- Price: £390
- Sizes: 145, 149, 154
- Flex: 8
- Profile: Setback Camber
- Shape: Directional
- ROMESNOWBOARDS.COM
A lot of boards fly the ‘all-rounder’ flag, some disingenuously so. While it may sell more boards, it’s not always true. It’s therefore refreshing when you come across an out-and-out freeride board like the Rome Winterland. For the 2016/17 season, female riders have a new charger for their next trip out of bounds.
Any freeride board worth its salt has to be stiffer than average, and the Rome Winterland doesn’t come up short in this respect. The core has poplar sections running from end to end, a wood that’s renowned for being powerful and snappy. That’s not all, either; like a few Romes, you can see a bit of the central carbon stringer popping out of the topsheet. This ‘TurboRod’ provides extra end-to-end stiffness without firming it up from edge-to-edge. They haven’t left it torsionally twitchy, though; there’s carbon woven into the biax fibreglass, increasing its responsiveness without overdoing it.
“While you wouldn’t want to lap the park on this, there’s plenty of pop for airing off a rollers and bashing the odd side-hit”
The profile also has an unabashed freeride flavour, featuring a camber bend that is closer to the back of the board than the front. This means that you get plenty of power through the carves, with a longer nose that can blast though anything. There’s also a long rocker section towards the front, so when you get to the powder it means less need to worry about going over the handlebars, and more time to perfect your line.
Freeriding these days doesn’t just mean pow, though. If it’s been a while since the last storm, the profile and flex of the Rome Winterland are just what you need for getting your elbow down on the hard-pack and laying out strong carves. And while you wouldn’t want to lap the park on this, the camber and TurboRod mean that there’s plenty of pop for airing offs rollers and bashing the odd side-hit.
Whether or not you remain within the resort boundaries, the sintered base ensures that you can feel the G’s at all times. Fans of aggressive riding in all conditions would do well to visit the Rome Winterland.
