Lib Tech BRD Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Lib Tech BRD Snowboard Review in 2022-2023- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Liked it soo much I kept it for many years. It became a board I often rode in my free time.
Size: 159 and 162w
Days: 15+
Conditions:  Everything from really good groomers to hard snow to 2’ plus of powder. Even had some early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards & also owned/rode the Split BRD 159 which you see in the video reviews.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs), Nick (Size 10, 160lbs, 5’8”), and Clint our split reviewer
Boots: Burton Kendo, Burton Ion, Burton Tourist, Burton Imperial, Burton SLX, Adidas Tactical ADV
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers, F.I.T. Gameghangers LP
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Union Strata, and some other bindings I don’t remember.
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom TDF Infuse 3L Gore-Tex Jacket, Burton Banshee Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: 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 IO Mag, Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Guide Glove, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt

Similar Boards (but not the same): Cardiff Powgoda, Yes Pick Your Line,  Burton Flight Attendant, Jones Flagship, Rossignol XV, Lib Tech BRD, Weston Backwoods, Cardiff Bonsai, Prior Spearhead, Burton Cartographer, Burton Instigator

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

How It Was Tested

I tested this against a wide variety of freeride boards on same day samplers and used it to compare other boards to

Approximate Weight

The Lib Tech BRD is not super light and lives a touch on the heavier side of medium. I don’t mind this at all though.

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

Sizing

For my specs, listed above, the Lib Tech BRD did really well in a 159. The 162w did really well too which isn’t usually the case for size 9 boots so you can ride the 162w really easy if you are a size 10.
Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
156: 7.5-8.5
159: 8.5-9.5
162w: 10-11
167w- 11-12

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a good bit of taper with the Lib Tech BRD. It has about 18mm which is quite a bit compared to many freeride boards. It likes a lot more back footed weight when riding compared to most tapered directional boards in Lib Tech’s line. Other than the Rocket and Orca, there aren’t many boards with taper at 15mm. It isn’t super set back on board even though it is on sidecut.

The Lib Tech BRD, Box Knife (super different board though) and Rocket are the only boards I have tried (tried almost the whole line) that have C3 with Early Rise. The rest are almost full on camber with only a passive bend in the middle. That early rise well before the nose and just a touch before the tail really mellows out the ride making it less catchy. Coming off the Dynamo or Gnu Banked Country and getting on this you really feal it. I would say it is more like most hybrid camber boards out there but just with another passive bend between the feet. It has a stable ride that is consistent in all conditions, skids a turn pretty easy, one foots really well off the chair and flat bases really well on long flat areas.

Flex Personality

The overall flex is medium stiff but the Lib Tech BRD is pretty stiff in the tail, stiff between the feet and medium in the nose. Still the tail isn’t hard to butter and the nose is easier. What I like the most is how easy it is to access the pop and it loads really well just past the insterts where the camber ends. You also get a lot of pop off the tail. It isn’t as springy as full on C3 but it is by far more forgiving.

Speed/Base Glide

You don’t get the most bomby board with the Lib Tech BRD but I had no problem straight lining for short periods. There is a little clown shoe effect like most boards with rocker before the nose but it is very managable. The base is one area where the BRD let me down. It got thirsty quick and I found this board needed more waxing than most of the boards in my quiver. Lib Tech does soo many things well but making a faster base would be one area where they could improve.

Edge Hold

So the Lib Tech BRD has pretty strong edge hold but it isn’t full on Magnetraction. I think they used to call this .5 MTX. It grips very well in hard snow but doesn’t grab as much in softer snow. For me, it works well in every type of snow I like to ride. 

Turning Experience/Carving

So when I ride the Dynamo, or Ejack Knife or Banked Country or other full on C3 boards with little to no early rise, I feel like I’ve downgraded when carving with the Lib Tech BRD. That being said, those are pretty special carvers and this BRD is no slouch by any means. I can still rail a very hard turn with this. Wish I had footage from some of my personal days on this ride because it really drives through a turn well. This also has a very turny type of feel underfoot that turns quickly in tight spots or in the trees. It slashes well and definitely likes more back footed turns on groomers. It doesn’t freak out either if you want to make more down the line s-turns just shy of a straight line either. Definitely on the turny side of balanced though. 

Powder

So where you don’t get the turning experience of full C3 on groomers you get it back here in powder. The Lib Tech BRD floats really well. It isn’t a bottomless ultra deep performer but it does very well. You can get -3.625″ back from center of board at a 22.5″ stance width so it isn’t like those ultra set back snow surfers but its pretty good for a more traditional freeride board. The 15mm of taper and that early rise before the big nose really help with the float too. It’s just a little shy of being a dedicated pow board but excellent for those who want a directional one board quiver. 

Conclusion

So other than the base, it is hard to find fault with the Lib Tech BRD. I have thoroughly enjoyed it over the years and find myself recommending it a lot. It was pretty fun to ride the split version too. 

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