A Detailed Breakdown Of How The Soul Fukai Rides And Who It Is For Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
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How The Soul Fukai Was Tested:

I borrowed the Soul Fukai for an extended demo and sent it back. 1-day demo. A few laps at a demo. I liked it so much I asked to keep it (only do this with favorites).  I liked it so much we bought it.  Precious Good Ride dollars were spent buying and reviewing this.
Filmed With the Insta 360 One X3
Size: 168
Days: 4
Conditions: Everything from semi-hard snow to great groomers to powder
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs)
Boots: Ride Torrent, Ride Fuse, Nidecker Rift Lace, Ride Deadbolt, Burton Tourist, Burton Ion
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 Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Korua Dart, Korua Café Racer, Weston Japow, Moss Jellyfish, Gentemstick Barracuda, Soul Shift, Nidecker Beta, Nidecker Beta APX, Korua Pintonic

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +30/+12, +24/+6, +27/+9 back. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

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Approximate Weight

(We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

The Soul Fukai is pretty big for my boot size but I’m used to that and it can handle my weight no problem. I think I would have liked it better if I was a size 10 to 11 but it would still work for what it does for me.

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.
168: 10-12

I would stay close to the Soul’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 Soul Fukai is tapered and directional with a long but stiff and effective swallowtail. It doesn’t feel as tapered or set back on board as it is.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

You have a lot of camber from the tail to a little before the spoon nose. If you surf, it feels like a step up combined with a performance twin.

Flex Personality

The Soul Fukai is medium-stiff but has a very dynamic flex that will keep flexing as long as you press into it. When you stop pressing, there is a ton of snapback. It’s a very lively board.

Uneven Snow

The dynamic, very poppy flex should not do well in uneven snow, but it really shines in uneven snow. It bucks a little bit in soft, uneven snow, but nothing bad compared to most peers that pop this well. It shines with the chatter/vibration absorption in harder, uneven snow.

Edge Hold

Very good grip for having no disruption in the sidecut.

Speed

Don’t let the swallowtail fool ya. The Soul Fukai isn’t a chill snowsurf type of design. It’s very good at high speeds, and you don’t feel as set back as you are on board.

Base Glide

It’s not the fastest but the base glide isn’t bad at all. When well waxed, it maintained its speed rather well.

Turning Experience/Carving

Many of Soul’s boards shine with a front foot-oriented ride, but the Fukai doesn’t. Leaning back into the camber in the tail without the lifted sides is a better carve than leaning into the front foot with the lifted sides/spoon nose. It’s doable front foot weighting a turn but not as good as a back foot weighted turn. It reminds me of a bigger/longer, more straight-line-friendly version of the Blower, but it can still be across the groomer carve.

Powder

In the video, I was surprised at how it wasn’t the floater I expected it to be. To be clear, the Soul Fukai still has a solid directional float. I was just expecting it to be like a big version of the ultra-floaty Blower, so I was a little disappointed. That being said, it’s still a great floater and a very competent pow ride. You don’t need a second board for when it gets really deep, especially with an almost 9″ set back on board at a 23″ stance width if I measure from the end of the tail. It’s ridiculously far back from the center, but all that surface area in the swallowtails cancels that out.

Final Thoughts

You get a lot from the Soul Fukai. A big, fast, and very poppy board that doesn’t shit the bed when conditions get uneven. It’s just more for those that are going to Japan to ride medium to medium/steep wide open Volcanoes at high speed and you want to make long drawn out S-Turns.