Rome National 2020 Review

The Rome National is an all mountain, ride everywhere mid flexing (almost) camber board.

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Features of the Rome National 2020

Fusion Camber
Overall Fusion Camber has a traditional regular camber profile (pictured in red), with just a tiny rocker section (pictured in green/blue) at the contact points on the tip and tail.
6/10 Flex
SinterSpeed Base
A sintered base, that soaks up wax and keeps the board moving fast.
SinterStrong Sidewalls
A little more elastic than regular sidewalls, they are designed to help absorb vibrations and chatter from high speed riding, as well as making the board more durable.
Glasspack Impact Plates
When you are riding hard the corners of your binding can put a lot of pressure on the board, which you might have noticed if you have ever taken bindings off, sometimes it leaves dints in the board. To add extra strength, the Glass Impact Plates sit under the bindings and help to spread the pressure out, as well as absorbing impacts and protecting the core of the board.
SuperPop Core Matrix
This design is features on some of the higher performing Rome boards, which need a lightweight and responsive feel. It has mostly poplar core to keep it strong, as well as 3 strips of lower density wood to keep the weight down.
45/90 Hybrid Laminate
A mix of 45 degree and 90 degree laminates, that gives enough response without being too aggressive.
Directional Twin Shape
It is designed with a centered stance and sidecut, but has a 25mm longer nose than the tail.
Carbon Single Barrel Turborods
Running down the center line of the board, it starts at the inserts (where you mount the bindings) and runs out towards the tip of the board. The idea is that the carbon rod helps to add extra snap and pop to the board, with out making the board too torsionally stiff, so it doesn’t feel like you are riding a plank.

Sizes available:

149cm
152cm
154cm
156cm
157cm Wide
158cm Wide
162cm Wide
167cm Wide

How it Rome National 2020 Rides

Board size: 156cm

Boots: Salomon Launch Boa SJ

Bindings: Rome Katanas set with a 22.5″ stance width, at +15 and -9.

This review is based on me demoing the 2020, and comparing it to my main board – the Salomon Ultimate ride that has a fairly similar features and design.

Camber Profile

In general I like traditional/regular camber boards over any other flat/rocker or hybrid mix. You can’t beat the edge hold, pop or stability, and I think you can get much more out of a camber board, with less work. The Fusion Camber is a regular camber profile, with a little rocker section at the contact points on the nose and tail of the board to make it the tiniest bit less aggressive. In real life, it rides like a solid camber board, without any of the catchiness that you might sometimes feel.

Flex and Pop

With a 6/10 flex rating, it is right in the sweet spot for me, fast riding it still felt stable and predictable, and it wasn’t hard to move around and press. The nose and tail push back nicely for ollies and nollies.

Edge Hold

The edge hold of the National is good, it is what you would expect from a camber board. All parts of a turn feel smooth and strong, and I wasn’t worried about the board slipping out when I hit an icy patch unexpectedly. The 156 that I rode has a fairly standard waist width, and turning quickly edge to edge was nice and smooth.

Speed

Boards like this (camber mid/stiff flexing) are generally pretty good to ride at high speed, and this wasn’t an exception. I had waxed the board just before riding it, so keeping my speed up wasn’t an issue at all, it was very quick even on flat cat tracks. The weather had been changing constantly, but the speed was still as good in rain and super wet snow, as well as groomers and fresh snow. After a couple of days of riding, the speed hadn’t dropped off much, and the base didn’t look like it was drying out, so it seems from an early impression to hold wax well.

Pros:

Solid camber feel that is still easy to ride
Lightweight
Perfect amount of pop for my riding

Cons

I don’t think the graphics look that good

Overall

If I didn’t have a very similar board (Ultimate Ride) this would be my top choice for a do everything and ride everywhere board. It is lightweight, quick, poppy and makes fast riding on unpredictable terrain easy.

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Size (cm)	Effective Edge (mm)	Running Length	Waist Width	Nose Length	Tail Length	Sidecut Radius	Weight Range (lbs)	Weight Range (kg)
149	1160	1090	250	210	190	7.51	100-150	45-68
152	1185	1115	252	215	190	7.70	110-165	50-75
154	1195	1125	254	220	195	7.92	115-170	52-77
156	1215	1145	256	220	195	8.12	150-215+	68-98+
158	1235	1165	256	220	195	8.33	150-220+	68-100+
157 Wide	1225	1155	268	220	195	7.95	130-190	59-86
162 Wide	1275	1205	270	220	195	8.26	155-220+	68-100+
167 Wide	1325	1255	274	220	195	8.32	155-220+	70-100+

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2018
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