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K2 Fastplant and Fastplant Wide Snowboard Review

Snowboards - Snowboard Reviews

 
User rating
 
4.3 (3)

K2 Fastplant and Fastplant Wide Snowboard Review

Fastplant-Snowboard-_-K2-Snowboarding-2011-12-1
$499
Advanced to Expert Freestyle to Jib
Flat/Rocker Twin Shape

The K2 Fastplant is like a much more expensive version of the K2 WWW.  The WWW was/is a great jib board so this will be a great board as well.  We like K2's rocker because all of their rocker tech has some flat part in the center to create some stability at high speeds.  This board is mostly flat with a bit of rocker at the tip/tail that allows for a stable but catch free ride.  It's not going to blow minds in powder but it's soo much better than a camber jib board. We have to say one of the only weaknesses with the flat/rocker is it doesn't compete at the same pop level of many other park boards we tried. It's not lifeless but it isn't going to blow minds on the air it can generate on it's own. This isn't as important in the Jib park but making  If you want a high end WWW with a fast base and better core this will be a good choice.  It's a lot of fun for park riding and incredibly sturdy.  The new 2012 core claims an industry leading 5 year warranty.  The 2011 and 2012 are very similar but there have been some minor tweaks to make the 2012 a little better.  

How It Rides

Groomers Average
Speed Average
Flex Soft/Noodle
Jibbing Excellent
Powder Average
Weight Medium

Carving
Average
Pipe Average
Turn Initiation
Easy
Edge Hold Average
Switch Excellent
Jumps Good

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The Good Ride Take

A Quick Look at the K2 Fastplant

                    

 

The Good Ride Take on K2
K2 is a big company that makes a lot of ski and snowboard gear. So many companies are really proud of their gear and let sites like the Good Ride borrow it for a few weeks.   K2 doesn’t and is only about the on-snow demo so we have to put in extra effort to get a hold of K2 gear. K2 chose Flat Camber and variations of flat/rocker for their rides in the post camber revolution. Their flat camber has a mixed take but their flat/rocker shapes (especially all terrain) seem to be some of the best out there and are well liked. When it comes to Bindings K2 spends a lot of time working on the quick release side of things. We at the Good Ride aren’t big fans of the quick release but acknowledge that many do like this tech. To us we’d rather see them work on improved turn initiation, comfort and better board flex under foot but many don’t agree with our take. Their boots are well made, long lasting and comfortable but many don’t have the traditional upper and lower BOA system that most companies offer. Instead most have an inner and outer lacing system’s which some like but we’d rather see upper and lower autonomy instead of two lacing systems focusing on the same 2 regions. Their customer support is very good but there is no phone # on their site so you must contact them via email.



Company Information

K2 Fastplant 2012

SKATE INFULENCE INDESTRUCTABLE STYLE

The 2011-2012 K2 Fastplant Snowboard has quickly become the park to podium freestyle ruler. Bambooyah™ indestructible core and solid feel paired with the playful Jib Rocker Baseline. Now with more pop than thought possible with the addition of the incredible Ollie Bar. You gotta try it to believe it.

 

A better look at the Fastplant from K2

         

 

Bambooyah

Bambooyah Snowboards Technology

Skate inspired Indestructibility

BAMBOOYAH® expands out into more models in this it’s second year. We now offer original Bambooyah cores and the all new Bambooyah Blended cores. Created for models that could benefit from just a little bit of Bambooyah’s incredible strength. A little it of Bambooyah goes a long way.

Bambooyah Snowboards Technology

Ollie Bar

Ollie Bar Snowboards Technology

Pop comes pre-loaded

The Ollie bar is a totally new approach to adding pop to a snowboard. Built in place in a pre-loaded, cambered shape it solves the concern that rocker board don’t have the pop camber board have. Made with a secret layup of carbon, Kevlar and urethane layers, the ollie bar is positioned in the center of the board between the binding inserts. Strong ollies and pressing power doesn’t come from the tail alone. The backbone center section is actually more critical for smooth even pressure. You gotta try it to believe the pop.

Ollie Bar Snowboards Technology

Jib Rocker

Jib Rocker Snowboards Technology

PARK & RAIL AUTHORITY

Jib Rocker is a versatile twin Rocker built to dominate the park. Just enough rise in the tip and tail to create a loose, buttery feel on all types of terrain. Contact points stay well off the snow until engaged – eliminating edge hook while maintaining fun pop.

Jib Rocker Snowboards Technology

Hybritaper

Hybritaper Snowboards Technology

Lightweight & Strong

Hybritaper takes our Hybritech Construction, and tapers out the core at the tip and tail to reduce the swing weight. We blend the tips from a cap into a thin sandwich removing material where you don’t need it.

Hybritaper Snowboards Technology

Carbon Web

Carbon Web Snowboards Technology

Connect to the web

Always improving the feel and energy return of our boards, the R+D group releases the CARBON WEB rider input/output system. Offered in two levels of sensitivity. Resulting in a more connected feedback loop from terrain to rider.

Carbon Web Snowboards Technology

Triaxial Glass

Triaxial Glass Snowboards Technology

A glass laminate with diagonal layers that stiffens the board torsionally. Giving you improved edge hold and increased stability for those off-axis landings

4000 Sintered

4000 Sintered Snowboards Technology

• Fastest natural base material available • Exceptionally Durable • Absorbs deeper & retains wax longer

WH4 Core

WH4 Core Snowboards Technology

Super-light honeykomb Core Technology

The WH4 Core pulls every trick from our bag of core tech. With a greater percentage of HONEYKOMB than the WH3 Core, it’s engineered to maintain durability at minimal weight.

ICG 20

ICG 20 Snowboards Technology

Hyper Progressive

Hyper Progressive Snowboards Technology

An infinite number of different radius are blended together flawlessly from mellow in the tips, to more aggressive in the center. The result is a super predictable feel that never hooks. Responsive at high speeds and smooth enough to butter your way from the peak to park.

 

K2 Fastplant 2011

K2 Snowboarding Fastplant Snowboard
$499.95
Park, Pipe, Street and Destroy
Whatever you thought about snowboards, hit reset. The NEW 2010-11 Fastplant™ signals yet another first for K2 and for snowboarding: the INDESTRUCTIBLE* core. You read that right! Skate-inspired and eco-friendly, Fastplant’s new Bambooyah™ core – pioneered by K2 mad scientists – signals the arrival of a game-changing breed of park tool. All jacked-up on JIB ROCKER, the Fastplant delivers unequalled pop, strength and durability. Combined with signature graphics, the ultimate park board is born!
bambooyah
Welcome to the indestructible jungle
jib_rocker
Park & Rail Authority
matrix-ii
Matrix II - Carbon Edge Control & Ollie Pop

Fastplant Construction Features

BASELINE:
BASELINE:
Jib Rocker™
CONSTRUCTION:
CONSTRUCTION:
Hybritaper
SHAPE:
SHAPE:
Twin Tip, Hyper Progressive
CORE:
CORE:
BamBooyah™ Core
GLASS:
GLASS:
Triax/Biax/ICG 20
TORSION FORKS:
TORSION FORKS:
Carbon Matrix II

Specs

2012 K2 Fastplant Specs

fastplant

2011 K2 Fastplant Specs

151 Centere d 24.70 110-190 7.80 120.30 29.07 29.07 21.0
154 Centere d 25.00 <180 7.90 122.84 29.40 29.40 22.0
157 Centere d 25.20 130-210 8.00 125.38 29.73 29.73 22.0
160 Centere d 25.40 >150 8.10 127.92 30.06 30.06 23.0
Wide 156 Centere d 26.20 >150 7.90 122.84 30.60 30.60 22.0
Wide 159 Centere d 26.40 >160 8.00 125.38 30.93 30.93 23.0
Wide 162 Centere d 26.60 >170 8.10 127.92 31.26 31.26 23.0


Pictures

K2 Fastplant 2012

K2 Fastplant 2011



User reviews

Average user rating from: 3 user(s)

 

Overall Rating:
 
4.3
 
 

good board but not worth $499

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
I think the goodride review was fair. I would have been more critical. The Fastplant is good board but a 5 star rating? That's a bit ridiculous. I can't take any reviewer seriously who thinks this board is the best park board out there. I suggest they get out and ride more boards.
Overall Rating:
 
3.0
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Reviewed by won
December 07, 2011
 
 

Something against K2?

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Have to agree with the other reviewer. Snowboard-reviews called this the poppiest board they've tried. Secondly, they've labelled it an excellent choice for beginners, experts, and everyone in between. I have to agree with them on both fronts, though I admittedly haven't tried enough boards to be a good judge on the first point.

I find it very strange that people can have such varying experience on a board, and wonder like the other reviewer, if you guys even rode the board.
Overall Rating:
 
5.0
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Reviewed by fred
November 27, 2011
 
 

K2 Fastplant

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Have to be honest. Have you guys ridden this board? Everyone loves the board but this place. I am wondering why, and second, based on the comments about K2 and difficulty getting equipment, did you guys just skip this one?

Reason being, I have ridden it, it's very stable at speed, one of the poppiest boards of last year, and an overall extremely fun board. I am curious to hear more about why you didn't like it.
Overall Rating:
 
5.0
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Reviewed by Pete
July 23, 2011