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Lib Tech Birdman Snowboard Review

$669
Freeride to Powder
Continuous Rocker Tapered Directional Shape

For 2012 Lib Tech dropped the long running Snow Mullet and instead created 2 powder friendly boards. The Lib Tech La Nina MC and of course the Birdman. Of the 2 The Birdman more resembles the Mullet. In a lot of ways this is just a Mullet that was given hormones. There isn't really much to say about the Lib Tech Birdman. Its a specialty ultra deep powder board for riders who already know what they are looking for. lThe Birdman is basically the most un-sinkable powder board out there. If you like a caddy type feel and ride in ultra deep snow this is one of the only choices you have for ultra big boards. The set back is massive at 4" back and the BTX shape makes this virtually un-sinkable. This might have more nose for powder than almost any board out there on the market right now. The only other board that is somewhat close to this is the Nidecker Legend but they are still somewhat different. They have similar sizing and a directional tapered shape but there are some other differences. The Birdman has a huge set back compared to the Legend. The Legend is only an inch or 2 where the Birdman is 4. The Legend has only a minor taper of .02mm to .05mm depending on the board where the Birdman has a taper of 1.3cm to 1.4cm. The Legend has hybrid camber with more rocker in the nose than the tail and the Birdman is Continuous Rocker with more rocker in the nose than the tail. Both are great in powder but the Birdman gets the nod here and the Legend will get the nod on groomers. Do not be intimidated by the large waist because with this kind of taper the board will turn incredibly easy. So if you are looking for a board for those waist plus or heli trip powder days the Birdman is going to be your new best friend. If you want to take it out on a groomer it won't be that bad here either. We would of liked to see C1 on the Birdman but it's still a great board for what it does.

How It Rides
Groomers	Good	Speed	Good	Flex	Med/Stiff	Rails/ Jibbing	Rough
Powder	Excellent	Weight	Medium	Carving	Average	Pipe	Rough
Turn Initiation	Easy	Edge Hold	Excellent	Switch	Rough	Jumps	Rough

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The Good Ride Take

A Quick look at the 2012 Lib Tech Birdman

The Good Ride Take on Continuous Rocker
This is where it all started or re-started in the Mid 2000’s. In the beginning Continuous Rocker was mainly for park and powder. Today it's still pretty much made for the same 2 functions. There are a few boards that are made for all mountain to freeride use but most of those have migrated to hybrid shapes. Continuous Rocker helps you maintain a catch free forgiving ride which is excellent for beginner riders or those who ride at slower playful speeds through the park. Almost every one we have tried has to be on edge or it will wander giving you that squirrely feeling like a skateboard with loose trucks. The biggest issue is it isn't very stable flat basing or one footing in firmer snow. Continuous rocker is for the most part really poppy and helps you generate your own air. There are many styles of this shape so this could be a good choice for beginners, park rats and people who only ride powder.

Company Information

Lib Tech Birdman 2012

Birdman

Ice Eating Pow Flotation Device!

horsepower

no fiberglass

bio beans

btx

A giant “Nazari / Snowbird” inspired “Flotation Device” nose, all terrain freestyle Banana Tech body. Nothing floats better, the all terrain shape will get you through any nasty chute on the way to your pow line and on top of that this thing still rips the hardpack in both directions… absolute directional powder freedom. Skunk ape Kyle Phillips put a few choice days in on this one and here is what he had to say: “Took the 180cm to TyaxHeli, it truly was a dream to ride. Plenty of speedy float up top in the open deep, and with BTX and less surface area, this big bird easily handled the hardpack and tight trees on the way to LZ.”
Art by Quincy Quigg

Banana Technology (BTX)

Mervin’s revolutionary original all-terrain freestyle banana blend.
Rocker between your feet blended with flat-to-mild camber to contact points. Focuses pressure between your feet for easy turns, great edge hold on ice, and a mild amount of pressure to the tip and tail for unreal float and catch-free freestyle.

Twin All Terrain Freestyle
Excels: in all conditions.
Epic: fun, jibbing, & pow

Directional:

Tips float effortlessly in pow. Directional shapes focused on riding forward into the future. Great for Traditionalists with an edge.

Columbian Gold Core:

Experimental new dead tree with the highest compression response ever used in a snowboard.

Sintered UHMW Base Material:

Super tough base material that holds wax well due to its compression formed amorphous polymer structure. Super fast when waxed with Oneballjay.

Correct Sandwich:

SUPER LIGHT SPIN WEIGHT! The perfect blend of pickles and mustard. UHMW sidewalls, Power Transfer Internal Sidewalls, torsionally loose. The new kids think they are new!

Double Sintered UHMW Sidewalls:

A Lib Tech innovation. Twice as sintered as any other sidewall. Tough, handsome and light.

Bio-Plastic Beans:

ExperiMENTAL division leader Mike Olson loves beans! When he’s not eating them he’s buying plastics made with them. Lib Tech has made a commitment to using a new earth friendly, bio-plastic top skin made from beans that features the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any top sheet in the industry.

Horsepower Construction:

All basalt, no fiberglass!

Power Transfer Internal Sidewalls:

The same futuristic power 90º pop technology from our world record setting skateboards and power transfer spines only this time we have placed it along the sidewall of your board to add board control to our sandwich construction. Stronger, more pop, and more control brought to you by our Woodshop!

Specs

Lib Tech Birdman 2012 Specs

Model	Contact	Sidecut	Nose	Waist	Tail	Stance/BOC	Flex	Shape	Rocker	Weight
Birdman 170	116	8.3	30.8	26	29.5	20.25?-26? / 4?	7	Dir	BTX	150+
Birdman 180	122	8.3	31.5	26.5	30.2	20.25?-26? / 4?	7	Dir	BTX	150+

Pictures

Lib Tech 2012 Bird Man

Other Reviews

User reviews

Average user rating from: 1 user(s)

Overall Rating:

5.0

it rides pow for you

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

i've been riding this thing in france for a few days and it's sick. in powder, you don't have to lean back at all, which is why you get this board. on hardpack, holds a good edge w/magnetraction and handles like a much smaller board due to the shape and early rise in the nose. you'll notice the size and huge nose when riding stupid stuff like moguls or super-tight trees, but who cares? the people who are gonna buy this board know what they want, and they will love it. period.

Overall Rating:

5.0

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Reviewed by porch mike
December 30, 2011