On my second season with this board in the rotation, want to pass on some design feedback:
1. Pivot placement for ski mode needs to be moved forward an inch or so (as noted in another review). Just a bit, not too much:
-difficult to kick turn, tips love to dig in on corners or uneven terrain, it's just a bit tip heavy in ski mode. (exacerbated by snow accumulation, see below)
-the design of the skins, plus the placement of the binding in ski mode means you're often not weighting maximum skin onto snow. Only makes a difference in marginal conditions, or difficult skinning, but it'd be better to be slightly further forward so there was more weight on the skins (or change the skin design so there was a bit more coverage to the rear).
2. Top sheet material holds snow like that's it's job. If there's any moisture, the textured top sheet accumulates snow and thus weight. I can't see why that's more desirable than lack of scratches. I've also got a couple spots flaking back from minor dings so not sure of the material durability long term.
In in the right conditions, it rides great, but it's definitely a pow specialist. It's not terribly responsive or nimble if the snow gets bad/challenging. Nice and light though, been easy on the legs on long tour days. I've only had superficial durability issues thus far but I'm also not torturing it.
Maybe I'm a star light, this might be a 4* board, but I want G3 to read the critique and give some consideration. I'd also only recommend this board to someone looking for a true powder day option; add it to a quiver, don't rely on it full time.
FYI riding the 166, 6'1" @ 195