Positives
- Soft playful tapered directional one board quiver ride
- Lifted sides of nose turn well in soft snow and don’t feel edgeless and washy on hard snow
Negatives
- Nose butters can be washy in medium to hard snow
Summary
The Rome Ravine’s softer more playful flex in comparison to most tapered directional freeride boards makes for a pretty fun and unique ride.Update 2024: The Rome Ravine has little to no change since we reviewed this so the review is still relevant.
Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.
Blauer Board Shop
Snowboards.com
Behind The Pines
BlueTomato Belgium
BlueTomato France
BlueTomato Sweden
BlueTomato Denmark
PRFO Sports Canada
Riding Style | Freeride |
Riding Level | Advanced - Expert |
Fits Boot size (US) | 8-10, 10-12 |
Manufactured in | |
Shape | Tapered Directional |
Camber Profile | Directional Camber |
Stance | Setback -20mm |
Approx. Weight | Feels Light |
Split | No |
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On Snow Feel | |
Turn Initiation | |
Skidded Turns |
Flex | |
Buttering | |
Edge Hold |
Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.
Blauer Board Shop
Snowboards.com
Behind The Pines
BlueTomato Belgium
BlueTomato France
BlueTomato Sweden
BlueTomato Denmark
BlueTomato Finland
BlueTomato Italy
BlueTomato UK
BlueTomato Netherlands
BlueTomato Austria
BlueTomato Spain
SnowCountry
PRFO Sports Canada
Rome Ravine Written Review Review by The Good Ride
Rome Ravine 2022-2024 Snowboard Review- How it rides and who it is for
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How This Review Happened:
Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 155
Days: 3
Conditions: and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards & Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Rome Katana, Rome Vice
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove,
Similar Boards (but not the same): Never Summer Harpoon, Burton 3D Daily Driver, Burton Hometown Hero
Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/-9, Close to Reference.
How It Was Tested
I often rode this same day with the Ravine Select but also compared it to the Burton Hometown Hero, 3D Daily Driver and Lib Tech Quiver Killer. When I did, I used the same bindings (Union Atlas) except for one day when I was testing Rome bindings.
Approximate Weight
The Rome Ravine feels a touch on the light side. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)
Sizing
The Rome Ravine feels pretty good for me at size 9 boots if I size down a little compared to most traditional freeride boards. For example I would normally ride a 159+ for a traditional freeride board but this felt soo good in a 155 that I wasn’t even curious about trying the 158. So I think if you are a normal sized boot 8-10 you want to size this like an all mountain board. If you are a little bigger in boot like a 10-11 you can go for a bigger size and even though the waist is a little on the narrow side the nose and tail are pretty wide so you can go a little bigger than the suggested sizing below and probably be free of toe/heel drag.
Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
152: 8.5-9.5
155: 9-10
158: 10-11
162- 10-11
166- 10.5-11.5
Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level
The Rome Ravine has a decent amount of taper but not soo much that you really feel it in comparison to many boards with this much taper. You only need a little more backfoot weight than a double-ender. The Ravine has camber underfoot going to a decent amount of lift on the sides of the nose. It seems like there is a little early rise too. This makes for a really stable ride that actually borders on being semi-locked in. It doesn’t have that edgeless, washy feel like some brands have, with more exaggerated lifted sides throughout the camber profile. I think it’s because the lift seems to fade quickly in the parts where the edges are constantly engaged.
Flex Personality
The Rome Ravine has nice balance between being buttery/rubbery/great in all conditions but still being poppy. If you want more snap out of an ollie, then it’s all about the Ravine Select, but you won’t have as much fun when the snow becomes uneven. This is why I prefer the Ravine over the Ravine Select, but the Select is still very manageable for being an “Ultra/high-end” kind of board. The Ravine is a great all-day ride, and it chatters a bit in uneven snow, but it doesn’t buck and bounce you around as long as you don’t hammer through messy, bumpy snow. If you slow down it is a very manageable ride. One thing, though, is nose butters take some getting used to with the lifted sides in medium to firm snow.
Speed
The Rome Ravine has a good base that glides well. Not exceptional but has easy glide when waxed. The Ravine Select is faster, though, and I could definitely feel that. It was on par with the Lib Tech Lost Quiver Killer and almost there with the Burton Daily Driver and Hometown Hero but those bases needed work before they got their magic glide. Check those reviews to see what I’m talking about. I won’t get this if you like to bomb, though. It’s not for pointing it.
Edge Hold
I was impressed with the edge hold for not having any real visible disruption in the sidecut. I used to love the old quick rip sidecut Rome used to have in hard snow and that was better but this new more traditional sidecut feels less hookey in some situations.
Turning Experience/Carving
The medium flex is not ideal for really railing a hard ass carve but the Rome Ravine is super fun to turn. I felt I could get the 155 to turn when I wanted it without too much delay with my size 9 boots. Then when I got it on edge it had a very rewarding and pretty balanced turning experience. The 155 leaned a touch on the turny side but you can make any kind of turn and the board won’t resist. I got a little more umph out of the Ravine Select throughout a turn in good conditions but both were pretty fun.
Powder
I wish I had some powder but premature springulation happened and didn’t even apologize. Still with the setback on board of -3.25” with a 21.75” stance width, a little early rise in the nose, 7.5mm of taper and those lifted sides in the nose I think it would be pretty good.
Switch/Pipe/Jumps
Very doable switch for a tapered ride and I love how it tracked into small hits around the mountain.
Conclusion
So if you want more of a mountain freestyle flex in a tapered directional board The Rome Ravine could for sure work.
Rome Ravine Past Reviews
2020 Rome Ravine Review
The Rome Ravine is a softer more playful somewhat mid-wide freeride board that isn’t like many of it’s stiffer flexing peers.
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: 155
Days: 5+
Conditions: Good spring conditions to rough, wet spring conditions.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Adidas Response,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Rome Crux, Rome Black Label, Rome DOD
Similar Boards (but not the same): Endeavor Scout, Yes Pick Your Line, Burton Flight Attendant, Gnu Mullair, Jones Hovercraft,
Set-Up: 22” Wide. 21 front -6 back. Close to Reference.
Approximate Weight: Feels light.
Sizing: The 155 felt pretty good for my specs even though it’s a bit wider than some traditional boards. Sizing down a few CMs from what I would normally ride for a board like this worked. It worked well enough for Jimbo and Zobel but they would be better with the next size up for their 11’s.
Flex/Buttering: The Rome Ravine we had surprised us with a very soft flex for a board like this. It was medium bordering on medium-soft and buttered super easy. It still had a very easy pop to it as well. It’s almost twice as soft as the 2019 we tried. Wood makes the flex inconsistent from board to board but I think we got a soft demo model this year and a stiff last. Your board might be in between what we experienced in production as usually Rome is pretty accurate when it comes to their flex rating.
On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns: Despite the softer flex it had a semi-technical somewhat locked-in feel to it. It could catch an edge easy if you got off your game. It’s easier than camber though. It tracked well one footing and flat basing and the lifted sides of the nose didn’t change the camber feel underfoot.
Edge Hold: Really good edge hold and held well in the harder patches we encountered. It just goes to show you that a soft flex isn’t synonymous with poor edge hold.
Turn Initiation: I was expecting the Rome Ravine to be a little slower edge to edge but it turned pretty quick.
Turning Experience/Carving: The Rome Ravine isn’t for those that like a stiff technical high-speed carver but it sure was fun at slow to moderate speeds. It had a fun spring out of the turn and all of us had a time laying it over.
Powder: No powder to speak of but it seems like it can do a good job here. With a 22″ stance width set all the way back you can 3.125″ back on board (6.25″ difference between nose/tail). That, the taper and the bigger nose with some non-traditional early rise should float well enough.
Speed: The Rome Ravine was pretty chattery and it isn’t the board you get to bomb.
Uneven Terrain: It turned well between bumps but doesn’t power over them well. It starts to buck and bounce. It didn’t pass up chatter though in harder micro-bumpy snow in a way that felt too taxing on our joints.
Switch: Pretty doable for all that taper and it was fun to ride switch.
Getting Air/Park: So the Rome Ravine’s softer flex is pretty park friendly. Not ideal for going big on a kicker but pretty fun when going small to medium. We didn’t jib with it but it felt like you could. Pipe was really fun for those that like a more directional ride through it.
2019 Rome Ravine Review
The Rome Ravine is an almost all camber mid/wideish board with some taper but you don’t feel the taper as much as you would think. It’s got a pretty aggressive, technical and all around bomby personality to it that isn’t as washy off the tail as you would think for the amount of taper it has. I would have liked to get to know this board better with an extended demo but all we have is this initial take from a little time on it at the demos.
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: 155- Felt like the right size for us too and a lot more board than we expected since it’s a little wider than we normally hit up with our 8.5-9 boots. The width was good for Grant’s 11’s
Days: 1
Conditions: Pretty old snow that wasn’t so good but there were some places that were pretty fun.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Peter (Size 8.5, 5’11” 185lbs), Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton SLX
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Rome Katana
Set Up: 22.5” Close to reference 15 front -6 back
Rome Ravine Specs
Rome Ravine Images
Rome Ravine User Reviews
Hi ! For me Ravine is fast edge to edge ,excellent powder and livelier board for powder freestyle.
Where To Buy
No obligation, but these links support the site.