Lib Tech Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard
There's a reason this snowboard is named after one of the most influential snowboarders himself, Travis Rice. It loves an aggressive snowboarder that likes to take on high speeds without losing stability.
Beginners should wait until their experienced enough to try this board since it does tend to ride stiff and requires a ton of power.
All-in-all it's a versatile board that will keep up with you wherever you take it, and its built to take you on many crazy fun rides to come.
- Groomer Performance8.7
- Powder Performance7.4
- Edge Hold8.4
- Ease of Use5.8
- Construction Quality8.2
When shopping for snowboards, it’s wise to choose one that can work on just about every terrain, while still being stable and easy to control.
The Lib Tech Travis Rice Horsepower (HP) Blunt Snowboard might just be the ideal fit. It offers great float on powder, is easy to control, and gives you enough edge grip to ride in the iciest of conditions.
But not everyone has fallen in love with this board. Some users have found that the bottom of the board scuffs easily, that it’s not good for beginner snowboarders, and that you need to put a lot of aggression behind it to ride well.
However, before you make the decision about whether this is the board for you, let’s take a more in-depth look at the Lib Tech Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard.
Contents
Lib Tech Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard: The Details
In a Nutshell
- Profile: Hybrid rocker-camber.
- Shape: Twin.
- Flex: Medium-stiff.
- Construction: Sandwich.
- Core: Wood.
- Available Lengths (Waist widths): 150 (24.7), 153 (25.3), 155 (25.5), 157 (25.8), 157W (26.3), 161.5MW (26), 161.5W (26.5), 164.5MW (26.2), 164.5W cm (26.7).
- Type: All-mountain.
Features
Profile
The profile on the Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard is a hybrid camber rocker blend. It works best for riders who want to put some aggression and power behind their board.
The solid tip and tail gives the board power, pop, stability, and make it fairly easy to control.
There is also a medium amount of pressure put between your feet, making this board a great floater on powder as well as being an excellent carver.
Core
The core of the Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard is a combination of Aspen, Colombian Gold, and Paulownia wood.
This makes the board lightweight, strong, balanced, and gives the board great pop when doing jumps and tricks.
Laminates
This board also includes Triax and Biax fibreglass laminates. These laminates reinforce the board, give it pop, and help makes the board waterproof.
There is also a basalt alloy that makes product durable, helping with energy transfer without adding extra weight.
Sidewalls
The sidewalls are made of sintered ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW), and the internal sidewalls are made of birch wood.
The sidewalls will increase your stability and make it easier to navigate through rougher terrain.
Edges
The Lib Tech Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard includes Magne-Traction edges. This means that there are seven strategically located serrations that provide great edge hold and control in most terrain.
Even when you are charging through ice, it will feel like you’re gliding on powder.
Topsheet
This board also has what’s called a Bio Beans Topsheet. The plastic topsheet is made from beans! But that doesn’t mean the quality or durability will decrease.
The topsheet still makes the board strong and durable.
Base
This board also has a sintered base. This makes the snowboard tough, fast, and allows it to hold wax like a dream.
However, make sure you still wax regularly, as it will ensure your board works the best it possibly can.
Lib Tech Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard Review
The Positives
Float
The Travis Rice Horsepower Blunt Snowboard is lightweight and therefore provides some pretty great float. Because of the balance from the camber and rocker shapes, you’ll be able to float on the softest of powder.
If you are normally a camber rider who is looking for something new, you will find it easy to float with this board.
A lighter board also gives you more flexibility for tricks, and won’t leave your legs in a pulp after a long day out on your board.
Stable
Due to the construction and the Magne Traction edges, this board is about as stable as they come.
The camber profile, while providing you grip, also adds to the stability as well. You won’t have to worry about feeling wobbly or insecure.
It’s easy to feel comfortable and stable while riding on the Lip Tech Travis Rice Pro, as it only reinforces your confidence with its grip.
The edges mean the board will grab whatever surface you’re riding on and keep you from wiping out even in the iciest of conditions. This board has your back!
Also, don’t let the stability make you think this is a heavy board; it is much more lightweight than some of its competitors.
Durable
While it’s stable, it’s also super durable. It loves to be ridden by hard, aggressive snowboarders, and it stands up to most bumps, hits, and slams that comes its way.
You don’t have to treat this board delicately, it’s not made for that. Instead, feel free to perfect advanced tricks and hard maneuvers.
Skip the little bumps and head for big jumps, this is where it really excels while standing up to hard lands.
Warranty
To make sure this board does last jumps and bumps to come, Lib Tech has included a one-year limited warranty with the purchase of the Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro Blunt.
This warranty covers the cost of repairing or replacing your board should you notice any defects in its make. Should this happen, you’ll need to contact Lib Tech and they’ll take it from there.
It’s always great to know your purchasing from a company who stands by their product.
Control
Multiple users noted how the hybrid rocker profile made the board much more forgiving and easy to control. The rocker camber profile gives you the most precise control possible with this board.
Whether you’re an intermediate rider or a more advanced, aggressive one, you’ll be able to make precise moves and have full control of where you go on the mountain.
You’ll control the board; it will not control you.
Likes to Go Fast
That being said, this board likes to go fast! You can pick up good speed whether you’re on flat slopes, in the park, or on choppier mountain snow.
When you’re racing your friends or just really looking to impress, this is the board to have. You will be at the finish line way before your competition!
Also, you don’t have to worry about feeling rocky or unstable on the board; it even remains steady at high speeds.
Versatile and Great for Tricks
Whether you’re jumping, doing ollies or kicks, halfpipes, or riding pipe, this board is snappy and fun – great for tricks.
The board works best in manmade parks but is also pretty good on natural features as well making this a great all around board.
Whether you’re on the groomers, in a park, or taking on nature, this board will adapt.
The Negatives
Bottom Scuffs
While this is mostly an aesthetic issue, when you’re buying something as expensive as a snowboard, you want and expect it to stay looking and working well for a long period of time.
Based on some testers’ experiences, that is not the case. The bottom scuffs pretty easily and that could possibly affect the performance of the board.
While this board is meant to be long-lasting and made to be sturdy, it does show its scars.
Not for Beginners
This is more of a precaution than a real negative, but this Lib Tech board is not for beginners. You should be an advanced or expert rider to get the most out of the board and out of your money.
The Magne Traction edges allow the board to make sharp turns, but only if you know what you’re doing. If you are just learning, it will probably be too tough to control.
This can be the board you aspire to if you’re just starting off.
Doesn’t Stand Up Against Competitors
While most users said this board was great at floating, some stated that a longer board with a rocker or hybrid rocker profile would be better.
If you are a freestyle rider and know how to plane at high speeds, you should be fine. However, if you are more into directional riding, this board is, unfortunately, not for you.
Other users also stated that the board is a little grippy, so it is not ideal for extremely soft, powdery conditions either. Not great for the hours after a snow storm!
Have to Put in Some Work
A number of users noted that it takes work to transition from edge to edge quickly. Turning is a bit of a hassle, even if you have a bigger foot, because of the shallow side cut.
To carve, you have to go pretty wide to make the transition, and you have to lean and put a lot of effort into making that happen.
One user also noted that this board likes to go straight much more than it likes to turn, which for a snowboard, does not make that much sense.
Stiff
Users also noted that, because of the medium to stiff flex on the Travis Rice HP Blunt board, you can feel some chatter when going slow.
While going slow may not be a normal occurrence for you, it’s necessary to slow down at some point, and you’re going to feel it when you do, especially in bumpier snow.
One tester even stated that buttering might be out of the question since you have to be super strong to get the board to slow down enough for it.
Here’s a video showing the Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro Blunt Snowboard in action.
Overall Verdict
After reviewing the positives and the negatives, we do recommend the Lib Tech Travis Rice Horsepower Blunt Snowboard, but only for the most advanced users.
While this snowboard does have some great features, you’ll need to put some skill and experience behind it to truly allow it to shine.
Where to Buy the Lib Tech Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard
Lib Tech is a known brand, recognized for producing a variety of quality snowboards including the Travis Rice HP. Both the blunt and pointy versions of this model has really turned some heads.
Thanks to its many pros, the Lib Tech Travis Rice HP Blunt Snowboard has garnered attention from worldwide enthusiasts. It’s no surprise you can find this snowboard both in-store and online.
While it’s always best to check sporting and specialty stores, you can kickstart your search with the following online retailers.
And of course, you’ll also be able to find this snowboard on Amazon.
That’s it for our Lib Tech T Rice HP Blunt Snowboard review. Are you tempted to give this board a try?