Salomon Ivy Snowboard - Women's - 2008 BCS

I've written 2 reviews previously about this board, with more favorable opinions each time. Yesterday after an epic snow storm in Colorado, I took it out again for a 3rd day of riding. Condition was good, a little bit of ice here & there, but powdery in the trees. As I said this is my 3rd day on this board, and I have definitely found perfect connection with it. At high speed turns, it's still rock solid, even on ice I didn't skid. It's an amazingly fast board, even on flats. I zoomed past quite a few people who at least looked like they knew what they were doing. I've begun to like the torsional flex as well. It allows you to keep a straight line on flats with just a bit of foot work, whereas my previous board, I tended to slide downslope on flats. Even the one-footed paddle was effortless, and slided way further compared to my previous board. My only grudge was in trees: turning was difficult. And because it has no setback, I had to really shift weight to the back to avoid diving into the powder. It does require more work at the beginning to control it. But by my third day, I was carving & turning effortlessly on all slope angles. I've read quite a few reviews on this board where people either loved it or hated it wholeheartedly. My advice is, give it a few chances, and try to ride under normal conditions. I have no doubt that the spring conditions in my first couple of outings didn't help me get accustomed to it more quickly.

I'm an advanced snowboarder who usually ride all mountain except bumps, and like to make nice large carving turns. Bought the board based on a local shop's recommendation. Basically I wanted a stiff board that can carve well in high speed and also do well in powder and trees. I took it out for a first day of riding today, and I'm disappointed at the board. At low speed, it's unstable and needs constant feet adjustment. It's probably due to the cutouts in the middle of the board that's supposed to give more torsional flex. While it's probably better suited for tricks, it has thrown me off guard a few times at the beginning. I did get used to it, but remain unsatisfied for the amount of work I need to put in. The board however does hold better at high speed carving turns. It's more stable, but it's not as forgiving as other boards, which again results in more work on the legs. I haven't ride it in trees or beat-up snow. But so far I'm unimpressed.

I wrote a review of this board a couple days ago when I took it out for the first time. Today I took it out for a second time, and it was definitely a much more positive experience. As I mentioned in previous review, I like making high speed carving turns in groomed black trails, and I did quite a few of those today. The board is extremely stable, as soon as the speed goes up. Compare to my previous board, there is no chatter and feels very solid. However, turn initiation at low speed is more difficult as expected, and I did catch the edge a few times. I went into trees once, but it's hard to tell, since the snow in March is much different from Jan/Feb. I did take a dive as soon as I hit the powder, but was able to shift the weight and make some easy turns. The Ivy still gave me trouble in low speed flat traversing area. But I think that's because I am not accustomed to using my feet to maneuver much - in carving you don't use your feet as much as legs and shifting body weight. So there you have it. Overall a solid stick, and depend on your style and habit, you might have less problem switching to it than me.

This board is amazing!! Super fast ride and mad pop. Really fun to shred all mountain if you like to jib off stuff, or pop an ollie here and there. Floaty and maneuverable in powder too. Great way to go for an all around fun stick!