K2 Parkstar with Formula’s my take
This board is new to the K2 line up for this upcoming season. It essentially is a Darkstar with Jib Rocker in it.
Board: K2 Parkstar
Size: 157
Bindings: K2 Formulas
Stance: 22.5
Angles: 18 negative 15
Boots: K2 T1 DB’s
My Weight: 168
Resort: Keystone
Conditions: Sunny and Blue Skies
Mindset: What a great day to slay the park
Tunes: Dragonforce
Preconceived Notions: My reps were raving about this board and said it would be a fun board to rock all over.
Flex: It’s a very even flex through and through. Reminded me of riding the Darkstar from last season.
Stability: You do get a little bit of a looser feel from the rocker so having chatter in the tips isn’t anything new to me.
Ollies/Pop: For me I felt the pop was better on this than on the Jibpan I had previously ridden.
Butterability: The flex made it solid for buttering around and the rocker made pressing even easier.
Cruising: It’s a playful fun board for groomers but I wouldn’t take it hard charging through lumpy terrain.
Jibbing: Got to love rocker when it comes to jibbing.
Rider in Mind: Park kid that won’t be hitting big line.
Personal Thoughts: I really loved this board it was a lot of fun for just riding laps through the park
Binding Compatibility: Pretty good match up with the Formulas
Binding Adjustability: As mentioned in the Jibpan review they made the toe ramp easier to adjust.
Straps: Around a mid flexing heel strap.
Highbacks: Super solid for all mountain riding.
Binding Flex: The new unibody shape is actually stiffer than the older two part version.
Ratchets: Smoother and buttery.
Rider in Mind: The all mountain rider.
Personal Thoughts: I can’t wait to get these for myself.
Popularity: 7% [?]
yooo quick question:
what sizes does the jibpan come in for next year?
did you get a chance to ride the darkstar?
“Rider in Mind: Park kid that won’t be hitting big line.”
so basically you are saying parkstar cannot jump backcountry kickers?
compaired to other park boards does the parkstar hold up well when crusing downhill????
Depends on what you're really looking for I mean hard charging you'll get some chatter cruising around and buttering it's fine. If you're looking for something with more stability bump up to the Jibpan.
i’m working at keystone next year and i’m definitely gonna be wanting to hit the big line and i want this board… am i fucked? or will it do the job
Wanting to hit the big line and hitting the big line are 2 different stories. If you’re definitely hitting the big line just upgrade to the Jibpan instead it’ll be a bit more stable on those bigger landings.
Angry, did you get a chance to ride the new Parkstar 2011 and WWW 2011, would you please share your opinion. Thanks
WWW and Parkstar are exactly the same that’s why I didn’t ride them.
Angry, I want to buy a parkstar as a one quiver board. Im not a great rider, but I like jibbing on non pow days and obviously pow lines when their avaliable! I want a board with softish flex and rockered for jibbing but one that will also float in pow. I weigh 135lb and am 5ft 11. What size parkstar should I get?
Alex probably something like the 151 think that’s the size it comes in would do you well.
Angry, thanks for your reply. I currently ride a 151 Sapient Identity, very stiff camber twin. In powder it feels very small. I was thinking of getting the 155 Parkstar because it will have a bit more float in pow, is this too long for my weight? Will I be able to butter ok on a 155?
Buttering is you as a rider, but I have about 30lbs on you and I ride the 55. Sapients were known for being planks K2′s not so much plus rocker makes things better in the pow.
Hey Angry,
Has the Parkstar changed at all for 2011 or is it EXACTLY the same? I heard it may be a little softer this year????
I believe I remember them saying it’s exactly the same.
Hey Angry,
I’m looking to buy my second board, currently riding a Burton Hate (which I think you didn’t like) for snowdome riding in the UK, but looking at getting a board to take with me for my first trip away. A few stores have recommended the Parkstar and said that it’s equally suited to riding the mountain as well as the park, so wanted to get your take on this? Whilst the board I have is fine for indoors and the rails they have up, it feels a bit usntable when I get speed up, and that’s in a snowdome, so I’m after something that will handle my trip a bit more.
Other boards I’m looking at are the Darkstar, Salomon Grip and Signal Omni.
Cheers
mrblackbat
It’s going to be a step up for sure but you might do better with a Darkstar instead. Grip is fun as well, but not a fan of the Omni.
Thanks for the quick reply! I’ll scratch the Omni, and get down the dome and give the others a try I guess, gotta be the best way to see for sure.
Yo Angry,
I want to buy a new board (my current board is a Nitro Supra Team 158), but now I want a new all mountain freestyle board. I can get a K2 parkstar 2010 for 250 dollar, I love all its reviews, but is it all mountain enough? (I first wanted to buy a Ride DH2, but there’s a huge price difference 200+ dollars).
Thanks in advance!
Cheers
It’s a mid flexing twin park stick so don’t expect it to be overly great at hard charging and cliff drops.
Thanks for the reply. I bought the board as I don’t expect to do a lot of cliff drops (if I do any). And as I live in the Netherlands (nearest Mountain is 900km a way) I’ll use it also for some indoor boarding.
Angry
How does the parkstar compare to the www I love my brothers 155 but sadly I have to get my own.. I was looking at a wide because I wear a 12. Mostly park riding no kickers over 30 will the parkstar be a good choice… I was tearing it up on a weapon the other day the base just felt slow.
thanks
Sorry bro one more… www vs parkstar vs kink???
Kink and WWW are the same board. Parkstar is better for jumps due to having some carbon in it.
Hi Angry, I am looking at purchasing a new snowboard; I live in Australia and so the snow is average….mostly a little icy but still a few groomed, pow runs. I haven’t been snowboarding for long but still consider myself an advanced beginner-early intermediate snowboarder since I have grown up skiing, surfing and skateboarding and so was doing summit and other advanced runs the second day of snowboarding.
My query is; I am hoping to get into snowboarding freestyle by doing park laps (beginner stuff; small to mid-sized kickers, small rails, 180′s, etc…. whilst going down the mountain), but I also really want my board to be stable enough to casually run the summit for when I just want to enjoy the run.
My stats are:
Aprox 82Kg (180 pounds)
Aprox 5.10 1/2″-5.11″
My shoe size is US10.5-11.5 depending on brand and such, I can’t remember what boot size I am off the top of my head….
So I was wondering; in my situation, what board would be best for me? And according to my stats, what size board would you recommend? Really an all mountain board with enough stability to run the whole mountain and enough pop to enjoy the many freestyle runs I plan to do(remembering that I will only be introducing myself to jibbing and kickers).
Thanks in advance.
Sorry, my shoe size is US10.5-11.0 and I forgot to mention that I am open to any brand boards, I also have had my eye on the following few boards but would much rather scratch them and go by a professional’s advice.
-K2 WWW
-K2 Parkstar
-Burton Hero
-K2 Fastplant
-Burton Sherlock
-Never Summer SL-R
-Never Summer Evo
-Ride Machete
-GNU Altered Genetics
I can’t get my hands on any Never Summer boards in Australia, though, for some odd reason….
To get a NS board in Australia you have to go through the NZ distributor I believe. As far as decks you’re describing I think the Parkstar or Fastplant would be what you want.
Thanks a lot for the quick response! I will be buying the parkstar next week as it has been getting overall better reviews (and going by your review, the fastplant is a pretty average board….)
What size would be optimal for someone of my stats?
Weight: Aprox 180 pounds (Dunno if it makes a difference but it’s lean muscle, not fat…..)
Height: 5.10″ 1/2 – 5.11″
Shoe size: US 9.5-10
I think the Fastplant is a turd honestly. Rode the 2012 yesterday and found I’d rather be riding a WWW. I’d go for like a 155ish give or take.
Yeah, I noticed everyone seems to think it rides badly…… I can get a 157 for $150 cheaper than the 155 so maybe I’ll get that, unless it will make riding bad…..
And, I wont be needing a wide board, will I?
Nah I think you’re fine I have a 10 and don’t ride the Wide version. Go with the 57 down the road if you get better at park and want something smaller consider downsizing.
Thanks! I have always enjoyed reading your reviews since you don’t sugar-coat how the board rides, you tell it how it is and that is exactly how I want to read a review on a board that’s costing me $$$.
You’ve been a great help with selecting my board for this season, thanks a lot!
Hey angry
Im looking for some bindings for my parkstar this year. Im looking at Flux DS30s, forum republics or union forces. I rode the republics for a few years until last year when i switched to the 390 bosses and kinda regretted changing so its hard not to go back to the republics but the other two also look pretty good for my board, ill mostly be riding park and groomers on them, thanks for any thoughts,
jules
I’d probably just go back to the Republics you know them.