$399 Intermediate to Expert All Mountain to Freeride Directional Hybrid Camber Shape This is the Rome Anthem Light and a great board. If you are looking for a board that is less aggressive but still has the same characteristics of the Rome Anthem then try the headline. It will have a more mellow forgiving ride and it's still really fun to carve. Their aren't many boards with this flex, shape and riding characteristics. For 2011 The Headline added hybrid camber that is very similar to the Rome Anthem. It looks like a camber board but the bow of the camber ends a little early and looks flat but when you step down on the board the tips come up. Check out the Rome Anthem video to get a better idea how this hybrid camber works. This hybrid camber is much more on the camber side of riding but it does make the ride better in powder and a little more catch free. In addition to the hybrid camber Rome added their "Quick Rip" side cut. At first we thought this might be a gimmick but its really a unique side cut that makes for better turning and edge hold. All in all the Headline is a great choice for someone who wants a more forgiving and less expensive ride than the Anthem.
Rome Headline Review by The Good Ride Bindings- Burton Diode Boots- Burton SLX Size-163 Riders- 5'10" 150lbs Size 9 shoe, 6' 160lbs Size 10.5 shoe
The Rome Headline fit's in a weird spot right in between the Rome Anthem and the Rome Crail. It's more aggressive than the Crail and slightly less aggressive than the Anthem. The best part of this board was leaning into a carve. The edge held in just about anything. We had hard conditions in the morning along with some loose and softer conditions in the afternoon. We were very impressed with how it held an edge but it was hard to find ice so we can’t say it will grip anything but still it had one of the more grippy rides we encountered. Here is a quick look at the board and then off to the review.
Groomers- The Headline does a great job on groomers and if you spend a lot of time looking for good turns and speed on smooth runs then this is a great choice.
Powder- The Headline's hybrid camber offers a little better float in powder but it's still on the camber side of things. The 20mm set back helps as well. That being said this will not compete with the effortless float in powder that many other hybrid shapes out there.
Turn Initiation/Carving- It takes more work than many boards in it's class but if you have your fundamentals down (advanced/expert) or want something that will be challanging as you get them down (intermediate) the Headline will be a good choice. It's a very smooth feel going from edge to edge and a slight bit more sluggish than the Anthem. Short turns can be done with some work but this shines when you engage in faster wider turns. This is very similar to the Rome Anthem when it comes to making a carve except it has the Quick Rip Side Cut changes it up a little bit. It was not as stunning as it was with the hybrid rocker rome boards we tried because you are expecting this type of carve. Still it held a great edge and was very very fun to carve out a turn. The Rome Headline shines if you are someone who wants to make or perfect real carving turns.
Speed- Not quite as fast as the Rome Anthem but it's border line excellent. It's very comfortable with a straight line of any speed. If it had a little faster base it would be right there with the Anthem.
Weight- Not heavy and felt like your average board.
Edge Hold- The extension of the edge a little after the feet really makes a huge difference with this mostly camber ride. Both of us who rode this feel that the Anthem has excellent edge hold but we feel that the Headline is better here. So if you ride in harder conditions this would be a better call over the Anthem. We felt this grip just like a Magnetraction board and no matter where we went in varied conditions from snowment to slush we never had a worry about loosing an edge no matter how committed we were in a turn. Flex- This is closer to the stiff side of medium and it feels more aggressive for it's flex. It's not super fun to butter but it's easier than the older camber version.
Switch- It has that same different but stable feeling riding switch as the Anthem. It takes some getting
Jibbing/Rails- The Rome Headline will not be very jib friendly but it's not bad in the pipe or on jumps. Pipe- The edge hold is there for any pipe wall but it might not be the best if you are an advanced pipe rider who likes more of a directional twin ride. For most this will be pretty fun just going from wall to wall.
Jumps-It’s not going to win any awards in the pop category but it's not lifeless either. It's right in the middle between a lively camber board and a flat/rocker board. It's ok generating your own air and pretty fun off the roller coaster line but if you are into lapping the jump park then there are definitely better boards here. The pop from this board is best for springing out of a carve instead of a big ollie.
All in all we felt the Headline isn't for everyone but it could make the right kind of rider very happy.
The Good Ride Take on Rome Rome is relatively new but has some of the best people in the industry working there. For example the designer of the Burton custom is now a principle and designer at Rome. Their strong point is that they make exceptional park and all mountain snowboards. They make boots and bindings that are loved or hated but don’t have the rep that their boards have. From what we have experienced with their clothing its well made, fits well and the waterproofing isn’t bad for the price. Their gloves are hit or miss and don’t really have the rep that their clothing does. They have exceptional customer service and everyone at Rome seems to really love what they are doing so if you have an issue it will most likely be handled professionally. Rome hasn’t really been leading the innovation charge the last few years but almost everything they make is well thought out and fun to use. Rome has the average to 100+ day freestyle to all mountain rider dialed out.
The Good Ride Take on Hybrid Camber For the most part there are two types of hybrid camber that we see out there these days. 1. Mostly Rocker Hybrid Camber This type of ride, like many boards, has camber and rocker but unlike other rockered boards the center has a mini camber. This is usually 1-3mm high, sits only between the bindings and then curves up right after. From a distance this board looks like a rocker board but when you look closer you see the little camber between the feet. This is not as loose as hybrid rocker but it’s very close. It is very stable between the feet and easy to one foot or flat base in any condition out there. Mostly Rocker Hybrid Camber is very versatile. You will see this design on anything from Freestyle to Freeride style snowboards. This will work well with all ability levels and riding styles.
2 Mostly Camber Hybrid Camber There are all types of designs but this type usually looks like a Camber board and rides much closer to an old school Camber board. ONe thing you will notice is usually when you step on the board the tip and tail rise up a lot more than a normal camber board will. Some are mostly camber and others have a bit more rocker but you will always notice they have camber. This allows for a stable, fast carve friendly feeling you get with camber but also makes it more catch free and floaty in powder. This doesn't float effortlessly like hybrid rocker, mostly rocker hybrid camber or flat to rocker but it does better than camber. You will mainly see this on aggressive freestyle to all mountain to freeride style snowboards.
ALL-TERRANEAN SHREDSTICK CLUES IN A NEW GENERATION
quickness; power; float; pretending you’re surfing on a pow day; dropping your favorite line before the crowd gets to it; cruising mellow one minute; ripping extra hard the next; tweaking your favorite grab
MSRP: $400.00 USD
Camber
Hybrid RipIt
Shape
Directional Standard
What It Likes
Jumps:
8
Jibs:
7
Pow Lines:
9
Carves:
8
Kill It All:
8
Flex/Feel
Poppy
Tech Details
QuickRip Sidecut Technology
Unique sidecut geometry that lets the board ride loose and playful at slow speeds, and powerful and precise at higher speeds
BST Torque Stringer Technology
Added ollie pop along with added torsional kick from edge to edge, all with a low environmental impact
Glass Impact Plates
2x more compression resistance under your bindings to combat the abuse of landing on hard objects
Impact Core Matrix
A composite core impregnated with 40% wood fibers that flexes smoothly, stands up to abuse, leaves a light impact on the environment
StraightTriax45 Laminate
45-degree off-axis fibers give this laminate a ton of torsional kick for snapping off one edge and into the next
SinterTrue Base
Fundamental sintered performance: abrasion resistance with wax absorption equals all the speed you need
Using 100% recycled sidewalls and low-impact materials like basalt, this all-terrain instrument is our most eco-friendly board in the collection. New QuickRip Sidecut delivers added edge bite when you lay into it, while giving both the quickness of a short board and the stability of a longer board. Add in the 45-degree glass and Torque Stringer Technology and you’ve got a board that lets you kill a tree line and feel good about it.
MSRP: $400.00 USD
New Tech
QuickRip Sidecut
Glass Impact Plates
Directional Standard
Hybrid
Rome Headline 2010
TWEAK LIKE A FREAK OR LAYBACK AND CRUISE
Ride hard, but leave only a track. A new series for 2010, the Headline powers its love of the entire collective addiction with a uniquely eco-friendly tech package. To up the edge-to-edge power, we use basalt fibers that are not only lighter, stronger and snappier than glass, but they’re also more environmentally friendly. Fully recycled sidewall material seal off the sides of the Pop.2 Core Matrix.
Environmentally friendly basalt fibers are stronger, lighter and snappier than glass; the curved pattern along the sidecut increases torsional response
