I bought my new board this weekend. It’s pretty sick; I like it a lot.

You might have my previous post which listed the 8 boards I was considering. From that collection, I’d made a short-list in my head: the DH, the Skate Banana and the DC MLF – and maybe the T1, but it’s hard to find.

Well the board I bought isn’t from the short-list; it’s not even from the long-list. So how come I ended up buying it?

Because I wanted to!

Each year my local snowboard shop has a slightly different line. Some board manufacturers are present each season, but some come and go. You can always find a Burton for example, and they like Nitro a lot; a couple of years ago there were quite a few Rome options, now there are none.

When I made my first visit about a month ago, I was hoping that there would be some boards from my-list – given the option I’d prefer to buy here and support my local shop, they’re worth it. Well they had the skate banana, the DH, and even the pro-model version of the T1 – but none of them in sizes that I wanted.

I couldn’t help but notice they had a wide selection of lib tech boards: the skate banana, the Jamie Lynn, the trs and the t.rice. And they all looked so good; just oozing quality. Plus it was the first time I’d seen the magne-traction edge-design in the flesh; and a rocker design also for that matter. I was drawn in.

I waited for a few weeks as there was a chance they’d be getting the 152 skate banana in, and that’s the one I wanted. But after going back a couple of times I found myself considering both the Jamie Lynn (154) and the Travis Rice (153).

It was the third visit, this weekend, when I had the cash in my pocket, that I decided I want it. I bought the Lib Tech Travis Rice, 153.

It’s probably a little stiffer than I was after and it’s not a true twin (it’s a directional twin) – which is something I normally insist on. Plus, there’s usually something that holds me back from getting a pro-model; like, it’s designed for the pro, rather than the general rider… But that all went out the window. I just wanted to buy it.

153 is a perfect length. It’s got magne-traction and a rocker-base, both things I’m keen to try (although I accept I might not like them). I really like the blunt nose, it’s got great stance options and it feels like it’s got lots of pop. It feels like a good board. The 20% off that was on offer this weekend didn’t hurt either!

I can’t wait to shred on it. In the meantime, I’ll just prop it up against the wall and look at it…