Ahhhh demo days. As someone who has worked on both sides of the demo tent, I must say that trying awesome boards is much better than setting up awesome boards and watching other people go try them. Yesterday I had the great pleasure of being on the better side of the tent, and for that I would like to give a HUGE thank you to Adam and Cody, your friendly neighborhood Mervin reps! It was a private demo for all the shops in the area, and I was actually the only one who came to try boards, so an ever BIGGER THANK YOU to them for hanging out until I had to go to work. Stoked! One last thank you to Brighton Resort for always being ridiculously fun!
Cody crankin’ screws.
After a hot lap down Crest to get the legs warm, I sauntered over to the tent, slapped some high fives, then perused the selection before settling on a board that I’ve had my eye on for quite some time, the Gnu Billy Goat, Temple Cummins’ board of choice.
Besides powder, empty untouched groomers are the best sight from the lift.
Real quick before we get deep into these reviews, I tested all these models with the stiffer, hard-charging Rome Targa Bindings and Rome Guide Boots to get maximum power out of each board, and because I was testing more all-mountain/freeride boards as opposed to soft freestyle boards.
I will admit, I was initially drawn to the Billy Goat by the EPIC graphic that graces the topsheet, but then I dug into the tech, and it sounded insanely fun. I was not wrong. I decided to cruise over to the Snake Creek lift since I figured no one would be over there and the groomers would be untouched, and once again, I was not wrong.
Sunny Snake
I immediately noticed the incredible stability of the Billy Goat. Having the C3 camber shape, which is traditional camber dominant with a slight dip in the middle, it already has a ton of grip and edge-hold, but Gnu and the Mervin Manufacturing boys were kind enough to throw Magne-Traction .5 on the sidecut, making it almost impossible to lose your edges when ripping turns. Adam also informed me that the Billy Goat has a slightly thicker core and a thin layer of Anvitex Dampening, which is a thin polymer sheet that covers the entire board, so basically it makes the board really damp and absorb chatter like a champ, which I noticed and loved the second I picked up some speed.
I was riding a 162, which is really big for my child size 7.5 feet, but besides making my legs a little tired, it felt really good under foot and I had no problem railing it onto its edges. I would highly recommend this behemoth if you are looking for a big mountain board that will undoubtedly slay powder, pop off cliffs and side hits, and of course, rip groomers at uncomfortably fast speeds. It was also a really scenic ride down, so here’s a couple pretty pics for your viewing pleasure.
The elusive Billy Goat in its natural habitat.
And another view from Snake because the clouds rolling in were EPIC.
Clouds at the top, sun at the lift.
Rolling back to the tent with a smile on my face, I decided it was time to try one of the FIVE pro models from the legendary Jamie Lynn, and I knew right away that I wanted to rip the Half Cap. Mr. Lynn has had a pro model board with Lib Tech for 20 years now, which is incredible, so for his 20th year, Mervin decided to remake his favorite board of all time, with it’s original construction, graphic and all.
Original construction, original graphic, original everything.
Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, I was cursed with child size feet and the Half Cap only comes in Mid Wide sizes. Mid Wide means the board is wider than most boards of the same length. I rode a 157, which is a great size for me, but the width made it a bit difficult to get edge to edge, and I was quite tired after one run down Crest.
However, the good news is, it felt great other wise! The true traditional camber had tons of pop and stability with the old school durability of the capped edges, which “maximize torsional control and power underfoot while maintaining flexibility and deflection at the tips and tails” [that was too good not to steal from Lib Tech’s description]. Back to the tent.
Side by side destroyers.
Next up was the Gnu Rider’s Choice in a 157, seen here with the Lib Tech Jamie Lynn Phoenix, which I rode after. The Rider’s Choice is the first asymmetrical C2 board I’ve ever ridden, so to really put it to the test, I sent it back to Snake.
Last scenery shot from Snake, I promise.
To really get the feel of it, I took it into the trees for some quick turns and rock drops. For those that know Brighton, I rode through Thor, which is known for a lot of little drops, side hits, and powder on the good days.
In all honesty, I’ve tried C2 and some similar cambers and was never that crazy about it, but the Rider’s Choice felt fantastic under my feet. In past experiences, boards with a similar camber to C2 have been washy and unstable, but the Magne-Traction kept it really grippy while being super quick and easy edge-to-edge thanks to both the C2 and the asymmetrical shape. One really noticeable thing was the life and energy in the board. It has tons of pop off side hits and the perfect amount of forgiving flex without being a noodle. I didn’t get to try it in powder, but I know the C2 camber floats well, so I would genuinely recommend this board for any and every style of riding, peak to park. It’s just that versatile! But alas, it was time to try the final shred stick, a 154 Lib Tech Jamie Lynn Phoenix.
The Phoenix is another C3 camber dominant board with Magne-Traction .5, which is a mellowed out Magne-Traction since cambered boards don’t need as much extra edge tech to be grippy and stable. It definitely was a similar ride to the Billy Goat, but it felt a little stiffer. That may be because my legs were tired from the day, but the flex seemed a little less forgiving, which in turn made it great for railing big carves and slashes like a boss!
Every board really was a great time, but I think my favorite from the day was the Gnu Billy Goat. For my riding style, it just seemed to have the best combo of flex, pop, stability, and all around big mountain fun. Besides that, it was a great day as usual at Brighton Resort, and I want to extend one last massive thank you to Adam and Cody for the good times, and to the legends at Mervin Manufacturing for staying true to snowboarding and making some ridiculously fun products! Be sure to check out all their boards and more at SaltyPeaks.com, as well as peep our YouTube channel for a ton of review videos in our Salty’s Selfie Series with more to come. Cheers!
