Lib Tech Son Of Birdman Snowboard Review

An Un-Paid, Un-Biased Breakdown Of How the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman Rides Review by The Good Ride

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An In Depth Breakdown Of How The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman Rides

How The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman Was Tested:

Precious Good Ride dollars were spent buying the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman to give this an in depth review for this wonderful community.

Size: 165
Days: 6+
Conditions: Everything from pretty good powder thanks to my Drift Board Bindingss & Union Rovers to hard snow and everything in between.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-195lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards and close to 1,000 if you count different versions of the same Model over the years.
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.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse 3L Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout, Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up

21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +24/+6. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

About James Biesty
I’ve tried close to 800 different model boards and close to 1,000 if you count the different versions of the same model I’ve tried over the years. I’m an average rider with execptional gear knowledge so my take translates to most riders out there vs. the rippers.

Davey’s Set Up:

23” Wide. Stance Angles +18/+3. Close to Reference and only rode it on groomers.

About Davey
Davey has ridden close to 50 different big guy boards and like James is an average but younger and more athletic rider.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Amplid Souly Grail, K2 Alchemist, United Shapes Cadet, Burton Gril Master, Jones Flagship Pro, Salomon HPS Takaharu Nakai, Stranda Descender, YES Pick Your Line,

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Lib Tech Son Of Birdman Construction / Durability / Weight

The Lib Tech Son Of Bird Man is very well built. I really like the Birch Internal sidewalls that surround the 75% / 25%  Aspen / Palownia Core. Then the UHMW Sidewalls on the outside give it more durability. Mervin (Lib/Gnu) Extends that UHMW material into he nose / tail and brings the edge into the inside of the board instead of wrapping it around the tip/tail like most boards do. That is kind of unique, helps reduce weight and creates more duability in most situations.

(We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman comes in a more mid wide size, but it’s not just for mid wide riders. I could handle the 165 with my size nines in most conditions. However, in tracked up or tight spots, like tree runs or steep terrain, I’d prefer the 160 for better control. It feels like more of a wider cruiser for under size 10 boots and you can do better if quick turn initiation is important if you are under size 10.

If you’re a size 9 or 10 and looking for a cruisy freeride board with more float, speed, and carving power, the 165 could be a perfect choice. You could even size up if you ride in deep powder often. Davey rode it one day and the 165 didn’t work for his 12 US boots and around 250 pounds. It felt too small and soft for his weight.

Lib Tech is super old school when it comes to recommended weight and they don’t even recommend boot sizes which makes it super hard to figure out what’s right for you.

Sizing is all about balancing what fits your boot size (most important), weight (second most important) and height (third most important) for how you like to ride. Size down for more control and size up for more speed/stability/carving power. Most Brands, Including are very conservative with recommended weight and very liberal with recommended boot sizing Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards.

If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape / Setback

The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman has an old school mid-wide tapered directional freeride shape with 12mm of taper and a 2.5in setback on sidecut. Although the reference stance isn’t disclosed, you can set it all the way back to get 3.25in back from center at a 21.75in stance width—very usable for powder days. So the set back on board isn’t a lot but it’s almost where most traditional freeride boards are set back wise. So overall there is a pretty centered feel on board.

Camber / On Snow Feel

The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman has a directional camber with a good bit of early rise starting well before the big floaty nose. There’s solid camber underfoot and it extends almost back to the tail.

The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman feels very stable for its width. It’s only slightly technical, slightly catchy in the tail, but far easier to ride than most of Lib Tech’s C3 or traditional camber boards. Even though it’s a 165cm board, the contact length feels shorter and the overall ride is more forgiving than I thought this would be for the length and width compared to my specs. A committed intermediate who specs this correctly could have a pretty easy time with this but Advanced to Expert riders won’t be bored either. They will also appreciate the forgiving nature if they get off their game.

What I like about the SOB is how it feels the same underfoot in any condition and it’s very easy to get used to.

Flex Personality

The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman has a medium bordering on medium-stiff flex, though it rides more like a medium flex on snow. The tail is stiffer, but softens closer to the bindings, allowing it to butter with ease. The nose is soft and gradually stiffens as you get closer to the camber.

There’s great pop typical of Mervin boards and it’s very easy to access for average riders. It was soo big and wide that it I didn’t feel it asking me to get air much but the few little side hits I got air off were much better than what I thought they would be.

Buttering is pretty easy too and I found both the nose (easier) and tail were eassy to butter.

Uneven Snow

The nose can get a little “clown shoey” or slappy, and this isn’t a high-speed charger but in uneven conditions, the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman felt very solid and handled variable terrain exceptionally well.

Soft uneven snow can be a little bucky and bouncy if its thick, deep and messy but predictable and easy to manage. Medium soft uneven snow isn’t bad either.  I felt it did a little better in hard uneven snow but it’s not an all time chatter reducer either. Most will be fine with this in any condition.

Edge Hold

There is a pretty noticeable disruption in the sidecut and it’s pretty close to full Magne-Traction. It’s pretty aggressive between the feet but mellows out near the tip and tail. This makes the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman a great choice if you love powder but still ride a lot of hard snow. It performed incredibly well on hard groomers during testing.

It can feel a little grabby in softer snow but it’s easy to get used to it with the mellower mag towards the entry point in the effective edge.

Turning / Speed / Carving

With size 9 boots on a 165, turn initiation was a bit slow for me but not as slow as I thought it would be for this length and width. If you’re a size 10.5 or 11, this board will feel much quicker and more responsive.

Once on edge, the 7.8m sidecut is narrower than most Lib Tech Sidecuts and especially so for this length. This really does well for across the groomer and circle carves.

Despite vthe ague specs, the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman has some “secret sauce” that allows for down-the-line, drawn-out carves at moderate speeds. It’s not a stiff charger that can eat up a whole run at high speeds, but for the flex and dampness it offers, it’s pretty good.

There was a really satsfying spring out of the turn for having soo much early rise before the nose and while it’s not full camber spring, it’s really satisfying. In a same-day test against the Lost Rocket 157.5, I actually preferred the Son Of Birdman. It matched my turning style better and offered more satisfying carves.

Base Glide

The base of the Lib Tech Son of Birdman could use some improvement. Especialy at this price point. I’ve had a lot of experience with the Knife Cut Sintered base and found it to be very thirsty. I had to wax the base every day for it to keep its speed and a lot of the wax was stripped off in a short day’s ride. I’m not a first to last chair guy. I ride first chair to mid day. Even with a base grind and moderate structure the Knfe Cut Sintered base doesn’t hold wax well. It’s better but still far below their peers. If I were to get another one of these boards I’d go with more aggressive structure in the hopes the wax will hold better between the structure.

Lib Tech Son Of Birdman In Powder

In powder, the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman really shines. It’s cruisy and easy floating. Despite having a more centered feel than expected, it still offers a directional ride with good landing gear for catching some air. Compared to boards like the Lost Rocket, which felt more tail light (tail sinks more into the snow) and more on the snowsurfy, this felt like a traditional freeride board but with an easy float that felt like it was siting on top of the snow.

The big nose, tapered tail, long early rise, and usable setback all come together for a really fun pow ride. If the base was faster this would kill it for getting back to the chair on a long traverse.

Final Thoughts on The Lib Tech Son Of Birdman

Overall, I’m really stoked to see the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman return. It’s a fun, floaty, mellow / cruisy directional ride with modern early rise that’s forgiving and very versatile in all types of conditions—from hardpack to deep powder. It really needs a better base though and if you aren’t into waxing every day you might want to pass.

This board will appeal to riders who want something longer, wider, and a bit old-school in spirit but with modern design and performance. If you’re looking for a floaty powder cruiser that also handles groomers well, the Lib Tech Son Of Birdman is a solid choice.