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Snowboards

SIMS Dealer’s Choice 2016-2017 Snowboard Review

The Details:

SIMS boards are well and truly back – after a successful return last winter, they’re continuing to design sticks on which founder and shred pioneer Tom Sims would be proud to lend his name.

The SIMS Dealer’s Choice is a new one for 2016/17, and is designed to be the go-to freestyle board in the line. That might not be apparent at first, as the shape has a directional element to it, but it’s got a true twin flex and a trick-friendly profile that offers camber for pop and rocker sections at each end for presses.

Four thin strips of carbon run from each end to the binding inserts, loading up the nose and tail with pop power while keeping the centre of the board easy to manipulate. Whether it’s jumps or rails, this will deliver.

You’ll want to get this in powder if you can, where the nose and tail shapes will work with the rocker to deliver decent float without slamming the door shut on butters and spins. And when the storms don’t come, the extra contact points along the sidecut – created by using multiple radii – deliver extra grip on the hard pack.

SIMS boards are made at the Never Summer factory in Colorado, so they come with a 3-year warranty as standard. The Sims-style porn ‘tache, on the other hand, remains optional.

Tester’s Verdict

Mike Brindley – Whitelines

“SIMS have this down as a freestyle board, but with a bluebird pow day on offer I can confidently say it’s not just at home in the park. For me it felt like the perfect all-mountain combo. I didn’t have to think once when bouncing and turning through fresh snow with the crescent tail providing a perfect rudder, and it offered plenty of boost off wind lips too.

On piste it cuts a really nice carve, rides switch happily, and doesn’t feel too planky to throw about either. I could easily imagine the camber combo having the strength for bigger kickers and pipe, although with softer sections outside the binding it’s also pressable with a bit of practice. It’s at the stiffer end of the freestyle spectrum, but a whole lot of fun around the mountain…”

“SIMS have this down as a freestyle board, but with a bluebird pow day on offer I can confidently say it’s not just at home in the park.”

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