Lib Tech Lost Retro Ripper Written Review- How it rides and who it is for Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. 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.

How This Review Happened:

Precious Good Ride dollars were spent to buy this and review it.
Size:156, 161 & 166 – Most of this review is about the 161 though.
Days: 8+
Conditions: Hard groomers, perfect groomers, shallow pow, boot high pow and then knee to waist high pow along with some early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom Guide Jacket, Burton Gore-Tex 3L Treeline Jacket, Jones Peak Bagger Jacket. Burton AK Helitak 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 4D Mag
Gloves: 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): Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, Korua Café Racer, Weston Japow, Moss Jellyfish, Gentemstick Barracuda, Season Forma, Soul Shift

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +24/+6. Close to Reference on groomers and set all the way back in powder.

How It Was Tested

I tested this against the Weston Japow, Salomon Wolle Nyvelt Fish, Jones Storm Wolf, Capita Spring Break Powder Pill, Korua Dart and Korua Pencil

Approximate Weight

The Lib Tech Lost Retro Ripper felt like a normal weight for this width and height but it isn’t light. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The 156 Lib Tech Lost Retro Ripper was way too small for my specs, the 166 was too big and it was too wide for my boots to really engage the sidecut. The 161 was just right for my specs.

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: 8-9
161- 9-10
166- 11-12

For weight I would stay close to the Brands 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/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a very set back directional board with a good amount of taper but not as much as a lot of swallow tails have. You really sit back far on this ride like you are on a surfboard.

There is no early rise that I can see with the Lib Tech Lost Retro Ripper and this is pretty much full on old school retro camber. On top of that it is a very pronounced high camber that even goes well into the swallow part of the tail.  Not the modern camber most brands have where they say it’s full camber but it has some early rise. You really feel all that camber and it’s pretty technical and not for intermediates.

Flex Personality

The flex of the Lib Tech Retro Ripper is very stiff between the feet but pretty medium to medium soft in the nose. The Swallow tail is pretty soft too and you really feel it when you lean into the tails on a carve or a butter.

There is soo much pop and spring you get from all this camber. It ollies really easy and does well for getting air for being this set back on tail. You can actually tail and nose butter pretty well too. 

Uneven Terrain

Lib tech makes boards that really accentuate the pop that you can get from the wood core and it can be a little chattery compared to some of the damper rides, Lib Tech Los Retro Ripper does pretty well in all conditions.

Edge Hold

There is no disrupted sidecut like you see with most Magnetraction boards. It did well in the hard snow I had it in but it isn’t there with mellow or full mag. I don’t think most riders will want more grip though.

Speed

So the base glide isn’t in the same peer group as most boards this price. It’s not slow but every other board I tested this against (all were freshly waxed) were a little to a lot better. On top of that the Lib Tech Los Retro Ripper needed to be waxed every couple of days where many other boards would hold the wax/have better base glide longer.

Not the best board for pointing it either but its doable on ocassion. It’s happier turning than straight lining.

 

Turning Experience/Carving

The Lib Tech Los Retro Ripper is an absolute pleasure to carve. I actually liked carving this more than riding it in powder. There is soo much spring and drive out of the turn that it would be a real shame if you just rode this in powder. What surprised me coming from the 166 to the 161 was how turny the board got. It as a little hooky until I detuned the edges. Speaking of I don’t usually talk about this with so many hybrid shapes out there these days but you need to detune the edges near the tip/tail. This is all about across the groomer to circle carves and not super strong when pointing it…if you size it correctly.

Powder

There is a shit ton of set back on board. Measuring from the V in the swallow tail there is a -9.25” setback from center of board with a 20.25” stance width. Because of this set back, the deep cut out in the swallow tail and the 16mm of taper I didn’t set it all the way back. I often do this with really pronounced swallow tail boards but with the Lib Tech Lost Retro Ripper it didn’t float as well so I had to set it all the way back. When I did it floated really well for having all that camber but wasn’t all time like many of the boards I tested it against. It did have exceptional pop in powder that I really liked so it’s a trade off.

Conclusion

So overall the Lib Tech Lost Retro Ripper has very competent float in powder and exceptional carving skills. My only real complaint was the thirsty base at this price point. If you like full camber in powder but want a surfy/set back ride this could for sure work.

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