Lib Tech TRS Firepower Snowboard Review

Lib Tech TRS Firepower 2019 - 2015 Review by The Good Ride

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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: 157
Days:  3
Conditions:  Medium to hard morning spring snow
Riders: James Peter and Jimbo
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX,  Burton Fiend LTD,
Bindings: Burton Cartel, Union Atlas, Bent Metal Transfer

Set Up: Centered, 22.75″ to 23″ wide 15 front -15 back

Approximate Weight: Feels light

On Snow Feel:  Same great TRS feel underfoot when it comes to one footing and flat basing.  It’s stable and very close to many hybrid camber boards I’ve tried.  For many people who have ridden C2 BTX boards or even C2 Power BTX this is more stable and more like what you want on groomers and riding around the mountain. Even in harder snow, it’s very unlikely to want to auto spin on you like other C2 BTX boards.  XC2 BTX is great for groomers.  Now there is a lighter snappier feel underfoot than the TRS and it doesn’t feel as playful and buttery as the TRS HP.

Turn Initiation: Nice quick edge to edge feel that makes short to wide radius turns fun.  It’s a fun board to turn and it feels just a hair quicker than the regular TRS.

Flex:   I didn’t get to do an a/b comparison between the TRS and TRS FP but it felt like the flex was similar to the standard TRS and stiffer than the HP.  You could butter and press pretty well and it felt a little bit easier than the TRS I own. The TRS HP was much easier to butter than the other TRS models, which is weird because it had the same flex rating as the other 2.

Edge Hold:  All of these boards can hang onto hard snow like a champ.  The TRS feels the best when it comes to grip but the FP is very close and the HP is a little behind. These are all shades of excellent edge hold so it’s not like one will not hold well in ice.  All will hold like champs in the hard to icy snow.

Powder:   Now all these TRS models just don’t have the float that many C2 boards have and I feel this is one of the only real flaws of XC2 BTX.  Bringing the camber closer down to the snow makes it a great groomer board but does detract some of the ability to float in powder.  Still, it’s better than the old camber TRS.  Part of me would love to see a set back on the TRS models because then directional float would be a lot better and it would make this board complete. All the TRS boards hold up really well all over the mountain and are very similar to many all-mountain boards except for the setback. With my stance width and the centered stance, I can only set the board back one set of screws which isn’t much so be prepared to ride the board centered if you have an average stance width like I do at 23″ for the 157.

Carving:  Just like the regular TRS it doesn’t compete with C3 boards but it’s really close and there is a nice spring out of a carve and you can really lay it out over the snow. Laying down trench carves is very doable and that extra camber really enhances the carve over C2 BTX boards.  It’s pretty close to camber and mostly camber boards.

Speed:   I felt a little chatter in the tip and tail that I don’t with the TRS but it’s still good with speed.

Uneven Terrain:  Pretty good with bumpy uneven snow. It’s more on the lively poppy side but The TRS FP can handle the messy end of the day snow and bumps too.

Switch: Maybe it’s my eyes playing tricks on me but this doesn’t seem like a true twin.  There seems to be more nose in the tail and it also looks like it might have a slightly directional side cut but after all that, the board rides switch just as well either way.

Jumps:  What I like about XC2 BTX and all TRS boards is that extra camber has a nice snap in the tip/tail.  You can pop from the center or the tip and tail equally well and I really liked snapping off natural features into the air with the TRS HP.  The lighter feel made it feel like it was a touch easier to ollie than the TRS.

Jibbing:   Didn’t jib with this.  Even if I owned this board I probably wouldn’t because of the price tag.  I’d just stick to pipe and jumps.

Pipe:  Didn’t ride pipe with this but I can easily guess that it will be just as fun as the TRS.  Having the lighter board underfoot might even make it a touch better.

I think most will be just fine with the TRS HP, however, some of you with deep pockets might be into the FP model.  It’s just a marginal bump in terms of creating a slightly more snappy dynamic feel but it comes at a pretty high price for it.