“Not just a clever name, this is very much a ‘sick stick’ and a major freeride badass. There is a lot more than meets the eye with this snowboarding curiosity.

Being a gangling fellow, 6,1ft in stature, I bought the 2019 157 Sick Stick and fell in love with it. Definitely an all-time favourite snowboard for me. Figuring that I’d mastered the 157, I got the chance to ride the smaller 151, 2020 model, at a February test event. With a small snow dump the night before, I got to ride it for one day in multiple conditions.

In your hand, you quickly notice this is a fine piece of wood – beautiful design and craftsmanship throughout. On the snow this thing rips. Not to be labelled a ‘powder only’ board, this is a twin and demands to be treated as such; tons of fun across the whole hill.

“It is light and has a solid little pop, ollies felt good, and kickers were a blast”

The 151 didn’t feel at all small after riding the 157 for so long. I really enjoyed the tight responsive turns facilitated by an incredible edge and perfect sidecut. The camber right under foot is explosive in the smaller package, the pop between turns is electric, great for getting low; pushing fast and nimble turns on the cords and hard pack. Having big feet, I didn’t have to sweat about toe drag as its nice and wide, great for doing (attempting) euro carves. It floats well in powder and demands to be ridden fast and slash hard.

The sick stick is pretty stiff, I think about a 7 or 8, and I’ll admit it was a little tricky getting used to this on the smaller 151 board. It was very responsive and fast, but definitely got a bit wild when charging hard (it felt a bit out of control – but this could just be me being sketchy). There are definitely more relaxing boards out there but, screw them, this thing is made for getting a bit loose.

It is light and has a solid little pop. Ollies felt good, and kickers were a blast. Super response in the air, coupled with some flexy bindings, means you can get some tweaked out grabs going on this bad boy. Riding switch looks weird but feels fine.

Overall, I would say I will stick with my 157 Stick, but it is a very close call. If I were a rich man I’d buy the whole series; the sick stick is in a world of its own, and a truly great board. An excellent option for anyone looking for a modern freeride classic.”