Lib Tech TRS Snowboard Review

2014 to 2016 Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX Snowboard Review

The Lib Tech TRS is a great hard snowboard, and it’s often recommended for those who don’t see a lot of snow. It grips like a champ and is also a strong mountain freestyle ride. I often pick it up when conditions firm up.

The 2014-2016 Lib Tech TRS is one of those boards that goes beyond its Twin shape and appeals to a wide variety of riders. It’s a great all-mountain freestyle choice for those who want a really solid edge hold, ride switch a lot, and keep the board centered in all conditions.

Reviews of the Lib Tech TRS XC2-BTX, Lib Tech TRS C2 Power BTX, and the Lib Tech TRS BTX 

Ethics Statement

We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews, but we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links. This is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

The Lib Tech TRS has had a design change journey over the years I’ve reviewed. It went from Camber to MTX with Camber, to BTX, to C2 Power BTX, and now to XC2 BTX. This part of the review is about the 2014 and 2015 Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX and how it changed from the C2 Power BTX. Mervin keeps things pretty lively and new. The Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX is the next evolution of C2 BTX, and it’s a nice upgrade from C2 Power BTX. The rocker between the feet was shortened and the camber was extended. It’s a step further away from C2 BTX and a large step behind the new C3 BTX.

Not much changed from 2015 – 2016 Lib Tech TRS over 2014, except they now have wide’s.

Size: 157
Days:  5
Conditions: Hard Pack to near-perfect snow. No real powder.
Riders: James, Peter, and Jimbos
Boots: Burton Ion, Burton SLX, Nike Kaiju,
Bindings: Flux SF and Burton Cartel Re: Flex
Set Up: about 23″ wide, 15 front -15 back centered

Weight– 6.4 lbs

On Snow Feel

The Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX has the same general ride and feel underfoot, which is about as good as a hybrid rocker can get, as we have experienced. It almost has the stability of some hybrid camber boards. You can feel it get slightly loose between the feet in harder conditions, but not too much compared to most hybrid rocker shapes.

This XC2 BTX feels more stable than the C2 Power BTX, and the tip/tail is barely off the ground.  It’s one of the only stable hybrid rocker boards we have.  Despite what looks like a pretty significant bend between the feet, it’s pretty easy to do one foot with a flat base and feels a lot more stable than it looks. It’s got the same semi-aggressive All Mountain Twin kind of feel that wants you to ride groomers as much as you hit the park.  It’s an excellent pipe and a great jump board as well. It allows you to be pretty aggressive without the consequences of riding an aggressive board, which is what snowboarding is all about to us.

Powder

The rather aggressive MTX side cut can get a little grippy/grabby in thicker, more bottomless powder. It just didn’t stand up to many other hybrid rocker twins/twin-ish rides in powder, and it took some work to stay afloat. Don’t think of this as a real all-mountain board that can be set back in powder. This has very little setback on board vs. most all-mountain boards to get a more effortless float.

Turn Initiation and Carving

So, this has a good improvement in carving out a harder turn. You can feel the extra bit of camber in the profile spring out of the turns. This, to us, feels like it’s on the low end of great, but it’s about as good as we have felt with a hybrid rocker twin carving. The Lib Tech Hot Knife is better with a carve but this isn’t bad.  It feels pretty easy and somewhat quick edge to edge. The Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX has a nice spring out of every turn for short, medium, and wide radius turns.

Speed

It seems like the Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX has the same great base as the older models, and the board feels pretty damp and pretty stable at higher speeds when you go into a straight line.  I’d rather be on the Hot Knife if I wanted a bomber twin, but this holds its speed really well for a twin. The base holds its speed really well in flat sections, too.

Uneven Terrain

If you are resort riding, which most of us are, it’s almost inevitable that you will encounter crowded uneven crappy days.  The Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX does a great job dealing with bumps, and it weaves in and out of them pretty well.  It also can go over bumps pretty well.

Edge Hold

There are varying levels of Magne traction these days, and this is more on the aggressive side of the MTX world. It has exceptional grip and could be an excellent ride for those who encounter harder to icy conditions a lot. It’s not as grippy in soft snow as the old MTX, but it still grabs more than the .5 MTX side cuts you see on other boards.

Flex

Feels medium stiff at first, but like all Lib Tech boards, it softens up the more you ride it.  After about 20 days, it will break in and become more like a medium-flexing board.  Even from day one, it’s pretty easy to butter, press, and play around on the mountain.

Switch

So, in our video, we weren’t that accurate in describing the shape of the board. I believe the Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX is a true twin when it comes to contact with the snow, but the nose turns up a little higher than the tail. So, to me, it feels exactly the same as regular or switch, but to Peter, it feels different. The higher/longer nose might have gotten into his head, or he might have been off that day, but it’s something worth mentioning.

Jibbing

It’s not the best jib board, but you can play around in the jib park if you don’t hit super technical jibs. I’d rather be on other boards like the Box Scratcher.

Pipe

This is a great pipe board for riders of all levels. An aggressive expert or semi-pro and up might prefer something more aggressive like the Hot Knife, but most riders will love this in the pipe. It’s got an amazing grip on the walls and drives from wall to wall very well. It also has a pretty forgiving quality that boosts confidence with riders of all levels.

Jumps

This model is borderline excellent. It has a really snappy feel that is a little better than the older models. It’s pretty easy to ollie and pretty stable approaching small to massive kickers.

All in all, we were very impressed with the Lib Tech TRS XC2 BTX and feel that it is a good improvement over the previous C2 BTX models. You get more stability and a better all-around ride.

2013 to 2010 Lib Tech TRS C2 Power BTX Review

Board’s Tried- 159 MTX, 159 BTX, 159 C2 Power BTX, 157 C2 Power BTX, 154 C2 Power BTX and others….I’m starting to lose track.

Day’s Ridden- 60+
Conditions: Everything from 2+ feet of thick powder to pretty hard icy snow.
Bindings Used- Burton Cartel, Burton Co2, Flux TT30, Union Atlas, Union Force SL, Burton Ruler, Flux DS30, Flux DMCC Light, Burton Cartel Limited
Boots Used-Burton Ruler, Burton SL-X, Burton Ion, Burton Grail, Burton Ambush, Celsius Opus, DC Judge, Forum Kicker, Vans Cirro, Burton Imperial
Riders: James (who owned a few of these), Mary, Eli, Peter, Kyle, Jimbo, and many others.
Set Up– Regular and Goofy.  23″ Wide 12 front -12 back, 15 front, -15 back, 15 front, and -9 back.  A few other setups as well.

The Lib Tech TRS has more awards than some companies have in their entire lineup. The TRS can play very well to a ripper and an intermediate rider looking to get past skidding their turns. Not many boards can be forgiving for an intermediate or fun for an aggressive expert rider. The TRS shows that you don’t need a totally aggressive board to ride aggressively. The Lib Tech TRS is very well-rounded for a twin, but we felt it’s best for riding the mountain regularly or switch and then stopping at the pipe or jump park on the way back to the chair.

The 2012 and 2013 Lib Tech TRS didn’t change much from 2011, but because the 2011 update was significant.  We are big fans of the C2 Power Banana upgrade and feel this shape is by far the best choice.

For 2011, the Lib Tech TRS dropped BTX, skipped C2 BTX, and went straight to C2 Power BTX.

On Snow Feel

So, the Lib Tech TRS has a very stable hybrid rocker feel compared to regular C2 BTX.  C2 Power BTX with the TRS is not 100% stable, but it’s pretty close. In good conditions, it’s stable between the feet and only a little loose between the feet when it’s hard.  So, all in all, it’s a pretty stable but forgiving ride.  The TRS is the kind of board that’s pretty fun everywhere.  Hit the jumps, hit the pipe, and then ride in any condition on the mountain.  It feels like an all-mountain board’s flex with a Twin Shape that can fit a wide variety of riders.

Powder

Even though all models of the Lib Tech TRS have a centered stance, it does pretty well in the powder, thanks to its hybrid rocker. It planes very well for a twin. The TRS is easy to turn in powder.  The 2011-2013 shape is a twin, but the tip rises up a little higher than the tail.  This does give a slight advantage over some twins for powder riding, but we’d still like to see a setback stance for those deeper days. Let’s face it: most of us don’t rock pow switch, and we could use this advantage in directional pow riding. If you ride in thicker West Coast snow that gets deep often, you might find it more work than a board with a setback.  If you ride in light, fluffy snow like you find in Utah and the Rockies, it’s just fine.

Turn Initiation and Carving

When you want to be somewhere, just lean a tiny bit, and you’ll be there without much effort. It’s almost too easy with the board’s control and its reverse camber. The wash-out factor has been improved tremendously with C2 Power BTX when it comes to carving out a hard turn. With C2 BTX and C2 Power BTX, the tail points back down, and you can carve more like you would on a traditional camber snowboard.  The 2011 & 2012 Lib Tech TRS fixed this issue while making it incredibly easy to turn. Still, it’s missing something that makes it excellent for carving, but it’s still great for a twin freestyle board.

Speed

We liked the old camber MTX, which was way faster than the BTX, but the C2 Power BTX TRS is very similar to the camber model. If you are all about high-speed descent from top to bottom with a stop in the park to hit a kicker and the pipe, then the C2 Power BTX will do a good job.

The Lib Tech TRS has a good base and damp medium flex that can pick up and keep its speed rather well in most conditions. It’s not the best in its class for getting you across a really long flat cat track, but it is definitely in the upper area of its class.  The design of the C2 Power BTX makes it one of the more stable hybrid rocker boards we tried, so it does very well with flat basing and does not get squirrely at high speeds. It’s really close to many hybrid camber boards we tried.

Uneven Terrain:

The Lib TechTRS can handle bumpy, crowded end-of-the-day snow without much effort or get you through that wrong turn down a field of bumps. Pair this up with some good shock absorbent bindings, and you have a board that can insulate you from most crappy snow.

Approximate Weight

The Lib Tech TRS is closer to the heavy side when it comes to weight. However, who really cares about weight when a board performs like this?  We can say that all Lib Tech snowboards are sturdy, so maybe that is why there is a little extra weight.  Lib Tech, Gnu, and Never Summer seem to make some of the most sturdy boards out there.

Edge Hold

The Lib Tech TRS C2 BTX Power Banana is really mixing it up these days with a side cut that is very strong and noticeable, like it was with the BTX and MTX.  For example, the Lib Tech Jamie Lynn cut is almost unnoticeable, but the TRS is very visible and one of their more aggressive side cuts.  It can really hold an edge in almost any condition, like an icy pipe or snowment day, even though the most important contact points are turned up. It’s also very hard to catch an edge even when you try. One complaint is that when you are in packed powder, crud, or thick snow, it can be a little grabby and make the board more difficult to turn.  Some don’t mind this, but others will take issue in softer conditions.  The TRS is an excellent east coast all-mountain freestyle ride.

Flex

The Lib Tech TRS is on the stiff side of the medium at first, but after 20+ days of hard riding, it will mellow out and become more medium/soft. It feels stiff when riding fast and soft if you want to slow down and butter.

Switch

Even though the 2011 and 2012 TRS have a longer nose than the tail, they still ride just like twin boards should. Lib Tech does this with some of its boards. The shape is twin, but the tail will not rise up as high as the nose. It looks like it shouldn’t ride switch well, but it does. The pre-2011 boards are twin-ish and don’t feel like the 2011 or 2012 models. We’d say they are more on the Good side.

Pipe

The Lib Tech TRS is one of the best boards around for pipe riding. If you want to lap the pipe, get the TRS.  The rather aggressive MTX side cut makes the TRS hold the wall climbing, and the hybrid rocker makes it very forgiving on your way back down.  We had a lot of fun with the TRS and saw pipe riding as one of its best qualities.  If you have a good pipe board, it usually translates to a good all-mountain freestyle board as well, and this is no exception.

Rails/Jibbing

The medium flex and BTX shape make the TRS pretty jib-friendly. It’s not a skate banana, but it does a pretty good job for its flex. We would say this is closer to the average side of good when it comes to riding larger or more technical jibs and rails. If you buy this board for jumps and the pipe but occasionally like to hit the jib park, then you should be happy with the jib park performance.

Jumps

The Lib Tech TRS C2 Power has a good amount of spring for generating your own air, but it’s not the super poppy, playful ride that the Riders Choice is. We are comparing it to probably Mervin’s most poppy board, so take that with a grain of salt.  It still has a lot of snap to it. It’s really fun hitting jumps of any size in or out of the park and is a rather close second to its performance in the pipe.  We haven’t found anything really wrong with the TRS when it comes to jumping – it’s very fun. It seems like Mervin sacrificed a little pop here for more stability at speed, and most of us (especially me) are more than okay with that. The BTX was good when it came to jumping, but we like the new C2 Power BTX and old MTX Camber better.

All in all, the Lib Tech TRS is a very fun, semi-aggressive, all-around, go-big, freestyle board that really excels in the pipe and roller coaster park. Even though this is a twin, it really fits a wide range of riders. If you are okay not setting your stance back in deep powder, this could be a great choice for turning the mountain into a high-speed park.

Lib Tech TRS BTX Review vs. Lib Tech TRS C2 BTX Power Banana

BTX

BTX is a different kind of ride, even different from other rocker boards. The MTX in the center of this board changes how you ollie, make turns, stay free of your edges, float in powder, and ride on harder snow.

Some of these changes can also become a complaint.  For example, the bend in the center of the board makes the ride very loose, but in hard conditions, the board can feel really squirrelly.  The BTX holds an edge very well but isn’t much fun for carving due to the liner turn the continuous rocker makes and due to the lack of the tail pressing back down into the snow to keep you from washing out.  BTX is great in the park, but not so much fun all around the mountain.  Considering BTX for an all-mountain freestyle ride is not the best option these days, but before 2011, it was something to consider.

vs.

C2 Power BTX

This is the next evolution of C2 BTX.  C2 Power Banana is a more aggressive version of C2 BTX.  It has a more flat profile to increase stability at speed, which makes it feel closer to the camber when flat-basing and on one footing. C2 Power BTX can do everything BTX can in the park but has fewer of the issues BTX has when riding aggressively on the mountain.  You can lay out an aggro nipple tweaking carve on a morning groomer without your tail washing out.  It’s still not ideal in a hard pack, but it’s much better than BTX and C2 BTX.  C2 Power BTX floats well in powder and still has a catch-free ride.

All in all, the C2 BTX is a solid all-mountain, all-conditions choice, while BTX is much more park-specific. We would choose the C2 BTX over BTX any day because it is a more stable, do-anything ride.

For history’s sake, here are the past models.

2008-2010 Lib Tech TRS BTX- Continuous Rocker Twin Like Directional centered stance

2006-2007 Lib Tech TRS MTX- Camber Twin Like Directional centered stance.