The Korua Shapes Pin Tonic Snowboard Review

Board: Korua Pin Tonic

Size: 164

Camber Option: Float Camber. Rocker in the nose and camber throughout.

Bindings: Rome Black Label

Stance: 21.5 Wide 15 Negative 12 Goofy

Boots: K2 Thraxis Size 10

My Weight: 200lbs

Resort: Arapahoe Basin

Conditions: Sunny blue skies, colder temps, perfect corduroy, a little dust on top, some chop and chunder for good measure.

Flex: You have a fully directional flex that starts with a softer nose that stiffens up right where the rocker meets the camber and gets slightly stiffer back through the tail. The torsional flex is noticeable which really lets you twist the deck and ankle steer with very minimal effort.

Stability: The nose has chatter in it due to the rocker, but by the time that energy gets to the camber section and the front foot it’s mostly gone. This board is more smooth and consistent then damp meaning that it doesn’t feel lifeless. In rutted out terrain the nose gets on top of the snow while the camber section pushes through it with relative ease. When you do get up to high speeds you may want to bend your knees a little more but it’s nothing that a competent rider should fear.

Ollies/Pop: The pop is a little delayed when you load up the camber section. It’s not a bad thing it just makes you calculate how you’re going to boost off any sidehit or roller. This isn’t a board for just straight trying to fly off everything in your path. You will have to pick and choose your battles.

Butterability: I didn’t even bother with anything on the nose it was all high speed wheelies on the pin tail.

Carving: So this board has a fast turn initiation off the front foot but it’s controlled from inside the front and back foot meaning all the center movements you do will drive it. If you want to really torque the carve you have to push the back knee in and get the front foot to disengage, this raises the edge off the snow and gives you less edge to work with but you will slingshot out of the carve. If you’re doing a longer more traversed carve then you steer more underfoot and just do minimal ankle movements to drive it. Overall this board is fast edge to edge when doing quick carves or more precise and locked in when doing longer ones.

Rider in Mind: Resort rider that likes to carve, turn, and slash.

Personal Thoughts: I got this in a little fresh snow and the tail did sink. The power underfoot of this board is what gives its characteristics. It’s one of those decks you can rail a hard carve when you want to or be laid back and not feel like it’s riding you. This makes it highly versatile for just about any type of terrain. Some people might be turned off with the chatter you get from the rocker zone but know that in fresh snow that won’t be an issue it’s only in firmer conditions.

Comparable Boards: Moss Snow Stick Pintail 64, Nidecker Beta APX, Gnu Banked Country

Recommended Bindings: Rome Katana, Union Strata, K2 Lien AT