Length: 160 cm
Effective Edge: 121.5 cm
Waist Width: 24.1 cm
Nose/Tail Width: 29.3 cm
Test ResultsThe Elan Element is designed to be the ultimate board. It has all the best technology that Elan has to date and this baby is super light. Here is a round up of the tech in this board: Elan True Lite Core, composite tri-axial weave, stoneground sintered graphite base, lightweight full-wrap edge, and low profile Cap technology. Put all that together with Elan quality and an aggressive parabolic sidecut and you have a board that does happy turns where ever you want it to. The flex pattern and deep sidecut makes it great for freeriding and yet it is also a good freestyle board for medium to lightweight riders. Some would say these same characteristics make it a less forgiving board and one for an advanced rider. Snowboarding is pretty easy to get the hang of and so most people should probably buy a high performance board that will allow them to have a good performing board once they get the hang of riding down the mountain. When you put someone with some athletic ability on a flimsy none turning board, it holds them back after just a few runs. Our test rider found this was the best (fast and fun) board tested this year. The board is a full cap construction and is super strong. Ratings:Freeriding: 9/10 |
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Length: 155 cm
Effective Edge: 117 cm
Waist Width: 24.1 cm
Nose/Tail Width: 28.7 cm
Test ResultsThe Elan Jason Evans Pro Model is designed by Vermont local, Jason Evans. It is a freestyle board with focus on the pipe and kickers. It has a full cap and a wood core with a kevlar weave to enhance strength. The base is Sintered P-Tex 2000 making it super fast. The board has a nice medium flex which is well suited for lighter riders and so is very forgiving in most snow conditions. In the pipe, its deep sidecut (7.5m) allows you to carve the walls of the pipe and maintain good control in the transitions. Off kickers it also performs well with a softish flex which helps for those off-balances landings. In terms of freeriding, the board's performance was good. Our test rider weighed in at 155lbs. and found it to be a fun all around board that did favor parks and pipes. This is not surprising given that it is not designed as a freeriding board. The deep sidecut and superior damping qualities enables the board to carve well on most conditions except super icy steep slopes. Ratings:Freeriding: 7/10 |
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Length: 156 cm
Effective Edge: 118 cm
Waist Width: 24.5 cm
Nose/Tail Width: 28.8 cm
Test ResultsThe Freestyle 500 Pro is designed to be the ultimate freestyle board. It is the top of the Salomon snowboard line and is constructed out of the lightest materials. It is a directional board both in the shape and in the core. It has a stiff flex pattern and a deep sidecut which makes it a great freestyle board for heavier riders yet it is also good for all types of boarders that use size 8-11 boots. Of course this board performs extremely well in the pipe given its sidecut and flex pattern. The P-Tex 4000 sintered base is super fast for big airs but it requires a lot of attention to keep it riding fast, meaning a hot wax every few days of use. The entire Salomon range including the Freestyle 500 Pro have P-Tex 4000 bases with a special stone-ground pattern which is super fast on wet spring/summer conditions. Our test rider found this was one of the best boards tested this year. Ratings:Freeriding: 8/10 |
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| Snowboard | Turning | Stability | Style |
| Santa Cruz T-Type | 8 | 8 | Basic |
| Elan Paragon | 10 | 9 | Basic Natural Color |
| Elan Aurora | 9 | 8 | Girly Dolphin and Fish Graphics |
| Sims Hex FC | 8 | 9 | Simple Artistic |
| Burton Balance | 7 | 8 | Basic |
| Sims Descender | 9 | 8 | Basic |
| K2 AStar | 8 | 9 | Nice Logo and Dark Motif |
| Rossignol Pro | 9 | 9 | Most Improved; If you like the Roster |
| Rossignol Rooster | 9 | 9 | Simple Rooster |
| MLY Ultimate | 8 | 8 | Simple with Lite Branding |
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Created: 06/20/96
