Endeavor Next 2014 Snowboard Review

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Endeavor Next is a directional, tapered all mountain snowboard, made for riding powder and groomers. It features a camber between feet and a rocker on both nose and tail. The unique feature is a bamboo topsheet, which is really tough.

Size tested: 165 W

Flex: Rather stiff.

Torsional stiffness:  Tail – great (additional carbon reinforcements), Nose – OK.

Damping: Good.

Turn Initiation: Great. Very easy to carve. Just watch the softer nose – aggressive carving, with too much pressure on the nose will result in loosing the edge. The board seems to work best when you roll it iinto the carve, with your weight in the middle of the deck. Although the pop is great, jumping into the carve is not that easy – I had to land the board flat before rolling it into the carve. Landing on the edge would bend the nose too much.

Casual carving (low inclinations, low speed): Excellent. The board is really lively and feels really light on your feet. It’s pretty fast edge to edge and carving on the flats is just pure fun.

Aggressive Carving (high inclination, higher speed): Great. The board just springs (literally) into the action at every turn.

Very Aggressive Carving (extreme inclinations, eurocarving): Very Good. You just need to take care not to over-pressure the nose.


Edge Recovery:  Average. The nose is quite soft, so you cannot pressure it too much to make the board dig into the snow.

Pop: Great. This board has it for sure. According to Endeavor it’s the bamboo top sheet that is responsible for the behavior of this board. This board just seems like it’s alive under your feet. Pop is great and 100% predictable. It does not surprise you, but when you want  it – BAM! and you’re in the air.

Personal Opinion: I like it. The wood in this board creates a very cool effect. The board has that unique character. It’s really fun to ride – it feels like you’re strapped to this super-charged, very happy spring that keeps on jumping up and down. It’s feels light but at the same time gives you stability. Makes me smile while riding. Great design – like most Endeavors.

Summary: It’s a great board if you want to have a single deck to ride powder and groomers. On groomed slopes there is a lot this board can offer – great on blue and red runs, in short and longer radius carves. I would recommend it to everyone who would like to try carving – it’s so easy to get on the edge with this board.

Test Conditions:
Hard pack, icy conditions – ideal for aggressive carving. Pretty steep slope: mostly red, partly black.

Setup:
Boots: Vans Aura,
Bindings: Flux SF45, angles 33 front / 18 rear, stance – recommended 54cm.

Video: