UPDATE: Check out our review of the 2017/2018 Ride Berzerker here
- Price: £400
- Sizes: 153, 156, 159, 160W, 162, 163W, 165, 167W
- Flex: 5
- Profile: Setback Camber
- Shape: Directional
- RIDESNOWBOARDS.COM
Jake Blauvelt is the man behind the Ride Berzerker, but don’t think you need to be a heli-dropping hellman to enjoy this. If it’s an all mountain board you’re after, this definitely fits into that category.
Jake does most of his riding pointed in one direction, but he’s more capable than most at styling out a massive back 5 off a spine. As a result, the shape and profile of the Ride Berzerker are directional, but not overly so. The mostly-camber profile features a small section of rocker at the nose, and the stance reference points are a little set back. It’s therefore most comfortable in your usual stance (especially in the powder, where the rocker helps keep the nose up) but there’s still plenty of tail there if you like to switch it up.
“Surprisingly forgiving for something designed by one of the world’s top freeriders, the Ride Berzerker can turn its hand to anything”
As for the construction, it’s got a sturdy-yet-lightweight core made from three different types of wood – aspen, bamboo and paulownia – sandwiched between two layers of fibreglass. By putting a triax layer on the top and a biax one underneath, they’ve struck a middle ground between super-responsive boards that only use the former, and mellower ones that use only the latter. Underneath it all is a slick sintered base that’s perfect for high-speed charging.
Being a Ride board, the sidewalls are made from urethane which helps to dampen chatter as you ride, and also protects your edges if you bash them off rocks. The rubbery stuff is also wrapped around the flattened lengths of carbon that have been added to the core. These ‘Pop Rods’ deliver a bit of extra ollie performance without turning the Ride Berzerker into a super-stiff plank. There’s more carbon running from the inserts to the contact points, making the board react instantly to your every whim.
Surprisingly forgiving for something designed by one of the world’s top freeriders, the Ride Berzerker can turn its hand to anything – even park laps. Fans of one-board quivers should definitely take a look at this.
