex so this is a really poppy ride.

I could butter ok but it took some work. I thought getting this to pop on an ollie would be hard but it wasn’t that bad.

Uneven Terrain

What really surprised me is how incredibly damp the Amplid Surfari is in all conditions. If you ride all day and see everything from hard microbumpy snow to all kinds of softer uneven snow this is an absolute champ. I’ve never experienced anything like it and can’t say enough good things about this vibration dampening tech. There is no compromise between pop and dampness. It’s such a great all conditions ride.

Edge Hold

The edge hold is very competent. It’s no ice specialist but it keeps the edge so quiet in all conditions that it grips better than you would think for not having any disruption.

Speed/Base Glide

The base glide is very good but in comparison to some of it’s competitors it’s not quite as fast at this price point.

Turning Experience/Carving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Amplid Surfari is an absolute joy to turn. It’s mediumish when it comes to turn initiation for my size 9’s but it’s better than I thought. Once you get the edge committed you can weight your turns any way you want and it really drives well through a front foot weighted turn. Center and back foot weighted is pretty good too. The spring out of a turn is exceptional and it pops so well out of a hard carve. The dampening really helps you carve at higher speeds without it bucking out if you hit a bump. You don’t feel the taper and it almost feels like you are on a non-tapered board when turning.

Powder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So the Amplid Surfari is an absolute joy to carve but I didn’t find it to float as well as I would have liked in low angle pow. Don’t get me wrong, it floated pretty well in pow but felt a bit behind the Jones Hovercraft and the Rome Stale Fish that I tested it against on the same day. I felt that it was better than the Souly Grail but a good bit behind the Morning Glory and Aloha Vibes as well. I do think that this will kill it in mediumish to steeper terrain though and it’s a great pow board for those that want a more centered feel for getting air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a 22” stance width you can set it -4.75” back from center of board. That isn’t bad but compared to the Jones Hovercraft you are looking at -6.75” at a 22” stance width. Even the Rome Stale Fish with only a -3.75” back at a 21.75” stance width had a more set back feel than the Surfari but I think that is because of it’s more pin like tail make it sink more than the Surfari’s wider quasi-swallow tail. I would like to see 6×2 inserts per foot instead of 5×2. Even better it would be good to see set back inserts for full size disc riders. I don’t think you would need it in steeper conditions but it sure would make it better in low angle pow.

Conclusion

So overall I really enjoyed this Surfari. I wish they had more inserts for those that ride low angle pow but It’s dampness and carving experience blew my mind. This is a great all conditions directional daily driver.

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