Korua Dart Plus Snowboard Video and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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A Breakdown Of How It Rides And Who It’s For

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How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 156
Days: 3
Conditions: Perfect groomers, moderately messy snow, and decent but not all-time pow.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Ride Torrent, Ride Fuse, Nidecker Rift Lace,
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same): Korua Dart, Korua Café Racer, Weston Japow, Moss Jellyfish, Gentemstick Barracuda, Soul Shift, Nidecker Beta

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +27/+9 back. I set it up with what I think would be the reference stance and kept it there for both groomers and pow. I don’t like setting the Dart back in powder.

How It Was Tested

Most days I rode the Dart Plus, I rode the Dart, Pencil, and Transition Finder Plus.

Approximate Weight

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

Sizing

The Dart Plus 156 felt easier to control/turn than the 156 Classic I primarily tested it against. All this taper in the tail made it a lot easier for me to control this width in the waist and nose. Both the Plus and Classic fit me really well in a 156.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. 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.
156: 9-11
164: 11-13

For weight, I would stay close to Korua’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 Korua Dart Plus has 3cm of taper. That’s pretty massive. On top of that, you ride really close to the tail like you would if you were ocean surfing. You are steering this board from the back half but it does like front foot weight on groomers and I’ll talk about that more with turning/carving.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a pretty decent amount of camber from a little before the tail. It feels pretty locked in but not like full-on camber.

Flex Personality

The Korua Dart Plus feels stiffer than the Classic Dart but the lighter poppier construction feels almost the same to butter with on snow. The Dart Plus definitely has more pop and despite the stiffer flex it’s easier to access the pop.

Uneven Terrain

This is where the Dart Classic outshines the Dart Plus. The Korua Dart Plus is not bad for an ultralight but it does start to feel more bucky and bouncy in hard or soft uneven snow.

Edge Hold

Very competent grip except for hard microbumpy snow.

Speed

The Dart Classic is better going straight but neither are super fast rides. They are ok but you want the Pencil or Café Racer if you like to straight line sometimes.

Base Glide

This base (when waxed) glide of the Korua Dart Plus really glides easily and it’s a great board for traversing. It’s a noticeable bump up from the Dart.

Turning Experience/Carving

In good conditions, it is hard to match this pop and spring out of the turn. It initiates a little faster than you would think for a 26.9cm waist width and when I get it on edge I can carve well across the groomers.

You need to set this up pretty posi (like +27/+9) and really weight hard into the front foot on a turn. Otherwise, the Korua Dart Plus won’t be that fun on a carve and the tail will feel washy. If you come from a duck stance it takes some time getting used to it but it’s a really satisfying feel.

Powder

So the Dart and Dart Plus are some of the only boards I don’t like to set back on a powder day. The reason why is the tail sinks so easily. There is so much nose with early rise before it goes to a very tapered swallowtail.

On top of that, you have a setback on board that is -11.625” back at a 21.6” stance width set all the way back if you measure from the center of the swallow tail. -7.625” back if you measure from the end of the tail. Either way, you are riding right on the tail and it sinks almost too easily. Bottom line this floats incredibly well.

In lower angle pow I do prefer boards like the Pin Tonic, Pencil, and Café Racer (in that order) more just because they keep their speed better.

Final Thoughts

So overall the Korua Dart Plus has a lot to offer. An easier board to control/turn, more pop, and a faster base than the Dart Classic. If you often see uneven snow you might like the Dart Classic better but this does well for an ultra-light version of the regular one.