Salomon Taka X Wolle Snowboard Video and Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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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.

How This Review Happened:  We borrowed this for a pretty long extended demo and then returned it.

Size: 158
Days: 11+
Conditions:  Everything from wet uneven off-piste to hard CO groomers to hard PNW groomers and an early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards in almost 3.5 to 4 Feet of powder.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Peter (Size 8, 5’11” 185lbs),Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs), Zobel (Size 11.5, 6’ 180lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV for Peter, Grant n Me. , Adidas Response for Zobel
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Union Falcor, Salomon Hologram, Salomon Quantum, Salomon Highlanders
Set Up: 22” 21 front – 3 Back on reference stance and set all the way back.

Sizing: We know they say it’s a mid/wide but Zobel (Size 11 Adidas boots) was booting out on harder carving turns so might be best to keep it under size 11.  The 158 felt really comfortable for Peter and I.  Both of us felt like we weren’t on a mid/wide.  The only time we felt like we wanted more board for our weight was in 3.5 to 4 feet of powder but that’s understandable.

Approximate Weight: Felt like it was on the light side of normal.

Flex/Buttering: Very doable when it came to buttering off the nose and the tail was a little more work but still very doable as well.

On Snow Feel: Very stable somewhat tapered feel underfoot that has a mellow camber (well ours did) to a good bit of rocker before the nose.  It’s not super rockered but it has more rocker in the nose than any other Salomon board we tried.  It’s more of a back foot kind of ride but it has that easy one footing/flat basing ride that’s moderately forgiving for riders who aren’t always on their game.

Powder: So we had 48″ in 48 hours and took the Taka out after that 48-hour storm.  It was literally tit’s deep so and we were testing some really floaty boards like the Capita Spring Break Powder, Jones Mind Expander, Korua Pencil, etc against the Salomon Taka X Wolle.  It didn’t have the crazy float tech or surface area that those boards did but it floated very well for its design. It hung in there with these super floaty boards and felt easier float wise than any other Salomon board we tried.  It kept it’s speed pretty well but in super deep flat areas it didn’t have the float/base glide for my 185lbs to make it all the way out where the other boards we tried did but that’s a lot to ask of a board this size in that much powder.  Here are Peter and I talking over drinks about it after a pretty special storm.

Edge Hold: Very strong competent edge hold that can even carve pretty well in hard snow and hang in really hard to icy snow if you dial your turns back.

Turn Initiation:  For Peter and I, it was semi-fast and much faster than you would think if you looked at the specs with every binding we tried.  For Zobel and Grant who have bigger boots, it was really fast.

Turning Experience: Very fun and springy out of the turn.  The Salomon Taka X Wolle has more pop out of a turn than you would think for its mellow camber and it has a lively feel edge to edge.

Carving:  Nice hard carving turner if you put a little more weight on your back foot. It’s a very competent good groomer ride.

Skidded Turns:  Very doable for skidded turns.  Salomon’s Taka X Wolle has a decent camber length (not height) from near the tail to past the front inserts but it’s still nothing too technical or hard to skid turns if you get off your game.

Speed: In good conditions, the Salomon Taka X Wolle did really well and the base has good glide.

Uneven Terrain: This is the one standout weakness for us with the Salomon Taka X Wolle.  It just didn’t buffer your body from what the chunder/micro bumps/wet uneven snow can do to your joints.  If you see a lot of uneven terrain this might be a deal breaker because even with super damp bindings and boots on we still felt it way more than any other boards we compared it against.

Jumps: There is some spring off the tail and it pops really well.  It’s got this raw pop to it that really springs off the tail in an ollie.

Pipe: I had a good time doing some mellow carves in the pipe and felt it was fine for more directional pipe riding.

Jibbing: Maybe but we didn’t try or really want to.

So all in all the Salomon Taka X Wolle does a lot of great things and if you can deal with its uneven snow performance or mainly ride in good conditions then everything else about this board is recommendable.