Best of Test 2010: #1 Ride Machete

August 24

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Mammoth Mountain, CA, Stratton, VT, Mission Ridge, WA, Boyne Mountain, MI, Snowbasin, UT, and Keystone, CO played host to our on-hill investigation as we queried more than a hundred riders to find their picks from literally thousands of demoed models, and when the final votes were in, we whittled it down to the top three men’s and the number-one women’s ride. This is SNOWBOARDER Magazine’s 2009 Best of Test Men’s #1, the Ride Machete. Get learned.

Austin Hironaka, St. Paul, MN. Photo: Terry Ratzlaff.

“It has rocker, but not too much, so it doesn’t feel like you’re cheating, and you can still play around and have fun on it.”
-Ryan, MC Sports (Grand Rapids, MI)

“I really liked this board a lot, as unlike other boards with rocker, it actually was stable at higher speeds and during aggressive turns. Many of the rocker/reverse camber decks I have ridden have the same problem. During a turn radius, when you shift your weight to hold or start to exit the turn, the nose of the board will come up. When this happens, the board becomes unstable and washy. The Machete’s nose and tail stay down during your turns, and you don’t get that washy/unstable feeling that you do on other decks with this technology. The carbon array tech that they use is really felt in this application.”
-James, Backcountry.com (Salt Lake City, UT)

“Very neutral, poppy, carved well, light and responsive.”
-Adam, Snowboard Connection (Seattle, WA)

“Fun and playful flex. Love the rocker.”
-Taylor, Mt. Shop (Portland, OR)

“This was just a fun board to ride. It was not a noodle like the Hero from Burton. I would feel really confident selling this board to any of our customers.”
-Eddie, St. Bernard Sports (Austin, TX)

“I’ve become a fan of reverse-camber boards, having ridden a few. I found this board versatile and easy-turning, with good pop.”
-George, Experience Snowboards (Taos, NM)

“Fun and loose jibster board—anyone can have fun on it.”
-John, Board of Provo (Provo, UT)