Loaded Algernon 2019 - 2016 Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, 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 for the 157 (we only do this for favorites)

Size: 157 and 154 
Days:  30+
Conditions: Everything from 2′ of thick Sierra Powder, to Sierra Cement, to Light PNW Powder to perfect groomers to some pretty hard bordering on icy snow.  Pretty much everything except extended runs of solid ice.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs), Steph, Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs), Amber Jean, and a few others
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX, Burton Rover, Burton AMB, Burton Almighty, Burton Ion, DC Judge, Adidas Acerra, Vans Implant, Vans Sequel, Salomon F3.0, Burton Fiend LTD, Burton SLX, Burton AMB, Burton Imperial
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Union Falcor,  Union Superpro, Burton Genesis, Burton Genesis X, Burton Cartel, Union Contact Pro, Union T.Rice, Burton Mission, Salomon Hologram, Salomon Defender, Salomon District, Salomon Quantum, Burton Malavita, Burton Death Falcon, Burton Diode
Set Up: 22″, 22.5″, 22.75″ and 23″wide. Centered 15 front -15 back, Centered 12 front -12 back, Set all the way back on mini-discs 18 front -9 back, Set all the way back on full-size discs 18 front -6 back, and set almost all the way back with a slightly wider stance width.

Approximate Weight: Felt Heavy on the Demo board but the others felt normal. It’s not made to be light but instead made to be reliable and good in chunder.

Flex/Buttering: The flex in the shop says it’s not going to be that easy to butter but on snow, it’s better than you would think for it’s medium to medium-stiff flex.  As the board breaks in the tip and tail become easier to butter but on snow from the start they do feel a bit softer in the middle.  Mainly because of the rocker in the tip/tail.

On Snow Feel: The Loaded Algernon has got a good amount of camber that goes past the bindings and then there is a mellow rocker that gives you a little more of a full camber feel underfoot than many hybrid camber rides but still, it’s a long way off from full camber. There is a very stable feel underfoot that is easy to one foot and flat base.  A few years ago with most hybrid camber boards had more rocker in them than camber this, to some might of been thought of as pretty aggressive.  However nowadays with so many boards out there with a good bit of camber this feels about par for the course.  Still, it’s very easy to one foot and flat base.  It’s got that all conditions consistency between the feet that many riders will appreciate. Also, you can see how well it blends in with a wood bench near the Gondy.

Powder:  The loaded Algernon floats very well and it had no issues staying above 2 feet of semi-thick wind affected Sierra snow that really challenges your ride to stay afloat. The Loaded Algernon has 6 inserts centered and then 2 set back inserts per binding (8 total) so although there aren’t exact specs from Loaded my guess is 2 extra set back inserts per binding could get to approximately -1.5″ back on sidecut but I think Loaded says it’s more like 1.3″ back which is a ton on sidecut. When set all the way back at a 22″ stance width you could get back -3.375″ fron center of board which is really far back. That is more than many freeride boards we have ridden (we ride a lot of em too) and about the same as boards like the Burton Flight Attendant. So even with this mostly camber ride the bigger nose and massive set back on board makes for some easy float.  So that combined with a little more rocker in the nose and a bigger nose it’s got float that counteracts the camber.  In some thick leftover 1′ powder the Loaded Algernon even floated very well with a centered stance.

Turn Initiation: Over the years I have now ridden the Loaded Algernon with many bindings and boots and it was always on the rather quick side when it comes getting the board from one edge to the other without much effort. Short radius turns are very fast and fun and if paired with a good binding it would snap even better edge to edge.

Turning Experience: The Loaded Algernon is a really fun board to turn and it has a good spring out of the turn.  It feels like it favors a center-weighted turn but you can also put more weight off the back foot and it is pretty fun there too.

Skidded Turns– Not for the rider who mostly skids their turns. That’s how you can get into trouble with this board but it’s got enough rocker in the tip/tail for you do not have to always be on your game.  The tip/tail are pretty forgiving compared to camber but have more consequence than many other hybrid shapes.

Carving: Super fun to lay into a hard carving turn and you can really feel that extra camber springs out of the turn compared to many hybrid camber boards. We could carve all day on this ride. It feels a bit quicker through the turn than a full camber ride but it is still super fun and rewarding.

Speed: Fast damp and stable for bombing. Very fast for its size and very fun board. Very little chatter in the tip/tail.

Uneven Terrain: When we said we could carve all day on this board we meant it.  Even though this is on the stiff side it’s forgiving in the uneven snow.  It’s the kind of board that can turn quickly through bumps and hammer through chunder.

Edge Hold: Really good grip in the snow we had and it’s got the kind of edge hold that works with everything really well but starts to lose its hold in ice. Still, for a traditional sidecut without any disruption, it does better than most and it comes out of the factory sharp but not catchy.

Switch: Not perfect but pretty easy each way.

Jibbing: No thank you….or in other words fuck that. Too stiff for my taste.  Jimbo would jib with this but this stiff flex is a confidence drainer for the weaker jibbers like myself.

Pipe: I could lap the pipe with this all day and have.  It really helps you get up and down the pipe walls.  For me personally, if it had some mellow disruption in the sidecut to provide a touch more grip it would be perfect.

Jumps: Nice pop for the weight and we all liked how it popped with an ollie. Centered or close to center the Loaded Algernon will pop well, approach a kicker with stability. Even though the Nose is longer than the tail it’s still very doable for landing switch. Not as good as a twin but pretty good for an all mountain board and pretty close to a true twin.  Also, it has some flex to it to handle pretty big kickers if you have a good health insurance plan.

So, all in all, this is a great choice for those looking for a very versatile one board quiver that has a camber feel with less catch if you get off your game than full camber.  You can center up the Loaded Algernon and ride it almost as well as a true twin but when it gets deep you can set it back further than most all mountain boards and even more than many freeride boards.