Last year we introduced the Best All Mountain Freeride award which was won by none other than this deck. Seeing as nothing significant has changed with the Rush ABT we decided to give it a Legacy award to show that it’s still a solid ride and people should check it out.
Board: Flow Rush ABT
Size: 156
Camber Option: I-Rock Rocker. Camber under foot with rocker that has a convex base between the feet.
Bindings: Rome 390 Boss
Stance: 22.5 Wide 18 Negative 15 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 175lbs
Resort: Breckenridge
Conditions: Overcast, snowing heavy wet snow, and a lot of spots with sticky snow.
Flex: Somewhere past middle of the road true twin flex which makes it more versatile for all mountain riding. The outer parts of the tips have a bit of give then it progressively stiffens up from there. The torsional give on this is very minimal which makes center flexing it a bit of a chore.
Stability: Now this board is stable and adding to that you have a silicone breast implant underneath the middle of it to absorb chatter. It’s damp yet lively which doesn’t make it feel so dead.
Ollies: You can load the camber zone up and pop. Just don’t expect it to be as snappy as say something from Flow like the Shifty or Era.
Pop On Jumps: This board excels at hitting jumps from small to large. You can just send it and not have to worry.
Butterability: Not its strong suit by any means the flex pattern just makes you really work to spin around on it. Be prepared to muscle it with all your weight.
Jibbing: The sweet spot in the tips is so tiny that to properly land in a press you have to know exactly where it is and how to put your weight over the board. The ABT also sticks on jibs and will slow you down. Some people might argue about this but I’ve never had a board stick on a 50-50 on a single barrel like that before.
Carving: You can rail turns with the greatest of ease. Transitioning back and forth takes no effort just the preparation of knowing this board is not for a lazy carver, it’s for someone that is going to charge. Laying trenches is real fun and when you lock in you know you’re going to ride it out all the way through the carve.
Rider in Mind: Hard charging all mountain freestylist that isn’t afraid of having a boob job between their feet.
Personal Thoughts: I’m not sure if I’m sold on ABT between the feet like that. It slowed down drastically on jibs and you could really feel it. There’s nothing sketchier than going into a single barrel at full speed and having it stick mid way through. The sidecut is great for rallying turns and the flex pattern really lends itself towards all-mountain more so than freestyle. If you like charging hard you’ll probably like this deck.
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Disclaimer: This board was loaned to us for review from the Flow Snowboards Rockies Rep
11 Comments
Hi, love you site!
I am 5`8 , 165 lbs , 10 US, Flow NX2-AT/Flow Talon
Cannot decide between Rush and Drifter (or Arbor Blaclist). I am riding slopes/freeride like to jump small and learn some butter to make fun. Not really park/rails guy. I am bit afraid if Rush/Drifter are not to stiff for butter so I will be unable to learn/enjoy. Is Rush better for this or Drifter?
Also curious what replaced Blacklist for you this year, maybe could be also good board for my riding – but kind of hard to get in my country.
Also the sizing. I see by weight the Flow would be for me 159 while Arbor 154 (I could get model 2012,157cm for cheap) btw do they count clothes,backpack full of stuff,food as it can add some weight?
Thanks
You probably want the Rush. The MarHar Throwback surpassed the Arbor Blacklist as my top pick for a board. It’s based off weight plain and simple are you riding naked or with gear? My guess is with gear which means that’s your weight.
You`d be surprised (hail to the naked man!). What about the sizing with Flow? You went 156, thats little over their weight rec. Just curious they have it different than other brands. Still bit tempted to go with Blacklist as I can have it 70bucks cheaper (sadly in 157 only,but still ok for me I guess) And I wanted to learn slower tricksful ride. Do the boards (Blacklist/Rush) complement each other ?- My thought get Blacklist cheap now and more freeride Rush later (you know we poor guys that have max 20 mountain days) My goal is to ride whole mountain as a park.
Weight recommendations are just that a recommendation, I know what works. They’re completely different boards.
Hey !
This review helped me out on a few questions,
I am trying to learn more of the rocker boards, little tricks here and there. I’m a more confident rider now.
I currently use a carbon fiber based 156 camber board and it’s no fun trying to learn tricks.
So I started researching online and learned rocker style is the way to go, and from your reviews I’m interested in the Flow designs, as I own Flow products and prefer them over others. The Boots and Bindings just work for me, I’ve tried various other brands and I just don’t like them.
I read both Drifter and Rush of your review, is drifter softer ? which is will be easier as a beginner into tricks ? I carve more like a surfer than a skater (Fish tailing) I’m considering going 151-153 range in sizes.
Just want to start with something really soft and easy to learn from.
Would you prefer the Rush over the Drifter ?
I saw people doing weird flat tricks with bending boards while riding and wheelies etc etc, which is what I want to start also.
If there is an alternative recommendation i should look up, i’m opened for suggestions
i’m 5″10 , Very fit @ 165lbs
Flow Talon @ 10 / Flow NX2GT Large
Get a Flow Era.
Thank you,
Will look into the Era for this season
[…] The Flow Rush […]
Hello dudes,
I’m 6 feet tall for 187 lbs and I ride the ABT limited 156 which is exactly the same board as the Rush 156.
I’m 37 years old and I ride since 1989 for an average of 50 days per year. I ride icy slopes in high speed mode, freestyle backcountry, big mountain, pipe and big table in park. I don’t jib that much anymore as I have a family and I don’t wanna end up at the hospital anymore for a shitty nose press 🙂
My feeling about this board : Perfect for my riding style, just an incredible board very reliable at high speed on Switzerland (Valais) icy slope of this starting winter season. No stress when you need to brake urgently on the ice, you get the necessary support, which allows you to have a lot of fun where ever you want, you just can’t believe it.
On the slopes’ sides, it very easily goes over the shitty snow, you don’t feel the need to stop to calm down legs’pain.
It also has a crazy pop… I only tried it on small kickers as there’s not enough snow yet to get huge kickers shaped. Anyway, you feel the beast under your feet. Landing is so fun with this ABT boobie technology, you don’t feel landing impact, it’s absorbed…Strange but very fun actually.
It really is an incredible board which, IMO, has a lot more to offer when snow conditions will be better.
Just a tip : you should perfectly center your bindings on it, you’ll feel the boobies and the pop. I did this after my 2nd run and it went better for flat tricks and ollies.
I’m nobody to say you should buy it, but sincerely it’s worth it. It’s more than a good board and I’m looking forward to try it in backcountry deep powder.
Alex
[…] At the beginning of the season I tested a few boards and in the All-Mountain range the Flow Rush really stood out. It's a really stable ride when riding at speed but I also had a lot of fun on the board at lower speeds. It was really predictable too, which is rare imho. Angry snowboarder reviewed it here: 2014 Flow Rush ABT Snowboard Used and Reviewed « […]
[…] out the past reviews of the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Flow […]