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Borealis Tundra 2022-2023 Snowboard Review

Tested and selected for our top 100 snowboard products of the year: the Borealis Tundra

  • Price: €529
  • Category: All-Mountain
  • Sizes: 151, 152W, 156, 157W, 160, 160W
  • Flex: 6/10
  • Shape: True Twin
  • Profile: Combo
  • 3D: No
  • Base: Sintered
  • New for 2021/22 season: No

Why We Chose The Borealis Tundra: Proper craftsmanship applied to an accessible shape that delivers for the masses.

While we can’t fault the Borealis crew’s ability to put together a snowboard, we have to take issue with whoever comes up with the names.

“This is Borealis’ quiver killer; one board to take out in any and all conditions”

Here you’ve got a top-quality all-rounder that’s just as home in the park as it is in the sidecountry, lumbered with a moniker that suggests pure high-altitude gnarboarding. Something that infers its thrilling, Cheshire-cat-grin-inspiring delights would surely be more appropriate – ideally with a terrible pun thrown in for good measure. May we suggest… the Fundra?

In any case, it says a lot about the Borealis Tundra that that’s the only criticism we have.

Who Is The Borealis Tundra For?

This is Borealis’ quiver killer; one board to take out in any and all conditions. If that’s what you’re after, and you’re also a bit keen on the planet, then this covers both bases with aplomb. The stunning topsheet screams ‘one with nature’ – and that’s the kind of virtue-signalling we can get fully behind.

MORE INFO:
BOREALISSNOWBOARDS.COM

 

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

In unsurprising news, the Borealis Tundra has that profile favoured of many an all-mountain option: camber between the feet, rocker at each end. This combination (which the Borealis guys have renamed ‘Blizzard camber’ this year, for reasons we can’t fathom) ensures you get plenty of pop and edge hold from the traditional bend, but with a nose and tail that make it more playful when you want to take advantage of the medium flex with a few butters.

What’s slightly more unexpected for something with all-mountain aspirations is the fact that it’s a true twin rather than a directional twin. However, it provides the option to set back your stance pretty far back, so you’ll be able to stay afloat even on snorkel days.

The sidecut is a little tighter than on some of Borealis’ more aggressive boards, but certainly leaves the door open for wide, swooping carves on a motorway piste.

“As with all Borealis boards, a great deal of care has been taken to make the Tundra environmentally friendly”

Construction and Materials

As with all Borealis boards, a great deal of care has been taken to make the Tundra environmentally friendly. The brand is a big proponent of bamboo, the lightweight wood that is easy to grow and quick to replenish. You’ll find it in the topsheet, as well as in parts of the core alongside paulownia and ash – all of which come from FSC-certified forests. The resin used to bind the board’s ingredients is partly derived from recycled organic products, too.

It’s not squeaky clean; amongst the biax fibreglass sit carbon ‘power beams’ that run from the inserts to the contact points in an ‘X’ shape, as well as strips of Kevlar and more carbon down the sides. While these materials aren’t flying high in the sustainability stakes, it’s a compromise worth making for the increased response and dampening that you get. Besides, turning your back on an otherwise highly eco-conscious board for this reason alone would be pettiness in the extreme.

“Accessible enough for the journeyman, yet capable of stepping up when called upon”

Roundup

When we think of Borealis, it’s still the head-turning pow shapes like the Leviathan, Koi and Drakkar that spring to mind. While a popsicle-stick number like the Tundra will never match those for visual appeal, it stands shoulder to shoulder with them in terms of quality – not to mention towering over most all-mountain options on the market.

Accessible enough for the journeyman, yet capable of stepping up when called upon, the Tundra is simply remarkable.

Pros:

  • A true all-rounder, and one that hasn’t opted for bland, please-all aesthetics
  • Eco-points aplenty

Cons:

  • Take a guess (*cough* FUNDRA *cough*)
SHOP ALL SNOWBOARDS ON

 

Tester’s Verdict

The Whitelines Pro Team

“On the morning I took the Tundra out for a spin, Rob (the Whitelines editor) told me over breakfast that Borealis had produced one of his all-time favourite boards – the Marauder. After he described a few of the French brand’s freeride specific shapes I was hungry to get down to the lockers and see what was in store for me.

I’ll be honest, when he handed me the Tundra, I was a little underwhelmed. A middle of the road flex, a run of the mill shape and an au-naturale bamboo topsheet wasn’t really doing it for me. Here’s the thing though – I bloody loved it!

The Tundra reminded me of something that is all too often forgotten: you don’t need a quiver of five specialist boards. Sometimes you just need one good one. This is a board that let’s your riding do the talking. There’s no fancy kinks, bumps, bends or wonky outlines and, from what I gather, it’s pretty green on the sustainabiity scale too.

If you’re looking to reduce the impact on your savings acount and the environment, as well as have a board that divies up performance accross the three P’s (park, piste and powder) very evenly, this thing’s an absolute winner.”

Trade Secrets

Ben Hall – Owner/Manager, Borealis Snowboards

“The Tundra is a truly remarkable board. Its lightness, intuitiveness and ability to perform in all conditions are very impressive. It’s a good example of how high-performance (carbon neutral) design combined with sustainable materials can produce great products. Natural bamboo topsheet with Permafrost Technology, FSC©-certified UL Forest Core and Greenpoxy© VOC-free bio-resin made from recycled biomass are some of the materials used in this board”. And as for all Borealis boards, we give back to nature through our membership with the EOCA (European Outdoor Conservation Association).”

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