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Ride Hellcat 2018-2019 Women’s Snowboard Review

Some boards that profess to be ‘all-mountain’ can be a bit on the mellow side, so as not to put off the less experienced rider. The problem is often worse where women’s boards are concerned, as they tend to be softer still as a rule. If that’s got you down, then here’s something to cast your eye over: the Ride Hellcat women’s snowboard.

As the name suggests, the Ride Hellcat is designed for the more adventurous riders. With that in mind, several steps have been taken to ensure it can go the distance. Under each foot is a double-layered plate for absorbing heavy impacts, and the urethane sidewalls have been reinforced too.

“Under each foot is a double-layered plate for absorbing heavy impacts”

As for the core, a combination of Aspen, paulownia and bamboo makes for a tough – yet light – foundation, and the edges contain more steel than the industry average, making them harder to crack on a rail or a rock.

Of course, there’s no point in a tough-as-nails board if it’s no fun to ride, but if you like to charge then the Ride Hellcat has everything you need. It’s slightly tapered and setback, with a tighter edge radius near the nose to improve turn initiation. Carbon additives under each foot send energy directly to the contact points for lightning-fast response, and a mixture of biax and triax fibreglass ensures that it remains stable at speed whilst still offering up some play.

“The slight taper, combined with the subtle extra rocker in the nose, will help you nail the big drops like never before”

All this adds up to a charger, but the Ride Hellcat isn’t averse to freestyle – just more the big, burly kind, rather than mini-shred. Any board that can handle this much abuse is worth pushing in that respect, especially in the backcountry. The slight taper, combined with the subtle extra rocker in the nose, will help you nail the big drops like never before.

If you’ve got no interest in that stuff, though, and just want something that’ll ensure your ears are pinned back on every descent, the Ride Hellcat is a stellar choice.

Tester’s Verdict

Stella Penttiwhitelines.com

“I Really liked this board! I’ve never ridden anything as stiff and aggressive before, so the first turns felt absolutely horrible as I weren’t used to putting so much power into turns. But as soon as I got a hang of it I had so much fun riding this board.

I took it out on a powder day, which wasn’t ideal considering that we were riding in between trees, but you can definitely make it work. Though I bet powder runs in a more open environment would be a lot of fun. I did however feel very stable on this board, both on powder and piste, despite the fact that it isn’t ideal for narrow tree turns.

“As soon as I got a hang of it I had so much fun riding this board”

Riding the Hellcat takes some effort but for anyone who likes speed and more aggressive riding, you should definitely consider this one. I’d imagine this board would be quite ideal for jumping bigger kicker lines.

It’s definitely not for beginners, but for everyone else the Ride Hellcat’s stiffness makes for a very stable ride.”

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