Your honest opinion on Korua

I’ve got the 165 Korua Trenchdigger… it’s fun ripping low angles in good conditions (like the yearning for turning vids which I adore).  Having said that, the construction is very basic (biax wrapped poplar) and it doesn’t hold a lot of edge pressure.  I think they were designed for a more open turn shape as well (by someone who previously did F1 race boards).  With the taper it does ride a bit more off the tail, and yet it chatters a fair bit when it’s pushed in firm conditions, which is not at all confidence inspiring.  Effective edge isn’t that long either.  Having said all that, the design is relatively forgiving, allowing it to slarve & even stivot quite easily.

Korua boards are often relatively hard poplar (rather than lighter/softer Paulownia), but I wouldn’t call it damp.  They have more camber than a lot of modern boards so it’s like riding a big leaf spring… which does absorb bumps… but it definitely does chatter. 

Boards with even stiffer wood like ash or added metal like titanal will simply perform a lot better in harsher conditions.  My Stranda Shorty was my first taste of that.  When I tried the JJA C4 I simply had to have one.  I actually have a Freecarver 6000 with an ash top sheet that still sees A LOT of icy mornings as well.

@board-doctor thanks for your comments!

pretty much what i expected to hear. 

i don’t have experience on proper carving machines. Will they not slarve and stivot? I don’t see a world where I could ride 100% carving, so I think its best for me to stick with otto or CR for now. 

About the taper. Otto is I think the only model from korua without taper. Will some amount of taper help carving or why korua boards have that feature?

Have you tried those Korua plus models? Would they be better for icy Carving?

The CR 159 only has a 1200mm effective edge, which is barely average for that length.  That makes it pivot easier and be a little more maneuverable.  A longer EE is just going to feel more locked in and less surfy.  I can certainly still slarve the C4, and I do for speed control, but it’d be tiring to ride it like that all the time.  It’s great having an edge that you can rely on… way easier to lay into a heelside.

I have not tried the plus, but the CR & BT get titanal so they should be damper on hardpack.

But for comparison, my 154 Freecarver 6000 has an EE of 1280.  The 158 is 1318… so while it’s 1cm shorter than the CR59, it has 11.8cm more EE.  I’d MUCH rather ride that when it’s icy.  And I think it’s a good entry to freecarving… the Korua is more of a surfy pow/carver.

The taper is really more for pow performance… but a little bit can make it easier to turn (and usually puts you back on board some more).

@algothniska Welcome to the forum!

Posted by: @algothniska

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Reasonably I can own only one board. And travel with only one. 

I think this is the wrong way to approach snowboarding and I've railed against this idea of "one board to do it all" in a few of my videos.  Even just two boards is way, way better and not much more difficult to travel with; one board for carving and another for all mountain riding and powder.

The Otto is a twin shape park board.  Some of the other Koruas will definitely carve better but none of them will perform well on ice or chop.  Fun boards all no doubt, but the Koruas are designed for more slashed turns than perfect C-shapes carves.  I rode two of them last season (Pencil Line and Dart I think) and to me, neither carved nearly as well as other boards in their class like a Stranda Cheater or a Jones Freecarver (or  Nidecker Blade, or a NeverSummer West Bound...).  Any of these other production carving boards are decent all mountain boards too, and probably a better choice if you can really only have one board and you like to carve.  In my opinion.  (To make a more specific recommendation I would need your boot size at least because board width is very important to reduce boot drag.  Height and weight would be good too, and some idea of what kind of conditions and terrain you generally ride.)

The Koruas don't suit my carving style, though some great carvers like them very much; @slayermtb for example.  I found them super fun, light and playful off piste, but slow even there.  I usually ride bigger boards with more stability at speed.

If you want a high performance dedicated carving board that will grip ice and plow through crud and chop, check out the JJA C4 in the store.  This is a real high performance board, arguably the best softboot freecarve board on the market right now.  (I may be slightly biased on this matter...)

@wild-cherry 

Thanks for your input. Maybe I have to reconsider the one board tactic again. 

I am roughly 90 kg and 185 cm tall. 

would certainly like feed back on good carving board  

The conditions really vary a lot. I Unfortunately don’t have slopes even relatively close to me. Conditions i will ride in might be fresh snow and -25 celcius in lapland or +10 celcius in alps. Depending if my holidays take place around new year or later in the spring..

@board-doctor 

I was thinking for for cafe racer 164. 
But I get your point, they have relatively short e-edge. 

Posted by: @algothniska

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I am roughly 90 kg and 185 cm tall. 

What’s your boot size?

@board-doctor 

currently rocking old burton imprints size 12. Might not be very optimal shoe for carving + I think next season i will any case buy new ones

Posted by: @algothniska

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size 12.

Size 12!!!  Forget about high edge angles on the Koruas...  You need a big board. 

There's some talk of a new model of C4 this summer - C4 169 with a 300mm waist and a 13m sidecut.  Riders on the waitlist will get first crack at these.  

Join the waitlist here: www.carversconnection.com/waitlist

I don’t think any of the other Korua’s are going to carve much better and you really need that tail width without taper.  Some of them get quite narrow.

I’m not familiar with the specialty European brands, but yeah, you really need a wider board.

Late to the party but why wouldn’t you keep the Otto which is by all accounts a good all-rounder and add a dedicated carver to the mix?