Summary

The Lib Tech TRS HP has been one of those boards that is always on the recommendation list. While it doesn't do that well in powder it does provide a great board for those who see a lot of hard to icy snow, like to keep it centered, and take a more freestyle approach to the mountain. It's also a great board for jumps and pipe.

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Riding Style All Mountain Freestyle
Riding Level Beginner - Expert
Fits Boot size (US) 8-10, 10-12
Manufactured in USA by Mervin
Shape Directional Twin
Camber Profile Hybrid Rocker
Stance Centered
Approx. Weight Feels Normal
Split No
Powder Poor
Base Glide Good
Carving Good
Speed Good
Uneven Terrain Good
Switch Great
Jumps Great
Jibbing Good
Pipe Excellent
On Snow Feel

Semi-Stable

Turn Initiation

Medium/Fast

Skidded Turns

Semi-Easy

Flex

Medium

Buttering

Moderate

Edge Hold

Icy Snow

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Lib Tech TRS Additional Vids and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

The 2018 model we reviewed and rode extensively is practically the same as the 2020 Lib Tech TRS HP so the vid reviews still stand. The written review has been expanded and updated to reflect what’s happening in 2020.

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.

How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then we liked it so much we asked to keep it (we only do this with our favorites).

Size: 157
Days:  15+
Conditions:   Pretty good snow to super hard snow.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs, Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Acerra, Burton SLX, Burton Almighty, Burton Rover, Burton AMB,
Insoles: Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union AtlasUnion StrataUnion Superpro with team ankle straps (similar to the contact but with taller straps), Burton Genesis,  Burton Genesis X, Burton CartelUnion Contact, Union Contact Pro,
Set-Up
: 22″ to 22.75” Centered 15 front -15 back

Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared This ToLib Tech Terrain Wrecker, Lib Tech Hot KnifeRossignol Jibsaw, Lib Tech Box Knife

Approximate Weight: Feels pretty normal and maybe a touch on the light side of normal.

Sizing:  So the TRS comes in a lot of sizes but for 2020 the Narrows are gone because Lib Tech now offers women’s boards so I think that’s why it’s been removed. The regular sizes do well for most riders starting at size 8 and go up as the size increases to 10 and they all can handle a good amount of weight. The mid/wide sizes are best for size 10.5 to 11ish and I don’t feel super comfortable recommending 12 and up.  The 157 felt just right for me (size 9) and Peter (size 8.5) but Jimbo and Zobel with their 11 range boots needed the 157mw.

Flex/Buttering: The Lib Tech TRS HP has a much more aggressive flex than you would think for it being a hybrid rocker board when you give it a butter. Usually, there is an easier flex but it takes a while to break in this board so it will butter easier. There is a lot of pop to this board and it has that very unique Lib Tech/Gnu/Mervin personality that snaps back hard after you flex it. It feels like the materials wrapped around the wood preserved and accentuated that wood feel instead of masked it.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns: So the C2x camber profile has a short quick-rising rocker that comes down into a longer camber than C2 but it doesn’t touch the ground. The wood in hybrid rocker bends differently from board to board but generally, the Lib Tech TRS has a little more stable feel underfoot. It’s still somewhat loose underfoot when you are in harder snow and needs to be on edge when one footing off the char or going down a long cat track but it’s better than many hybrid rocker boards. It’s still a little shy of being truly stable in all conditions like the Lib Tech Box Knife or Jibsaw but its a little more stable than the 2018 and 2019 Terrain Wrecker we owned. The 2020 with C2 might be a little more stable and we’ll know soon when our production model arrives. This is still pretty easy to skid turns when you get off your game and it works for a beginner with a healthy budget up to an expert rider.

Edge Hold: The MTX here has been refined over the years a bit but it’s still one of the most pronounced and grippy MTX in the Lib-Tech Line. Even though it can be loose in harder snow it’s just such a gripper when on edge that it makes for a very confidence-inspiring ride in hard to icy snow. You just have to get used to that loose spinny feel and keep it on edge. It felt a little bit better than the Hot Knife but it’s pretty close and a decent bump against the Box Knife. The Jibsaw out gripped it and had a more stable ride but there was a noticeable difference in pop in the TRS’s favor. It can grab a little in hard snow. Some get used to it and some don’t. That’s why this is a hard snow favorite because it really makes the overall snowment to icy snow experience more bearable.

Turn Initiation: Pretty quick edge to edge and we liked how it went where you needed it when you needed it to go there. If you are thinking about this or the T.Rice go with this if you like to turn quicker and tighter and go T.Rice if you like a board that likes to straight-line more.

Turning Experience/Carving: So the edge hold makes this a consistent carver in all conditions but it just doesn’t carve like the Hot Knife or even the Box Knife which is in between the two. The hybrid rocker profile carves well but coming off the Hot Knife and then going right to the Lib Tech TRS makes you realize how much more energy and spring out of a turn you get with mostly camber. It comes with more consequence but it sure is more fun. You feel a little bend in the tip/tail and a little bit of spring and carves are definitely satisfying but if a carving a twin is your thing you might want something more on the mostly to full camber side of the spectrum. It will flex harder into the turn and spring harder out. The TRS is much more forgiving though so it’s all about what is the best compromise for you.

Powder: So The Lib Tech TRS is not the best board for getting good directional float. The centered stance and pretty close to twin shape don’t make this the board you should get if you want to set it back. Instead, if you like the Idea of the TRS but want to set it back then it’s all about the Terrain Wrecker. You can get so much more directional float out of that ride when set all the way back compared to the TRS. There is only a 2.5″ difference between nose and tail making the set back from center of the board only about 1.25″ which isn’t much. That combined with the not so floaty nose/tail you need to work harder on your back leg to keep the Lib Tech TRS afloat compared to most hybrid rocker twins. In comparison, the Terrain Wrecker set’s back much better on board and it has a much more floaty nose. Or if you want a twin that will float better in powder then it’s all about the Box Knife or maybe even the Double Dip.

Speed: Pretty fast and stable for a hybrid rocker camber profile. There is some chatter but it was clearly designed to handle decent mountain speed. The base has good glide to it and while it isn’t the best we have been on it’s very good for those who don’t wax every other day. The highs might not be as high when it’s properly waxed but the lows are less low when it isn’t. In the past, the base was called TNT but now it’s called Eco Sublimated Sintered and is very similar to the older base. Some people called the TNT base extruded but we never felt it performed like an extruded base. It was pretty fast and we rode it a lot on the same day against many boards over the years. It always had good glide to it.

Uneven Terrain: The Lib Tech TRS is pretty good weaving in and out of bumps and it’s decent going over them. It’s poppy flex can be a little susceptible to micro chatter but it’s not a cranky mess either. Good for all-day resort riding on a weekend.

Switch: Very good but didn’t quite feel like a true twin. Still, with a little time on it, you won’t know the difference anymore.

Jumps: The Lib Tech TRS just pops up into the air on an ollie and it’s an everyman’s type of board for getting air. It is great for natural terrain as well as up to medium/large kickers in the park. It’s good for those that want to air it out a lot but also want something more forgiving for those not so perfect jumps we all have.

Jibbing: A little stiff for jibing out of the box but maybe after 30+ days on it when it starts to soften up.

Pipe: For us, we like this in the pipe even better than we do getting air. It’s so forgiving and so easy to ride for just about any ability level.

 
Lib Tech TRS HP Past Reviews

From 2017-2019 the TRS and TRS HP have merged into one board at a lower price than the old HP and only a little higher than the old TRS. It’s still a little loose underfoot but one of the more stable hybrid rocker rides in the Lib line and I’m often on this when I’m in the mood to ride the pipe or the snow is hard.

Size: 159
Days:  1
Conditions: Good early conditions with soft snow in most places.
Riders: James, Jimbo,
Boots: Burton SLX,
Bindings:  Burton Genesis
Set Up: Centered 15 front -15 Back

Approximate Weight:  Feels normal bordering on light and a little lighter than the regular TRS

On Snow Feel: Same great stable feel between the feet that many hybrid rocker boards don’t often have. Just a little behind the hybrid camber boards out there but still much better than C2 or EC2 when it comes to one footing and flat basing.

Powder: No powder to ride but since it has the same shape and camber profile as the standard TRS it’s not that great when it comes to float for a hybrid rocker board. That’s where it could use some work with either a set back stance or a bigger nose/tail.  It could

Turn Initiation: Just like the TRS but a little

Skidded Turns: Very easy to make skidded turns even with the extra camber.

Carving: It’s a good carver and better than all their C2 technologies but not in the same game as their C3 tech.  Still good enough to have fun carving all day if the mood strikes you and it will also carve better in harder conditions than many boards out there.

Speed: Feels just as fast as the standard TRS

Uneven Terrain: Pretty good when it gets bumpy and you can

Edge Hold: Strong edge hold that’s great in hard to icy conditions but it can be a little bit grabby in softer snow.

Flex: Feels stiffer than the older model I had by a good bit and feels just about the same as the standard TRS this time. This is good as the other TRS HP I had just didn’t quite have the mountain speed that the other TRS had.

Switch: Very easy swtich. Very close to being a true twin. Same flex, side cut and such but just a little longer nose than tail so pretty much a true twin.

Jibbing: It’s a pretty expensive board to jib with.

Pipe: Outstanding pipe ride that drives well enough from wall to wall and also grips well too.

So its a tough call to recommend the HP version over the regular because they are so similar except for the weight.

2015 and 2014 Lib Tech TRS Horsepower Review

The Lib Tech TRS Horsepower has the same camber profile and shape as the TRS but the Horsepower version is lighter snappier and a little less damp. I found this my go to board this season for when the snow got hard as well as a fun twin for mountain and park riding.

Size: 157 & 159
Days: 15+
Conditions: Man made snow that was well groomed in the morning to choppy bumpy snow mid day. A little bit of Pow, Hard ass snow and some softer days too.
Riders: James, Peter and a few other friends
Boots: Burton Imperial, Burton Hail, Nike Lunarendore
Bindings: Burton Genesis, Flux DS, Union Contact Pro, Union Force, Union Factory Burton Cartel, Burton Malavita and a few others.
Set Up: centered 23″ wide 15 front -15 back

Weight: 6.2 lbs Feels normal like most boards out there.

On Snow Feel: Same great stable feel on the snow and it almost doesn’t feel like a hybrid rocker board. It feels much closer to the hybrid camber boards I have ridden. It’s much easier to one foot and flat base than most C2 BTX and a little easier than many C2 Power BTX boards I have ridden. It’s got a quick poppy snappy feel to it but it’s also got an easier flex than the regular TRS.

Powder: I only had one day with about 6″ of thick sierra cement….I mean powder and with a centered stance it wasn’t that taxing on my back foot in wind loaded areas that were more like a foot.

Turn Initiation and Carving: Nice and quick edge to edge and a very easy turning board. Short to wider radius turns are very easy. I really like this quick snappy feel and it held really well on a carve. You can really feel the camber at the tip/tail engage and help you spring out of a turn much better than many hybrid rocker boards I tried. It’s a fun feeling. Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t compare to a good camber board but it’s at the top of the hybrid rocker category as well as right there with many mostly camber hybrid camber boards I rode. It’s easy into the turn and feels like it might get washy but the more you commit to the turn the more the camber comes into play.

Speed: It didn’t feel as damp as the regular TRS and the more I rode this the more I could feel it. At first I wasn’t sure but after getting on a regular TRS I could feel it. I felt more of the snow underfoot as I picked up speed as the snow got a little tracked on the groomers. The regular TRS did better here. The base though was fast and picked up speed really quickly. If you pair this up with bindings like the Union Force or Union Factory you can get less chatter underfoot but I found the Cartel to be the best balance between speed, butterability and edge to edge transitioning.

Uneven Terrain: This was really easy to deal with pushed around bumpy snow that started to accumulate mid day. It’s easy to work your way through bumpy snow at slower speeds but if you want to power through it at higher speeds it’s not the best fit. You could feel the MTX grabbing here and there in softer bumpy snow but it’s still pretty quick negotiating bumps.

Edge Hold: Grabbed anything on the hill. Even with snowment patches the TRS horsepower grabbed without a problem. Some times like with many MTX boards it grabbed a little too much in softer snow but you do get use to it. For me this was one of my favorite boards to take out when conditions were harder.

Flex: It felt like the Lib Tech TRS Horsepower flexed a little softer on the hill than the TRS. It felt a little more playful and poppy but a bit on the softer side of medium. Pretty easy to butter especially with the Burton Genesis I had on.

Switch: Easy board to ride switch and it’s a mostly true twin. The tip is taller than the tail for better directional powder float but the Tail is a little shorter. It can get in your head that it’s different but when riding switch I didn’t feel much or any of a difference either way.

Jibbing: The slightly softer flex made it easier to hit a mild jib with the horsepower than the regular TRS but this is such an expensive board I wanted to keep it mainly for pipe, jump and mountain riding.

Pipe: This winter sucked for me riding pipe and I only had one day in the pipe with it. I was not in tune with pipe riding and thought I would suck but the TRS is just a confidence booster that makes you ride better than you would think and I had a much better time than I thought I would fumbling through the pipe.

Jumps: Really good pringy pop and the TRS Horsepower was easy to ollie with and hit small natural features as well as hit small to medium jumps. You could tell there is a little softer flex than the regular TRS but it’s still got an easier spring to it and would cater to a lighter rider better than the regular TRS.

So all in all this was a very fun board to ride.

 
Lib Tech TRS HP Specs

 
Lib Tech TRS HP Images

We try to get as many images of the Lib Tech TRS HP, but forgive us if they're not all there.

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Lib Tech TRS HP User Reviews

Lib Tech TRS HP 2014-2020 Snowboard Review SKU UPC Model

Good all rounder

Sep 16, 2020 by Scott
Ability Level: Intermediate/advanced • 
Riding Style: Agressive all mountain freestyle • 
Days You Ride A Year: 20-30 • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 181 cm 78kg us 9.5 

this is a great little all rounder though I prefer the feel of a camber dominant board the rocker does give it a nice feel when you're skidding about through tight spots or lining up a feature. Where this lacks most is when powder is starting to get deep which is a shame because it makes this hard to have this as a one board quiver. Outside of that its great, you need to keep your back foot on the rocker to skate on this thing utilising just the front camber zone.... hated skating on this thing until I figured that out. I tried a few bindings on it falcors were the best match of the lot. Bit irrelevant now its a c3 board was actually coming to see if review was updated for that didn't see one in a store interested to know what the c3 is like on this seasons version.


Best board ever

Dec 15, 2018 by Oleg cassini
Ability Level: Advanced • 
Riding Style: All mountain • 
Days You Ride A Year: 30 - 35 days • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 182 cm 72kg us10 

Trs is a great all mountain board. I have been riding it more than 3 years now, rode a burton custom x before. Custom x is a good board as well, but no where near trs. Trs has a much better grip, stability and versitality. You feel very confident at jumps and magnatraction really works on hard pack. Also performs pretty well in pow! I would say it is medium to stiff board, therefore pretty stable and fast board, but not the best choice for ground tricks and jibbing.


2018 TRS: TRUE LOVE!

Jan 22, 2018 by Marco
Ability Level: Intermediate - Advanced • 
Riding Style: All Mountanin Freestyle • 
Days You Ride A Year: 15+ • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 5'7, 160lbs, size 9 boots 

This board is the BEES KNEES and all other bee joints! I\'ve ridden the Attack banana for a couple of years and decided to finally upgrade to the TRS. After a couple hours of research and also seeing that this board keeps winning the Transworld \"All mountain good wood\" award over and over (look it up), I decided to give it a go. It also helped that the good ride gave it \"Great\" in most categories and I would also challenge their carving review and make that Great to Excellent.

Paired with the Burton Cartels this thing is an absolute DREAM. It carves with ease, shredding anywhere on the mountain. The edge hold seems unexplainable, coupled with the HP lightweight construction it makes precision carving on any condition a breeze. This cannot be understated because it gives me the confidence that carving in any condition will HOLD and so I can go faster, I can navigate through trees knowing I can easily make quick turns and control the speed in transition.

That control makes time in the park all the better, going into boxes, rails and jumps exactly where I want to initiate makes all the difference.

With all the accolades I knew this was going to be a solid board but honestly it\'s that and more. I\'m in love with this thing. I don\'t know how Libtech and Mervin Mfg made this, what kind of voodoo magic they put in it but it SHRREEEDS on any condition, makes it easy to control down the Wall (kirkwood), through trees at Northstar, and even through the POW at Vail.


4.9 5.0 7 7 this is a great little all rounder though I prefer the feel of a camber dominant board the rocker does give it a nice feel when you're skidding about through tight spots or lining Lib Tech TRS HP 2014-2020 Snowboard Review

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