Telos BackSlash Snowboard Video and 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.

A breakdown of how it rides and who it is for

How This Review Happened:

Borrowed the 148 for an extended demo and sent it back. Rode the 153 for a few runs at a demo.
Size: 148 & 153
Days: 6+
Conditions: Hard mid winter snow, good groomers, foggy wet groomers and boot high powder with the help of my Drift Boards
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 Clutch Glove, Burton AK Tech Glove, CG Habitats Work Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt

Similar Boards (but not the same): Yes Hybrid, Endeavor Scout, Lib Tech Orca, Never Summer Harpoon, Niche Pyre, Lib Tech Lost Quiver Killer, Yes Hybrid, Yes Y, Gnu Gremlin,

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +18/-3, +18/+3. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

How It Was Tested

I compared this a lot to the Lib Tech Orca 150, Gnu Gremlin 152, YES Hybrid 153 and Lib Tech Quiver Killer 154

Approximate Weight

The Telos BackSlash felt pretty light but not ultralight for sure. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores there is no consistency in a boards weight)

Sizing

I really thought the 153 Telos BackSlash would be my size but it’s a little too big. It felt like I was too far from the edges to control it like I could with the 148. I wish they made a 150 or 151 I think that might be perfect for my specs but I could have a beautiful life with the 148.

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.
143: 7-9
148: 8-10
153: 10.5-12
157: 12-13+

Shape/Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

The Telos BacksSash is pretty tapered, set back and directional but it doesn’t feel like it’s super tapered and you can even flirt with a little bit of front foot weighted drive through a turn. There is a good bit of camber with a little bit of early rise before the nose but it almost has that technical/catchy full camber feel to it.

Flex Personality

Telos is doing cool things when it comes to flex personality. It makes the Telos BackSlash pop really well while still feeling pretty damp for it’s size. It was pretty easy to butter the 148 but the 153 was a little more work.

Speed

The base of the Telos BackSlash has good glide to it. It’s not super fast but definitely in the fast easy gliding peer group. The 153 felt damp and bombed exceptionally well. It felt like it was 8cm longer. The 148 was really damp for it’s size but was a touch too chattery for my weight. If it was just a little longer I think that would really help it handle speed better.

Uneven Terrain

Same thing I mentioned above in speed. I wish it had a few more CM to make the Telos BackSlash a little easier in uneven terrain. That would make me feel like I’m not on such a short ride. Not saying it’s bad. It’s actually really good for such a short ride. It just bounces you around if you try to power over stuff.

Edge Hold

The Telos BackSlash has very competent grip and when I was on the 153 there were blue ice patches. It held up pretty well in those conditions and this is a pretty competent hard snow ride.

Turn Initiation

The 153 was a little on the slow side for my boot size but the 148, which is a great match for my specs, snapped super quick edge to edge.

Turning Experience/Carving

Once you get the Telos BackSlash on edge it rails out a fun lively turn. I could really carve hard with both sizes and loved how it popped out of a turn. The turning experience is pretty balanced for having such a deep sidecut. It favors across the groomer turns to circle carves but it can make fun down the line turns as well.

Powder

So with a 4.75” set back from center of board on a 22” stance width set all the way back you have very good directional float. Still you don’t feel like your back foot is riding on the tail which is great for getting air in pow. Then you have early rise before a long nose and 17mm of taper in the tail. In boot to knee high powder I had an easy floating experience with the 148. The Telos Backslash not a full on dedicated pow ride but it’s super fun.

Conclusion

So if you want a pretty camber dominant ride that is pretty damp for it’s size you have the Telos BackSlash. I had a very good time on it but find it hard to recommend due to the sizing and all that camber. So if you like a more technical camber rich ride in a shorter wider shape than most Alt Freeride boards this could be a great call.

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