Gear Institute's 2012 Women's Snowboard Reviews: Arbor Poparazzi
THE GOOD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Top performer for intermediate riders.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Floats on powder like a playful surfboard.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Mid-level flex is ideal for steeps.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Lightweight for spinning.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Consistent performer in ideal conditions.
THE BAD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Chattery on hard, uneven snow.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Flimsy at high speeds.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Regardless of the name, its pop was unimpressive.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Directional shape made it difficult to ride switch.
THE VERDICT
Less noodly and narrow than past Arbor women's boards, the Poparazzi is ideal for intermediate riders who like to cruise the mellow ungroomed, floss trees, explore steeps, and play in the bumps. Advanced riders felt it lacked the chutzpah to go mach speed, and if you're mostly riding the icy East Coast, opt for something more damp鈥攖he Poparazzi chatters.
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Gear Institute's 2012 Women's Snowboard Reviews: Gnu Velvet Guru EC2
The Gnu Velvet Guru is an all-mountain freestyle snowboard designed with a moderate flex that responds best to aggressive riders
THE GOOD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Lots of pop and energy.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Soft enough for tight, low-angle transitions in the trees.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Stellar response to aggressive riders at speed.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Playful鈥攎akes you want to spin.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Nimble in powder, even though in small sizes.
THE BAD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Chattery and bouncy on uneven snow.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Couldn鈥檛 hold an edge on the most harrowing steeps.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Jump turns were not an option in steep trees.
THE VERDICT
The Gnu Velvet Guru is true all-mountain board. Both beginners and experts loved its versatility: it floats in powder, responds to aggressive maneuvers at high speeds, pops like a cork, and is so light and playful, you鈥檒l want to hit every berm you see. However, in steep terrain, riders had a hard time getting it to hold an edge.
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Gear Institute's 2012 Women's Snowboard Reviews: Never Summer Lotus
The Never Summer Lotus is a directional-shaped, women鈥檚-specific snowboard built for intermediate riders who spend the majority of their time on steeps and in trees (freeriding)
THE GOOD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Snappy edge-to-edge response.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Solid hold on ice.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Durable.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Responds with power when ridden hard.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Light swing-weight.
THE BAD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Lacked pop (not park-friendly).
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Squirrelly in cut-up snow.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Not as floaty as we hoped.
THE VERDICT
The best thing about this board is its control. It has lightning-fast edge-to-edge transitions, an extra-thick damping system which smoothed out most chunky snow, and great stability at top speeds, though it is lackluster in powder. Intermediates found the board stiff in a good way, earning it 鈥渃onfidence-inspiring鈥 merit, but advanced riders would鈥檝e liked even more. It鈥檚 a board that will suit riders moving up from intermediate to advanced.
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Gear Institute's 2012 Women's Snowboard Reviews: Jones Mothership
The 2012-13 Jones Mothership is a hybrid camber women鈥檚-specific snowboard built for advanced, powerful female riders who chase fast rides down steep lines
THE GOOD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Fast on steeps.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Effortless in wide-open terrain.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽A stable ride.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Damp enough to smooth uneven snow.
THE BAD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Ultra stiff.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Sluggish response.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Difficult to maneuver in tight terrain.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Slow in flats.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Clunky.
THE VERDICT
The Mothership felt at home in just one place: bombing down wide-open bowls of deep, fluffy powder. This board is a tank: damp, stable, with sidecut meant for ripping gigantic turns. However, unlike the men鈥檚 version of this board (the Flagship), the Mothership was unusually stiff and hard to maneuver anywhere besides big bowls. It felt more like a miniaturized version of the men鈥檚 board, not one built specifically for women.
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Gear Institute's 2012 Women's Snowboard Reviews: High Society Scarlet
A hybrid-camber snowboard built specifically for intermediate women looking to up their skills on everything from steeps to halfpipe
THE GOOD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Performed well in every type of terrain.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Didn鈥檛 flinch at high speeds.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Brightly poppy for airs and spins.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Soft enough to respond in moguls.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Stomped big landings.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Floats effortlessly in powder.
THE BAD
聽聽聽 鈥⒙犅 聽Too soft for expert riders.
聽聽 聽鈥⒙犅 聽Chattery at times.
THE VERDICT
For a tiny company with only four snowboards in their collection, Aspen-based High Society hit the bull鈥檚-eye with the hybrid camber Scarlet. The Scarlet was the top-scoring board at our snowboard test, with a mid-level, responsive flex, enthusiastic pop, and solid snow contact, which meant uber-stability, even at high speeds. Intermediate and advanced all-mountain riders continually reported the Scarlet made snowboarding more fun. Only our most experienced testers felt it wasn鈥檛 stiff enough.
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