Automaton is one of those little companies that’s always popped up on my radar as a brand that I’d like to check out. They’re not big enough to qualify as mid level but not small enough to put them in the super specialized niche category. Getting the opportunity to shred this deck was one I knew I had to take advantage of so here’s my review of it.

Board: Automaton Manimal

Size: 154

Camber Option: Traditional camber utilizing 3mm’s of rise in the dead center.

Bindings: K2 Formulas

Stance: 22.5

Angles: 18 negative 15

Boots: K2 T1 DB size 10

My Weight: 160

Resort: Arapahoe Basin

Conditions: Overcast and slightly snowing to spring time slush with blue skies. It’s been an amazing mix of weather since the spring season has started.

Preconceived Notions: Been a while since I hopped on some camber and this deck is supposed to be a park slayer with a mild sidecut. Should make for an interesting ride.

Flex: Park slayer flex softer out at the ends of the tips slightly stiffer just past the inserts and then even more stiff right between the feet. Torsional flex that doesn’t buck you if you twist the deck either.

Stability: Tips weren’t the most stable that I’ve been on but between the feet was pretty solid. Choppy conditions it did wash out a bit.

Ollies/Pop: Real snappy and lively off jumps and onto jibs. You can get a good amount of spring out of this and popping off edge was a real strong suit with this board.

Butterability: The softer flex in the tips really let me press the fuck out of this thing. Even though it had camber it was so minimal that it didn’t impede the ability to get press nasty on it.

Cruising: The sidecut is a bit mellower than I would have initially liked, this makes for a different turn initiation.

Jibbing: This board locked into presses and slides real well and the softer flex in the tips really let you have some room to play. The minimal sidecut didn’t make it hook like with what happens sometimes on other cambered decks.

Rider in Mind: That park rider that’s still on camber but wants a more mellow sidecut so set up turns are less pronounced and enjoys a softer flex in the tips.

Personal Thoughts: If I was going to ride camber again this deck would be a contender. The micro amount of camber allows itself to ride more like one with zero camber and the sidecut initiates better underfoot than out at the tips which gives it a ride that’s highly comparable to a reverse cambered deck.

What They Say: For 2010/11, Automaton has gone through a major hardware retooling to update and refine every single snowboard  in our line. the goal: to take our already awesome award-winning snow swords and make them even better! Simple, prove constructions + top materials + easy, predictable, forgiving flexes = the world’s finest and most fun freestyle snowboard boards.

Our line is simple and efficient, designed to meet the high demands of discerning freestyle snow shreds worldwide. We do the work so you don’t have to! Visuals from Alex Funderburk and Eve Duhamel only max out the fun. Because when it comes to snowbaords, Automaton knows that more fun is always more better.

Snowboarding Saves Lives!

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