Stranda Descender Evo Snowboard Review wIith Davey

An In Depth Breakdown of the Stranda Descender Evo Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

How The Stranda Descender Evo Was Tested:

I borrowed the Stranda Descender Evo for an extended demo and sent it back.

Size:158
Days:2
Conditions: Varied Mid-Winter Conditions and pretty good mid-winter conditions.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-195lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards and close to 1,000 if you count different versions of the same Model over the years.
Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”)
Boots: Nitro Team TLS
Insoles: Footprint Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Bindings: Union Force
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse 3L Jacket, Skyline Fuse Light 3L Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant
Helmet: Smith Method
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt

James’s Set Up

21-21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3. Close to Reference

Davey’s Set Up:

23” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Amplid Souly Grail, K2 Alchemist, United Shapes Cadet, Burton Gril Master, Jones Flagship Pro, Salomon HPS Takaharu Nakai, Stranda Descender, YES Pick Your Line, United Shapes Cadet Limited,

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Construction / Durability / Weight

The Stranda Descender Evo has two major things that the Descender doesn’t. It has carbon under the hood, so that helps with pop and drive. But it can also make the board more cranky in uneven snow. So what they did is add D30. The combination of those two things makes this an incredible all-day ride.

Stranda makes a great board and it’s very durable. I have found that the Laquer on the top can be a little soft and prone to scraping but everything else is great about this board. It’s medium in weight but very durable and damp. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

Mats (founder of Stranda) wanted to send me a 161. He thought that was the best fit for my specs. He didn’t have one, so I got a 58. And while this is fun and it was a perfect comparison to the 58 that they sent before, I agree with him and I would rather have the 161. I think that’s just a better all around fit for my specs, especially my weight and my height and the way you want to ride this board.

Stranda has decent weight recommendations and even though they have regular and wide sizes they don’t have suggested boot sizes.

The Good Ride’s Conservative / Safe Boot Size Recommendation

These are sizes that will keep you from booting out (super bad) or be too wide to turn quickly in critical situations.

158: 8-9
161: 9-10
162w: 10.5-11.5
166w: 11-12

There is often more than one size that will work for your specs and how you like to ride. Size down for more control and size up for more speed/stability/carving power. 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 / Setback

The Stranda Descender Evo is tapered and directional with a good bit less tail than nose. You have a much bigger nose and while the tail doesn’t have a ton of taper / surface area and it’s considerably smaller. So you do feel like you’re on a pretty directional ride but not something super set back and super tapered.

In comparing the Stranda Descender Evo to the old Descender, the stance width is now a little bit narrower. Yet it still has a similar set back on board. Overall it has a good bit narrower reference stance. For example, if you set it all the way back it’s 20.75 inches wide and 3.75 inches back from center of board. That’s pretty good.

Camber/On Snow Feel

The Stranda Descender Evo has a decent camber underfoot that goes well past the inserts with a touch of early rise before the tail, but not much. Then before the nose, there’s more but tt’s not a ton before this long floaty nose.

So overall, this is a far cry from full camber. It’s much less technical, but it has that stability of camber in all conditions from hard snow to powder. It always has that same personality underfoot that most people really appreciate.

Edge Hold

There is a slight disruption in this side cut of the Stranda Descender Evo in the form of long but mellow disruptions. This is a great hard snow ride. While it’s not the perfect icy snow ride, it grips really well in most conditions.

Flex Personality

The Stranda Descender Evo has a medium stiff flex and it surprised me that it wasn’t as stiff as I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a stiff flex but it can flex further than most boards this stiff. It’s got a lot of energy without being ultra poppy. It has a nice flex in and a good pop out. The nose is pretty soft, the tail has give, and between the feet it’s stiffer.

Butters & Ollies

When it comes to butters, I could lean up into the tail a little bit which will help when wheelieing up in pow to keep the nose up. The nose was a little easier. It’s not the best board for buttering, but it’s much more doable than I thought. The pop is really good and it’s easy to ollie with. Soo much easier than you would think for a board marketed as being a 9 out of a 10 flex. It’s a much more approachable board for an average rider than you would think.

Switch & Park

There is a little bit of tail sticking up so you can land switch with this if you want. If you want to ride switch, it’s okay. It’s not really great for the park but more than capable for freeride style riding.

Turning/Carving

I just love how quickly the Stranda Descender Evo initiated a turn. Almost too quick for my specs / taste, but even if I had the 161, it would turn whenever I wanted it. The spring and the pop and drive out of the turn is exceptional. It’s the kind of spring out of a turn that I’d expect for this price.

It has a pretty balanced turning radius that allows for almost any kind of turn without it fighting you by not wanting to turn or wanting to turn when you do or don’t.

Speed

The Stranda Descender Evo handled speed incredibly well. Edge stayed quiet throughout my turns and I didn’t feel sketched.

Base Glide

This base is fast, durable, has excellent wax retention and upper tier glide. It’s super fast and the best of the best.

Powder

There’s very good directional float. The small tail sinks down really well. This shines for big mountain powder riding, especially in medium to steep terrain.

James’ Final Thoughts

Overall, I really liked the Descender and that was a favorite until I tried this. The Stranda Descender Evo is the better board vs. the standard Descender but it comes at a higher price. You do get more dampness, more pop and it’s a t better ride everywhere in every condition. This is what I want high end boards to be

Davey’s Big Boy Take

Davey boy here to give you a big guy’s perspective of the Stranda Descender Evo.

How Davey Tested It

I rode this board on a 162 wide. I’m six, three and a half, 245. I rode it with size 12 Burton Ion Boots and size 12 Nitro Team TLS boots as well. I rode this board about 10 or 12 days this year in everything from medium deep powder, super deep powder, springtime conditions, and firm corduroy.

Sizing For Davey

This 162 wide is the perfect size for me.

How It Rode For Davey

With my riding style, it was more of a medium power to slushy condition type of board. With the conditions I rode it in, I think this length was really good. If you are someone who’s looking for this to be more of a quiver killer and you want to get some good float in powder, I would totally feel comfortable sizing up. But for me personally and the conditions and riding style I was using this for, the 162 was the right choice.