A comprehensive review of the 2024-2025 Rome Stale Fish snowboard, handpicked by our test team for the prestigious ‘Whitelines 100’ Best Snowboard Gear Awards.
Why We Chose The Rome Stale Fish: Stale Sandbech’s bulging beast is an absolute hoot – and not just on powder days.
When the Rome Stale Fish first appeared in 2021, we were immediately won over – and not just because of the puntastic name, nor its celebration of the grab that, on its day, is even cooler than the method (don’t @ us).
“When the Rome Stale Fish first appeared in 2021, we were immediately won over”
No, we loved it because it was essentially Norse god Stale Sandbech’s personality distilled in board form. And it still is.
Some people are very, very serious about powder – and more power to their Gore Tex-clad elbows – but the Rome Stale Fish is unlikely to be on their Christmas list. No, this is for folks who enjoy a good razz on whatever’s in front of them – and if that’s the deep stuff, then so much the better.
Even from a distance it’s clear that the Rome Stale Fish is wide and tapered, with a big ol’ nose and a shorter tail. These days the market is flooded with boards that have these characteristics, and much more pronounced versions are available if you really want to go full fishtard – but the Stale Fish sits somewhere between a standard stick and a squat ‘volume shifted’ one.
Best of both worlds, we’re calling it; great for powder, but also well-suited to carving up corduroy and launching off side hits. The camber profile may be set back, but it’s still there when you need some edge bite or pop. The width of the nose is also complemented by early-rise rocker, plus 3D shaping that makes it even easier to keep afloat on a shallow pitch. All of that comes in handy when you want to get all surfy on the mellowest of pow fields.
“The Stale Fish sits somewhere between a standard stick and a squat ‘volume shifted’ one”
That nose isn’t just big and spoony – it’s also housing most of the Rome Stale Fish’s cleverest tech. Round the outside, for example, you’ll find Rome’s ‘flax walls’. This incredibly versatile material is in everything from bed linen to cricket bat oil, and in a certain configuration it’s remarkably rigid. By sticking it between the core and the sidewall, Rome has boosted the dampening properties of the Stale Fish’s nose, without any noticeable weight gain.
A carbon rod has been placed in the core, running from the front binding inserts to roughly the widest part of the nose. This results in a board that is still classed as mid-stiff longitudinally, but more is a bit more substantial up front for improved stability when initiating turns, as well as better handling in choppy terrain.
“That nose isn’t just big and spoony – it’s also housing most of the Rome Stale Fish’s cleverest tech”
Underneath it all is Rome’s ‘Sinterstrong’ base. As the name suggests, it’s sintered and therefore more than quick enough for the vast majority of riders. At the same time it doesn’t need masses of tender loving care every time you get caught out on a sharky day.
Honestly, the Rome Stale Fish ticks so many boxes that it practically sells itself. If you’ve been riding popsicle-stick directional twins for all of your snowboarding life, then this is exactly the kind of thing you should step to next. It’s fun and forgiving on the piste, but also stands ready to show you a whole new world of slashes, drops and pillow lines.
At that price, it’s not out of the question to keep this alongside your daily driver – but we’d also highly recommend taking the plunge and making the Rome Stale Fish your go-to weapon of choice for all conditions. Skål!
Pros:
Cons:
Size: 157
“Groomers: Excellent edge hold, enough flex to adjust turn radius when carving. Not so soft that you sacrifice reactive performance on the board or get bucked in smaller, variable terrain. Effortless resort riding
Powder: sadly no dice, spring had descended and the last powder day was a week previously. Looking at the shape, 3d shaping in the nose and tail and general performance of the board elsewhere, it’s fairly safe to assume this board will be absolutely golden in powder.
Slush: A lot of fun, that little tail has enough performance to hold between any slushy moguls you might find while still being quick enough in the turn to spray the slush as far as you can imagine. With our thin snowpack I actually started worrying I would wear away the edge of the run having too much fun spraying snow off into the void… Protect your resorts kids,
Park: Rome should rate this higher for jumps than they do. Absolutely effortless pop that doesn’t threaten to over-huck you. Solid on take offs and landings and rides switch with no dramas so spins are fine
Rails: Fine for a blast through when the rails appear in front of you, but wouldn’t be my first choice. I think that’s expected though.
Overall: It was hard to put this board back in the bag and test something else. I think that speaks volumes. I’ll be asking to keep it…
If you’re looking for a resort ripper / all mountain freeride board look no further.
10/10 – does exactly what it says on the tin, and feels fucking fantastic doing so. Ronseal on crack.”
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