Rossignol Frenemy 2013-2019 Snowboard Review – By Steph W

The Rossignol Frenemy is new this year and they market it as affordable edge hold and we agree. This is perfect for that beginner to intermediate rider that wants to build confidence but rides in less than ideal conditions. This is a mellow easier turning Diva and possibly one of the best beginner to intermediate all mountain to even freeride boards out there. Especially if you ride a lot in icy conditions. The 2016-2013 Rossignol Frenemy hasn’t changed much and it’s one of our top recommendations for riders who often see hard to icy conditions.

The Rossi Frenemy is a fun all mountain to even freeride board for those beginners out there. It’s one of the best boards to learn on in hard to icy conditions.

On Snow Feel: The small camber between the feet makes the ride stable for one footing and flat basing.  The large amount of rocker after the camber makes it very forgiving. It’s an excellent confidence inspiring ride. Advanced to expert riders will be wanting more.

Edge Hold:  This is a 5 point magnetraction instead of a 7 point Magnetraction but it works better than many 7 point magnetraction boards we have ridden.  It grips soo stiff for such a soft board.

Powder: Not bad for a powder board.  It has that same surfy feel that the Taipan can have when you set the stance back.  This floats really well.

Speed: There is chatter here when you pick up speed. Not sure if the production model will be a bit stiffer but we’d like to see this.  Most advanced to expert riders might be a little disappointed with the chatter.

Uneven Terrain: The TFrenemy is an excellent board for dealing with bumpy snow at slow speeds.  It’s easy to turn around large bumps or go over small ones.

Turn Initiation– So easy to turn and has that effortless feeling that many people love.  One thing we noticed is the ride can be a little squirelly/loose between the feet like a hybrid rocker board can be.

Carving– Really fun on a carve for such a soft board.  It’s not going to blow your mind but it holds no matter how much you lean into it.

Flex: Soft but we’d like to see it more on the Medium side instead. It would make this board more like the taipan.

Switch:It feels more directional than a directional twin but it’s not bad we felt is was border line excellent riding switch.

Pipe: Great Pipe board. If you are looking to learn the pipe then this could be the call.  It’s forgiving and really fun to ride but if you are a more advanced pipe rider the only thing you might appreciate is the excellent edge hold.

Jibbing– really easy to jib and butter around on. You could detune the edges and have a pretty good time sliding across things. You can butter for a days on this thing.  If you like slowing down and playing around on the mountain or hitting the jib park this isn’t a bad board.

Jumps: Not terribly poppy but not completely lifeless. Forgiving on jumps but not one of those boards that give you more air than the jumps already give. A great entry level jump board.

Approximate Weight– It’s just a normal feeling board.

We just happened to have a friend join us who was an athletic beginner and this just blew his mind compared to the other boards he was riding.