Lib Tech Orca ll Snowboard Review with Davey

An In Depth Breakdown of the Lib Tech Orca ll For Average Riders Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

Lib Tech Orca II Review

How It Was Tested

Size:162
Days:15
Conditions: Varied Mid-Winter Conditions with some decent Powder.
Riders:Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”)
Boots: Nitro Team TLS
Insoles: Footprint Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Bindings: Union Force
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Helmet: Smith Method
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag

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Sizing

I have a size 12 boot, 250 pounds and I’m 63.5. Rode this in a 162 and this is the perfect size for me. Would not want a size down. It would take away the hard charging personality of this board. For my typical freeride board, I like it usually at least 165cm. This is a little shorter and wider than I normally ride at a 162, but it handled my weight very well and handled my boot size.

This is a wide board, definitely for size ten and upper riders across the sizing spectrum, even all the way down to the 153. The board is very boot size and weight dependent. If you’re a lighter rider with a bigger boot, we would recommend going down a little bit in sizing. If you’re a heavier rider with a bigger boot, you can ride this more true to size even though it is a short ride.

Durability

For the durability, this board has a sturdy top sheet. It’s glossy, but it holds up well. There’s not any binding marks left over it.

Normally, my Union Forces can leave a little binding rash on a board after riding it more than 5 or 6 days. But there’s none on this, which is great because not only is it more environmentally friendly, but it’s also more durable than other top sheets in the past.

Shape

For the shape, this is a tapered, directional, short, wide board. It has 11 mill taper and you do feel that when you get it on edge. It also rides pretty set back but not super set back.

Camber Profile

This is Lib Tech’s C2X camber. You got rocker in the middle with a mellow elliptical camber on the front foot that goes into some early rise. Then you have a shorter, higher camber on the back foot that also kicks up into some early rise. It makes for a very forgiving ride, but it does have a loose auto spinny feel when you’re one footing off the chair or flat basing.

Bigger footed committed beginners who want a tapered directional board that they can set back and get some power float, this will work for you. Intermediates on up to experts are going to have a time on this thing.

Edge Hold

The edge hold on the Lib Tech Orca ll is exceptional. It has a very pronounced magnetraction coming across, but it doesn’t grab and pull you down like magnetraction in the past has from Lib Tech. This releases in softer snow and it’s not too grabby, but it does grip on hard snow. You have to keep it engaged on edge in order to keep it tracking well.

Flex

The flex is stiff. The middle is nice and stiff. The tail is even stiffer. The nose is not soft either. It has a little more play than the middle and the tail. Even though this thing is stiff, it is still easy to butter because of that rocker. This thing has a lot of pop on the ollies and a lot of spring out of the tail, it’ll launch you if you engage it and go off a jump.

Uneven Snow Performance

In hard uneven snow, this board absorbs the chatter very well and stays damp. For soft uneven snow, this thing is a certified chunder buster. It has no issue blasting through softer moguls or tracked out end of day powder. The natural setback and camber underfoot helps it charge through without effort.

Switch & Park

The Lib Tech Orca ll rides better switch than older orcas. It has a more switch friendly tail.

Board has a ton of pop. It is very poppy and aggressive. When you engage the flex and hit a jump with speed, you will get launched. The tail feels like it has an extra gear and works well even for heavier riders.

This would be an exceptional pipe board. It has the edge hold, camber drive, speed and turnability needed for pipe riding.

Turning/Carving

The Lib Tech Orca ll is very fast edge to edge and fun to get on edge. It has a turny personality that allows both tight radius turns and long drawn out carves. It is very easy to engage and maintain edge hold.

Speed

The Lib Tech Orca ll can definitely straight line, but you need to keep the edge engaged, especially in harder snow. These orcas are speed demons and have no issue going fast.

Base Glide

This board has a good base glide but it is very wax hungry. It requires frequent waxing to maintain optimal performance. Permanent wax options may help improve consistency.

Powder

Exceptional float. It naturally rides nose up and planes through powder easily. It is also very easy to turn in powder.

Could almost be a dedicated powder board. I loved the back seat turning in powder. This 162 had no issues floating my 250lbs through all the flat sections on Mt. Bachelor.

Final Thoughts

I love this Lib Tech Orca ll. This is absolutely a favorite and I am not letting it go. It has a different personality than other T Rice boards and is approachable for a wide variety of riders.

It performs well in almost all conditions from powder to groomers to jumps. The only drawback is the base. Otherwise, this board is an absolute ripper. As long as you are properly sized for boot and weight, you will get a lot out of it and it will be a very fun ride.