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Korua Dart Plus 2021-2022 Snowboard Review

Tested and selected for our top 100 snowboard products of the year: the Korua Dart Plus

  • Price: €699
  • Category: Freeride + Powder
  • Sizes: 156, 164
  • Flex: 8/10
  • Shape: Directional
  • Profile: Setback Camber
  • 3D: No
  • Base: Sintered

Why we chose the Korua Dart Plus Snowboard: One of our favourite shapes from the last few seasons gets the VIP treatment to deliver the ultimate piste and powder turning experience.

It seems like KORUA Shapes can do no wrong. Release a series of bespoke shapes with a fresh, clean and minimal aesthetic known as the Classic Line? We’re here for it. Take some of those shapes (and add a couple of new ones) into a stealthy black, supercharged series called the Plus Line? Offt, alright, now we’re talking. Add one more line of conceptual shapes which bear as much resemblance to the outlines of rocket ships, ammunition and fruit and vegetables? Take my money and point me to the nearest chairlift.

Our point is this, whatever KORUA Shapes turns their efforts to, they do it with creativity, consistency and consideration. Every new model added to their lineup has been extensively tested, and fine-tuned. The Dart Plus is no different.

“Our point is this, whatever KORUA Shapes turns their efforts to, they do it with creativity, consistency and consideration”

MORE INFO:
KORUASHAPESS.COM

Who Is The Korua Dart Plus For?

The Classic version of the Dart already has mass appeal. The flex is right down the middle – soft enough to be manageable for many riders; stiff enough for confident carvers to really work it through an arc. The Plus version really is a step up in performance and speed, with a pretty hefty reduction in weight. As such, it’s going to suit more advanced riders with a sufficient budget to splurge on a new toy. But if you’ve been in pursuit of the elusive “perfect carve” for a few seasons, this might be just the harpoon to hunt down the white whale.

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

In terms of the outline, the Dart Plus has an identical outline to its Classic predecessor. They’re both built around super directional outlines with a retro-inspired swallowtail shape. The oversized nose features a large rocker which will take care of keeping you planing over the powder but, if we’re being honest, the real magic happens in the tail. If you’re scoring super deep conditions then the back of the board sinks down and gives you incredible control to make those tight, slashy, zippy turns without ever having to adjust your weight from the centre.

Take the Dart Plus back onto the groomers and the good times just keep going. There’s already a decent-sized taper running from end to end, but it’s the swallowtail that allows you to really work the sidecut and tighten up the turn radius right at the very end.

It’s often the case with these kinds of powder / piste hybrid snowboards — a design feature for one type of terrain has an equal benefit in the other, case in point being that swallowtail. Similarly, the wider-than average waist width on the Dart Plus not only helps you to generate higher edge angles on the piste and reduce the odds of ‘booting out’, it also increased the surface area to generate extra lift in powder. Unless you’re planning a day in the park or take a wrong turn down a mogul field, the shape alone makes the Dart Plus excel in a far wider variety of conditions than first impressions might suggest.

“The Plus version really is a step up in performance and speed, with a pretty hefty reduction in weight”

Construction and Materials

With that in mind, the €200 jump between the Classic and Plus model comes down to the construction and materials used. While the red-and-white fleet certainly doesn’t scrimp on using quality and reliable materials, the Plus models are built exclusively with top-shelf resources.

The super fast and ultra-durable Perlatech base will blaze a trail down the mountain and keep you pretty well protected from unsuspecting sharks if you’re scoring early season pow. Then the shaved down, stiffened up and super responsive core, interwoven with carbon fibre keeps the overall flex of the Dart Plus fishing the top end of the scale. You won’t exactly need to don the hard boots to get the most from it but you’ll certainly need to get it up to speed to see the most it has to offer. After all, who takes a racehorse for a canter around the paddock?

“Take the Dart Plus back onto the groomers and the good times just keep going”

Roundup

The Dart Plus will definitely be at its happiest when there’s a reasonably experienced driver strapped into it. It’s still going to have that same incredible performance in powder as the Classic option but – for the right rider – the extra speed and response from specced up construction design is going to elevate your carving to the next level.

Trade Secrets

Geoff Brinkhaus – Marketing and Media, Korua Shapes

“TNow part of the Plus line, the ancestry of the Dart can actually be traced all the way back to our award winning Concept board named the “Tugboat”.”

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