Stranda Tree Surfer Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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An Un-Paid, Un-Biased Breakdown Of How the Stranda Tree Surfer Rides And Who It Is For

How It Was Tested:

I borrowed the Stranda Tree Surfer for an extended demo, and I’ll be giving it back when the rep comes back to the US to pick it up. I do want to get my hands on a 162 though.

I was not paid to do this review, and this comes from an honest, objective perspective with no brand oversight.
Size: 157
Days: 8+ and hopefully more to come
Conditions: Everythign from slightly messy groomers to pretty deep pow, and some early morning slackountry time with Drift Boards & Union Rovers
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards
Boots: Ride Deadbolt
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3, +24/+6, +27/+9 back, +30/+12, +33/+15. Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

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, Jones Storm Chaser 2025,

Approximate Weight

The Stranda Tree Surfer felt pretty normal weight-wise. (We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

The Stranda Tree Surfer 157 felt really good for my weight and not bad for my boot size. This would be ideal if you had a size 10 boot, but I think anything from 9-10.5 will work here.

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.
157: 9.5-10.5
162: 10-11
162w: 11.5-12.5

I would stay close to Stranda’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 Stranda Tree Surfer is pretty tapered and directional but not super tapered compared to many Snowsurf rides. It’s not quite a freeride board but not quite a snowsurf board, either, but it’s a very fun board. You don’t feel like you are riding near the tail, even though it’s pretty set back on board.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a pretty set-back camber profile here that tracks like camber but has a lot of early rise happening well before the nose to ensure this floats like it should in pow. I wouldn’t say it’s catchy or super technical, but the stiffer flex on the back half of the board and sidecut makes this feel a little more locked in than you would think for such a mellow camber profile. Strong intermediates could handle this, but they might occasionally catch an edge.  it is best for advanced to expert riders. Of course, it tracks super easy one footing and flat basing.

Edge Hold

I was impressed with the grip. It doesn’t seem to have the disruptions the Biru and Descender have in the sidecut, but I still felt a very competent grip in a few hard patches I hit.

Flex Personality

You have a pretty stiff flex from the tail to a little past the front insert. Then, as the rocker begins before the nose, it softens up to more of a medium flex. Butters are a bit of work in the tail but very easy on the nose.

I was really impressed with how well the stiffer back 2/3’s of the Tree Surfer popped on an ollie. It takes a little more work to get it to pop, but when it does, it really snaps. This is a damp but far from dead, flex personality.

Uneven Snow

I was super impressed at how damp the Stranda Tree Surfer was in all conditions. If the snow gets tracked up, you don’t start getting bucked around at all. Hard or soft, it can handle it with no problem.

Speed

This doesn’t look like a fast board, but it is very fast. This is not a typical swallowtail. This stiff flex from the tail to just past the front insert, the damp construction, the somewhat balanced sidecut turning radius, and the super fast base all work together to make the Stranda Tree Surfer point it. There were many moments where I had to speed-check after a few turns, and this likes to go straight much more than you would think for a board named the “Tree Surfer,” and it’s not a hooky board that will fight you if you want to go straight.

Base Glide

Exceptional base glide! I couldn’t believe how easy the glide was on the Stranda Tree Surfer. It felt very similar to my Gentemstick Mantaray’s base; looking at them both up close and side by side, I see that the bases look almost identical. It turns out this is made in the same factory as Gentemstick and uses the same base. I think Gentemstick has some of, if not the fastest bases in the industry, so this is a great thing.

Turning Experience/Carving

You get the Stranda Tree Surfer for powder, but you should definitely not put it away when it’s time to ride groomers. First, it has quick but not super quick turn initiation for a guy with size 9s. If you had 10s, it would be faster. Then you get this on edge, and it has a much more balanced turning experience on groomers. It really shines with medium-radium turns. It could circle carve well enough, but it was best for across-the-groomer carves, medium-radius carves, and semi-narrow down-the-line S-turns/carves. What really impressed me was the spring and drive out of each turn. It really built on each turn and really got going. I did find it likes more back foot weight no matter how I set it up stance angle-wise.

Powder

For a low-angle pow board, the Stranda Tree Surfer was really special. The 157 could handle 1.5-2 feet of powder without problem, but the 162 would be unstoppable on those waist-deep days at Bachelor. Many boards I own that are exceptional in pow just can’t keep their speed on those deep and far from steep days. The fast base, along with this very floaty design, would make days like that much better. The turn initiation speeds up a good bit in powder, and it earns its name as a Tree Surfer. It might not make hard lefts/rights, but it can slalom through trees easily. If I was on the 157, I could confidently take on a pretty tight tree line. The 162 might be a little slower, but it is still very doable.

With a stance width of 20.5″, you can get 6.75″ back on board with the 157 if you measure from the end of the Swallowtail. If you measure from the center of the swallowtail, it’s 9.75″, but with such a mellow cutout of the tail, it’s probably closer to 6.75″. Regardless, that is some massive directional float. Then you factor in 15mm of taper and that massive shovel nose and you have a very easy floater. I didn’t feel like I was super back on the tail either and I had some landing gear for air.

Final Thoughts

So I loved the Stranda Tree Surfer, and I want to own one. It’s special, and it was the highlight of my testing with Stranda and for the season. I haven’t tried a board like it before, but I really enjoyed this overall personality.

Ethics Statement: This review has zero brand oversight. This is our best effort at an honest, objective review to help you, the consumer.
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