Salomon Assassin Pro Table Video and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

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:  159
Days:  5+
Conditions:
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs), Peter (Size 8, 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: Union Atlas, Union Superpro, Burton Genesis, Burton Genesis X, Salomon Hologram, Salomon District
Set Up: 22.5” Centered 15 front -15 back and set all the way back  22.5″ 18 front -9 back.

Approximate Weight

It feels on the lighter side of normal, but I don’t publish weight because wood cores change the weight from board to board.

Flex/Buttering

It feels about the same flex as the Assassin, but it feels like it is a touch stiffer. Maybe a better way to describe it is when it flexes, it feels like there is more tension the further you go, and it snaps back harder than the Assassin. Both can butter well but both aren’t super easy.

Sizing

The 159 felt just right for my 5’10” frame, size 9 boot, and 185-190lbs when I was riding it.

On Snow Feel

The Salomon Assassin Pro has that nice, stable feeling that is almost in the middle regarding the board’s personality.  It’s a little on the side of being more locked in for a hybrid camber board like this but it’s nothing like the consequence of a full camber ride. It is very easy to get one foot off the chair or flat base down a long, flat cat track.  It has a pretty predictable personality underfoot because of that camber profile, and it feels like it likes going big but still isn’t going to be unforgiving if you want to play it mellow…well, in most conditions.

Edge Hold

The grip with the Assassin Pro is there with the Assassin, but its chatter and overall buckiness often make you lose your edge in hard, micro-bumpy snow.

Turn Initiation

Nice and quick, but not too quick.  There is a nice balance between stability for a straight line and getting it edge to edge when needed.

Turning Experience

It’s a fun springy ride underfoot and there is more spring out of the turn than the Assassin but at the cost of a considerable increase in chatter.

Carving

The Salomon Assassin Pro carves very well, and it has a little more spring than you would think for not having a massive bow of camber underfoot.

Skidded Turns

It’s very doable but not ideal for the beginner or even some intermediates, but most intermediates should be fine skidding out with this.

Speed

So, the Salomon Assassin Pro is a touch board to describe.  It can bomb, but it likes to bomb in really good conditions.  I think if the groomers are perfect, the Assasin Pro will be faster, but if the Groomers are a little messy, the Assassin is the better call.

Uneven Snow

The Salomon Assassin Pro was not fun riding in uneven snow. This is a huge deal breaker for me and most riders. There aren’t many boards that chatter this way. It seemed to pass the vibrations straight up into your joints in a very jarring and quite fatiguing way.

Powder

So here is where the Salomon Assassin Pro takes directional/set-back powder riding a step further than the Assassin. The shape and camber profile are the same, but set all the way back with a 22.5″ stance width, you can get almost 3.5″ back on board.  That’s about 1.5″ further back on board than the Assassin.

Switch

It’s almost a true twin from tip to tail but a true twin on sidecut, so it goes really well in either direction when centered up.

Jumps

There is so much pop in this board for the camber it has.  If you are ok with a board that gets pretty cranky in uneven snow you do get more pop in exchange.  You can go pretty big here.

Jibbing

Not really the kind of board we would like to jib with.

Pipe

The Salomon Assassin Pro has a lot of things we like in a pipe ride.  It has a confident grip, nice wall-to-wall drive, and a somewhat forgiving, quicker turning board that doesn’t feel loose between the feet.

So, for me, the chatter and overall crankiness of the Salomon Assassin Pro was too fatiguing for me to deal with. It makes it very hard for me to recommend unless you only ride when the snow is perfect and leave the minute it starts to change.