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Snowboards

KORUA Stealth 2019-2020 Snowboard Review

  • Sizes: 150, 156, 163
  • Flex: 7
  • Profile: Setback Camber
  • Shape: Directional
  • Shape: €449
  • BUY DIRECT FROM KORUA

Starting from the nose and working down, the KORUA Stealth is almost identical to the Tranny Finder. That is, right up until that little bat fanged shape in the tail. As a result, the two boards ride very similarly, but the Stealth has a slight edge when it comes to the deep.

It’s kitted out with a pretty rapid sintered base and rides a lot shorter than your usual freeride deck. Even so, its directional, tapered shape and super-wide waist width mean it’s built for stability. Whether you’re laying out a textbook Yearning for Turning carve, or releasing the handbrake and freewheeling down a backcountry face, the Stealth is smooth like velvet caramel.

” Whether you’re laying out a textbook Yearning for Turning carve, or releasing the hand-break and freewheeling down a backcountry face, the Stealth is as smooth as velvet caramel”

The beefed-up camber underfoot and KORUA’s carving specific sidecut means you can get your whole body down to Terra Firma without the board ever skipping out on you. Despite its underfoot width, the precision and grip on edge seem to defy the laws of physics.

However, the Stealth’s full potential isn’t truly revealed until you get into the powder. On those extra deep days, onlookers will only catch flashes of red, as the boards’ tail chucks up plumes of white on every turn. Due to its exaggerated nose rocker, you can more or less ride this thing with your weight centred even when there’s bottomless pow.

When the shape and geometry are as good as this, the Stealth doesn’t rely on fancy tricks on the inside. The core is built with lightweight paulownia wood and biax fibreglass, with a slightly stiffer tail to make steering from the back foot a little more responsive.

Riding switch is “doable” as KORUA say. But who buys a Ferrari for the reverse gear? This one was made for going in one direction. The faster the better.

Tester’s Verdict

Rob McCreathWhitelines

“Without a doubt the best snowboard purchase I have ever made. The KORUA Stealth feels like it was made for me. I’m pretty tall, have UK 10.5 feet, and love a good eurocarve. Finally, I have a board where I never bootdrag in the turn, where I can skim my palms, elbows and armpits along the ground on every turn, and where I can absolutely slice the groomers in half. If you’re looking for your kicks somewhere outside of the park, the Stealth will take care of business in just about any other environment.

“Without a doubt the best snowboard purchase I have ever made”

That waist width makes it crazy stable, even for the 156 size I ride. And the setback, directional profile and shape guarantee it’s a doozy in blower conditions. I thought I’d only ride this in a handful of optimum conditions, but sometimes I’ll go for weeks at a time without switching out. The only times you’ll be wishing for something different are when you’re descending bulletproof ice or a mogul field. But leave that nonsense to the skiers. Groomers are where it’s at.”

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