Stone Graham Snowboard Review

Stone Graham Snowboard 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 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.

Stone Graham Snowboard Review- How it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

We borrowed this for an extended demo and are going to send it back.
Size: 157
Days: 4+
Conditions: Mainly early spring conditions. Winter just shut off in late Feb and after that it was very spring like the rest of the winter.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-190lbs)
Boots: Burton Kendo
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers,
Bindings: Union Atlas, Stone Destroyer
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 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove, CG Habitats Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt, Drop Cascade Glove, Drop Web Glove,

Similar Boards (but not the same): Never Summer Protosynthesis, Stone Message, Prior Wildcard, Marhar Darkside, Rossignol Jibsaw, Never Summer Proto Ultra

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Close to Reference 15 front -15 back.

Approximate Weight:

Feels pretty normal and maybe a touch on the heavy side of normal. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

The Stone Graham felt like it matched up perfectly with my boot size and I liked having that extra weight on it to handle its aggressive full camber nature. So overall great fit.

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.
154: 8-9
157: 8.5-9.5

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Stone Graham is a true twin with a centered stance so it’s all about riding it centered and between the feet.

The camber profile is old school full on camber that is technical and unforgiving. That is the price you pay though for a board that tracks and pops soo well. Camber does still have that advantage over all other hybrids.

Flex Personality

Pretty medium/stiff throughout the flex. I didn’t feel any areas that gave more than others and it was a bitch to butter on the hill. This isn’t made for playing around. It is made for going big.

Speed

The base glide isn’t perfect but it’s very good. The Stone Graham is very damp at speed though and it can really point it. Definitely a freeride flex inside a twin body.

Uneven Terrain

The Stone Graham is pretty amazing when it comes to powering over uneven snow. This damp/stiff flex really owns it there. It can get a little cranky in hard uneven microbumpy snow but it is far from being a deal breaker. It is very doable as an all condition camber ride.

Edge Hold

This grips really hard for not having a disrupted sidecut. I could feel a difference switching to boards with a disrupted sidecut on the same day but it was a lot closer than I thought it would be. I never felt sketched in hard morning spring snow.

Turn Initiation

If you skid your turns this will not be easy but if you know how to turn well the Stone Graham turns pretty quickly. It snaps hard edge to edge and goes wherever I need it to go.

Turning Experience/Carving

There is something special about turning with a stiff full camber twin. I kept pulling this out throughout the season on good groomer days to get that spring out of the turn. There are some other hybrid shapes like the Never Summer Proto Ultra that are similar in terms of spring out of the turn but there is something about full camber when it comes to turning that is so familiar and satisfying. Other than riding the Stone Message, it was the hardest turning twin I rode all year and truly a pleasure to carve with.

Powder

Nofucking way! Not my kind of ride for powder. I’ll leave that to old school rippers. I cartwheeled enough on camber twins in the 90’s and 00’s to not want to deal with this anymore.

Switch/Pipe/Jumps

I forgot to mention how much I liked this in the pipe when I did the video. It really drove well wall to wall and made those quick adjustment turns I often make because I’m not a really strong pipe rider. Very cool. It goes without saying that when it comes to air you can go bigger than your insurance policy can help fix. Jibbing is nothing I would try with a stiff board like this.

Conclusion

So I love this board but I also love the Stone Message and these two are very similar. They have a very similar flex, shape, camber profile and are only just a little different in sizing. The Graham is just a little longer and thinner where the Message is just a touch shorter and wider but not by much. They are so close that it really comes down to the one that appeals to you more.