Lib Tech Travis Rice Climax 2017-2019 Snowboard Review

I’ve just been testing the Lib Tech T-Rice Climax for a couple of days on fresh groomers at Zermatt Switzerland. I was going back and forth between this one and a Warpig M I bought this season as well.

First thing is that I have a entirely different assessment than the guys of the Goodride and I think a lot has to do with sizing. I bought a relatively small 155, being 6 foot, 180 lbs and shoesize 11. On the small side for me.

This worked out perfectly. The board felt nimble, quick edge to edge, turning really fast, carved deep and hard and is just very fast in a straight line. The bit of rocker in the middle was noticeable in that it was easier to skid turns than a full camber board. I found it pretty playful, being used to mainly riding full camber boards.

This things bombs and has excellent edgehold. I learned this the hard way when I changed my Warpig to a Climax and caught an edge immediately. It is a bit grabby, but after a couple of runs I adapted and the two days after it never was an issue. Just treat it as you would do a camber board and your fine.

In the end I was surprised how all round this board is for various piste conditions. Ice, fresh snow, messy, bumps, moguls, it could handle all. It’s very fast and stable, yet definitely maneuverable enough to move quickly around. Base is super fast by the way as long as you wax it properly. Passing by everyone with this board in the flat areas. It’s a bomber with some allround tendencies, if that makes sense.

I’ve been trying 6 different boards this season, and if I had to choose one it would be this T-rice Climax, thus winning over the Warpig which I would put second. It just felt more ready to go than the Warpig, which because of its width made it a slightly less natural feeling the moment you strap it on.

If you like to charge and carve really hard with intermediate+ levels technical skills capable of handling camber dominant boards, this is an awesome board. At the same time it will still allow you to cruise around in a more relax fashion. If you merely like to play around, do park laps, or are a beginner then take something else.

Well.this is a beast. Only way to say it.
Light as a feather,stiff as acorpse,... quick as a jackrabbit.
Agile is Prob not the best description for it although in pow it was much better than i was thinking originally.
I just got off riding it first day in 35cm of fresh but heavy early season powder,temp was -6so snow wasnt in awsome shape , no blowing roosters it was slicing thru semi heavy pow.
Hmmmmmmmm........
Firstly never ridden a profile like this and it took some adjusting. Normally ilike to ride full camber and drive aline off the front foot Or a flat rocker in powder for plenty of quick turns, THiS THING IS NOTHING AT ALL LIKE EITHER STYLE OF BOARDS I USUALLY RIDE.
I found it to be ultra stiff esp. on the backside. Front i cud get it whip quicker but back side was yikes at times... on piste it was a tough master packed groomed pow and it was ,well i had to give it my full concentration all the time, dont think ill be taking this out on 3day old ice , packed , no way!
It is damper than i thought no reall bad chatter thru the shiiity wind blown stuff well not enough to deter me. Edge hold was pretty damn good personally didnt find magne traction any diff to a nice sharp edge on a camber board,what i had to get used to was not getting too far fwd ,as i usually ride 167s the extra nose on these gives me the drive ilike but with a shorter all round board i had to re centre, rode with hole patters full fwd withbindings slid forward and 3rd holes front with bindings slid full fwd. was avery good balance and feel.
Now the good stuff. Riding untracked groomers with 30cm on it at warp speed is about as much fun as one can have with a board strapped to the feet. The steeper the pitch the better this went.
The nose rose ,the base is good nice and quick and in pow at speed its pretty damn responsive. There is no nose chatter , no soft bend profile at speed it absolutely hauls ass. This DEMNDS to be ridden on steep and deeper. Its alreday my equal fav ever with the salomon burner for long fast rides, think cat day out, oh my god i cant wait to give this a go.

Id say if ur not heavy this will be too much board for most riders it really does ask a lot of questions.
I wont be taking it out to carve it was nimble enough totrun sharply in trees it was excelennt actually, but its resl home is not in the inbounds gelande, its over the back where its long and steep,

So considering getting the goldmemebr 167 now as well.
Love the shape love the look, 2017model, graphics are stuning
When theres fresh about and decnet pitch to be had this is my board.

It..... is.....not.... an all rounder. No way

I like this board's quick edge to edge. Not sure why the guys in the vid review didn't like its edge to edge but I found it quick and easy.

I had on Burton X-base bindings and a super stiff, triple boa boot. I used to have the T.Rice union bindings on this board, but didn't like it as much as the burton x-base bindings.

yea so it's an expensive board set up...but the pricing of this set up is on par with those killer ski set ups. And the end result is the ultimate board carving experience without having to be on a thin carving board.

If more boarders carved rather than snow plowed at the end of each turn, there would be better conditions on the mountains.

This review is for the 2016/17 model (same as 2018)

This board is really something special. I wouldn't have purchased it if I didn't find it on sale at the end of last season, but I got lucky and paid a great deal less (in May of 2017).

I'm more of a directional guy who likes to carve, and this board does not disappoint. With my size 11 boots, turning is actually quite easy, and faster turns in the trees aren't bad at all. It's not a quick turning skate banana, but let's face it - the SB doesn't do what this board does.

Looking for silly POP - check, SNAP - oh yes. Loading between carved turns is very VERY good, as is the carving experience. I actually had a bunch of skiers (from the local race team) cheer me on, as I laid out some very deep armpit carves. They made me blush. LOL

I even find it superior to some dedicated camber - carving boards that I have (had formerly). I'm on a 159 (typically ride 162), and haven't noticed any loss in stability by sizing down.

Lastly - I'm a bit of a gear junkie. I'm always looking for the next toy, something to take the riding experience up a notch. I typically have 5-6 board in the closet. It is VERY noticeable how NEXT LEVEL this board is, especially if you like charging, carving, and mainly directional riding.

Hope this helps someone out there.