Board: Rome Service Dog
Size: 153
Camber Option: Free The Ride Camber. Rocker in the nose camber under the back foot.
Bindings: Rome Black Label
Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy
Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10
My Weight: 190lbs
Resort: Arapahoe Basin
Conditions: Sunny bluebird skies, warm temps, zero wind, and snow the consistency of cream cheese. It was late spring.
Flex: The overall flex of this board is below middle of the road. It’s a fully directional flex meaning softer nose into a stiffer tail with a ton of torsional give to it.
Stability: This boards wider platform and set back camber give it all of its stability. You’ll notice way out in the nose there’s some chatter then it stiffens up a little bit right in front of the bamboo hot rod and gets softer with more give right after the rode ends but before the insert pack.
Ollies/Pop: There’s a ton of snap which comes from the back foot camber. It loads up just a bit different than a fully traditional snowboard, but it still pops like one.
Butterability: That nose is a butter platform. It’s so wide and long you can lock in and just feel it hold. The bamboo rod causes it to have rebound out of any press but it never fights you. The tail while minimal allows you to do high speed wheelies and get weird.
Carving: This board is meant for laying trenches and ripping carves. Set it on edge and forget it. Short tight quick carves or long hard drawn out ones it will do what you need. That 3D nose shaping makes it easy to engage from edge to edge and gives it an effortless entry into turns.
Rider in Mind: Party boarding pow hound.
Personal Thoughts: This board is almost a combination of multiple volume shifted party boards. It’s as if the Party Wave, Superpig, Cool Bean, Backslash, and Slush Slasher were put all into one board. This thing is a blast to ride and has so much more potential. I wish I could have ridden it in light deep snow, but for what I got it in, it absolutely killed it.
Comparable Boards: Bataleon Party Wave, Spring Break Slush Slasher, Telos Backslash
14 Comments
Hello Mr.,
I have worn my jones explorer board to the ground and looking for an upgrade. Seeing as im a dad and have some dollars to spend I want a board with all the cool tech I can get (yes im a bit weird) and I need to be able to ride slow/relaxed/aka not trying hard when riding with my family. Basicly the board has to rideable by an intermediate rider when being ultra laid back.
Im an all mountain rider that dabbles a bit in the park when the kids want to there, my only “jibbing” is riding on top of a box – but I do like jumps, but wont ever be crazy big jumps. Other than that I like riding spaced out trees, gulleys and search for the small pow stashes that are round on resorts.
Anyway, as stated I want a sweet board that can do it all (master of none type of deal), but having a hard time actually figuring out what to pick. Is there one of these boards that are dramatically better than the others and or are some of them stiff planks that you need to bring your A-game every time you ride 2 meters?
Ride warpig, Capita Mercury, Jones Mountain twin, Rome service dog, Rome party mod, Capita Asymulator, Arbor Coda rocker, YES greats, YES PYL and the Jones Stratos.
I know the above list is all over the place, but as far as I know all of them do snowboard things and would not kill me if i go slow and relaxed with the kids etc.
Any boards that sticks out to you?
Thanks
Buy a Mercury, go ride, that’s it.
Great info, always!
K2 Lein At’s for Service Dog? Have a Templar 162w( ur reviews were key in that decision) w/ Flux DS. Am progressing, almost intermediate? 30 year surfer East coast with Winter trips last few years. Want a good snow/pow setup. What do u think about Rome SD/ Lein AT. Interested in 3 BT Tech and fun in good stuff.
Thanks!
That’s a solid binding choice for that deck.
I meant the spoony nose tech stuff when I said 3BT
Thanks for advice!!
Hi, I can’t decide whether to take the liptech orca or the rome service dog, which one is better for carving and which one has the better edge hold on icy snow, which board would you recommend?
Thankx
The Service Dog carves better due to the camber profile and shaping, while the Orca has better edge hold due to the Magnetraction. Either.
Hey there,
What’s the difference between this and the Stale Fish?
Seems same shape, camber profile, etc?
Thanks
Flex and even that isn’t much of a difference.
Thanks! One last thing, I’m struggling on size I’m 6’ 185-190lb. I live in BC so am leaning towards the 157 but wanted to see your opinion.
Go for it.
Hi!
What do you suggest for mainly slackcountry/backcountry riding in BC pow….Service Dog, Nitro Dropout or Telos Backslash?
Thanks!
Backslash or Dropout.