Lib Tech have been a popular brand for years, with a few of their models making a huge impact – for a while it seemed like everyone was riding a Skate Banana or a T Rice at one point.
Have a look at other 2020 Snowboard Overviews: Capita, Burton, Jones, Ride, Salomon and Never Summer.
Although they spent years marketing pushing their reverse camber boards, each year they add more boards with their C3 profile (traditional camber) which I think is a good thing. While they used to be the kings of crazy marketing terms, things are slightly simpler and easier to understand now.
Lib Tech Camber Profiles
In a very simplified way, there is rocker (Original Banana), hybrid (C2) and camber (C3).
Original Banana
This used to be called BTX, and this is the easiest to ride profile that they have. Although the original had mega rocker, the current design has rocker between your feet, and technically some mild camber from your feet out towards the nose and the tail of the board. Although it might be there, when you look at an Original Banana board up close, the “mild camber” sections are so small, I would say they are pretty much flat.
C2
A hybrid camber profile, that has reverse camber between your feet, with camber out towards the nose and tail of the board.
On top of the regular C2, there are also two sub versions of the C2 camber: C2e and C2x.
Basically the C2e is the “easy” version, and the C2x is the “eXtreme” version. The C2e version is made to be a less aggressive ride, while the C2x is one step closer to a traditional camber feel.
C3
Although the graphics will make it look like there is rocker between your feet (it is almost too small to see), in reality this is just a traditional camber profile. I would guess that after years of pushing rocker/hybrid profiles they didn’t want to make it look like they were taking it all back by making camber boards.
This profile gives you the best edge hold, pop and stability – so it is often found on their more aggressive, stiffer boards.
Board Constructions
Although there are small differences in each board, they have 3 main sets of construction ingredients, set out in a good, better, best style.
OP – Original Power Construction
Core: 75% Aspen / 25% Paulownia
Base: TNT
Their standard combination, and is used on a large amount of their models.
HP – Horsepower Construction
Core: 60% Aspen / 40% Paulownia
Base: TNT or Sintered depending on the model
Compared to the Original Power Construction, there are extra strips of Paulownia.
FP – Firepower Construction
50% Aspen / 40% Paulownia / 10% Balsa
Base TNT or Sintered depending on the model
Similar to the Firepower Construction with more Paulownia, but weight is saved by having some of the core between your feet replaced with Balsa.
Magne-Traction
Chances are good you have heard of Magne-Traction, but simplified there are bumps placed along the sidecut of the board to add extra grip in hard snow. Working the same way as a serrated knife, when you are turning your board the pressure is focused on the Magne-Traction bumps, so they cut into hard snow with less effort.
For their Original Banana and C2 boards, the Magne-Traction is much more important. Boards that have an overall rocker profile put less pressure on the contact points, so you lose edge hold as a tradeoff for getting a more forgiving and looser ride. Magne-Traction helps to give you back the edge hold, even on the Original Banana profile boards.
It has a very specific feel, and you get used to it quite quickly – it comes quite close to the edge hold of a traditional camber board. There is a reason that other brands use it as well – Jones, Niche, Rossignol,
Base Materials
In general cheaper boards have extruded bases (cheaper to make, slower to ride) and more expensive boards have the faster more expensive sintered bases. Lib Tech still have those two types of bases, extruded which they call TNT, and sintered.
Interestingly, they put sintered on some of their more affordable park boards (Box Scratcher/Box Knife) and have the slower TNT on more expensive boards like the Skunk Ape.
When the 2020 models come out, I’ll link to them, but for now they will link to the 2019s.
Lib Tech 2020 snowboards
Lib Tech Box Scratcher
A couple of options for park riders, both the Box Scratcher and Box Knife are quite similar – the differences are the cambers they have.
The Lib Tech Box Scratcher has the Original Banana profile, so rocker between your feet, and the tiniest amount of camber out on the nose and tail. That profile, with the medium-soft flex means it won’t take much effort to press or butter, and there is plenty of forgiveness.
One most cheaper park boards you will get an extruded base, as speed isn’t normally as important as keeping the price down, and being a park board it is pretty likely you will damage it, and extruded bases are easy to repair.
As a pretty big plus for this board, it has a sintered base, which is especially good for the price. Details here
- Original Banana
- Medium Soft
- Sintered
Find it on Amazon
Box Knife
On the opposite side but not really, the Box Knife has a lot of similar features, but with a regular camber (C3) profile. More pop, more stability and a slightly stiffer flex.
With a sintered base, C3 camber and medium flex, the Box Knife is going to end up just as useful riding anywhere on the mountain – not just the park. More info here
- C3
- Medium Flex
- Sintered
Banana Blaster
A smaller version of the Skate Banana, with a few features that kids won’t miss. A simpler topsheet material, and a co-extruded base rather than the textured topsheet and TNT base on the Skate Banana.
With the Original Banana profile, it is still loose and cruisy, so turns are smooth and easy, perfect for smaller riders starting out. More details on the Banana Blaster here
- Original Banana
- Soft Flex
- Extruded
T.Ripper
The next step up, in sizes between the Banana Blaster but still smaller than the mens line, the T Ripper is a scaled down version of the T Rice board. With the C2 camber profile, there is more camber on the nose and tail of the board, so you will have more edge hold, stability and pop. With a medium flex, it makes it much more suitable for smaller/lighter kids who ride hard.
- C2
- Medium Flex
- TNT
Read more about the T Ripper here – it’s a harder one to find around.
Skate Banana
A surprising board, that has a very good reputation that is well deserved. On paper, the specs make it sound like a beginner board, but it is marketed as a board that is good for everyone from beginners to advanced riders.
Normally that doesn’t make any sense, but in a weird way it works for the Skate Banana.
With a medium flex, and the Original Banana profile, it is soft but not too soft, and loose without being too loose. Magne-traction is important on reverse camber boards like this so you still have good edge hold.
- Original Banana
- Medium Soft flex
- TNT
Find more on the Skate Banana here
Lib Tech Jamie Lynn Phoenix Dagmar
An all terrain, ride anywhere board that is designed to be a one board quiver. C2 camber profile, medium flex with a floaty nose and a 1 inch setback stance.
- C2
- Medium flex
- TNT
Read more about the Dagmar here.
Hot Knife
Aimed at being an “all mountain freestyle twin”, it has a medium stiff flex, and C3 camber profile for plenty of pop and stability. The fast sintered base is going to make it easier keeping your speed up for bigger jumps, and the C3 camber with Magne-Traction will have a very solid feel.
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered base
More info on on the Hot Knife
TRS
This is where it starts to get confusing as they all sound the same – TRS, T.Rice, T Ras.
With the C2x camber profile, it is one notch more aggressive than the regular C2, but still a decent step down from the feel of traditional camber or C3. It has basalt for vibration dampening, but also only has the TNT base.
- C2x
- Medium flex
- TNT
Read more here
T.Rice Pro
Made super popular around the time Travis Rice has That’s It, That’s All and the Art of Flight, I would imagine it would have to be one of the most popular hybrid all mountain boards around – at least a few years ago anyway.
It has the regular C2 camber profile, and a medium stiff flex. Basalt is added to absorb vibrations, and like you would expect from a board at this level, it has a sintered base.
There are a couple of versions of the T.Rice, and they have been made a bit simpler for the 2020 season. The bigger sizes (161.5cm and above) which have the pointed nose have a different graphic than the regular sizes with the blunt nose.
- C2
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
T.Ras
Nothing super crazy about this one, it is a 159cm version of the T.Rice that has a special graphic. If you were going to get a 158 T.Rice but like the look of this better, might as well get this one instead.
Still with basalt, sintered base and the C2 camber profile.
- C2
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
More details on the T.Ras here
Cold Brew
You can sort of think of this as an all mountain Skate Banana, with a few changes and upgrades. A slightly longer nose will help float in deeper snow, and the C2 profile will give better stability for riding fast than the Original Banana.
- C2
- Medium flex
- TNT
More info here
Dynamo
New for the 2020 season, the Dynamo is an all mountain board, that has a more aggressive ride with the C3 camber. It has a medium-stiff flex, and a slightly longer nose for more float in deep snow. More details on the new Dynamo here
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- TNT
Terrain Wrecker
With a directional shape, floaty nose, blocked off tail and a sintered base – it is made to be a freestyle board that you can take anywhere on the mountain.
- C2
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
More info here
BRD
An all mountain freeride board, that has a big wide nose, taper, C3 camber and a sintered base. The big and wide early rise nose helps to float in deep snow, the taper helps the tail to sink and the C3 camber will be poppy and stable. Some more information here
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
Lib Tech Jamie Lynn Phoenix Titty Fish
Along similar lines as the BRD, the Jamie Lynn Pheonix Titty Fish is an all mountain and freeride board. With a medium firm flex and C3 camber, it’s going to have a solid ride, while the wide floaty nose and taper suit deep snow. No Magne-traction on this one, but that isn’t a big deal, you don’t need it on traditional camber boards anyway.
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- TNT
Read more here
E Jack Knife
One of the boards that is on the more serious side, the E.Jack Knife has C3 camber, a medium to stiff flex and a fast sintered base. Have a look at Eric Jackson’s riding to get an idea of what this one is designed for.
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
Read more here
Swiss Knife
The Swiss Knife is a big mountain freestyle board, that is good for riding everywhere, even when the snow gets deep. With C3 camber, a little bit of taper and a fast sintered base.
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
Skunk Ape
The Skunk Ape has been around for a while now, and is the go-to for big guys with big feet. Even the smallest size has a big waist width of 268mm, while the widest is all the way at a 285mm. In sizes from 157-170cm, it is made for tall and heavier guys who still need to get good performance out of their board.
- C2
- Medium Stiff flex
- TNT
A few version here.
T.Rice Goldmember
Another one of Travis Rice’s pro models, the Goldmember is lighter with the Firepower Construction with balsa, has basalt for vibration absorbtion and the slightly more aggressive C2x camber profile.
- C2x
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
More details here
T.Rice Climax
Another notch up in the T.Rice lineup, the Climax has the lightest construction, with carbon over magnesium wrapping the core. More aggressive C2x camber profile, Magne-traction and a fast sintered base. It just comes in two sizes – 159cm and 163cm.
- C2x
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
More details here
Split BRD
A split version of the BRD, which has the C3 camber profile, a medium flex and a TNT base.
- C3
- Medium Flex
- TNT
More information here
T.Rice Goldmember Split
In my opinion, this is the best looking board in the 2020 range, the T.Rice Goldmember split has the C2x camber, medium stiff flex and a fast sintered base. Hard to find around, but there are some here
- C2x
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
Double Dip
A pow friendly but twin freestyle board, with the C2x camber profile that has a medium stiff flex and a fast sintered base.
- C2x
- Medium Stiff
- Sintered
Some more info here.
Lost x Lib Rocket
A wide, directional pow board with the stability and pop of C3 camber, and a medium stiff flex. No Magne-Traction on this one, but it still has a sintered base. Extra info here
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
MC Snake Kink
An experimental board that was made to get everything out of one board, aiming to be a board that can handle ice, groomers and still have good float in powder. With the C3 camber profile and medium stiff flex, it has plenty of pop, stability and edge hold helped with the Magne-Traction. More information here
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- TNT
MC Way Finder
A surfy, floaty, directional freeride board that will handle tight turns, deep carves on groomers as well as it floats in deep snow.
- C2e
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered base
More information on the Way Finder
Jamie Lynn Short Wide
Another one in the short wide group, the Short Wide has everything you would expect from a board like this, huge waist width and a short length that is combined with C3 camber, Magne-Traction and a Medium Stiff flex. More information here
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- TNT
T.Rice Orca
Another one in the T.Rice lineup, the Orca was really popular in its first season, and it turned out to be quite a sought after board. It shares a lot of features with the regular T.Rice Pro, but makes it short and wide for extra float, while still being easy to turn.
With the C2x camber profile and Magne-traction, there is plenty of edge hold. The longer nose helps the Orca to float in deep snow, and the overall wider width gives you the surface area of a bigger powder board, without having to ride a slower to turn, longer board. For guys with bigger feet, the Orca will still let you carve hard with minimal toe and heel drag. The smallest 147cm size has a decent 257mm waist width, while the 153 and the 159 both have a really wide 267mm waist. Sold out very quickly in the southern hemisphere, but more information on it here.
- C2x
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
Until the next 2020 season model comes out, I think it is going to be super difficult to find one, but you can try here.
Stump Ape
A short and wide option for the bigger guys who don’t want the huge length of the Skunk Ape, the Stump Ape still has a super wide waist width, C2x camber and a medium flex. More details at this link
- C2x
- Medium flex
- TNT
Round Nose Fish
With a surfy and tapered shape, early rise nose on the C2x camber profile, it is made to carve hard on groomers as well as float in deep snow
- C2x
- Medium Stiff flex
- Sintered
Info here
Litigator
A new version of the classic that was born in the 80’s, the Litigator has regular camber, medium stiff flex and comes in one size 5’7″ or 170cm.
Find it here
- C3
- Medium Stiff
- TNT
Magic BM
An evolution of the older Banana Magic, it has the C2 camber profile, a deep sidecut (a small radius of 7.0m), medium flex and Magne-Traction. Extra information on the Magic BM here
- C2
- Medium Flex
- TNT
Lib Tech Womens boards
Glider
Think of this one as being like the womens Skate Banana, it has the cruisy Original Banana camber, medium soft flex and a TNT base.
More details here
- Original Banana
- Medium Soft flex
- TNT
No. 43
A more aggressive all mountain/freestyle board, that has a more aggressive C2x camber profile and higher end Horsepower construction.
Read more about it here
- C2x
- Medium Stiff flex
- TNT
Cortado
An all mountain freeride board with a directional shape, it has the C2 camber profile and a medium flex. Made to be an easy to ride, but versatile board you can take anywhere. Read more about it here
- C2
- Medium flex
- TNT
Dynamiss
An aggressive, performance womens board, that has the C3 camber profile, a medium stiff flex and a little bit of taper with a directional nose. Read more about the Dynamiss here
- C3
- Medium Stiff flex
- TNT
No CM on the news stump ape? 157 again this year? Shorter how about a 155?
It looks like just the 157cm and the new 162cm size
I’m looking at getting a new Lib Tech or GNU board (I just want something made in the US) and really just want one board that I can ride everywhere. I don’t ride much in the park anymore, and just want something that won’t be too hard to ride if I do get a chance to ride some pow. I used to ride with a friend who had an older T Rice, and he swore by it. What would be a good option?
Ben I rode a Gnu Riders Choice and really enjoy its versatility even in pow I just set back bindings and it does well. This year I got the Orca due to its similarities to the GNU riders choice, just set back with more nose and shorter.