kimchi wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 5:44 pm
How’s the new build compare to the old ones? Loved my ~2017 Cadet but nose was hair soft, sidecut little tight, edge little short. Shape is more or less the same but if they made the nose burlier I might just go for it.
We've done this but it's getting scattered
They said they made the nose a bit stiffer, and I do feel that. The whole board feels a touch stiffer to me, but it's hard to say - making the nose more stout could affect the perception of total flex. The old one didn't necessarily feel too soft to me in the middle or tail, but I haven't tested on snow back to back.
The kicks themselves also feel a little stiffer in a hand test. Obviously that mostly comes into play on the nose when in soft snow, especially when heavier, but it helps.
Old core was poplar/bamboo. New core is poplar/paulownia with ash stringers. Ash is damp/stiffer/heavier, although bamboo is usually a good damper too, but more flexible. I mentioned this last spring when I tried the new one, but the European cores also have a "considerably wider" carbon layup than the GP87 boards, and it made them more stabile. Under-foot inlays changed from flax to carbon (generally stiffer).
I'm planning to bring a truck full of boards this week since it's staying sunny with good groomers, and I'll try to make some back-to-back comparisons. Cadets, DR, TF2.0 and orbit
Last edited by Spenser on Thu Feb 06, 2025 2:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
Excuse any repetitive questions. Back at work, got a 7 week old at home, and going stir crazy with no prospect of riding for at least another month. The ole brain ain’t what it was lol.
kimchi wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:19 pm
Excuse any repetitive questions. Back at work, got a 7 week old at home, and going stir crazy with no prospect of riding for at least another month. The ole brain ain’t what it was lol.
Spenser wrote: Wed Feb 05, 2025 3:33 pm
Enter a week of sun and perfect dry, carveable groomers. First day on the limited, and first time riding a new-factory cadet outside of deep spring slush. Wow, it's fun being back on a "normal" board. Spent most of last season on koruas, so I got really used to noticeable taper and the wide waists. 263 w/ minimal taped on this feels super rippy and nimble in comparison, and man the board is just so fun. Stabile, holds such a nice line, lively and smooth… can't wait to get it in some fresh snow.
If I used one word… rocketship
IMG_2035.jpeg
She's a beauty.
And just to circle back to the Deep Reach. Seeing the Evo flex rating has it as mid flex. Yours feels even stiffer than the Koruas?!
They're using the US 6/10 rating, which again I don't agree with. But yeah, I think I find the DR to feel a bit more aggressive than a standard korua, for the reasons mentioned.
I think a deep reach equivalent from korua would be a pencil with the reduced taper of the new TF, with the fuller-camber of the Cafe racer.
If you don't want a more aggressive feel than a typical korua, or a wider feel compared to your pencil, I'm not sure the deep reach is the direction to go, but these are all just my perceptions
Thanks for the Intel, sounds like a board feel I've been moving away from these days. I enjoyed my Orbit and Koruas in the seasons I had them, but want a bit more energy/liveliness in any future boards I may get.
And just to circle back to the Deep Reach. Seeing the Evo flex rating has it as mid flex. Yours feels even stiffer than the Koruas?!
They're using the US 6/10 rating, which again I don't agree with. But yeah, I think I find the DR to feel a bit more aggressive than a standard korua, for the reasons mentioned.
I think a deep reach equivalent from korua would be a pencil with the reduced taper of the new TF, with the fuller-camber of the Cafe racer.
If you don't want a more aggressive feel than a typical korua, or a wider feel compared to your pencil, I'm not sure the deep reach is the direction to go, but these are all just my perceptions
Thanks for the Intel, sounds like a board feel I've been moving away from these days. I enjoyed my Orbit and Koruas in the seasons I had them, but want a bit more energy/liveliness in any future boards I may get.
Day 21 today in about 6" of new snow on my Cadet in very cold temps. My buddy who's a very solid rider but not a gear geek at all starts complaining about how much I rave about the board. He says "Let me take a lap on that fucking thing, I can't listen your bullshit about it anymore", so we swap boards.
We take a lunch break in the lodge and after messing with his phone he tells me "I paid extra to get mine delivered to the house this Saturday" (he ordered one from Backcounty on his phone).
This post has been flagged for aggravated TLDR violations, but is being provided per your request.
Test day was fun. Takeaways were mostly as expected, but a few things became more clear, and a couple surprised me. It should be noted that these are all directly back to back, thus the differences are more striking. When you take more time to adjust, your muscle memory can blur the gaps a bit.
Test started based on my time on the new cadet yesterday - same conditions. Took notes on the chair after riding each board in this order. A lot of what I wanted to find out was sidecut/turning temperament on edge, because I'm not as picky in pow. Conditions were cold & fast firm-packed groomers, great for precise carving, but not superhero grip. I rode mid-day/afternoon, so it was not morning cord. Mostly smooth, but low snowpack conditions exist. Same things on same run every time - tighter carves, larger carves, point it, roller ollies, stationary flexing...
Sizes:
2019 cadet 162
2025 cadet 162
2024 updated transition finder 157
2019 orbit 157
2024 deep reach 159
Old cadet: Likes a slightly tighter turn, but doesn't feel hooky or forced like some burtons I've had. Still a bit tighter than my preference, but I think I can get away with it because the entry is mellow, as opposed to sidecut blends that are tight up front. Not "un-damp," but I feel a touch more feedback through the board. Some inconsequential but visible nose flap in the kick & part of early rise. Carves nicely, fun, but not as "down the fall line" as I tend to prefer. Sliced better on groomers than I remember.
New cadet: Feels a hair stiffer tip to tail. Nose is nicer. Bit more damp everywhere. Smoother all around & on edge; refined. A little more locked in, and I notice the slightly shallower turn feel, which seems like a bigger change than the 0.1m on paper - wanted a bit more angulation to create the same tighter turn, and it's better at faster, larger turns. Feels happy doing anything I want. Natural, consistent. Paid attention to nose flap for comparison & it wasn't enough to think about beyond that moment (minimal, smooth). There's something about the way it slices that I'm loving. Feels like I'm easily flowing pencil lines across the full spectrum of turns and speeds.
Transition finder 2.0: Now we're getting somewhere. With the cadets, I could just "sit" on edge through a carve and they clearly stayed locked more easily. Coming directly from them, quickly noticed being locked-in on the TF took a bit more foot/pressure nuance... definitely more loose at the ends, due to longer & taller early rise - TF is around 4.5" on the nose & 3.5" tail, cadet is ~3" on the nose but lower/more gradual, and there's virtually none on the tail. TF camber is a little taller too, so de-cambering affects the early rise "lifting" even more. Grip is focused a bit more inward VS along the whole edge, though certainly not right under foot like a board with true rocker nose/tail. TF has more of a balance point when pressing/flexing nose/tail for the same reason. Seems like more loop-out potential on the tail if you're pushing it (landing backseat for example) but I don't ever recall that coming into play while riding it a lot last year - although, the new cadet's more planted tail (and whole board) was one of the first things I noticed in comparison the day I tried it. TF clearly engages into its turns more quickly (korua blends their sidecut with tighter radius in the nose) and naturally follows a tighter curve. Overall temperament felt quicker/tighter than new cadet, and arguably quicker than the old one as well, despite its radius on paper (8.2 vs 7.8 & 7.9). Appreciate the slightly increased width for carving, and it still feels very nimble on this board. Just has a more playful, free nature to edge engagement and in general, as mentioned earlier. To be clear, I love the updated TF, but a general takeaway from each korua I've ridden is I'm not a huge fan outside of soft snow, where the looser profile is highlighted & more grip is appreciated. However, I do find the new TF to bite better and be less loose (mainly in the tail) than traditional koruas, which makes sense to me with its reduced taper.
Deep reach: I notice the width most on this one, out of the other similar & identical waist boards I've ridden recently (korua, US covert 61, k2 excavator 58). Waist & under-foot widths are only 1mm wider than TF 2.0, but it feels like a bigger difference - likely due to very camber-dominant profile, radius behavior (less quick) and maybe something torsionally? DR does have a small early rise on the tail & there's a tiny bit more looseness there compared to new cadet, and has a little more of a balance point when pressing it (less than korua), but doesn't feel loose or shorter on edge. Great engagement. New cadet seems a touch more damp, but DR feels good to me. Also smooth. Flex alone seems about the same, but DR vibe is just more "business" than it is lively - width, larger radius, etc. This board was best for high speed carves & letting it run more wide-open on edge. You can definitely carve tighter, but it takes more board angulation and leverage. Feels like the most board, and I still think the 56 would be super fun.
Orbit: Haven't been on this one in over a year. Unsurprisingly, it's stiffest, but not drastically. Most beefy (slightly thicker core), and most bite on edge - but I was surprised by the "quickness" of the turns it wanted, compared to new cadet, despite larger radius on paper (8.2 vs 7.9). It engages more aggressively and seems more eager to cut back across the slope sooner. While this has the most pure edge bite and is probably best for aggressive/deeper freecarving, the deep reach felt better for high speed carves where you're letting it fly/drawing it out. And dare I say I liked carving the new cadet more today? I'm also debating if the new cadet felt a little more damp, even though the orbit is more beefy.
I hopped back on the new cadet again at the end, since it was home base for my comparisons. Didn't change my mind about anything. Repeating myself: The way it slices is just so fun, and I feel like I can make any kind of turn I want & it's on the same page. Always held reliably & smoothly. Probably smoothest of all the boards IMO. A rocketship, dancing & blasting wherever, whenever. I waited 10 damn years for this!
Excerpts from their description that resonate:
Radiates beauty in its simplicity - A lively personality, catalyzing highly active riding - Inspires confidence across all terrain - A shape that loves to turn and is ready to soar on command
Last edited by Spenser on Fri Feb 07, 2025 2:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
but it's getting scattered
