Korua Pencil Table Video and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Here lies an older but still relevant Korua Pencil Plus Snowboard Review from an average rider that’s objective and ridden a ton of boards.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  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.

Check the written review below to see our take after more time on the Korua line.

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

Size: 164
Days:  10+
Conditions:  some decent winter conditions but mostly spring conditions that had hard mornings quickly turning to soft late mornings.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Acerra, Burton SLX
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles
Bindings: Union Atlas, Burton Genesis X,
Set Up: 22-22.5”, set back all the way, set forward all the way and what I think is the reference stance 18 front -6 back, 21 front and 0 back, 21 front +3 front

Approximate Weight

Feels really light and not like a 164.  No pun intended with the color scheme but it’s a night and day difference from the Puzzle Clasic.

Flex/Buttering

Not as stiff as the Pencil but it has more pop by a good bit. The Pencil feels on the stiff side of Med/Stiff. The Pencil Plus feels like it borders more on the Med side of Med/Stiff. It’s easier to butter off the tail or even the nose. Not saying the Kora Pencil Plus is easy but just easier than the Pencil.

Sizing

So the Korua Pencil Plus felt fine with my size 9’s and it really surprised me. It’s a pretty wide board for size 9’s but it worked. It worked really well with Grant’s size 11’s. It really works well with a wide variety of boot sizes and weights. That being said it doesn’t handle heavier guys as well as the regular Pencil.

On Snow Feel

So the Korua Pencil Plus has a ton of taper and likes a decent amount of front foot weight to get the turn going. Looking back on this review in 2023 I wish I could have a do over. I’d love to ride it like I do now with the Pencil at +27/+9 with a 21.5″ stance width. That is when the pencil came alive for me. It just doesn’t turn well if you don’t ride posi.

Skidded Turns

Not easy for those that skid their turns and it’s going to lead to catching an edge. Definitely more for an advanced to expert rider. It’s not a chill board and although it’s easier than a full camber board it’s still pretty unforgiving if you get off your game.

Edge Hold

Pretty solid edge hold for a standard sidecut and it gripped pretty well in harder snow.  It’s not ideal for carving in hard snow but it still held an edge.  I wouldn’t want this for riding in hard to icy conditions but it can for sure hang in hard snow if you dial your turns back a bit.

Turn Initiation

Pretty quick for how wide the nose and waist is.  I felt it was a board I could take in the trees if there was some powder without it being sketchy. The about 3cm taper seems to make it faster than you would think for how wide it is.

Turning Experience/Carving

The feeling you get turning this board is very rewarding if you set up with a positive stance angle and give it a little more front foot weight on the board. Korua Puzzle (now discontinued), Korua Stealth 156 and Tranny Finder/Tranny Finder Plus seemed to like weighting the back foot more and felt more stance angle neutral but this, like the Dart and regular Pencil truly shine with a positive more front foot weighted turn on groomers. There was tons of spring out of each turn and it out popped the Pencil Classic for us. However, if you are heavier you might not be able to get the spring we got. It’s just a powerful carving monster.

Speed

You always trade off dampness for ultralight models like this but I was surprised a board this light wasn’t a chattery mess. In comparison to the Pencil Classic, you could really feel more chatter underfoot with the Plus if the conditions weren’t smooth and perfect. The faster base is faster though and has a very easy glide to it.  It’s way more fun on a long traverse as long as it isn’t too bumpy.

Uneven Terrain

It’s pretty easy to weave in and out of bumps for how wide it is but I wouldn’t choose the Korua Pencil Plus for that. The more uneven the snow the more you feel the plus technology giving you more chatter than the standard tech but it’s not bad for these types of boards.  I’ve ridden so many ultralight models and usually, I’m not that into them because I would rather have dampness and reliability instead of a lighter board but there wasn’t as much of a compromise here. Still, you definitely feel a massive difference in dampness but I felt a little less with the Pencil vs. Pencil Plus compared to the Tranny Finder vs. Tranny Finder Plus.

Powder

We didn’t get any powder but check out the Pencil review since its the same shape and set back. We got that in deep pow and it floated like a champ. Especially in low angle pow. The base will keep speed better in those long outs back to the chair that you often see after a good off-piste run on a powder day. It won’t power over tracked out snow and chunder better though so it’s a trade off on what is more important to you.

Switch

Far from ideal but rippers can make it happen for sure.

Jumps

The Korua Pencil Plus feels like it’s not as much on the tail as the Dart but still less than the Tranny Finder. There is loads of pop and landing on this board is very doable.

Pipe

Very fun for carving pipe walls and it has enough edge hold to feel pretty comfortable.

Grant’s Take

This is a very expensive board due to the choice of materials used in the manufacturing process. I personally believe that it is worth every penny! In comparison to the Korua Pencil, I found this board to have a more dynamic feel and superior glide in the base. Initially, I did find the board to feel a little chattery when straight-lining, however, it only took a few runs to get used to this boards personality and when that happened it was mind-blowing. I think for my weight, boot size and riding style, Korua Shapes “souped-up” Pencil may be my favorite board of the year.

So all in all the Korua Pencil Plus is a very fun ride and it carves like a dream. This ultralight tech really drops weight and doesn’t sacrifice too much in terms of dampness.  It makes me wonder what the Tranny Finder Plus will be like.

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