Lib Tech Skunk Ape 2010-2016 Snowboard Review
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| Riding Style | All Mountain |
| Riding Level | Beginner - Expert |
| Fits Boot size (US) | > 12 |
| Manufactured in | USA by Mervin |
| Shape | Directional Twin |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker |
| Stance | Setback -12.5mm |
| Approx. Weight | Feels Normal |
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Lib Tech Skunk Ape 2016 - 2010 Review by The Good Ride
The Lib Tech Skunk Ape is a really solid all mountain ride for wide riders. Not much has changed over the years.
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.
Size 161 and 169
Days: 15+
Riders: Stephen and a few big rider friends not on the site. One was 6’11” with a size 15 boot.
Conditions: Everything from almost pure ice to a few feet of thick sierra powder.
The Lib Tech Skunk Ape is a great all mountain hybrid rocker board designed specifically for the big-footed fella on the mountain. The Skunk Ape starts small (in length) for all mountain freestyle to all mountain riding but then keeps extending to 180cm for those super deep days.
On Snow Feel: The newer C2 Power hybrid rocker profile has come a long way since the 2010 C2 BTX. It’s pretty stable and you can only feel it become a little loose between the feet when the snow is hard. It’s not bad for one footing and flat basing. The Skunk Ape is a pretty aggressive ride but its camber profile makes it mostly free of consequence. It’s the kind of board that makes for great directional mountain riding, set back directional powder riding, pipe riding and hitting jumps. It’s a fun board to center up on most days and then set it back on pow days for a more surfy float.
Powder: The bigger you get the bigger the float but the .5″ (-12.5 mm) set back is the same from the 157-180. There is no noticeable difference between the Power/Horsepower Models. It floats well and fights to stay up in powder. We’d prefer a -20mm (.75″) set back but we are splitting hairs here. It’s a great directional ride and a good centered ride in powder. If you have feet that fit this board you will find the Skunk Ape pretty easy to turn and throw around in any situation from trees to wide open chutes.
Turn Initiation and Carving– This is a pretty easy board to turn for those with the right size feet. Quick Edge to Edge transitioning is very doable without being twitchy. It’s still a tiny bit loose between the feet but the C2 Power model’s of recent is a huge improvement over the BTX and C2 BTX. Wide radius turns are really fun. Carving has come a long way and it’s pretty fun these days to engage on a carve. It doesn’t have the C3 camber kind of spring but it’s about as good as we have seen a hybrid camber perform.
Speed: The Base is pretty fast, The newer models feel very comfortable at almost any speed you want. There is still a little chatter that keeps them from hitting the excellent side of thing but the newer C2 Power BTX profiles have come a long way from the early C2 BTX days.
Uneven Terrain: The Skunk Ape is pretty stiff and aggressive but with a good pair of shock absorbent bindings it can do pretty well in the shitty crowded end of the day resort snow.
Approximate Weight- We don’t scale up and probably never will because the weights are usually inconsistent from board to board. To us, the Horsepower felt Medium to maybe even Light when picking it up and the C2 Power felt Heavy to Medium for their perspective sizes. They are well built and very sturdy. They are made to last a decent amount of time.
Edge Hold: Very excellent and a great all conditions ride. It really works well in hard to icy conditions. In softer conditions, it can be a little grippy.
Flex: This is an aggressive flex that is closer to medium than stiff. Most people who ride this board are going to be pretty heavy but if you are a light person with big feet you will still be able to transition this edge to edge thanks to the hybrid camber.
Switch: When the stance is centered up the ride is pretty close to a twin but something doesn’t feel like a true twin.
Jibbing– This is a better board for jumps and pipe but it can hit a jib or two.
Pipe: Great pipe board. If you like to lap the pipe you will have a good time with the Skunk Apes
Jumps: There is decent spring but it’s not like the very poppy Riders Choice. You trade a little pop for stability at speed. Still, this is very fun jumping in the park or around the mountain.
Lib Tech Skunk Ape Past Reviews
2013 Lib Tech Skunk Ape – Comes in 2 Models. There is the Lib Tech Skunk Ape C2 Power BTX and the Lib Tech Skunk Ape C2 Horsepower. Both are more aggressive rides than C2 BTX but the Horsepower is lighter and a little more lively. The C2 Power Skunk Apes has a very similar ride as last years model but the Horsepower has somewhat lighter and livelier feel than the C2 Power but both are great boards.
A Quick Look at the 2013 Lib Tech Skunk Ape
2012 Lib Tech Skunk Ape C2 BTX- Lib Tech stepped it up by offering C2 Power BTX tas well as C2 BTX. C2 Power BTX makes the board ride more aggressive and stable between the feet compared to the C2 BTX. Carving and straightlining if more fun here.
A Quick Look at the 2012 Lib Tech Skunk Apes
2011 Lib Tech Skunk Ape C2 BTX- We were stoked to see C2 BTX on the 2011 Skunk Apes. It gives you more spring off the tail in an ollie and especially a carve. A much better all around ride than the 2010. Suddenly you could lay into a carve and it wouldn’t wash out. It was still a little squirrely between the feet.
2010 Lib Tech Skunk Ape BTX– With the 2010 BTX Skunk Ape model it had it’s uber fans and some people who love parts of this board but not others. One of it’s biggest complaints is even though it’s damp at high speeds the banana shape can make it feel squirly when the conditions are firm. It also couldn’t carve like a cambered board and the tail would give out if you leaned into it hard. This model had the most limitations out of any model we reviewed. It was a fun freestyle to all mountain freestyle ride but was really lacking when it came to mountain riding.
Lib Tech Skunk Ape Specs
Lib Tech Skunk Ape Images
We try to get as many images of the Lib Tech Skunk Ape, but forgive us if they're not all there.
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Lib Tech Company Information
Lib Tech Skunk Ape User Reviews
Sick board 165cm
This board is so good!! Its unreal how stable this board is at high speeds. This board holds a edge like no other IMO! Took this bad boy out last weekend in some fresh pow and did great nose never went under and i am a big guy! I have read some reviews about this board not doing so good at lower speeds and would have to say this board has no problems at any speed. This board is all around a great board! This board is SUPER SUPER FAST!
Skunk Ape worth each of the 161
I can absolutely confirm, what was written by the "in depth review" and Stephen and Sherm below. Fantastic 161cm wide. I'm 187cm with feet of 13 and 97kg, so one of the Yetis the board was made for. The snowflake rating and the review details convinced me, but the price made me nervous. Even more the board was not available (anymore) for a good price on the german market. So I got it from Vienna (Austria), which is not normal for european conditions. Even more it is not so normal to try a brand you have never heard about AND with an airbrush of THAT KIND. My wife can't even look at it, but last weekend (it was my first ride on it in austria) it was the eyecatcher of the tracks.
I ride since over 10 years and I never wanted to spend a lot of money for a board, so my equipment is quite historical (i.e. step-in bindings, semi hard boots, and a 15 year old Burton bullet 154, which I bought used for 90 Euros a millenium ago.) This season it dematerialized, rails went off and it opened its sharky mouth. It was its death but opened some budget for a new one. THANK GOD! No easy decision to leave cambered Burton (very interested in the flying V), being so happy with the board, managing well to ride hard on the rails with almost race-style turns and some experience in powder and some jumps off the track. I tried to switch my style to the Ape and it made it even better. Even no issue with the 7 cm more length and width. Even more agility. And the best: it carries me throught the powder in all conditions, which I believe is not just related to the bigger surface, but the impressing shape ideas. They really work! I rode a powder tube, narrow and 3-4m high walls, steep with angle up to ~70 degrees. I never dared to go that fast into these walls and cut-back on the backside. Amazing, I almost could not return to the prepared tracks after.
I just have to confirm to Sherm, when saying: on the flat and planning the board on a track-like underground the board gets a little squirley. It made me a bit uncertain as you do not know which rail will catch the grip. And sometimes I felt it stucks in this situation. I could imagine it is related to the magnet-traction, designed for aggressive grips and following the riders commands for carving. Means, if the rider does not command clearly this boards get nervous and makes it own decisions. So my consequence: do not waste the height of the track with riding the board on the flat base too much. It is designed to have fun and its fun to curve instead of the boring destruction of height in a railway-style.
The LIB-TECH guys know how to build board shapes that work as planned, whereas the flying-V seems maybe just following the trend. Hybrid Rocker with flat directional. Met the target!
Skunk Ape
Bought the 2013 Skunk Ape beginning of the 2012 Australian season.
Def love this board, Loves to be opened up and riden aggresively. I'm a big guy with size 13 feet so this board fits me perfectly.
Magne traction seems to hold well on hard pack in Australia.
I just got back from 5 weeks in Japan and Canada and managed to ride it on some pretty deep powder days. I only ride a 161 which is a little bit shorter for me, but it still floated well on powder(back leg still gets a solid workout). I can only imagine what a longer ape would be like.
If your a big guy and looking for a good all mountain board, then I recommend the ape.
SKUNK APE Horsepower
I have been riding since 1996. I havn't owned a ton of boards, but I do have a ton of experience. I've owned a K2 Fat Bob,Ride-Fleetwood, Never Summer-Wide, Lib-Tech Skunk Ape and Skunk Ape HP.
The Good Ride, hit this board right on the head with its stars. This board is fast and aggressive if your not used to Mervin products. Magne Traction will change your life, it's not a gimmick.
For starters, I was skeptical last year, because I never rode a Lib-Tech before. But now owning 2 of them including a HP model. I can say honestly these are hands down, the crown jewel of the snowboard industry. I live in Pennsylvania and it's low temp and hard as hell snow/ice, magne traction has honestly saved me from going down many a times. I whole heartedly feel it;s faster than a standard camber board, due to the simple fact that you only have 7 points hitting the snow, rather than about 100cm on each edge.
We do not get many powder days in PA, but we had a couple so far in 12/13 season. The Ape was more than adequate here, nose always stayed up and I felt the C2 gave it a alternate, yet appreciable float in the fluff.
I have to disagree on the turn initiation here, I feel that the Ape, especially the HP Ape turns like a 70's caddy, with a racing suspension. It's super easy to glide edge to edge, the only issue I can see coming up, that the width of this ride could be tought for a smaller,lighter rider to throw around.
The weight of this board is the only, well only other drawback I know of on this deck. It's a pain in the ass at times, especially seeing as it;s 2013. Yinz couldn't cut some weight somewhere. The other downfall, all be it downfall of multi camber boards. Is that they get squirlley when flat basing and flat out taking the board to it's max as far as speed is concerned. The HP does a much better job of being more stable, but still can land you on your head if you don't pay attention at all times.
I can see how this is a great pipe board, fast edge to edge and its listed as a 7 stiffness, but off jumps and walls; feels more like an 8. This aint a jibbing board, go get the Burtner Box Scratcher or Skate Banana for that.
I would give this ride a 8.5 out of 10 and the HP Ape a 25 out of 10. I wish they had it up so I could review it for yinz. But maybe next year. If Lib ever fixed the flat basing issue, I think camber boards would have a real shot at going extinct.
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