Weston Riva Snowboard Review – By Steph W

Weston Riva 2023 - 2021 Review by The Good Ride

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Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  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 rider’s perspective.

Size:  143

Board Sizing: 143, 147, 151, 155

Days:   4+

Conditions: Softer spring snow, a little powder, off piste

Riders: Steph

Boots: Vans Luna

Bindings: Union Legacy, Union Trilogy 

Set Up: 20.5” Centered 15 front -15 back

Snow Conditions

I tested the Riva in mostly spring conditions. Firm and icy in the morning, and slush in the afternoon.

Board Personality

The Riva has a nice mix of freeride elements and all mountain elements. It is stiff enough to stay stable at high speeds and through bumpy snow. But it also has somewhat of a playful and nimble side to it. This keeps it very versatile, and it has the ability to be very consistent in all sorts of conditions and terrain.

Flex

7/10 flex. The flex is stable and responsive, the mix of the 7/10 flex and the positive camber give the Riva a lot of snappy energy out of turns and in ollies. At the same time, it is a very nimble board and can be maneuvered without too much effort.

Setback & Taper

20mm of setback

9mm of taper

Camber

The Riva comes with positive camber between the feet, and rocker on the nose and tail. The rocker on the nose is slightly longer than the rocker on the tail.

Board Personality

The Riva has a nice mix of freeride elements and all mountain elements. It is stiff enough to stay stable at high speeds and through bumpy snow. But it also has somewhat of a playful and nimble side to it. This keeps it very versatile, and it has the ability to be very consistent in all sorts of conditions and terrain.

Steeps

The Riva handles great in steep terrain. It turned quickly and felt very reliable in icy conditions as well as. It has nice edge hold and stays stable at higher speeds and through bumpy, uneven snow without feeling too aggressive.

Powder

It comes with 10mm of setback, and 9mm of taper. Both of these will help with float in powder. The Riva also has rocker in the nose and tail of the board which will help the nose tay afloat in deeper snow, and the tail will stay nimble when turning. It also has a wider waist width of 242mm. This gives it more surface area on the snow, which also helps with float and stability in powder.

You can make the board even more directional by setting it all the way back.

The furthest set back on board is 2.75″ with a 20″ stance width.

The Riva will float great in powder for a freeride board, but it won’t float quite as well as a powder specific snowboard. The good thing about that is that it will handle well when the snow gets tracked out and chopped up as well.

Groomers And Turning Experience

This board handles great on groomers. It is very fun to turn, and even quick to turn with the wider waist width and stiffer flex. It carves great, and has a very snappy energy out of the turns. At the same time it can make small radius turns and skid them easily. Making this board very nimble feeling but still technical and stable.

Freestyle Personality

I enjoyed riding the Riva in freestyle type terrain. Finding transition zones around the mountain, cat track drops, and creative lines. It is fun to pop off of natural features, and honestly not too bad in the park itself. I was quite surprised at how fun the Riva was to butter around and play on. It has good stability in landings, nice edge hold for icy take offs, and is fun to get creative on.

Riding switch is completely doable on the Riva. It feels a bit backwards but is pretty good for a directional and tapered board.

Overall

The Riva is a great mix of a freeride and all mountain board. Most all mountain boards are just pretty good at certain things, and most freeride boards are pretty aggressive. The Riva is truly fun all over the mountain, and still has those awesome freeride elements that give it a good technical edge for steeps, ice, and powder.

The Weston Riva would be well suited for an advanced to expert rider who wants a board that can take them anywhere and will also handle well in deep snow.

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