Freestyle / Park Board Recommendations
Hey all, just signed up and am looking forward to getting involved however am after some help with deciding on a new board - I’m sure you get a lot of these types of threads so apologies for the lengthy post!
I’ve mostly been an all mountain rider until this season where I started to get involved in bigger jumps and more technical jibs and found myself spending more time in the park than on the mountain. This just happens to co-incide with me needing a new board so I am looking to ensure I make the right purchase for next season - looking to make the most of the end of season sales 
I’m 90kg with a size 11 boot and only ever ride Perisher. I’m currently riding on a 157 however not sure if it’s worthwhile going smaller to say a 154? Waist width difference seems to be about 3mm between a 154 and 157 board however weight is also the question?
I’ve done some research and have come up with 3 boards that appeal to me however am open to other suggestions along with any thoughts on the 3 below for freestyle riding.
I’m a fan of Mervin boards as you can probably tell by my choices but open to ideas.
Lib Tech TRS - I am currently riding a 2011 model and don’t have a bad thing to say about it, I love it. I can upgrade to this years model and know I’ll be happy however I am open to moving to a completely different board.
GNU Riders Choice - Hear nothing but good things about this board and it seems to be more flexible than the TRS.
Bataleon GW - Something non-Mervin that caught my eye and looks like it could be a great freestyle board. Am currently leaning mainly towards this board based on what I’ve read and seen from it.
Any thoughts or recommendations on board and board size? Not only on the above 3 boards but any others you believe would suit riding park 90% of the time?
As an FYI - I currently have a set of 2012 Cartels which I’ll be using however I’m also open to suggestions on new bindings.
Thanks for any help!
Hey, not exactly an expert on this subject,
but in a mervin fan too, i have the roxy olliepop, 2012 and the gnu bstreet 2014, and im loving the gnu, its super flexible!! And so much fun in the park! ( only started park this year, but having a blast,) my other half is looking at the gnu space case, or something similar, he has 4 lib techs, he rides his burtner box scratcher the most, but he is now looking for something really flexible,
just depends what you want from it, i personally went the gnu for its flex, and because it was a true twin tip,
a few of the guys on here have dc’s and a mate of,mine has the dc focus and loves it,. Its insanely flexible.. And like us he is getting into park riding more
i would suggest demoing a few, but with lack of snow… That might not be possible?
hope this helps a bit, and welcome to BoardWorld! 
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Big Mervin fan here but this year I jumped on the DC Ply and have been loving the camber ride again after a T Rice and a skate banana. The Ply is not as fast as the T Rice probably due to the extruded vs sintered base scenario but it is a fair bit lighter. One thing I noticed with my Libs is that they are on the weightier side of the equation and for whatever reason I wanted to go lighter.
I’m kinda not even really sure of the benefit of these kinds of threads or the replies you’re going to get, most times ppl have made up their minds pretty much and just looking for some extra justification from anonymous forumites to help propel them into the purchase, i have done it in the past and will probably do it again!
In terms of the stuff I have ridden on the Ply this year, it has copped a total flogging off piste but until this weekend just gone, my most ridden lift was Piper T Bar but that’s just been surpassed by Leichardt. I have ridden it on the first couple of hits at FV park as well with only straight airs there. I kinda like the surefootedness of the camber, I was a little worried about lack of magnatraction and rocker but so far that has proven unfounded, flatbasing at speed is probably easier I find.
For reference I’m about 107kgs, size 12 and riding the Ply in 159, T Rice 157 and banana 159. All of the above have a waist width of about 254-255mm and i ride as wide as can be with 15 and -15 stance angles. Don’t ask me about rails as I avoid them pretty much on sight, not really my thing. Still to this day I’m not even exactly sure what jibbing actually is, is it rails or bonks or what????
What I will say is there’s probably not much point buying something exactly the same or very similar, go try something different, you might really love it. With that said I have trashed my Ply so I did just buy the exact same board again but both of them cost me under $600 all up so not really a bad deal.
Welcome to Boardworld, cliffy. 
The longer the post, the better. It gives us more info to go by.
My initial thoughts:
If you’re hitting big jumps, I don’t think you’d want to downsize much at all. At 90kg, you want at least some length for stability on big landings. In regards to length, how do you find you 157? Do you actually feel a need to go shorter? If not, I’d stick to something close to this size.
Definitely get a twin. You ride 90% park. This is an easy choice.
Technical jibs? My first thought is the Lib Tech and GNU camber profiles (mostly camber/rocker/camber) would be my last choice for jibbing. While very versatile, this camber profile is known to be a bit unstable and unpredictable for riding rails. How much time do you spend riding rails. Personally, I would look at a different camber profile? You sound like you know your stuff but please have a read of this thread anyway: https://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/4119/
Maybe have a read of that above thread first and let us know which camber profile(s) appeal to you. If you’re riding lots of rails, maybe even look for something with a flat section in the middle of the board, which makes it suer stable for jibbing. Something like the Rome Mod Rocker would be right up the list in my mind. The 156 has a 253mm waist which would be perfect for size 11 boots too. Just a suggestion. http://www.romesnowboards.com/boards/mod-rocker/
Of course there are a lot of other boards to consider, but I always recommend narrowing your choice down by camber profile first. Have a think about which camber profile(s) best suit your needs. Feel free to shoot through more questions.
Thanks for all the info guys! Definitely after something with a bit of flex. I was hoping to demo a few before the end of the season however won’t be getting down there again unfortunately.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about the Ply. Will check it out a bit further!
I do find the 157 to be a good size however sometimes find myself under rotating in spins, I guess this will improve with practice. I rather jumping over jibbing and that’s what I generally line however a lot of the time I’ll go for whatever has the shorter wait. You’re right in saying that the TRS can sometimes be a bit sketchy on rails. I do however like the camber/rocker/camber profile but am also a fan of a camber only profile. No question that it has to be twin! I tend to steer clear of anything rocker only though.
I’ll be sure to check out the Mod Rocker, thanks for the suggestion - not sure if I’ll be a fan of the camber however 
If you have any other suggestions based on this info though feel free to shoot them through
I plan on doing plenty more research before making my choice and appreciate any opinions.
Cheers!
Have you thought about the CamRock profile? Rocker/camber/rocker. I’ve been loving this profile. Pretty much rides like camber but still nice and buttery in the nose and tail. The camber between your feet still keeps everything stable, whether bombing runs, landing jumps, or on rails.
Hadn’t given the CamRock profile a thought as I haven’t actually ridden anything with it. Sounds like a good option however from what you’ve described - pretty much what I’m looking for in a board. What’s the pop like with the rocker under the feet / tips?
The Ply is very similar to the camrock except DC call it lock and load and it’s flat rather than rocker out towards the tips. personally the pop is ok, not amazing, the board is a little softer than some, I suspect the Mega would be poppier as it’s a stiffer board.
Hadn’t given the CamRock profile a thought as I haven’t actually ridden anything with it. Sounds like a good option however from what you’ve described - pretty much what I’m looking for in a board. What’s the pop like with the rocker under the feet / tips?
All the CamRock boards I’ve ridden have excellent pop. They honestly perform very similar to a cambered board. The only time I really notice the difference is when I’m buttering around, as it is definitely looser in the nose and tail, and also when riding powder (floats noticeably better than camber). Other than that, they are stable, carve really nicely, and have a good amount of pop. In my opinion, CamRock (or very similar) is the best performing “versatile” profile on the market, especially if you prefer the feel of full camber. If you’re interested, look at YES and FYVE as they both have a solid range of CamRock boards (there are other brands too, i.e. Signal, Jones etc.).
Thanks for the further info. I’ll be checking out the DC’s this weekend and having a look around.
From what you’ve described around the CamRock profile I can’t go wrong, I’ll check some boards out this weekend. Having done a bit of reading I’m liking the look of the YES The Greats and The Jackpot. Cheers for pointing me in this direction!
Will let you know how I end up going
I have no trouble with pop on my gnu, and that’s camrock, mild camber/rocker /mild camber and its virtually flat, out to the tips, and they are turned up more then my olliepop which is a banana camber hybrid
I have no trouble with pop on my gnu, and that’s camrock, mild camber/rocker /mild camber and its virtually flat, out to the tips
Just to avoid confusion, the GNU isn’t camrock it’s actually the opposite i.e camrock is more rocker/camber/rocker.
I too have been loving the feeling of camber between the feet this season.
I’ll throw a Rossi Jibsaw into the mix (which is what I have been riding) It’s flat/rocker/camber/rocker/flat, mid flexing, sintered base with mellowed out magnetraction.
Once you get over the brand name (zomg it’s a ski brand) and in my case a terrible graphic you will find it ticks a lot of boxes and get’s some great reviews.
I’ve pretty much trashed mine this season as well (the shred downhill race finished it off) and I’ll strongly consider getting another one for next season.
I demoed a yes jackpot (albeit only for one run with TJ’s weird ass angles) which seemed like a nice enough board as well.
My bad! Drc is right.. (like i said defiantly not an expert.. And too many hybrid cambers confuse me lol!)
Hey Cliffy - welcome to boardworld!
Sorry for the late response…I’m out roadtripping around the USA and haven’t had much time for BW lately unfortunately!
Just wanted to chuck the Arbor Draft or Westmark out there as a board you may want to consider.
I ride park 95% of the time at the moment and I got a Draft this year and at this point, I can’t imagine getting a different board. It is so playful and fun to ride, heaps of flex but still surprising amounts of pop and still fun for carving as well.
My husband had a Draft, then got the DC Ply for something different but didn’t enjoy it at all, and has now ordered a Draft again ready for next nthn hemi winter!
Thanks for the further info. I’ll be checking out the DC’s this weekend and having a look around.
From what you’ve described around the CamRock profile I can’t go wrong, I’ll check some boards out this weekend. Having done a bit of reading I’m liking the look of the YES The Greats and The Jackpot. Cheers for pointing me in this direction!
Will let you know how I end up going
Not sure if you’re still after input but ill go ahead anyways because im bored 
i picked up a 150 DC Ply at the end of last season and its what ive riden almost every day of this season, really loved it in the park, good pop, good for all size jumps and spins, good for hitting rails/boxes/ect. only thing is it isn’t as stable at speeds as some stiffer boards, gets very noodle like and chattery especially in chopped aussie conditions.
My newest board that ive only ridden a couple of days on it the 154 YES ASYM (the new version of the greats), first up lets not beat around the bush, the graphics are cr@p, both base and topsheet, but onto the important stuff.
It is bigger, heavier and stiffer than my Ply, at first ride i wasnt 100% sold on it and to be honest at the start of the second day i had a bad time riding it, it was just sooooo different to my Ply, but i stuck with it and by the afternoon i’d really got the feel for it and was solidly enjoying myself
it is alot more poppy than the ply, probably from being abit stiffer,
it handles at speed 5x better, doesnt get noodley of chatterish
i though being a longer board i would have abit more difficulty spinning, but by the end of the first day i was almost getting 5s in leichardt, something ive never got on the ply
as for rails, i didnt really get enough of a feel for the board to confidently hit any yet, im still not sure how it will go being a stiffer board but im hoping it surprises me
hope i havent bored you too much and you find something useful in there
Ha ha you never tried a 5 on your Ply, your arse was hurting too much from the previous day to try again ha ha!