Salomon Dancehaul Pro

I was a big fan of the original Dancehaul, and put it at the top of my shopping list after I demoed it the very first time. When a board only has graphic update each season, it is a good sign that the designers got the rest of it right. The Salomon Dancehaul Pro is an upgraded addition, with a stiffer flex but keeping the same shape.

In my original review, I found it to be more capable than you would think, especially as I bought the 147 which does sound tiny for my weight/height (183cm/72kg).

Eventually I did hit the limit of the smaller size and softer flex, but that was when I was riding steeper terrain that did call for a more serious, or less playful and fun board.

The Salomon Dancehaul Pro, just like the Assassin Pro or Super 8 Pro, has a stiffer flex, with a faster base than the regular board. Since seeing that the Pro version was coming out, it made it to the top of the list of boards that I wanted to ride.

How the Salomon Dancehaul Pro rides

My setup

Board: Salomon Dancehaul Pro 154cm

Bindings: Salomon District Pro

Boots: Nitro Team Pro MK 9.5 / 27.5

I had a pretty standard setup with this board, with a relatively narrow stance width, and angles of +12 and -9.

I had previously owned the Salomon District bindings, and these were just the slightly stiffer option, with nicer straps than I had on mine. No huge changes or surprises with these bindings.

The Team Pro boots were still quite new, so I was breaking them in, although I had also removed the additional tongue stiffeners.

I originally bought the 147 in the regular Dancehaul, which was quite small. I fit into the weight range for that size, and it was a fun board especially seeing how wide it is.

There wasn’t a similar sized Dancehaul Pro that I could borrow, so I had to ride the 154cm. It is still shorter than my normal boards, I normally ride boards that are around 157cm long.

The 154 wouldn’t have been my first choice, because the waist widths on the boards gets noticable wider as the length goes up.

Both the regular Dancehaul and the Pro share the same shape, so the measurements translate across easily. The 147, although quite short has a waist width of 255mm, which is pretty standard for a normal board that is around the 155cm length. That extra width is why you can get by with riding these shorter than you normally would.

Going up to the 157cm Pro, it is a pretty big jump width wise, at 266mm. Well into what would normally be considered a wide board.

Testing conditions:

I was riding the Salomon Dancehaul Pro at Mt Hotham, in Victoria, Australia. There had been a small amount of fresh snow a day or two before, so everything was fast, and firm enough. Other than that, it was getting to spring like conditions.

Profile

The Dancehaul Pro has the Rock Out Camber profile, which is used on the majority of Salomon boards. I am very familiar with this profile, and there is a good reason it is used from their more basic boards all the way up to the more serious options.

Flex

The stiffer flex of the Pro is one of the main, more noticable differences. Although it does have a much more stable and solid feel, it is never scary, or even close to feeling like it is “too much”.

Turns & Edge Hold

Turns on the Dancehaul Pro felt very nice to me. It has a simple radial sidecut, so all parts of a turn felt stable and predictable. Even with the extra wide width, it didn’t feel slow swapping edge to edge. I imagine that the fairly large (12mm) of taper helps speed the feeling up.

Speed

The base has a nice structure, and I had no issues at all with the speed. It has the feeling of a “fast” board, and it was quite noticable when I had to weave through other riders on slower sections of cat tracks.

Even at high speeds, the edge hold felt very reliable, even through tracked out and icier sections.

Who would this board suit?

Even though it is a fair step away from the fun and playful original version, there is still going to be quite a few people that would get a lot out of this board.

If you are someone that likes the idea of the original Dancehaul – but are worried about the medium to medium/soft flex, then this could be the option.

It will also suit bigger and heavier riders, who would just overpower the original and make it feel like a noodle.

Does it come in wide models?

The Dancehaul Pro doesn’t come in specific wide models, but every model is wider than normal. As a general rule, boards that have a waist width (the narrowest part of the board) that is 260mm or wider are counted as Wide. If you have big boots, any Dancehaul 152cm or larger will have plenty of width.

Overall

Overall, the Salomon Dancehaul Pro is a clear upgrade over the regular. It has a very similar overall feel to the Mega Merc, Super DOA and Mega Death from Capita, which I think is a combination of the stiffer (but not crazy) flex, along with a fairly easy to ride profile and a fast base with a nice structure.

I found that I could hit the limit of the regular, but the stiffer flex of the Pro would give me all the support in the tail to handle bigger drops, and rougher terrain at higher speeds. Depending on your riding style, if you want to get more from a board, then the extra $100 is probably worth it.

Similar boards:

Salomon Dancehaul

Same shape, sizes and profile, but with a softer flex

Ride Superpig

Quite a similar board in terms of specs, though the Superpig does have a more aggressive and less forgiving camber profile.

Features of the Dancehaul Pro

Sizes Available:

• 139cm
• 143cm
• 147cm
• 152cm
• 154cm
• 157cm

Technical Specs of the Dancehaul Pro

Size (cm)	Waist Width (mm)	Effective Edge (mm)	Taper (mm)	Nose/Tail (mm)
139	243	1046	8	285/277
143	247	1075	12	294/282
147	255	1100	12	302/290
152	264	1135	12	312/300
154	266	1150	12	315/303
157	269	1170	12	320/308