Elevated Surf Craft Mini Driver 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.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective. 

How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.

Size: 4′ 6″

Days: 2

Conditions: Spring conditions with some powder on top, off piste

Riders: Steph

Boots: Vans Ferra

Bindings: Union Juliet

Set Up: 19″ Centered 15 front -9 back

Board Sizing: 4’6″

So to be honest, I needed about another week on snow with the Minni Driver. I felt like I didn’t have it fully figured out in a few runs over a couple days. And I plan to get more time on it next season, so I will update the review then.

But here’s what I did experience.

On Snow Feel

I didn’t ride it on groomers. But in softer snow and even powder, I felt like the Minni Driver preferred a more direct line through the snow as opposed to a more slashy line. It likes to be driven and controlled off the tail. So making that adjustment is important if you want it to handle correctly.

Powder

After you find the correct balance point on this board, it can ride through powder pretty well. I think it would do better in steeper terrain than what I had. The snow I rode it in was pretty heavy. If I stopped paying attention and shifted my weight to center the nose would dive down into the snow and wouldn’t come back up. In softer blower powder it may behave differently. But in the spring snow I was riding in I had to stay on point or it would topple me over the nose. The short fat tail gives you a nice platform to stand on when riding through the powder. It is a pretty stiff tail as well so as long as you keep your weight there, it had a pretty stable ride through powder.

Turn Initiation

I feel like it was medium quick to turn because of the wider waist width, and maybe the combination of the softer snow. I’m not sure I can fully comment on the turn initiation without feeling this board on a groomer.

Speed

The speed felt good on the Minni Driver. I felt like it wanted to go faster down the hill and it was stable when I did ride it at speed.

Uneven Terrain

As long as you have the board all figured out, riding it in trees or bumpier snow would be fine. But if you are still learning where to stand and how to turn it, uneven terrain could be a bit of a challenge.

Flex

The board as a whole felt like a nice medium flex, with good energy under the bindings. The nose felt softer, and the tail felt stiffer.

Overall

The Elevated Surfcraft Minni Driver is a hard board to put into one box. Especially since I need more time on it. But I can say that it felt different than any board I have ever ridden, and it helps you take a different approach to the way you normally would ride. If you are looking for an adventure and want a fresh take on riding maybe the Minni Driver could be a good partner for that.

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