Salomon Dancehaul 2021 Review
Based on the Max Buri Pro, the Dancehaul is a shorter, wide width, tapered all-mountain board that does a bit of everything well. I really liked how it turned on groomed runs, and had solid edge hold while still feeling playful.
This is an update to the original review, which was based on riding it at demo days earlier in 2020. I did quite like it, enough that I bought it for the southern hemisphere season. Now I have spent much more time on it, in varied conditions that give me a much better overall picture of how it rides.
Features of the Salomon Dancehaul
- Tapererd Directional
The Dancehaul has a tapered shape, that means that the width of the tail is narrower than the width of the nose. It helps in a couple of areas, the wider nose helps float in powder, as well as making the start of turns smooth and easy. - Medium Flex
A flex that is right in the middle, with enough support to handle fast riding on rough terrain, but with enough flex that you can butter and move it around, without feeling like you are stuck on a plank. - Rock Out Camber
One of Salomon’s most popular camber profiles, overall it has a traditional camber profile, but with a flat section between your feet, and rocker on the nose and tail. The rocker sections help to give the board extra float, and make it a little more forgiving, while the camber makes sure it is still stable and poppy. - Sintered Base
A hard and fast material, that soaks up wax well and keep the board moving quickly. - Ghost Basalt Stringers
Basalt stringers that run down the length of the board, adding stability and pop. - Popster
Core profiling, that varies thick and thin sections of the core for a more natural flex and pop. - Aspen SLCT Core
FSC certified wood, that is chosen to get a mix between keeping the board lightweight, - ABS Sidewall
- Fine Stone Finish
A stone ground finish on the base, which helps the board to glide smoothly over snow. - All Mountain Edge Bevel
Overall the board has a 1 degree base bevel, that changes into a 2 degree angle between your feet. - Taper
There is 12mm of taper on the Dancehaul, which means that the nose is 12mm wider than the tail. Taper helps the board turn smoothly, and helps the nose float and the tail sink in deeper snow. - 4×2 Inserts
- BA MD Fiber Glass
Sizes available:
- 143cm
- 147cm
- 152cm
- 157cm
How it Rides
Board size: 147
Boots: Salomon Launch Boa SJ 27.5
Bindings: Burton Cartel
This review is based on me riding the 2021 147cm Dancehaul, set up with my regular Cartels at angles of +12 and -9, with a stance width of just under 22 inches. I am 6 foot tall, and weigh 160lbs/72kg.
When I originally tested this board out, the conditions were quite good – firm groomers that gave good grip, as well as a little fresh snow that had blown in overnight, as well as a bit of powder up on the top of the mountain. Since buying the board and then riding in Australia, I have ridden it in the full range of conditions – light and heavy powder, ice and warm slush.
Although I tested out the 147 in Canada, I did think quite hard when it came to buying it – whether or not I should go for the 147cm that I knew, or move up to the 152. The 152 seemed like a more logical choice, it was closer to the length that I normally rode, but I had also bought/rode the Ride Warpig/Superpig both in the small (148cm) size and knew that they did well for my weight.
There is quite a bit of a difference between the two sizes, but the 147 still has a decent waist width for my boots at 255mm, while the 152 has a big jump to 264mm. With that extra 9mm of width, I imagine that the edge to edge speed of the 152 would make it a notch slower. I ended up just going with the 147, because it was the size that I had tested and knew I liked, and I was right in the center of their recommended weight range.
Camber Profile
The Rock Out Camber is used on probably the majority of Salomon boards, and there is a good reason for it. It is a good mix between rocker and camber, that is ideal for a lot of riding styles terrain. There is enough camber to still give it a bit of the traditional feel, that is still solid at higher speeds and poppy/snappy. The rocker sections help to make the start of turns smooth and easy, give it some more float in powder and let you be a bit messy and rough without it wanting to catch an edge.
Flex and Pop
The medium flex with the Rock Out Camber is a pretty good mix. It feels easy to move around at slow speed, but is still quite stable when you are riding fast. It has quite a snappy feel, so it doesn’t take much effort to get a good pop out of the board. Presses on rails and tubes don’t take a huge amount of effort, but I am not good at them anyway so mine never look that nice.
Edge Hold
I have ridden quite a few Salomon boards with the Rock Out Camber profile before, so I had a good idea of what to expect. Especially with sharp and brand new edges, it grips very well even on hard and windblown snow.
Because I ended up using the Dancehaul as my board for everything, I did detune between the feet so that I wouldn’t catch on any rails in the park. I took enough off them that I would feel safe and it never gripped, though I did expect a bit lower grip when the snow was icy. My stance is fairly narrow, so the amount I detuned wasn’t huge, and I was a little surprised that it still had quite good hold on windblown Australian ice in some pretty bad conditions.
Float
There is 12mm of taper in the Dancehaul, and combined with the wider width make up for the shorter length, and it doesn’t have any problem floating in deeper snow. It naturally floats without effort, and even when I was riding in heavier Australian snow I didn’t feel like my back leg was ever getting tired trying to keep the board up. It always has a very easy and surfy feel.
Speed
It has their sintered base, so if you keep it waxed you won’t have any problems keeping your speed up.
Turns
Probably the best part of this board, it makes turning fun. With enough camber, a good medium flex and taper if makes turns very very easy and any speed. Even in deep snow in tighter trees, it feels very nimble and quick to move around.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Fun
- Good medium flex
- Solid camber feel
Cons
- Nothing major that gave me any problems, I really liked the Dancehaul.
Overall
The Dancehaul is one of the boards I have had the most fun on. It is good to cruise around on, holds a good edge and carves well on groomed runs, floats in powder and can still hold up for more aggressive riding. Even with the tapered directional shape, it is still fun in the park and riding switch is still do-able.
For what you get for the price, I think it is a pretty easy choice.
Similar boards:
Salomon Dancehaul 2021 Technical Specs
| Length | Effective Edge (mm) | Setback (mm) | Waist Width (mm) | Nose Width (mm) | Tail Width (mm) | Weight Range (kg) | Weight Range (lbs) |
| 143 | 1075 | 0 | 247 | 294 | 282 | 50-70 | 110-155 |
| 147 | 1100 | 0 | 255 | 302 | 290 | 60-85 | 130-185 |
| 152 | 1135 | 0 | 264 | 312 | 300 | 70-90 | 155-200 |
| 157 | 1170 | 0 | 269 | 320 | 308 | 70-105 | 155-230 |
how much down can this handle , its not a super wide board like the YES, Y if u ride mid 160s can u go to 152 like on the ORCA ?
I would definitely size it down a bit. I normally ride 155ish boards, and am riding the 147cm. There is a pretty big jump in waist widths if you go to the 152 (264mm waist) so that will definitely suit riders who normally ride around 160cm boards.
I have been looking at the getting the Ride Warpig until I saw this, do you think the Dancehaul is going to be better for a intermediate rider? I don’t ride in the park too much, but I still would like to start doing small features.
I bought a 2020 Party Platter 157 last year to use as my pow board or to change up from my Salomon Villain (love this board) daily driver. I really didn’t enjoy for my style. It seemed a little soft for carving and the blunted nose would get stuck on crusty pow days because the tail didn’t sink enough. Do you think the dancehaul a big enough shift away from a 2020 Party Platter or should I be looking a pow specific boards? Thanks.
The Dancehaul isn’t super stiff, I think it is fairly similar to the Villain overall – though the tail feels a little stiffer, but that might be because it is shorter. It has the same core, base and camber profile as the Villain, the main difference is the shape which is what I think makes it a fun board. I haven’t ridden the Party Platter yet, but it is rated as being softer. I think the Dancehaul is going to be a good match for the sort of riding you want with the features you are after.
Hey awesome review. I typically ride a 158. My weight is 165. I have size 10.5 boot. Do you think the 147 is going to be cutting it a little close?
Thanks! You could go for either – but I would probably choose the 152 so that you get the extra width and you’ll be able to turn it a bit more aggressively, which is half the fun of this board.
Thanks for the review! Do you have any recommendations for bindings that would work well with this board? I was considering the Burton Genesis but wondered if they will be responsive enough, and if something a little stiffer like the Union Strata might be better?
I don’t think you can go wrong with Burton Cartels. I really like them, and even have two pairs that I put on every board I ride. I don’t find them too stiff, they work really well for how I ride. I haven’t ridden the Stratas yet, so I can’t compare directly but they do look like a good choice.
Thanks for all your reviews!!! They are the best out there!!! For riding tight trees in pow and then switching to all mountain and some park in the afternoon, would you recommend the Dancehaul over the Capita Mercury?
Thanks! I would say for that combination of riding I would choose the Dancehaul over the Mercury, I have much more fun on it, though a bit would depend on how hard you ride – If you are pretty agressive rider, you might get a bit more out of the stiffer flex of the Mercury rather than the more playful feel of the Dancehaul.
Thanks for your help. Wish I would have learned about your reviews sooner…would have prevented some snowboard buying mistakes. Your reviews really are the best! If I’m 5’11” and 180 and size 9 boot, which size Dancehaul is best? Seems I might be able to get away with the 152, but I’m hesitant because I’ve never ridden anything that short…hard to wrap my head around the idea.
Ahh thanks so much! The 152 will be plenty for you, although it sounds small you definitely won’t want to go any bigger. For size 9’s, the 152 has plenty of width, so you will be able to carve really hard without toe and heel drag, and it will give you plenty of float in powder. I was actually quite surprised with how well the 147 rode for me, and that is quite a step down from the 152 in length and width.
The one thing that helped me work out how/why a short board can still feel stable and give me the float is how the surface area changes. The 152 has a waist width of 264mm, which is what you would expect for 160ish cm wide board, so you are really getting a lot of the stability/volume of a big board, squashed down in an easier to turn board, with a smaller sidecut to make it all feel quick and nimble.
Thanks for your help. Just ordered the 152 through the link on your website. I’ll let you know how it works out. Keep the reviews coming!!! Have a great season!!! Stay safe.
Howdy! Have you tried the Bataleon Party Wave Plus? If so, any thoughts on how it would compare to the Dancehaul? Thank you!
I haven’t ridden it yet, the closest I have ridden would be the Lobster Aaron Schwartz (super similar to the regular Party Wave). My biggest complaint of that board was I found it to be much too soft if you weren’t in nice deep snow, so the stiffer flex but similar shape of the Party Wave Plus does sound good – I’ll see if I can find one to ride this season.
Comparing (the Lobster version with the same overall shape) to the Dancehaul, the Lobster was very smooth and floaty in deep snow, but the very noticeable shaping on the nose made it feel slower for the edge to start a turn, but it was great in powder. I’ll see how once I can do a proper test, but I doubt it will feel as direct and smooth to turn as the Dancehaul, but I’m happy to be proven wrong.
Thanks for a great review!
Here’s a question from a happy old fart:
I used to love the 156 Burton Branch Manager for it’s quick edge to edge, the spring I got out of carves, and being awesome in pow. Then I wanted to try something else and 3 years ago I bought the Warpig S.
Ok in pow, hated it on groomers. Felt like a plank to me. But since I never learn from my mistakes, I now have my eyes on the Dancehaul.
I’m 5’8″, 150lbs, 9.5s, and spend most of my time hiking for pow, hitting side hits and laying down carves. Also fully ignoring that I’m old enough to have been riding for 30 years;)
Based on not liking the Warpig, would you recommend the Dancehaul in 147 (or even 143!). Or should I just forget about the Short ‘n Wide-hype and go with something more traditional with backseat camber, like the Super 8 or Hometown Hero?
I think that you would find the Dancehaul to be a really good step up from the Warpig. I was in the same boat as you, I liked the Warpig when I first rode it (normally don’t like flat boards that much) but eventually sold it.
The Dancehaul feels much quicker and smoother edge to edge, and is lots of fun just to carve on. In real life it might not be, but I think it feels lighter, springier and has a good amount of camber to push out of a turn, and have a lively feel.
I would go for the 147, although it is technically in the short and wide group of boards, the 255mm waist width is enough to let you carve hard, but still not need any effort to get it on edge (especially for 9.5s). I haven’t ridden the Hometown Hero, and although the Super 8 is a really nice all around board, the Dancehaul was way way more enjoyable.