Board: Lib Tech Orca
Size: 153
Camber Option: C2X. Camber under foot with reverse between the feet. The camber section is a bit longer.
Bindings: Rome Black Label
Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 200lbs
Resort: Loveland Ski Area
Conditions: 10 inches of fresh snow, perfect corduroy, overcast skies, cooler temps, and some choppy snow thrown in for good measure.
Flex: With this board getting the HP construction it beefs up the flex. Overall it’s just a hair past middle of the road. You have ever so slightly softer tips then a stiffer mid section. There’s a little bit of torsional flex but nothing overwhelming.
Stability: This board is noticeably more stable than the previous versions. You have a board that’s damp and does a great job of absorbing micro vibrations. It cuts through chunder with ease and never gets knocked around.
Ollies/Pop: This board has snap and its relatively easy to engage due to the C2X profile. Load it up, pop, you’re in the air. It is a bit stiffer so it takes a bit more work.
Butterability: With this board getting stiffened up it takes a bit more work work to press on this thing. You really want to get your weight out over the tip or tail to get it locked in.
Carving: This board is nimble edge to edge and having the C2X camber profile lets you manipulate how you drive the carve. It gives independent steering zones. On edge this board feels locked in and just plows through everything in its path with ease.
Rider in Mind: Pow chasing freeride guy that wants a volume shifted board or a T. Rice fanboy.
Personal Thoughts: I don’t like the fact they stiffened this up. It doesn’t make sense for what the board is and tells me that they’re trying to make this more of an all mountain board do it all. It loses its playfulness and the fun side of it to instead be more precise and power driven.
Comparable Boards: Gnu Gremlin, K2 Cool Bean, Ride Superpig
12 Comments
Hey Angry, I was looking for some advice into what board I should get next. My parents got me my first board 5 years ago (2014 rossignol angus 164w) and it was the board I learned on. I am 6’4 220lbs size 13 boot and have been considering boards like the jones frontier, freerider, the roasignol xv, etc. With my angus, I love hidding groomers, and steeps, moguls, powder etc and I feel I can ride decently hard. I also do enjoy the trees, but my local resort doesent have much for tree routes as it is very densely forested. When I travel I find myself in the trees more often. I’m looking for somthing to replace this board as it is showing its age a bit and kind of beat up, and I don’t just want to ride this board into the ground. So I guess somthing that would be an upgrade that I could replace the angus with as a daily driver but also keep progressing with, thank you in advance!
Kind of all over the place with boards you’re looking at. Check out the Libtech Dynamo.
Haha yeah i know, and I didn’t mean freerider I meant flagship. Been looking at the Dynamo and it seems like a really awesome board geared towards what I’m looking for, wasn’t sure if the 159w offered in the Dynamo would fit the size 13 boot, and in terms of my body size, and I actually weight more like 230lbs haha
Thank you for the help!
With the changes would you say that the Superpig or even optimistic are better at this point?
They’re just different rides.
I gave in and ended up getting the Orca. I was looking for a powerful powder board for those deep days in Revelstoke. I had a Signal Disruptor and I love the amount of pop that the board has. But it’s not a powder board at all. Tried riding it with a foot of fresh powder and there I was cartwheeling down the hill. When I jumped on the Orca I was expecting a lot more playfulness and pop from it. Pretty disappointed in the performance of the board, yes it floats great and its fun to carve. Also does great dropping off of cliffs. But when you line up a decent kicker thinking you’re gonna be launched to the moon you’ll be extremely let down. What would be a board for those deep days that’d have the insane pop that I’m looking for?
I’m also a pretty big boy standing at 6’3″ and pushing 240.
Jones Ultra Mind Expander, Ride Mtn Pig, Rome Ravine Select.
Really had my mind set on an Orca, thinking 144 or maybe 147 (shorter rider at 150lbs), but after this review I’m not so sure. What I’m looking for is a board that just goes fast and carves. I don’t butter or ollie and I never hit the park. I just resort ride, groomers and love the days when the resort gets big dumps of fresh powder (because of the powder days is why I was looking at the orca). I mainly ride Whistler as I live in Squamish, I also head up to Mt. Baker 3-4 times a year. Would the Orca be a good choice for what I’m looking for or is there anything else you recommend I look at?
Libtech Dynamo, Gnu Essential Service, Ride Berzerker all better options for what you’re describing.
Thanks Angry. Would a telos backslash fit as well or is that too close to the orca?
Too close.