2013 Academy Rhythm Used and Reviewed

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Some people go on and on about how camber is dead, while others keep talking about how it’s going to come back. Love it or hate it, there’s definitely a need to keep it around. Academy might not be a big brand but they certainly understand about why they need to keep it around.

Board: Academy Rhythm

Size: 153

Camber Option: Traditional Camber

Bindings: Raiden Phantoms

Stance: 22.5 18 Negative 15 Goofy

Boots: K2 UFO Size 10

My Weight: 165

Resort: Breckenridge

Conditions: Sunny warm temps with slush and bluebird skies.

Flex: Softer in the nose then stiffening up through the middle.

Stability: I still believe camber does help add to the stability of a deck. For being a mid wide park board I really didn’t notice any crazy instances of ‘oh shit I’m going to die’ cause it was chattering.

Ollies: Camber has pop that’s all you need to know. Load this sucker up and you were boosting.

Pop On Jumps: I felt right at home on jumps with this board. Rolling in hot and putting it on edge going up the tranny was perfectly natural.

Butterability: Well for those of us that grew up on camber and learned how to butter it won’t be an issue. For those of you that don’t understand it maybe you should check out their RC option. Over all the flex is solid enough to let you press in but not feel like you’re going over the handle bars while playing around.

Jibbing: The softer nose really lets you lock in for nose presses. Personally I’m a fan of mid wides on jib just more surface area to lock on with and this board doesn’t disappoint at all.

Carving: It’s a radial sidecut which if you’re familiar with them they’re predictable but don’t often lock in when getting on firmer/icy snow. You could rail a turn but with the spring mix of slush and ice sometimes it would slip a bit.

Rider in Mind: Cambered mid-wide park boards aren’t dead. That’s who is going to dig this stunt stick.

Personal Thoughts: For an all around park board it’s solid. Wouldn’t be my first choice of boards to go to. Camber for myself just doesn’t have a place in my quiver. But for those that hate alternate camber I see this board doing well with others.

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