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Soul Shift 2022 Review by The Good Ride

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Turn Ons/Swipe Right: Dynamic lively flex. Incredibly fun to turn.
Turn Offs/Swipe Left: Not much…not good if you ride slightly duck.

Summary

The Soul Shift is different from most boards in the Soul line. It is less technical but still has a massively rewarding carve. It’s a very fun and turny ride.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews and this is our unfiltered opinion. 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.

Soul Shift Snowboard Review- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 155
Days: 3
Conditions: Good mid-winter groomers then pre-mature springulation groomers and late spring groomers.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Jacket: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket, Volcom TDF Infuse 3L Gore-Tex Jacket, Burton Banshee Gore-Tex Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex 2L Swash Pant, Burton Gore-Tex Ballast Pant
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith IO Mag, Smith 4D Mag
Gloves:, Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt

Similar Boards (but not the same): Korua Dart, Weston Japow, Moss Jellyfish, Gentemstick Barracuda, Season Forma,

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +27/+9 back. Close to Reference.

How It Was Tested

Most days I compared it to the Korua Dart with Union Atlas and Burton Kendo’s.

Approximate Weight

The Soul Shift felt on the lighter side of normal. Not ultra-light though. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The Soul Shift felt really good for my weight and boot size. Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. You can of course go bigger or smaller but these work best for not turning the board slower than it should be and not having the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.
157: 9-10.5

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

 

 

 

 

The Soul Shift needs positive stance angles for it to ride really well but that is expected with this type of board. It is very directional and has a good bit of taper going down into that pretty pronounced swallow tail. Then you factor in almost full camber with just a mellow early rise you have a board that prefers an advanced to expert rider when it comes to skidding turns. It is still a lot less technical than almost all the other similar Soul rides except the Blower. This is an excellent choice for someone who wants to try a hard carving snowsurfer.

Flex Personality

The flex of the Soul Shift feels almost medium overall on snow even though it borders on being medium stiff if you flex it in a shop. I ended up really liking this flex personality in all conditions. It is super easy to access this pop and get this board to spring out of a turn but it still somehow stays damp and absorbs chatter really well for this flex. I never felt the edge buck out of its line in any kind of uneven snow I experienced.

Speed

So don’t let the flex fool you. I didn’t touch on this enough in the video review but the Soul Shift is much more damp than the flex would lead you to believe. It still can chatter but it is very manageable. The base glide is pretty good. Not an ultra-fast glider but very good when waxed properly.

Edge Hold

Really competent grip and in those hard snow mornings before I turned on the camera on it was hanging in there with some boards that have a disrupted sidecut.

Turning Experience/Carving

The spring out of the turn of the Soul Shft is exceptional. It’s pretty lively with quick turns edge to edge and it can turn pretty quickly in tight spots. When you get that sidecut fully engaged it really shines on across the groomer to circle carves. It also likes quick turns like you are building speed down the line on a fast wave. Doing higher speed longer drawn out turns is much better accomplished with the Pitch Wing if that is more of your thing. One thing. The Sould Shift does need positive rear and front stance angles to make this really come alive. That being said you can really drive off the back foot out of a turn compared to some Soul boards that like more front foot weight.

Powder

I wish there was powder when I had this ride but mother nature wasn’t feeling it. You can tell with the good amount of taper, the really deep swallow tail and a lot of set back on board that this will be a very accomplished floater.

Conclusion

So the Soul Shift is a board I’d like to own and it will be a board I’ll be recommending to anyone who wants a very versatile swallow tail they can use in their quiver or even as an every day driver.

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