2016-2014 Lib Tech Lando Phoenix Review

The Lib Tech Lando Phoenix is basically the old C2 BTX Jamie Lynn Phoenix but with a little more set back. Not much has changed with this board the last few years and it would be nice to see something new added like XC2 BTX. The Lando Use to be a favorite for a few years and is still a good board but during this time of no change so many other boards have improved to the point where the Lando Phoenix got passed up.

Just so you know with all snowboard companies that use wood cores, not all bends will be created equal. This isn’t unique to Lib-Tech and happens with every board in the industry. It happens more so with hybrid rocker shapes. For example, you can see the bend in my board but here is the same board from another rider.

Size: 160 and 157

Conditions: Practically perfect soft groomed snow with some leftover powder in the trees. A few days there was harder to borderline icy snow with some areas that have scraped/pushed around light snow. Another day we had about 1′ of leftover thick sierra snow.

So not much has changed in the ride of the 2015 Lib Tech Lando Phoenix but I got to try the 157 and have to say it’s a pretty different board from the 160. I think I prefer that size best. It’s quicker edge to edge, more forgiving and more playful.

Days: 15+
Riders: James, Peter, and Jimbo
Bindings: Flux SF45, Burton Cartel, Burton Diode,
Boots: Burton SLX, Burton Ion, Nike Kaiju
Set Up: Set Back a little bit, about 23″ wide, 15 front -9 back. Another day we centered up the stance.

Approximate Weight: 157 was 6.6lbs

The Lib Tech Mark Landvik Phoenix fit’s more of that traditional All Mountain rider that likes a more centered approach to the mountain on groomer days but then sets it back on a deep powder day. You like wide radius turns, bombing steep groomers, and a borderline excellent float in powder but still like a board to be forgiving. If you are that type of All Mountain rider you will be very happy with this board. The Lando use to come in a 154, 160 and 157 Mid/Wide only. Now it comes in a 154, 157, 157m/w and 160 so it’s a little better than previous years in terms of fit. We’d still like to see a size 160 wide though. This is a good one board quiver for those all-mountain riders that often have to ride groomers but live for powder.

On Snow Feel: It’s got a pretty semi-stable bordering on loose feel between the feet very similar to the old C2 BTX Lynn Phoenix but the extra set back and risers change up the ride just a little bit. It feels more directional. It’s for those that like to have a 1 board quiver to have an easy directional float in deep powder but also be a great mostly directional all mountain board. In softer snow, it’s semi-stable between the feet and its pretty consequence free. One footing and flat basing is fine in softer snow but in the harder snow, it gets a little too loose for our taste. It has to always be on edge and we’d love to see this change from C2 BTX to XC2 BTX as the extra camber would stabilize the ride more like it did the TRS. That would make this even better and complete the ride.

Powder: The Lando is really good in powder. The massive 1 inch (25 mm) setback is more than many dedicated powder boards. It doesn’t have a taper but many like to have double ender feel in powder but still like a big set back for easier float. The built-in risers add to the powder performance because it makes the turn initiation quicker in tight spots than the Jamie Lynn boards. It’s not the fastest board we have ridden but it’s good in tight spots It really powers through thick deep snow which is hard to do. Light fluffy snow can be ridden on a camber twin but the thicker stuff requires a floaty board. Also, the MTX sidecut is very mellow (.5 MTX) so it doesn’t grab or get awkward in Powder or softer snow. If you want a surfier tapered Lando then try the Brando by Lando. Both are excellent in powder but this has an entirely different feel and I’d rather be on the Brando when it gets scary deep over the Lando but it’s no slouch by any means in deep powder.

Turn Initiation and Carving– The Lando’s little risers at each mounting area make the turn initiation easier than it would be without it. The 157 is even easier than the 160 and feels really quick edge to edge. With the 160 short radius turns are a little sluggish and don’t seem to want to snap back and forth. It actually almost feels like a mid/wide to us. However Medium to wide radius turns are really fun and pretty rewarding for a hybrid rocker ride. Carving is a little bit more rewarding than you would think for hybrid rocker but it’s a little washy and requires you to squat like a gorilla to really get pressure on the camber in the tip/tail to hold it. If you ride with a surfy stance you might find this more washy. If carving is most important, then you want to go with the Lynn Phoenix with C3 BTX. Still, this isn’t bad at all for hybrid rocker ride.

Speed: The stiff flex, fast base and stable platform (for a hybrid rocker board) make the Lando Phoenix a great board to bomb. It doesn’t have that loose feeling between the feet that most hybrid rocker boards give you when flat basing at high speeds. You sacrifice a little pop for this but in our opinion, it’s totally worth it. The speed award goes to the Jamie Lynn C3 Camber due to its stability between the feet but the Lando is still surprisingly stable and is closer to the C3 Lynn than you would think.

Uneven Snow– It holds up well and with a good pair of shock absorbent bindings, you can deal with most of the end of the day resort snow. The sluggish feel edge to edge feel is a bit of a problem negotiating bumps but when you hit them it’s not going to be completely painful. It’s a first-class chunder buster but not really a bumpy end of the day mogul specialist.

Edge Hold: We liked the mellow MTX side cut better for all conditions riding. It didn’t have that ultra grippy feel so it rode in softer snow much better than the more aggressive MTX side cut’s do. Still, it gripped harder snow for a carve where other boards could only wash out or slide around but it didn’t feel overly grippy. This is the kind of edge hold that almost anyone will like. It’s not an icy condition specialist but it gives sufficient grip in most conditions you will go out on.

Flex: This is a Medium/Stiff flex so at least when it is new you aren’t going to get much butter ability out of it. We found the Lando Phoenix would not let you butter much past the rocker between the feet without a lot of effort which is similar to the T.Rice. There is a little more stiff of a flex due to the built-in risers with the Lando. As the board breaks in and goes more towards a medium flex it will be a little easier to butter but let’s face it this won’t satisfy someone who likes to butter a lot.

Switch: The Lando is a directional twin on paper but it feels much more like a twinish board due to the risers, different shaped nose/tail, and massive set back stance. Because the Risers are set back they have even a more pronounced feel than the Darker Series when it comes to riding switch. It’s very doable but it’s definitely different.

Jibbing– Not so good here but what do you expect for a board of this flex, size, and shape.

Pipe: It drives you from wall to wall with ease and is rather forgiving but I’d personally like something with a deeper sidecut. Still, a lot of riders might like this board in the pipe.

Jumps: This is a pretty fun jump board but it’s not a lap the jump park all day kind of board. The setback and the directional flex created by the risers make it more directional when jumping. There is a medium spring but you sacrifice some pop for stability between the feet.

We like this board a lot but with the evolution of XC2 BTX and the stability it brings would really complete the ride of the Lando and keep it current.

A Quick Look at the 2014 Lib Tech Lando Phoenix- Same Great board as the 2013 but with more sizes and a better graphics.  The Because the Jamie Lynn Phoenix went to an aggressive C3 BTX camber profile it made the Lando C2 Power BTX a much better fit for a wider variety of all-mountain riders.  The Lynn is more of a technical carving master but the Lando is more forgiving and easier in powder than the Lynn. It’s all personal choice and we love both boards but this just gives you a little more of a diverse ride than the Lynn. Before the Lynn and Lando were very similar but nowadays they are very different due to the contrasting camber profiles.