Salomon Dancehaul Pro Snowboard Review

An Un-Biased Review Salomon Dancehaul Pro vs. the Dancehaul Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
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How the Salomon Dancehaul Pro Rides and Compares to the Dancehaul

How It Was Tested:

I borrowed the Salomon Dancehaul Pro for an extended demo and sent it back. Every day I tested the Pro I tested the regular with the same boots/bindings/stance width/stance angles.

I was not paid by to do this review and this comes from an honest objective perspective with no brand oversight.

Size: 152
Days: 4
Conditions: Good groomers and
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards
Boots: Ride Torrent
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3,+18/-9. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Lib Tech Orca, Gnu Gremlin, Ride Psychocandy, Korua Transition Finder, Salomon Dancehaul, K2 Excavator

Ethics Statement: This review has zero brand oversight. This is our best effort at an honest, objective review to help you, the consumer.
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Approximate Weight

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro is on the lighter side, but it didn’t feel ultra-light either. Felt a touch lighter than the Dancehaul I had. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro 152 fit me pretty well. I was hoping to try the 154, but I felt it was more important to compare it to the Dancehaul in the same size, and they only had 152s if I wanted to do that. The 154 is only incrementally wider, but I think this would be the size I’d buy. See my specs above. The same goes for the Dancehaul.

Sizing is all about balancing what fits your boot size and your weight for how you like to ride. If your boot is too wide, you can’t turn it; if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag. Your weight is a close second to boot size because it determines how the board will feel under your foot.  Height comes in a distant 3^rd. Some prefer control, so matching the boot size is the priority. Others prefer dampness over control and like to size up.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course, go wider or narrower, but this is a more conservative estimate of how to have the most fun with the sizes
152: 9-10
154: 9.5-10.5
157: 10-11

I would stay close to Salomon’s recommended weight ranges. If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro has the same exact tapered directional shape of the Dancehaul. That means it does not feel tapered on groomers, and rides are very centered on board when on a reference stance. It has more of a non-tapered all-mountain feel on groomers.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a lot of camber happening from tip-tail, but when you are standing on it, the nose/tail rockers out a little more, making it not as technical as it looks. Strong or committed intermediates can handle this ride. It skids a turn pretty easily, but if you get off your game, it isn’t as forgiving as many hybrid camber boards. It tracks super well, though. Both the Dancehaul and Dancehaul Pro have the same camber profile.

Edge Hold

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro has a pretty good grip in hard snow but is not a hard-to-icy snow specialist. Its multi-radius sidecut does better than many more standard sidecuts, but it’s not quite there with most boards with bumps or indentions. I felt a similar edge hold with both the Dancehaul and Dancehaul Pro, but I liked the softer/less bucky edge in the slightly uneven, hard snow of the Dancehaul.

Flex Personality

There is a pretty medium flex, bordering on medium/stiff. It feels a little stiffer than the regular Dancehaul, but it’s got a good bit more energy/pop. In same-day tests with the same bindings and boots, I felt a good bit more pop from the Pro. That says a lot because the regular Dancehaul is very poppy.

The regular is easier to butter, but both are easy to butter.

Uneven Snow

Along with Pop, this is the biggest difference between the two boards. I like the pop better on the Pro, but the Regular Dancehaul is better for all-day riding. The lack of carbon fiber in the rails makes it easy to ride all day and a bit less jarring underfoot and fatiguing. The softer, less poppy ride with what seems like more ABS felt smoother in almost every condition. In some tracked but not super chopped-up snow, the Dancehaul Pro’s stiffer flex did a little better, but the more uneven, the more that poppy flex reacts to the bumps.

I will say that the Pro is much better than past Pro models I’ve tried with Salomon when they used to have Cork and Bamboo for the sidewall. In the past, when Salomon made bamboo/cork sidewalls, the boards that had them were un-rideable for me in uneven snow. Using recycled ABS reduces that nasty, cranky chatter with older “Pro” models that felt like it was coming right up into your joints and making your bones older by the run. The Dancehaul Pro and other Pro models throughout Salomon’s line all have recycled ABS, making all their pro models bearable in uneven snow vs. intolerable.

Speed

You can go straight with the Salomon Dancehaul Pro a little faster than the Dancehaul, but both can go straight when needed. You don’t get this to go straight through. This is more for those who like to turn.

Base Glide

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro has a faster base than the Dancehaul and has an upper-tier glide. It also has a good structure to it. The regular Dancehaul isn’t slow either, but it’s a bump below the pro. There is a good structure that does great in all kinds of snow, and I didn’t feel grabby in any condition I tried.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro initiates a turn pretty quickly for it’s width. It’s bordering on medium-fast for my size 9 boots. It has a centered feel between the feet, and you can weigh your turns any way you want. It carves very well, but the edge can get a little bucky in slightly uneven snow, and then I prefer the regular Dancehaul. Both carve well, though and are pretty fun for a slightly softer flex compared to many freeride boards.

Powder

I didn’t get the Dancehaul Pro in deep powder, but I got the Dancehaul in all kinds of pows. I can easily describe how it floats since both have the same shape, stance location, and camber profile. It only has a different construction. When set all the way back at a 21″ stance width, you can get -4.375″ back from the center of the board. That’s pretty good, and when combined with a little bit of early rise before the long nose and shorter/smaller tapered tail, it floats well. It doesn’t feel that setback and surfy, though.

Switch/Jumps/Pipe/Jibs

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro and Dancehaul both ride switch very well for having this much taper. I really like riding both of these boards switch and did so a lot. You can also ride pipe and hit all kinds of jumps with these. Neither is ideal for jibbing, but the Dancehaul is better there.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I found the Salomon Dancehaul Pro to be really fun, but making the choice between this and the Dancehaul was very difficult. In the past, when Salomon used to use Cork/Bamboo in their sidewalls, it would be a no-brainer to choose the regular version over the Pro model. Now that they use recycled ABS sidewalls, the ride is much better in all conditions, and while it’s not ideal in uneven snow, it’s more than manageable. I’d still personally choose the regular Dancehaul because I do see uneven snow consistently and prefer a smooth ride more than a poppy one when it is. If you ride in good condition, you will like the pro better.