Lib Tech Dark Series 2013 - 2010 Review by The Good Ride

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A Quick Look at the 2013 Lib Tech Dark Series 

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.

http://vimeo.com/56796982?autoplay=1&quality=720p

Boards Used- 158, 161 in MTX, C2 BTX and Power C2 BTX

Days: 30+
Conditions: Everything from pretty deep pow to hard with some icy conditions
Riders: James, Jimbo, Peter, and a few others.
Bindings: Burton Cartel, Flux Titans, Burton Co2’s, Rome Targa’s & Burton P1’s, Burton Cartel Limited, Flux SF45.
Boots: Burton SLX, Nike Kaiju, Burton Imperial, Burton Ion.
Setup-Around 22-23.5 wide 15 set back and centered -15 front 15 back 18 front -9 back and a few other stances.

Lib Tech started with camber years ago, then added MTX to the camber, then changed it to BTX, then in 2011 skipped C2 BTX and went straight to C2 Power C2 BTX.  C2 Power Banana has changed the dynamics of the board.  Out of all the shapes, we find the C2 Power shapes the best.  The 2011, 2012 and 2013 C2 Power BTX are all pretty close in terms of how they ride but each year has little refinements that make it a little better over the previous model.

On Snow Feel: So the old MTX Camber model was very stable and semi-catchy but when they changed it to BTX it became less stable making it loose between the feet in most conditions. The change to C2 Power BTX brought it closer to a camber feel than the BTX. It’s very close to being stable in most conditions and the C2 Power BTX is the call.  It’s got a more directional feel than many of the Lib Tech boards.  It’s not much of a butter around the mountain personality but instead its more fun to drive quickly from edge to edge, pop off shit or just cruise the mountain.  It’s also a fun pipe board. The old camber boards were the best for one footing and flat basing, the BTX is the worst and the C2 Power BTX isn’t bad either.

Powder:  The Dark Series C2 Power BTX has definitely improved its performance from the past camber/MTX models but it is still not as good as many other Mervin boards out there.  Don’t get us wrong here.  If you take out a camber or mostly camber snowboard then the Dark series you will be blown away but we weren’t as stoked on the skate like ride this had in powder compared to some of the other Mervin boards out there. For example, of the boards with Risers, I’d much rather take a directional approach to powder riding on the Lando Phoenix. Also, the Gnu Billy Goat has an easier directional float as well.

Speed: Before you ride It seems like the flex is medium and would not operate well at high speeds but don’t let that fool you.  The Dark Series rides fast and much bigger than its size. The158 it has a contact length that is 122cm which is the same length as a lot of 160’s, 162’s and some 164’s. The risers make it really fun to turn and also absorb a lot of chatter. This board will track rather well in most conditions at high speeds. Its base keeps its speed rather well

Uneven Terrain: The Dark Series is going to handle uneven bumpy mountain terrain pretty well.  It’s a nice balance of speed and shock absorption.

Approximate Weight- It’s a little on the heavy side.

Turn Initiation and Carving: It’s pretty narrow, has C2 BTX  and Risers so when you want to turn it’s extremely responsive.  You don’t have to put in the same kind of lean into the board to make it turn.   It’s narrow waist, org throttle (riser) C2 BTX makes it soo easy to turn that when you lean into a carve it’s like the board want’s to turn back uphill without even leaning like a skateboard would. This makes it great in steep terrain but not making big turns. What’s weird is it’s not twitchy like a flat camber board but for some who are expecting this semi-aggressive board to turn with more effort might be a little disappointed.  So turning is not for everyone but some will really love this.

Edge Hold: The aggressive Magnetraction sidecut holds an edge in any condition and it’s a good choice for those that are forced to go out when it’s hard.

Flex: This is a medium to medium/stiff flex and a step up from the TRS and Travis Rice.  It’s not buttery and playful as you would think for a hybrid rocker board.

Switch: The Dark Series has what is called Twin Harmonics which seems like a twin shape but the core and the tip/tail are slightly different.  For us, it feels more like a Twinish Snowboard instead of a directional twin.  It is also difficult to tell if you correctly centered your stance because the nose and tail are different in length.  The nose rides up a little higher than the tail for a little added directional powder float. It rides fast and dependable switch but you do notice the difference.

Pipe: With a great twin-like shape, excellent edge hold and built-in risers it powers through any size pipe.  The edge hold is great and the rocker makes it easy to land something new you are working on.  This is closer to riding a skateboard in a half-pipe than riding a snowboard. Some might not like the Dark Series on most places on the mountain but it feels that all would like the Dark Series in the pipe.

Jibbing– It’s ok to jib with the Dark Series but it’s not super soft enough to pull everything off.  The Dark Series will soften up over time like all Lib boards but if jibbing is your thing then the Lib Tech Skate Banana might be more suited for that kind of riding.  We found that you couldn’t really bend the new board as well and it would only allow you to get a bit past the rocker between the feet when it came to buttering around.

Jumps: The Dark Series springs off of any size jump and will handle any air in the pipe. Don’t worry about this board performing….worry about your ability and your health care plan.  When it comes to creating your own