An Honest Breakdown Of How The Weston Backcountry Rides Review by The Good Ride

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How The Weston Backwoods Was Tested

We borrowed this for an extended demo and liked it so much that we asked to keep it. It’s now in the favorite quiver.
Size: 157
Days: 20+
Conditions: Everything from somewhat harder groomers to good groomers in really good mid-winter snow. Then, about 1 foot and 2 feet of powder on an early morning slackountry run with Drift Boards before the lifts opened.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles,  Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Union Falcor

Similar Boards (but not the same):
Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, United Shapes Orbit, Yes Optimistic, Rome Pow Division MT

Set-Up: 22” Wide. 21 front -3 back. Close to Reference and Set all the way back. 21.5-22” Wide.

Approximate Weight

Feels normal and well-built. Not super light or super heavy.

Sizing

The Weston Backwoods rides quickly and is somewhat slight in powder but then feels bigger on groomers. We’ll get more into that later. At first, I thought the 160 would be a better fit until I rode it on groomers. Then I realized the 157 was the right size for my specs. Grant, at a size 11 riding Adidas 10.5, would have preferred to have the 160 or, even better, the 157w.  Like most boards, it’s best to size down a bit from your average freeride board but still keep the regular widths at 10 and under, and then after size 10, consider the wides. If in doubt, follow what they suggest because they built it.

Flex/Buttering

There is more camber than you would think when looking at the pictures on the Weston site so that the tail can take some work, but it is very doable with some effort, especially in powder. This flex has a lot of energy, and it snaps back well after you bend it.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns

Again, about this camber, and while it’s not a really high bow of camber, it’s pretty long. That makes the Weston Backwoods on the semi-locked-in side of the spectrum, and it’s not as forgiving as you would think. It isn’t for intermediates that skid their turns a lot, but it sure tracks well, one foot off the chair or flat, basing down a long, flat run. The 18mm of taper is felt, and like many tapered boards, you need more weight on the back foot in groomers.

Edge Hold

The Weston Backwoods had a very competent grip, and it held well in the harder snow. I would feel comfortable on a steep chute that has a few meters of ice before getting to the good stuff. There seems to be a slight disruption on the sidecut that isn’t mentioned but seems to be there. It’s very subtle, but it helps it do a little more in harder snow.

Turn Initiation

On groomers, the Weston Backwoods initiated a turn somewhat slower than I expected, but once the sidecut is engaged, it can get into a pretty tight turn if you need to. In powder, it went from medium-ish to medium/fast.

Turning Experience/Carving

So the Weston Backwoods is a fun board to turn on groomers and lays out a very hard carve. You hear the word powder so much with this board that groomer riding is almost ignored. I would not call this a powder board at all. It is a one-board quiver that rides powder and groomers equally well. It requires more back foot weight to hold the tail through a more committed turn, but it feels good to be close to the center of the sidecut (only -10mm back on sidecut) when on reference, and there is a lot of spring out of your turn.

Powder

So the Weston Backwoods was a pretty fun ride in the up to 2 feet plus of powder I had it in. This floats well for a freeride board. You have 18mm of taper and early rise before a much bigger nose than tail. With a 22” stance set all the way back, you can get -3.25” back from the center of the board. That’s common for freeride boards but not as far back as many Alternative Freeride or Snowsurf boards that ride on that tail.

This is not the best low-angle powder board. However, it’s great for those who see steeper terrain and need a centered stance but still want a surfy feel. If you want more tail for getting air, this does that well.  If you ride a lot of low-angle powder, there are better rides, but overall, it floats well. Also, this fast base helps make this board glide really well and will help you get back to the chair without having to skate or walk out.

Speed

As I said above, the base keeps its speed well, but the Weston Backwoods also has a pretty damp medium/stiff flex that can point it.

Base Glide

The base glide is definitely an upper tier, and I was pleased with how easy it was to pick up speed and maintain it. This will be a good friend if you traverse a lot.

Uneven Terrain

So, turning around really messy snow or bumps on a non-powder day is a little slow but very doable. Powering over chunder and slop is pretty good, and Weston made a board that doesn’t send a lot of the bad stuff under your feet into your joints. In hard, uneven snow, this did very well, too.

Switch

It’s doable if you need to, but it’s far from perfect.

Getting Air/Park

There is a lot of pop on the tail, and the Weston Backwoods is very competent for getting air. In comparison to many Alternative Freeride boards, there is more tail, so it doesn’t have that sketchy component when you leave the snow for one too many seconds. The pipe would be okay, too, as it would carve a wall well and pop out well.

Conclusion

So, all in all, the Weston Backwoods was a pretty impressive ride. It’s a great board for those who have steep terrain and want to ride in powder but also need that same board to rip groomers.