10 months in, 14.000 views later this video has seemingly helped many people to understand what makes a good carving board. If it changed your world and you want to express your gratitude and support my channel, you can do this here: www.buymeacoffee.com/justaride If you want to buy a Stranda Cheater, this link will give you free global shipping and support my channel: www.strandasnowboards.com/ref/878/ Thank you so much, and don't forget to check out my other content! ;-)
You've never forced it on me, but every time you've "strongly suggested" I try a certain product, you are bang-on. To me, the cheater encapsulates everything I think of when it comes to the overall Stranda design philosophy. It's that flagship board, and for good reason. Having ridden a million boards like yourself, it's simply one of the top three most incredible products I've ever used. I would exclaim, "it doesn't even make sense!" but in fact it really does make all the sense, and you've explained it super well in this video. I think I stated this in my review of the board, but.. while you can put so much into it and it will be reliable and bombproof - you can also put so very little in and get so much out. The diversity of the ride is so adaptive. I tend to find that experience to be present in a well-designed longer board in general, but it's especially true with the cheater. Also like I mentioned in my review, personally I think the powder and general freeride performance is often overlooked. I've ridden some amazing sidecountry lines in deep snow on my 170, and it always makes me think, "Craig Kelly would really like this board." The stability is ridiculous, and it floats great. I've had other long-edge carving boards that are good on groomers, but I found myself riding them quite rarely as they were terrible elsewhere, so it had to be a totally groomer-focused day. I can easily be happy on the cheater no matter where I end up that day, and I think that's one of my favorite aspects of it.
I got really into carving this year because I have a transition finder by korua. What a blast! Thanks for the content. I really liked the video on stance angles and how posi posi effects how your body moves on a board. Super helpful! I tried having my front arm up on my toe side carves and it was a total game changer!
Nice!! Great to hear that my content is understandable. Koruas are great. Personally I find them too stiff in the nose and overly tapered. The terrain I ride is quite steep and narrow. The Strandas tend to enter turns easier/quicker and steer better across the hill in steeper terrain with higher forces. All a bit preference, too. Carve on! :-)
Lol... I'm watching this with my eight year old girl last night and she says: "Papa... if the board is damp won't it get ice on it?" ...Because I'm always telling her to keep her board dry in the morning until it gets cold enough. Hillarious. She gives this vid two thumbs up! Thanks Lars
So glad you mentioned dampning. I'm on the Korua Kool-aid these days and find them super damp and stable. Love your channel and appreciate your expertise.
"Like my 168 Supermodel on Steroids" Your words truly came to fruition..... This thing is a carving weapon and is so stable at high speeds, definitely feels shorter in the quick turns, but eats the groomers like monster.
Hey Lars - loving your channel content - at 64 I’ve been focusing on carving for 6 seasons now - just started trying hardboots this season on a 175cm x 235mm Donek Flux that Sean made for me at the end of last season. I have two other 170cm custom Donek Flux boards with different side cuts and love the way they slice the groomers at Loveland in Colorado. That said - you have inspired me to purchase the Cheater wide and it arrived yesterday. I ride a 21.5” stance and 39F/27R angles which work great with my size 12US Deeluxe Edge Pro soft boots. I’m outside on a beautiful warm blue sky in Denver tuning the edges per you detailed video and will carving next week. I’ll drop my first impressions here next week. Keep up the great work you’re creating 😎 If you’re ever in the area it would be my treat to host you for a carving session - all the best🤩
Hi Lars - rode the Cheater on Feb 29 - beautiful Bluebird day at Loveland. The Cheater was easy to start ripping on the first run and is truly a carving machine. Stated working on the oblique crunch and felt the board could handle my F=m* V * V 😎. At 225lbs and tuning at 25-30mph the Cheater held the edge. I love it and really thank you for your strong endorsement of the beautiful board. Comparing to my Donek Flux boards the biggest difference is the Cheater demands more deliberate initiation energy - it doesn’t want to give you the lazy “pivot” at the start of the turn. I even pulled off a series of “sponsorship finishiations” as James would call them. The feeling is addicting - like the high G’s the Cheater can produce. Cheers😎
Thank you, Martin!! Once again another nice compliment from an extraordinarily kind watcher, ha! :-) If you ever come to Fernie, I'll set you up on a Cheater, no worries! Otherwise, you might just have to buy one, hahahaha.... Board changed the way I look at the mountain!
@@wheaty64 Bowlrider is a fantastic board as well. 50/50 powder and groomers! Treesurfer is the exact same board but with the fish tail.So it's more like 65/35 powder/groomers. Maybe better for Japow! The real Japow board is the Makrill. And it carves like a steak knife! Did groomer laps on it today! Always amazed by how calm and stable a 153 can be......
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelThanks for the info. Does the Makrill carve a groomer as well as the Bowlrider/Treesurfer? Although I love the powder and trees, I do love to carve too. A 2 or 3 board quiver makes sense, but then I end up feeling like I should be on a different board all the time.
@@wheaty64 The best performing carver out of the Stranda pow boards is the Shorty! It's incredible on edge.... but then again.... the whole brand is incredible on edge! They all carve like nothing else... The Shorty has more of a freeride pow board vibe due to the larger radius. Treesurfe/Bowlrider have a progressive sidecut; tighter radius in the tail! So you can make them quite whippy/snappy, where the Shorty is calmer. Makrill is obviously a crazy quick turning pow board since there's no tail.... On groomers it carves like a bigger board due to the larger turn entry radius in the nose. They're all different, and they all do both, powder and groomers. King of corduroy is the Cheater, however!
I'll do an episode about camber vs. rocker and all the in-betweens and about what actually happens when on edge... Full camber is the most precise and least forgiving. On such a long effective edge that will create a board you need to be more careful with, a bit of an experts ride, potentially. The Cheater was meant to be a tame beast with all the gears you could ever want. So this profile works really well with the flex, sidecut, taper and materials.
Hello, Lars. Sorry for my English, I use Google Translate ;o) I came to your videos looking for information to switch to a specific carving table and the content you have is fantastic. I have been riding a snowboard for more than 25 years (almost 50 years old now) and we could say that my level is intermediate-advanced. Currently with my 161cm Capita Mecury board, with a duck position (+18-9) I can consistently carve on green and blue groomers without problems, but I need to drift to control the speed when things get more complicated. I am 187 cm tall and weigh 80 kg (175 pounds), I use 280 mm shoes, currently a Vans Verse. I have always had all mountain orienteering boards, but for a few years the only thing I have been trying to do is improve my riding in groomers (Of course on powder days, I don't even touch the groomers) so I have thought about switching to a specific all mountain orienteering board. carving, change my angles to positive, positive and start improving my technique and my carving, which is what I am really passionate about. I live in Spain, the powder days are becoming fewer and fewer and we have to settle for groomers who tend to be quite hard first thing in the morning and then get softer throughout the day, getting into worse conditions. I'm looking for a specific carving board to enter this world next season and I don't know if the cheater would be a good choice for me (its 170 cm is a bit impressive) or a shorter and more docile board like the Biru would be better to get started in this world (or any other option you can recommend). I would like to learn with a board that allows you to start without having to look for high speeds. Another of my doubts would be the width of the board, I will start with angles +24+27 in front and +6+9 in the rear to adapt to the change. I have used several wide boards and the truth is that I really like how they work, I don't notice much that slow edge change that is always talked about, so I had thought that perhaps the 170W would be better for me. Thank you very much for all your work and greetings.
With your height and weight you can easily ride the Cheater 170W. It's not an intimidating board. You don't have to fight it! It rides WITH you! In case you end up ordering one, tell Mats you found the inspiration through my channel. It's good for him to know that. :-) Thank you very much for the comment and have fun out there! Carving is a life long journey!! :-)
75kg, 5'10.75" (179cm) US 9.5 Burton Photons with Step On bindings. Currently +27/+9 and slowly moving more positive day to day. I watch your videos and aspire to ride/carve like you. Can't decide between 170 or 170W. I can't get the edge up as much yet but working on it. Other boards I was looking at before deciding on Cheater: -SG Soul -Yonez Symarc -:Coiler BXFR
@@kalimbobo Thank you kindly! The Cheater is likely enough in the standard width for your boot size. If you want it to be a 'great conditions only board' you can go with the wide, but it will be more work to get it on edge. I'm a size 10 in a Ride boot, same as a Photon in a 10.5, and the Cheater wide is technically 5mm wider than I need it.... Unfortunately I don't know anything about the other boards you're naming other than that they're all great quality brands. Let me know, if you end up going for the Cheater! I'm curious... :-) Cheers!
Thanks! Those are just some design aspects and their effects... I'm not trying to say that other boards don't have edge grip or whatever. The Cheater simply has a very special feel to it and rides so beautifully for such a big board. It has so many gears... and that's the beauty of it and has everything to do with the flex, sidecut, camber and materials. Glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you!
Tried once in setriere the pill outdoor last year and instantly felt in love,super easy carve and very good feeling riding this board. Bought and set with Supermatic bindings don’t feel the same feeling,after I saw some of your videos I understand maybe wrong set in the bindings (+36 +27),so now I’m “nerding” to calculate the edge/heel and edge/toe distance and think I’ll set +30 +15;but the highbacks can’t be rotated,the stance calculated is 54 (just setted) so any suggests are welcome
GP87 in China. Same factory as 85% of the Gentemstick boards. Their wood tops and overall manufacturing quality are top shelf. Seriously incredibly well made boards.
With files and diamond stones! 😅 Silliness aside: mostly 88° side edge with 1° base bevel. On very wide boards I go 1.5° base bevel from nose contact point to front foot. In real hard pack I go 87° on the sides on my dedicated groomer carving boards.
The torsional flex is a point I wonder about... I know little torsional flex is a thing among EC people and your argument makes sense, but I feel it comes across a bit too strict. AFAIK the Nidecker Tracer (that I wish I did not sleep on) was a carving board with torsional flex. And then my butter stick, a GNU Finest is not only generally a softer Freestyle flex, but also quite torsionally flexible and it is a real blast to carve (my third turn on it I did boot out on the heels and since moved my bindings a bit more to the FS) despite it being a wide and a bit wider than my previous quiver of one board. 😂 Yes, the situation you described of quite bumpy terrain it'll do less good, but it is not as if it was not great fun to carve in all better conditions. So far my theorf was that it was so much fun partly also because of the torsional flex allowing you to manipklate it in more ways than otherwise. 🤔
You're completely right! I wasn't trying to say that you can't carve on torsionally softer boards!! I've carved down our steepest and narrowest run here in Fernie on a 150 K2 Party Platter, 1st generation, flat, zero camber..... The thing is that I could feel the board begging for mercy - torsionally! It was struggling to deal with the pressure and I had to ride super precisely in regards to foot position. The board didn't help me at all. Torsional stiffness helps the rider, but definitely at the cost of less versatility - which I'm emphasizing in the video!
Thanks. From what you said about the Biru and the Cheater, it sounds like the Biru compares to the Jones FreeCarver 6000 and the Cheater compares to the 9000. It would be great to hear you make those comparisons, and given that the FreeCarvers are Jeremy Jones's new favorite boards and may be positioned to explode next year, I wonder if 2 detailed videos with Biru vs 6000 and Cheater vs 9000 comparisons could lead to a big boost in sales for Stranda. But not at the expense of Jones, because the content itself will help to really grow the category, and there is so much room for it to grow, don't you think?
I don’t think much of the Freecarvers. The core profiles are thin in the middle and thicker towards the tips. That creates torsional flex you don’t necessarily want in a carving board. I’ve had people tell me at demo events that the Biru has much more grip than the Freecarvers. I honestly don’t understand what jones did there other than somewhat creating a board for the masses that has carve in the name and a long effective edge. But that is just my take on what makes a good carving board from personal experience with such boards.
@@JohnSnow-md2lw 100% confirmed. The 9000 is a good board, but IMO it's a powerful freestyle flex with a carving radius and effective edge. The flex bothered me. And for a carving board it's quite light, which to me makes for a less planted feel. That's preference, though...
www.unicosport.com/?lang=en (Italy) surfshoppe.com/ (Italy) www.playground.ch/en/ (Switzerland, future dealer, email them!) www.zerogchamonix.com/fr/ (France) www.pie-freeride.ch (Switzerland) - Otherwise: if you can put a board on edge and are aiming for riding without sliding much while not being taken for a ride, just buy one! It's next level awesome! I don't think I've ever gotten any negative or even 'average' kind of feedback from any experienced rider. And I'm not talking expert level. Just people who are confident on a snowboard.
Will first play a bit with improving my stance (need to try posi-posi) on my current board (Nidecker megalight) to get a bit better backside carve but yeah, might just pull the trigger. Is there a way to let them know you were the one eho sold them to me? :)
Oh my friend, this is my channel, Thank you!! 🙏 My first prefernce the soft boot carving. I' m about 167 cm and about 78kg. I have Amplid Pentaquark 158 with Kessler plate. My boots Burton Driver x, bindings : Rome Cleaver and Flux XV. The Amplid is carving specific board but not "custom" board. What dou think, i need "custom " specific carving board from little manufacture? What dou you think, i 'm testing +36 and +18 angles and about 51cm stance...? 😉
Thanks for the compliment! 51cm is probably on the wide side for your height, but play with it! I don't think you need anything custom. Just try different things and find out what works best. I simply love a long effective edge... It's so secure and smooth... Happy turns!!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel So I just learned how to carve, and it's the only thing other than trees that I really want to go far with. I already have a tree board in the Orca. I plan to get the Biru for a cruisey carver & party board. Should I get the Cheater or Pipeliner 2.0 for the ultimate Carver? And also curious if the Pipeliner is a "riot" as you say, why you haven't switched to it?
@@JohnSnow-md2lw I have both. No need to switch. I ride the one I feel like when I get up in the am and look outside the window 😅 Pipeliner requires much more skill than the Cheater. It’s not an everyday carver unless you’re heavy and good at it.
Nice deck! I've got a 170 but a completely different beast, LibTech Birdman. Love to try a board like the Cheater. I picked up a Zoid recently (not that it's like the Cheater), bargain £115 new! Looking forward to getting it on the mountain, might do a posi-posi stance experiment on it. I normally ride +15/-15 and haven't ridden any different wrt angles for @20 years. I'm intrigued to test the difference.
Interesting side-note on the topic of edge length, and I hope it doesn't come across the wrong way - to get the same edge as the cheater 170, you would have to make a birdman 190 or so. The cheater has 1cm more edge than the the doughboy shredder 195, and my US orbit 57 has 2cm more edge than the bird 170. Of course, the bird wasn't made with carving in mind, just an interesting comparison, as I think many people tend to put way too much stake into overall length when choosing a size. Personally I hardly look at overall length anymore! The bird is a rad shape though - I know a few people here who ride them almost exclusively, and pick up new ones whenever they're available.
@@spenserak Absolutely. Friends were surprised at the manoeuvrability of the Bird when I was riding trees and also that it still floated well switch (looks mad though). Your estimation sounds about right, I seem to remember 150-odd effective edge. I only ride it on big dump 30cm+ days as I've got a repaired crack in it. Have a Speedodeeps for regular pow riding at the moment, but I'll look to try the Zoid out in the pow this year. I'd love to have another bird as back up though, be gutted if it goes completely..
Hi Lars Your channel is amazing. Best source of information I ever found on the internet for what I like to do, surf-carving. Thank you so much for your work! Should I order my Stranda Cheater 170 in regular (260) or wide (275) ? My stats: 6ft 1.5in / 180 pounds / snowboarding for 28 years mostly in Switzerland for the whole saison / advanced to expert Bindings: Now Drive Pro (M) +9 / +30 Boots: Ride Insano 9.5 (27.5cm) Your opinion is highly appreciated.
I just ordered the standard 170 cheater with Mats. Can't wait to ride it ! Thank you for your time Lars. Cheers Luca (From watching all your videos, I had the feeling that the regular 170 cheater is the right board for me (who likes to get bucked around...). But then there is all that hype about wide boards for carving...)@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
The great thing about a fast base is not the top speed, but the acceleration it allows and how it keeps speed - you can get in 3-4 more clean carves where others are already pointing it and still leapfrog them in the following flat and make it through when they have to unstrap. 😂 (Yes, it is also proper technique and reading the terrain to pick your line smart, but having that down and being on a fast base is gold.)
Thanks for another in-depth video! You’re a great communicator and I appreciate the way you explain the tech side of things. What are your thoughts on korua boards? I ride the transition finder and love it for its carving plus freestyle abilities. Haven’t tried their other boards yet but it seems that stranda has a similar objective as korua where they make boards for turning.
Thank you very much!! Koruas are great. Personally I find them too stiff in the nose and overly tapered. The terrain I ride is quite steep and narrow. The Strandas tend to enter turns easier/quicker and steer better across the hill in steeper terrain with higher forces. Koruas shine in Europe on their wide open groomers. Stranda has much higher quality wood cores, which you obviously pay for. All a bit preference, too. Carve on!
This description definitely makes me want to try out the stranda boards! I ride mostly on mt Washington here on Vancouver Island where we have a mix of steep and open terrain but after watching you carve on narrow steeps, it makes me want to jump on the stranda band wagon! My wife and the bank account will not be happy about it though… lol 😂
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelHey there's also steeps here in Europe, as you should know. But if you mean that there's always a lot more easy than expert slopes in a given resort, then yes, that's true. But what about the length when its really steep, as in jump turn territory, not too good I presume? I have not ridden any Stranda nor Korua, but am quite happy with the Jones Freecarvers not being overly long, for that reason.
@@elho001 Well, jump turn territory is not carving territory, and I am solely speaking of carving performance! Cheater is a great pow board, but it's not a board for technical freeriding. I was just trying to point out the origin of the Korua brand. They're designed on European glaciers, which is where all their early carving videos have been filmed. The boards obviously work, and they ride great. I've tried almost all of them. But when the runs get steep and narrow I have to work them much harder than any Stranda - and that is clearly a result of the nose flex and sidecut radius/taper, which makes them harder to steer around fully. Hence my conclusion that they're more fun on wide open, fast runs! I haven't ridden the Freecarver yet. Would be interesting to jump on!
Hi! Thanks for the question! First of all the board DOES still flex torsionally, just not very much. Torsional flex is for steering through the feet, which is the best way to steer a board at slower speeds. It is not what gets a board onto its new edge, though!! It only helps with it! More importantly the rider's centre of mass (hips) needs to move to the inside of the turn!! This doesn't require any torsional flex at all once the board picks up a little more speed!! Technically you could stand up straight as a pencil and lean into the turn with your whole body and with toe or heel pressure occurring simultaneously, and the board would get on edge. At slow speed this is difficult, because you can't balance very well with the weight on the inside of the turn without the forces that hold you up... Hence, one should be able ride and steer a board comfortably at moderate speeds before getting into a board that is torsionally stiff. Watch my video on double posi stances! I talk about some stuff there... th-cam.com/video/htKNZS-3CBw/w-d-xo.html
I've tried it! It's too rigid for my liking and the titanal sheet takes away from some of the feedback (board is almost too damp...). But it surely holds an edge!!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel i agree somehow that the feeling isn’t the best. But damn that thing eats whatever comes in front of it. Have you maybe tried the stranda biru?
@@DrCrimp-sg5pb yes, i have! great board!! Much tighter radius than Bullet Train and Cheater. Different beast..... More versatile! Great board overall!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel maybe you should ;) Do you approach this board differently compared to other boards? Like leaning more towards nose, because of the flexibility compared to tail? When I wanted to learn more about carving, I quite quickly stumbled upon the Knapton series - how to really really carve. I think it would be awesome to go through these steps from your view!! I for one really appreciate the work you put into your channel and I know how much work it can be. Hope you continu for a long time! Cheers
@@gomjabbar84 Thank you very much! I ride my Cheater like I ride my other boards. I'm generally more front foot heavy. Check out my video on +/+ stance and the carving tips one!! I think it's a bit different from Knapton's approach.
I've spent some time away from snowboarding (3-4 years), but all my boards from the late 90s to the mid 00s were boardercross boards, then I changed to somewhat softer boards which I never really enjoyed as much as my Palmer Crown, F2 Eliminator LTD, or my Dark Horse (I know, technically not a BX board). I am going to order this Cheater 170w just in time for my trip to Saas Fee this March, and I'm really, really looking forward to it. Now, what to buy to replace my 2016 Malamutes? I heard the '23/24 ones are terrible, which is really sad. I miss some proper carving but I'm not going back to hard boots. ;)
I went from a decade of riding Malamutes to K2 Thraxis and later Ride Insano. Salomon changed the boot fit dramatically along the way, and they don't work for me anymore.
Hey, just a question, did you end up buying that board because of my content, or how did you find the Cheater? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Your content helped to lot to steer me towards the Cheater, I was looking at good carving boards and hadn't heard of Stranda before - I have been out of the loop for some time, then ran into your video which piqued my interest, and I kept investigaging futher, but yes, IF I end up buying it (I'm 80% there with the decision, talking to Mats now about delivery), I'd credit your video mostly. I will tell Mats in my next e-mail about it.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelJust back from a week in Saas Fee with my Cheater 170w! Amazing board, took me a while to get used to - including catching toe edge on a black mid turn on day 2. Was riding the first 4 days with my old completely packed and destroyed Malamutes, until my new boots arrived. I finally went with Nidecker Index - this is what they could have quickly in my size, and for now I find them amazing. Stifness seems similar to a Driver X and they are super light and compact from outside - now let's see how long they last. Anyhow, with the new boots it all clicked, I was finally not "losing" the board beneath my feet due to wobliness in the boot. I thought my season was over but I'm now considering going for another full week here in Spain in the Pyrenees, I'm hooked and I want to keep practicing my carving form and the week after Easter should be quiet too... Oh and by the way, I loved Saas Fee, was my first time there, but there are definitely other resorts I rate higher for groomers in the area.
Tree Surfer surfs trees, Cheater cheats! Hahaha... :-) For real though: Tree Surfer as a pow board is incredible! Such a powerful nose and so much float! On groomers it's agile and nimble with tons of grip. But the long drawn out rocker nose makes it less perfect for more aggressive carving performance. The feel is the same in regards to damping, though. Same wood core! Great board! Too narrow for me. I ride a Shorty 164W.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel I did. I bought a 157. Its amazing. It floats exceptionally well, handles chop like a champ, and carves well also. it is a responsive yet damp ride. I is my daily driver.
@@wildwest so great to hear that! May I asked whether it was my content that brought you to the purchase? I'm trying to get an idea of what makes people buy Stranda after all. Cheers!
@@banjomactavish can’t be compared. Two completely different boards. Together they can make a great quiver. Biru is more versatile and much nimbler, but on edge it has a lower speed limit due to the tight radius. Fun pow board, too! Cheater is the king of corduroy…. So stable. So much grip. So smooth….
Thank for your awesome content. I’m looking for a stiff board to pair with my Custom X and Never Summer Proto FR and I’m between the Cheater and the Biru. I’m looking for something that can hold high speed turns on compacted and icy men worked groomers. What do you suggest for bombing the hill :)? Thank a lot for your great job. Best channel about snowboarding. I started in 1993 here in Italy. Ciao!
Any idea if you can test these boards in Austria somewhere? We tried contacting Stranda twice the past few weeks but so far have not received any comment unfortunually. Very curious about this one and the Shorty!
I ride NOW bindings and love them. Mats from Stranda swears by Drake bindings, which he also sells through Stranda. I've never tried them. Really, as long as you buy a reasonably stiff all mountain binding, it's all good. Bindings can change the feel of a board and the feel of turn initiation. But that is a preference thing... NOW, imo, have the best vibration absorption properties but lack some adjustability, which some people really want.
Hey Johan, just a question... Did you end up buying your Stranda boards because of my content, or how did you find the brand? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
Would you suggest the Drive Pro for the Biru too? Someone told me to consider the Select Pro for that board. Which would you choose, or is there a third option you would recommend?
It is not delamination! The sidewall material is a little more shiny there after removing sidewall with a removal tool. That board has zero damage after 4.5 seasons. Likely one of the best built brands in the game. Five years with zero delam warranty cases across all sales!!
Short story long is that I wanted to buy carving board with quite long effective edge - which will be in wide variant. I considered: SG Soul 164XT, Stranda Cheater 170W and OES FR 165W. To be honest: with Stranda I was little afraid about radius which is only 8.5m but now I know that I was wrong:). This board is best that I ever riden, even on ice it is holding edge. I used to ride on hard boots with hard board but from now I quit... And in the end: Yes I admit that my buying was after Your's video, btw one of the best content about soft boots carving on YT. regards Lukas
You really made me consider getting a new board :) I have big issue with my current setup/skill level: if I do clean carves I'm getting too much speed to the point where I'm not able to hold the line and I have to skid to slow down. Currently I ride bataleon goliath 164W (I weight 95kg, 31 cm feet (47 EU) ) , and I have to really fight for the grip. In my country groomers are usually icy (very hard snow). Is Cheater good choice for that kind of terrain or should I look somewhere else? How does Chater can cut through ice and is it stable at higher speeds? Should I maybe get charger board instead? I really belive it must be fun to ride Cheater but at the same time I'm afraid of that softer nose.
Sorry to say this, but it doesn't sound like a gear problem. Heel edge is super hard - if you build too much speed too early in the turn, it's very hard to keep a line without skidding. Watch this video here: th-cam.com/video/-pUirpQDI8s/w-d-xo.html But to your question: The Cheater has wild amounts of edge grip. But really, there's so much about riding technique here... I can carve the way I carve on almost any snowboard. I will then notice whether the board is comfortable going there or not, but they all somewhat do it. The Cheater has a very high limit!! You have to be super heavy or ride some crazy terrain to find the limit of that board. I bet you can make some changes to your position and likely to your timing that would help with better grip. This video here is helpful, too: th-cam.com/video/htKNZS-3CBw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=LnkVQWOzNZvh7fA_ Thank you for watching my stuff, and really, no offence!! Just trying to help!!
Hey Lars! Loving all the videos this season. Would love to get on a cheater one day. Quick question about boots for carving. I have always ridden more of a stiff boot- Burton Ions and Tourist for the past 8 or so years since I split my time between lifts and backcountry. I know a lot of the Japanese guys are riding the k2 Taro Tamai boot and am considering them for carving. What are your thoughts on stiff vs soft boots for carving? Also I have torn the liner of my boots at the stitching at the side of top from flexing them during carving, are intuition liners the solution for that? I am on the second pair of boots that have done the same thing in the same spot. Thanks and keep the great content coming!
My Intuition liners have outlasted two pairs of shells and at 230 days are still going strong... So good chance they'll fix your issue! Boot wise... Japan is mellow! On mellow groomers I can find a soft boot appealing. But as G-Forces increase with the steepness of the terrain I need support. But that's just me. It's probably personal. I have little ankle flex, so a stiffer boot protects me from flexing through my actual range of motion when I hit a bump or whatever... I'd love to ride softer boots, but so far those attempts failed every time for me. Thanks for the compliment on my content!! Much appreciated!!
Great video Lars! I'm looking for a way to improve my carving next season. I am considering the Cheater (wide) as yours. I use Ride Anthem boots (size 10 - mondo 28) and Rome Brass bindings, both being a 5 out of 10 in terms of stiffness and performance. I mostly ride on quite narrow tracks (Folgaria ski area in Italy), and during this entire winter I almost never encountered the perfect snow conditions for carving (too warm, it snowed but the snow easily melted), but I did have fun trying nonetheless. I have a Salomon Rumble Fish board, which has been a lot of fun and I want to keep it as my all-round ride. But as for a dedicated carving board that will help me improve my riding, would you recommend the Cheater wide?
From a Rumblefish to a Cheater that's about ten steps at a time! Hahaha... 🙂 The Cheater is great, for sure. It will take you some time to get used to that much more board. I don't know your riding level, so I can't really answer that question very well. Worst case scenario: the Cheater will be a board you'll slowly grow into the more you ride it.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel can I maybe send you a video of my riding? Unfortunately I ride with a friend that can't both keep my pace and film properly, so the videos are often not great, but maybe it'll give you a hint about my level (and I would love any technical hints!). I already tried other boards, like the Infinita from Sandy Shapes, which is a bx board but also suited for soft boot carving. Quite heavy and cumbersome at low speed and in difficult terrain, but as for carving, I loved the support and the dampening. Let's say that carving on the Infinita was way less tiring than on my Rumblefish, which shakes and quivers a lot when I take her out of her comfort zone like that! Just scratched the surface of that board, though, and unfortunately it didn't solve my feet overhang problem (255 waist on the 159 long Infinita). Any intermediate boards that I should consider in your opinion?
@@marcellacolombari4794 how little boot drag are you aiming for? And are you certain that you're not in too big of a boot? Just asking because it would be frustrating to get a super wide board to then realize that you get away with smaller boots... In regards to board recommendations: very difficult question to answer from an outside perspective without knowing anything about you or the terrain you ride. In regards to video: yes, you can send a video to lars.justaride@gmail.com However, I can't do a free video analysis since people are paying for this service, and that just wouldn't be fair - also, the amount of time I'm spending making videos and answering just about every question has to be worth something eventually that goes beyond happiness and satisfaction but actually put food in the fridge :-) I hope that's understandable.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel fair enough, I'm curious! I'll try to make a decent video and then I'll send it to you. I am looking for a 5 to 10 mm boot hang tops. I would like a board wide enough to let me use quite closed binding angle on, the back foot, like +6/+9. As for the boots, I've already studied your videos, so I'm positive that the size is correct ☺️ also improved my fit with Superfeet insoles and C-shaped profiles for heel drag, even if I'm not completely happy with this last point. But this could depend from the fact that my Ride Anthem boots are quite too comfy for my tastes, I would like more reactivity, so I'm not try to overmodify them, but rather buy a pair of new, more technical boots when my finances will allow it
The Biru is not all that soft. It’s a performance board. It’s like. K2 Party Platter on steroids. Stiffer, faster base, can take bigger drops and higher rider weight. It’s still a side hits board and fits well with your others. But it’s not a soft board by any means.
Curious how you compare the Cheater to the Biru for carving groomers, especially for someone who is still learning to carve. And also wondering if there is another, perhaps more affordable non-Stranda board that would help me build the carving skills necessary to get the most out of the Cheater.
Any board can be carved. Any board can be used to learn the right body position on. In particular as a beginner carver it's much more about you than about the board. Pick something directional with a small amount of taper and predominantly camber rather than rocker. Watch my waist width video for the right width. K2 and Nidecker offer good vibration dampening and edge hold at a great price (Nidecker Escape / K2 Broadcast)... They're all mountain boards but will work for a while. Biru and Cheater are very different... Biru is a whip. Quick turning, powerful little devil... Cheater is a smooth operator eating up every bump in the way, but can't be whipped around so quickly due to its length. Sorry, going into the details here is impossible.... I'd be writing for an hour. Carving is not carving... different terrain, different desired feel, different riding styles and ability levels. Hard to tell anyone what would be a good board for them without knowing how they ride and where they're at.
Thanks Lars, a nice technical review. I own a number of boards and really love my Yes Optimistic (157) - it has a similar camber profile, but a super tight turning radius (6.5m), which I absolutely love - tight, hard turns at medium speed. Turn initiation is amazing, the tight radius means it grips early and turns super confidently. I do miss the long EE of some of my other bigger boards (Jones Flagship 162W / Kessler The Ride), the EE on the Cheater is something else!! I've got plenty of boards with a turning radius of around 8.5, and I prefer the tighter 6-7m...... Maybe the Cheater's soft nose means it can cheat by bending&gripping into a turn faster than regular boards.Would you say the Cheater is really that much better for that initiating tight turns to make up for 2m of extra turning radius? I'd love your thoughts. Thanks for your channel :)
It's all relative... For a 170 the Cheater turns on a dime and engages turns very effortlessly. But it doesn't have the race car steering that some of those short camber boards with tight radii have. The limitations of those shorter designs are too high for making an actual carving board like the Cheater. Due to its deep sidecut, which is a result of the long EE on an 8.5m radius, the Cheater has a huge range of cleanly carved radii. That means that ultimately it can probably turn as tightly as your Optimistic - but at a much higher edge angle!! To get to that higher angle, it takes more effort and time. Hence, the board does not ride like those short whips. If you appreciate smoothness and calm but precise turns, the Cheater is king. You sound like the opposite, though! :-) And I understand that, too!! Every design has its excitement to it.
Amazing and well reasoned response, thank you Lars! It gives me something to think about, and I now also found your excellent explanation about the subtleties of EE vs sidecut depth.... having said that, the short whips are what I love for now ;)
Hi from Australia! Lars, thank you so much for this channel - as a snowboarder of 24 years having to work a lot of the things you talk about myself it's nice to have some proper good info in your videos! I've got a couple of questions I was hoping you could help me with. I've been riding a wide 160 korua fish tail for the past 5 years or so and love the board but have been finding its limits in terms of edge hold. I'm looking to get into something like a stranda for carving on steeper blue and black groomers. I normally ride with at about +27, +9. How does the cheater go on steep terrain? I'm slightly hesitant about the radius being a bit small. I think i need that video on side cut. I'm leaning towards the pipeliner but the cheater looks like it would be good at handling Australian variable snow conditions.... Would love to hear you compare the two boards and go into their limits for steep carving as well as handling variable snow. I was also hoping you could give some info about where the stranda boards are made. I can't see it anywhere, I emailed stranda directly but haven't had a response. Cheers! Tom
Thanks, Tom! Personally I find that Koruas are more difficult to carve in steeper terrain due to the stiff noses and the large amounts of taper. The noses require a lot of force to bend into a turn, so getting the board high on edge early in the turn can feel more difficult and makes timing even more crucial... The large amounts of taper prefer to finish turns more in the fall line rather than across the hill, so speed control is more difficult. It requires more work to bring those board across the hill without sliding out in the tail. I ride Koruas all the way set back for more tail pressure.... Stranda Cheater does steeps much better. The radius is not a concern. Pipeliner will be all new for next year with a 275mm waist width. That board is no joke.... I love riding it, but it's a handful! Cheater has a much broader range, because you can also ride it slow and in variable terrain. Strandas come from GP87, a very highly regarded factory in China, under an American engineer. Most Gentemstick boards come from there and other small, exquisit brands like Cardiff. Great quality control, great materials! Hope that helps!
Hi Lars another Australian here loving your channel. Sorry to jump on the back of your question Tom but I had the same query about the Stranda Cheater. Lars are you able to elaborate on why the side cut radius of the Cheater is not a concern as it seems tight compared to some others carving boards which are 10m or more?
@@chrishall3522 No worries! This is all a bit personal preference. A larger radius - unless the board has a super deep sidecut (check my episode on that!) - will obviously make larger arcs and therewith be faster and more difficult to control in steep terrain. It depends on the carving you want to do. I love what I call 'surfstyle' carving - riding above the fall line, finishing every turn fully across the hill, max g-force, max speed control... For that the Cheater is a dream. If you're more after speed on edge, the Pipeliner or any 10m+ board might be better - at the cost of greater difficulties with controlling your speed through turn shape in the steeps.
Cheers for the reply Lars, definitely helpful. Yeah to get the korua to finish its turns I find I start my turns early facing up the hill to load the board up and set a high edge angle before getting into the turn/fall line. Just don't seem to be able get the grip i need to carve s turns on steep runs. Always thought it was the relatively quick 8.3m turn radius causing it to wash out at high edge angles and pressure from the extra speed and steep slope... How do you find the cheater compared to the pipeliner on firmer/icy groomers? @@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
@@TomJBHmusic you got it! You're doing it well, I guess. More taper, more wash.... Set the bindings back and see what happens. IMO most Koruas are simply not designed for steeps. But that is really just me!! Pipeliner is way more board. No sleeping on that one. It is superior to the Cheater when it's icy. May more camber. 10cm more edge... But you wanna be on your game!!
I was wanting to get the Biru 154, but I wear size 11 boots and want to carve and have the option of laying out at least sometimes. Would that require risers and or an extreme posi posi stance?
Great video really informative. Do you have a dedicated powder board? Is this your daily driver? Basically I’m asking what’s in your quiver 😅. So many questions so little time 😂 I’m based in the uk and want to buy a Stranda board but just don’t know what to get! I currently have a Jones Flagship which I love as it’s super dependable & is a great board for bc missions. However, I get a bit bored riding piste on it as you can just zoom about on it & it doesn’t really encourage you to play & turn on it! I can only afford to buy one Stranda board and want something different to what I have but not sure if I should go super specialist & buy a dedicated piste carver. Is the Cheater fun in powder? I’m torn between 3 boards, the Cheater (next level carving), the Makrill (carving & pow), the Bowl Rider (surfy all rounder). Any help would be greatly appreciated as i’m suffering from analysis paralysis 🤷🏻♂️
Generally, I would say go extreme. Especially carving is something you can do on any board (except the Banana Hammock 😉) and differences in snowboards are notable, but by any means not as dramatic as say in cars when comparing a Hummer to a Ferrari.
Cheater is great in pow. But if the terrain is tighter, you better have some body mass! In wide open terrain you can be a lighter guy as well, and it will still work fine. Makrill is wild! Carving performance is crazy... but it is Japanese surfstyle carving with a speed and terrain limit. The Cheater can carve anywhere with confidence. Powder wise the Makrill is super quick turning and at home in the trees. Opening the throttle those short fish shapes can get squirly! Bowlrider is a very good allrounder. But among the Stranda pow boards the Shorty is the best carver! It is less playful than the Bowlrider, though. I ride a Shorty over a Bowlrider! Hope this helps... Key is: every Stranda holds an edge like a dream! Pick your poison! ;-)
Awesome content. Have enjoyed all your videos. I’m really considering this board but worried it is too much for me. I’m new to snow boarding this year and can handle blue runs don’t enjoy fast speeds at this stage. I weigh 170 and have size 7 boot. My current board is 154 so I’m concerned this is too much to handle as I progress. What are your recommendations? Wait until I’m better or get one and learn with it now?
Great question. If I knew how you ride already, I'd be able yo give better advice... If you want to learn how to carve and hold an edge and draw a clean line into the sow, and you have wide, mellow groomers available, you can probably ride this board. The length will be manageable on a mellow, open groomer, and you'll feel very safe. The board is stiff and soft in the right places, and the name is how it rides: like cheating! BUT: with a board this long there's not much to be done as a beginner in regards to doing sliding turns!! So it would require some commitment from your side and ideally a lesson in carving. Otherwise you might be a little overwhelmed for a while. Not sure how to answer this precisely...
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel I am very committed to learning to carve well and have been taking some lessons. I do have wide groomers available and mostly enjoys long green and blue runs. I can make basic carving turns but want to progress that much further. I also learned with typical instruction in the duck stance so now beginning to try more neutral and posi posi I think this will ultimately be the board I want to graduate to. Not sure if I should go with another shorter one first like the Biru. Thanks for the advice. I’ve learned a lot from you and Malcolm Moore.
@@DonTran001 sounds like you might as well try a Cheater and grow into it. It is a rather easy board to ride once a person can comfortably execute basic carving turns.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thanks for the encouragement. It’s down to this board or the Jones free carver 6000. Funny, I just saw you post a video about this exact board a little while ago. Have you had a chance to ride this Jones board? How does it compare?
@@DonTran001 they simply don't compare.... I could write an entire page about this.... The Cheater has an entirely different flex pattern, which is meant for carving. The Jones 6000 is so thin and soft in the middle and so rigid in the tips that personally I'd say they got that entirely wrong... I played around with it and actually couldn't believe what I saw and felt. It's not a carving board... And I'm on thin ice here as a Stranda ambassador. Jones make great snowboards, I'm not bad mouthing the company whatsoever! Rode them for almost ten years. But on this one, I don't even understand why it is the way it is, if it's really meant to carve well. I can only speak from demo event experience. I've heard multiple times "The Stranda Biru carves and turns so much nicer than the Freecarver" - and the Biru doesn't even carve as nicely as a Cheater... So that is all I can say. The torsionally soft flex of the Jones makes it way too easy to steer through the feet for something that is supposed to have strong edge grip. This, imo, is a classic move of a company that wants to crowd please and keep things 'easy to ride'. But carving is not 'easy to ride'. It's advanced snowboarding.
Have tried Korua and heard of Soul. Curious to check those out. Korua is nice but not great for my steeper, narrower terrain. Noses are too stiff and too much taper IMO.
Hey Lars, love your channel and i've been extremecarving with laid-down linked turns on sofbtoot for about two years and can easily carve the steepest black slopes with C-turns so this allows only minimal to no overhang to really not boot out. i have boards with varying waist widhts between 260mm and 278mm, 260 is a bit narrow even vor my size 41 Burton Driver X boot, i need pretty steep angles like 47/27 on a 275 board i can ride 30/15 without significant boot out. Now i'm really looking at the cheater and just asking myself whether i should get the 170 Wide or the narrow one. as i am short, about 170cm my natural stance is about 49cm and i would pbbly ride the narrowest holes. Do you know what underfoot width the wide and normal cheater respectively have? i can not decide if i want the narrower easier on my achilles tendon one with steeper angles or the wider (maybe too wide for such a long board?) cheater - help! :D
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thank you so much for the quick response! still hard to decide... maybe i'll go for the shorty 164W as a quiver killer. Or do you think i would be better off with a cheater for proper carving? 1st world decisions ^^
Hi there, You’ve really sold me on the board, the only problem is the wide version only goes up to 270mm waist width. I have a size 13 boot and Sean from donek recommended at least a waist of 290mm. Would this board be suitable for me? I want to get as low as you do in my carves
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel I know I could ride 30cm, but there are no boards available on the market at that width apart from customs. So would the Stranda cheater not be a viable board for me?
Not the case. It's the mark of sidewall removal, which on this one was difficult due to the very firm material used. There's no cracking, and I'm still riding the board. I was actually gonna make another video about this particular one to express how insanely happy I am with the built quality of Stranda. Never had a delam, never even seen one. Even after high impacts with bent edges there would not be any opening between edge, sidewall or base. You're not the only person who made this comment! I get it! I does look like it in the video.
Hey, I'm thinking to get a board to up my carve game next season. Currently in doubt between the Cheater and a Jones Freecarver 9000. This extremely valuable information and the fact that I learn fast is pushing me more towards the Cheater and getting something that lasts me the next 10 years without wasting my money on something in between. What's your thought on this?
Makrill is so much more board than any 153 powder fish out there... It's super fun in powder, very much like surfing a short, wide fish shape... Super quick to maneuver off the tail, tons of float and hellish fast. This is not super unique for such a shape... But then on groomers it's a carving board... like... stable and calm when entering turns, then with a good snap out of the turns, and with an unbelievable amount of edge grip! The grip is nuts... It makes no sense! It's such a short effective edge, it simply shouldn't grip like that. I love the Makrill! Great vibration dampening, too. Stranda feel in a short fat powder fish shape! Winner!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel that’s good to hear because after talking to Mats I ordered the Makrill too! 🤣 Thanks Lars! I grew up on Big White snowboarding since 1986. Now live in Bend, OR riding Bachelor. Your knowledge and ability to communicate is truly impressive. Never met anyone in almost 40 years of riding with your comprehensive board literacy. Clearly a result of your love of the sport. Keep up the great work! My new favorite channel on TH-cam!
Hi, I just found your channel and am watching all the videos! Very VERY interesting topics and amazing explanations. As well I am interested in buying a Stranda Snowboard and was on the urge to buy a Descender. As a 200cm tall, 135kg heavy rider with a mondo 31 boot, would the Cheater would be a good choice as well? The Cheater 170w compared to the Descender 166w? I ride mostly in Austria ressorts on and around groomers.
Thank you so much! Cheater is better on groomers, for sure. Descender is extremely versatile and in particular the big 166W carves amazingly well for not actually being a carving board... It is a bit up to you and your purpose. Cheater in pow is great but needs some space. Descender is easier to turn in tighter off piste terrain and floats a bit better in powder. Hard to go wrong with Stranda... Ride and built quality is insane!
I want to try that board. I don’t get to ride nice groomers conditions that much but I’m very curious of how I would manage it. I’m 155, 5’9“ with 9US booth size, would you go 170 wide like yours?
Just found your channel, and I’m loving the content! I’m interested in getting a Cheater to up my carving game, but not sure about size. I’m 5’10”, 175lbs, US10 boots. 260 seems maybe too narrow, and 275 maybe too wide. What do you think?
I hear ya! I'm a US10 in my Ride Insanos, and I ride the wide. It's plenty wide and leaves me with no limits, which is pretty epic at times. But this depends on ability level. If you don't need the ultimate freedom for riding high edge angles, then the 260 waist will be fine.
Hey, just a question, did you end up buying that board? And was that because of my content, or how did you find the Cheater? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
Not yet, but I am still very interested in the board based on your review. I did find out about it from your videos. I'm still on the fence about size. 260 is too narrow for how I want to use it. I want to be able to really lay it on edge. I'm just concerned both the length and width of the 170W may be too much. I'd consider myself an advanced rider, but I am slowing down a little as I get older. Do you ever feel like the 170W is too wide for you?
There's this thing about the Knapton twin.... It's Ryan! He's amazing! His very own Knapton twin also has an 18m radius, which is a different board all together than what you buy from Donek. I'm sure they'd make you one, though. Personally I think that if you're not trying to aim for Ryan's level of performance in regards to combining freestyle with carving, don't buy a twin! There's no benefit for just carving in a twin. The Cheater has nothing to do with Ryan's riding style whatsoever. The Cheater is a race board inspired directional surfstyle carving board. Ryan would hate it for the riding that made him famous. He might love it for the riding I do. :-) Directional flex alone is such a game changer for a directionally ridden board. I'd love to try a Donek at some point! Sean Martin is a wizard. I would not pick the Knapton Twin, however.
Donek boards are amazing. I own a knapton twin and aloha. The knapton is a very serious board and you really have to put a lot into it to ride it proper but when you do it’s insane. At least at specs I have. Mine is an 11m radius with a 30cm waist. But it’s a bit much for me at my current size. I love my aloha and always gravitate towards it but wanted to downsize a bit and upgrade some things so I just placed an order for a new 157 with a 29cm waist, 7-10m progressive radius, new “secret construction” core, race base, and a custom shovel nose design. So stoked for it.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelYeah, it is defenitely remarkable how Ryan can ride that way on such a humonguous plank and speaks so much more for his riding than the board. When looking at the Japanese carving guys, one notices they do very similar stuff with alr kinds of boards.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel well if we ever run into each other you’re more than welcome to try mine out. As long as I can try the cheater ;) that board looks amazing. I plan on heading to Fernie for the banked slalom later this season.
Biru is awesome, but rides entirely differently to the Cheater. It carves insanely well, but clearly in a much tighter radius, so there's a speed limit in that regard. But therefore it's a Swiss Army Knife! It's so versatile!! It's also a lot of board. In short/fat party board world the Biru is clearly one of the more advanced rides.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel does it mean that shorter biru is already work in progress? I am also looking at Biru 154, but I am also a bit concerned that maybe it is too much for my weight, I am maybe tiny bit heavier, 156lbs, but I really like the versatility of Biru. At the moment I have Dancehaul 152, which is also short/fat party board, but I wish it would hold edge better. OTOH shorter board has also shorter EE, which will also affect the edge hold.
Hahahahahahahaha.... I literally had a conversation this morning where I emphasized how much I HATE my thumbnails and how I have to get so much better at that. Maybe I don't! Hahaha...
Not sure what you mean?! The Freecarver 6000 is the only one I've seen and felt in person so far, and it is quite the opposite of a Cheater - other than squeezing a lot of effective edge into a certain length, which is simply one of the many known ways of designing a carving board. Freecarver 6000 has a super tight radius, Cheater is much more normal. Freecarver 6000 is torsionally soft with relatively stiff tips, which i.m.o. makes a board ride easier, but kills edge grip. So that recipe on a carver seems strange to me, but I might just be missing something there... There's nothing new out there anymore. It's all been done :-) Everybody is copying, if that is how you'd want to call it. Some combinations of ideas work better than others... ;-)
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thanks for such a detailed reply. I guess I got a FreeCarver 9000 this year and saw very similar shapes... even from the old Hovercraft, too.
Hello Lars. I could use your input. I am 6’3”, 300 lbs., with size 13 US boot. I realize I am pushing well beyond the rider weight specs of really any board, but would like to know what length in the Stranda Cheater ….or any other board you’d recommend. I have been snowbaording for well over 30 years at what I’d say is an intermediate level. I try my best to carve my LibTech T.Rice Pro 161W as best I can. But, would like to get a carve specific board.
I hear ya… Stranda Cheater 170W would be a massive upgrade for riding groomers in every possible way. But you could also go with an even wider board. Depends on your ability level. Cheater is 275mm waist. It would help you out quite a bit over the t rice. Obviously also an entirely different board all together…
Hey, just a question, did you end up buying that board? And was that because of my content, or how did you find the Cheater? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
10 months in, 14.000 views later this video has seemingly helped many people to understand what makes a good carving board.
If it changed your world and you want to express your gratitude and support my channel, you can do this here:
www.buymeacoffee.com/justaride
If you want to buy a Stranda Cheater, this link will give you free global shipping and support my channel: www.strandasnowboards.com/ref/878/
Thank you so much, and don't forget to check out my other content! ;-)
You've never forced it on me, but every time you've "strongly suggested" I try a certain product, you are bang-on. To me, the cheater encapsulates everything I think of when it comes to the overall Stranda design philosophy. It's that flagship board, and for good reason. Having ridden a million boards like yourself, it's simply one of the top three most incredible products I've ever used. I would exclaim, "it doesn't even make sense!" but in fact it really does make all the sense, and you've explained it super well in this video.
I think I stated this in my review of the board, but.. while you can put so much into it and it will be reliable and bombproof - you can also put so very little in and get so much out. The diversity of the ride is so adaptive. I tend to find that experience to be present in a well-designed longer board in general, but it's especially true with the cheater.
Also like I mentioned in my review, personally I think the powder and general freeride performance is often overlooked. I've ridden some amazing sidecountry lines in deep snow on my 170, and it always makes me think, "Craig Kelly would really like this board." The stability is ridiculous, and it floats great. I've had other long-edge carving boards that are good on groomers, but I found myself riding them quite rarely as they were terrible elsewhere, so it had to be a totally groomer-focused day. I can easily be happy on the cheater no matter where I end up that day, and I think that's one of my favorite aspects of it.
" while you can put so much into it and it will be reliable and bombproof - you can also put so very little in and get so much out"
THIS!!!
Thanks, Spenser! Great comment! Yeah, you know it. Great to hear such positive words from a very experienced rider like yourself! Awesome!
I got really into carving this year because I have a transition finder by korua. What a blast! Thanks for the content. I really liked the video on stance angles and how posi posi effects how your body moves on a board. Super helpful! I tried having my front arm up on my toe side carves and it was a total game changer!
Nice!! Great to hear that my content is understandable. Koruas are great. Personally I find them too stiff in the nose and overly tapered. The terrain I ride is quite steep and narrow. The Strandas tend to enter turns easier/quicker and steer better across the hill in steeper terrain with higher forces. All a bit preference, too. Carve on! :-)
Lol... I'm watching this with my eight year old girl last night and she says: "Papa... if the board is damp won't it get ice on it?"
...Because I'm always telling her to keep her board dry in the morning until it gets cold enough. Hillarious. She gives this vid two thumbs up! Thanks Lars
Hahahahaha..... that is so funny! :-) I wouldn't doubt it if she told me that there's a different word for what I'm trying to say... :-)
James, have you ridden this board?
@paulasper7449 Hey Paul! No, I haven't. Generally I prefer wider boards with titanal and rubber, I hear good things about the Cheater though.
So glad you mentioned dampning. I'm on the Korua Kool-aid these days and find them super damp and stable. Love your channel and appreciate your expertise.
I want one!
Nah, you NEED one! ;-)
"Like my 168 Supermodel on Steroids" Your words truly came to fruition.....
This thing is a carving weapon and is so stable at high speeds, definitely feels shorter in the quick turns, but eats the groomers like monster.
Hey Lars - loving your channel content - at 64 I’ve been focusing on carving for 6 seasons now - just started trying hardboots this season on a 175cm x 235mm Donek Flux that Sean made for me at the end of last season. I have two other 170cm custom Donek Flux boards with different side cuts and love the way they slice the groomers at Loveland in Colorado.
That said - you have inspired me to purchase the Cheater wide and it arrived yesterday. I ride a 21.5” stance and 39F/27R angles which work great with my size 12US Deeluxe Edge Pro soft boots.
I’m outside on a beautiful warm blue sky in Denver tuning the edges per you detailed video and will carving next week. I’ll drop my first impressions here next week.
Keep up the great work you’re creating 😎
If you’re ever in the area it would be my treat to host you for a carving session - all the best🤩
Awesome!!! Thank you so much!
Oooo! I have been riding a flux for 4 years please let me know how they compare. And then let me try it out!
Hi Lars - rode the Cheater on Feb 29 - beautiful Bluebird day at Loveland. The Cheater was easy to start ripping on the first run and is truly a carving machine. Stated working on the oblique crunch and felt the board could handle my F=m* V * V 😎. At 225lbs and tuning at 25-30mph the Cheater held the edge. I love it and really thank you for your strong endorsement of the beautiful board.
Comparing to my Donek Flux boards the biggest difference is the Cheater demands more deliberate initiation energy - it doesn’t want to give you the lazy “pivot” at the start of the turn.
I even pulled off a series of “sponsorship finishiations” as James would call them. The feeling is addicting - like the high G’s the Cheater can produce.
Cheers😎
@@gregorytherocketscientist1317 Joy factor?? How do you think it compares to Donek flux?
Hi Paul - if you’re in Colorado we should go up to Loveland - you can have check out my Cheater anytime 😎
Another extraordinary informative video ! You certainly are very knowledgeable Lars ! Thank you ! By the way , I would love to try that cheater 😅.
Thank you, Martin!! Once again another nice compliment from an extraordinarily kind watcher, ha! :-) If you ever come to Fernie, I'll set you up on a Cheater, no worries! Otherwise, you might just have to buy one, hahahaha.... Board changed the way I look at the mountain!
And again a great review/video.
Thanks again! :-)
Another great video. Very detailed and informative content. Learnt a lot.
Awesome!! So glad that made sense!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Very well communicated. I like the look of the Bowlrider for Hokkaido!
@@wheaty64 Bowlrider is a fantastic board as well. 50/50 powder and groomers! Treesurfer is the exact same board but with the fish tail.So it's more like 65/35 powder/groomers. Maybe better for Japow! The real Japow board is the Makrill. And it carves like a steak knife! Did groomer laps on it today! Always amazed by how calm and stable a 153 can be......
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelThanks for the info. Does the Makrill carve a groomer as well as the Bowlrider/Treesurfer? Although I love the powder and trees, I do love to carve too. A 2 or 3 board quiver makes sense, but then I end up feeling like I should be on a different board all the time.
@@wheaty64 The best performing carver out of the Stranda pow boards is the Shorty! It's incredible on edge.... but then again.... the whole brand is incredible on edge! They all carve like nothing else...
The Shorty has more of a freeride pow board vibe due to the larger radius. Treesurfe/Bowlrider have a progressive sidecut; tighter radius in the tail! So you can make them quite whippy/snappy, where the Shorty is calmer. Makrill is obviously a crazy quick turning pow board since there's no tail.... On groomers it carves like a bigger board due to the larger turn entry radius in the nose. They're all different, and they all do both, powder and groomers. King of corduroy is the Cheater, however!
Really interesting explanation of the camber...had only assumed a full camber would work
I'll do an episode about camber vs. rocker and all the in-betweens and about what actually happens when on edge...
Full camber is the most precise and least forgiving. On such a long effective edge that will create a board you need to be more careful with, a bit of an experts ride, potentially. The Cheater was meant to be a tame beast with all the gears you could ever want. So this profile works really well with the flex, sidecut, taper and materials.
Hello, Lars.
Sorry for my English, I use Google Translate ;o)
I came to your videos looking for information to switch to a specific carving table and the content you have is fantastic.
I have been riding a snowboard for more than 25 years (almost 50 years old now) and we could say that my level is intermediate-advanced.
Currently with my 161cm Capita Mecury board, with a duck position (+18-9) I can consistently carve on green and blue groomers without problems, but I need to drift to control the speed when things get more complicated.
I am 187 cm tall and weigh 80 kg (175 pounds), I use 280 mm shoes, currently a Vans Verse.
I have always had all mountain orienteering boards, but for a few years the only thing I have been trying to do is improve my riding in groomers (Of course on powder days, I don't even touch the groomers) so I have thought about switching to a specific all mountain orienteering board. carving, change my angles to positive, positive and start improving my technique and my carving, which is what I am really passionate about.
I live in Spain, the powder days are becoming fewer and fewer and we have to settle for groomers who tend to be quite hard first thing in the morning and then get softer throughout the day, getting into worse conditions.
I'm looking for a specific carving board to enter this world next season and I don't know if the cheater would be a good choice for me (its 170 cm is a bit impressive) or a shorter and more docile board like the Biru would be better to get started in this world (or any other option you can recommend). I would like to learn with a board that allows you to start without having to look for high speeds.
Another of my doubts would be the width of the board, I will start with angles +24+27 in front and +6+9 in the rear to adapt to the change.
I have used several wide boards and the truth is that I really like how they work, I don't notice much that slow edge change that is always talked about, so I had thought that perhaps the 170W would be better for me.
Thank you very much for all your work and greetings.
With your height and weight you can easily ride the Cheater 170W. It's not an intimidating board. You don't have to fight it! It rides WITH you!
In case you end up ordering one, tell Mats you found the inspiration through my channel. It's good for him to know that. :-)
Thank you very much for the comment and have fun out there! Carving is a life long journey!! :-)
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Great, thank you very much for your response!
All the best.
This is soo illuminating! Thanks for sharing this! Fantastic video keep going!! :)
Thank you very much! :-)
75kg, 5'10.75" (179cm)
US 9.5 Burton Photons with Step On bindings. Currently +27/+9 and slowly moving more positive day to day.
I watch your videos and aspire to ride/carve like you.
Can't decide between 170 or 170W. I can't get the edge up as much yet but working on it.
Other boards I was looking at before deciding on Cheater:
-SG Soul
-Yonez Symarc
-:Coiler BXFR
Also, 100% Stranda Cheater will be because of you and your channel. Hello from Australia
@@kalimbobo Thank you kindly! The Cheater is likely enough in the standard width for your boot size. If you want it to be a 'great conditions only board' you can go with the wide, but it will be more work to get it on edge. I'm a size 10 in a Ride boot, same as a Photon in a 10.5, and the Cheater wide is technically 5mm wider than I need it....
Unfortunately I don't know anything about the other boards you're naming other than that they're all great quality brands.
Let me know, if you end up going for the Cheater! I'm curious... :-) Cheers!
Took only 6 days to arrive in Australia. Can't wait to take it out next season :p@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
I've been eyeing the Stranda for a long time. This is really helpful
It's such a well designed snowboard..... It blew me away within six turns.
I'm glad my video is helpful!
Excellent video explaining the tech and why's, I learned a lot.
Thanks! Those are just some design aspects and their effects... I'm not trying to say that other boards don't have edge grip or whatever. The Cheater simply has a very special feel to it and rides so beautifully for such a big board. It has so many gears... and that's the beauty of it and has everything to do with the flex, sidecut, camber and materials.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you!
Hello.
I’m going to order a Cheater Wide, I’m happy with my actual Burton Step On, my idea is to use it also for the Cheater.
What do you think about?
Whatever works for you!! No worries there.
What inspired you to order a Cheater?
Well, you inspired me and my friend!
I ordered.
I let you know how I’ll feel about… 😉
@@MrUnalino that’s so cool to hear!! Yes, please let me know!
Tried once in setriere the pill outdoor last year and instantly felt in love,super easy carve and very good feeling riding this board.
Bought and set with Supermatic bindings don’t feel the same feeling,after I saw some of your videos I understand maybe wrong set in the bindings (+36 +27),so now I’m “nerding” to calculate the edge/heel and edge/toe distance and think I’ll set +30 +15;but the highbacks can’t be rotated,the stance calculated is 54 (just setted) so any suggests are welcome
Super subjective. Keep playing with it!
Great and informative video. Where are Stranda boards manufactured?
GP87 in China. Same factory as 85% of the Gentemstick boards. Their wood tops and overall manufacturing quality are top shelf. Seriously incredibly well made boards.
Just curious, how do you tune your edges Thanks.
With files and diamond stones! 😅
Silliness aside: mostly 88° side edge with 1° base bevel. On very wide boards I go 1.5° base bevel from nose contact point to front foot. In real hard pack I go 87° on the sides on my dedicated groomer carving boards.
th-cam.com/video/VLqp8V5p58Q/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ibOLSYjVyksGJkpH
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thank you yeah I should’ve been more specific😂
@@midwestsp3 no worries! 😉
The torsional flex is a point I wonder about...
I know little torsional flex is a thing among EC people and your argument makes sense, but I feel it comes across a bit too strict.
AFAIK the Nidecker Tracer (that I wish I did not sleep on) was a carving board with torsional flex. And then my butter stick, a GNU Finest is not only generally a softer Freestyle flex, but also quite torsionally flexible and it is a real blast to carve (my third turn on it I did boot out on the heels and since moved my bindings a bit more to the FS) despite it being a wide and a bit wider than my previous quiver of one board. 😂
Yes, the situation you described of quite bumpy terrain it'll do less good, but it is not as if it was not great fun to carve in all better conditions.
So far my theorf was that it was so much fun partly also because of the torsional flex allowing you to manipklate it in more ways than otherwise. 🤔
You're completely right! I wasn't trying to say that you can't carve on torsionally softer boards!! I've carved down our steepest and narrowest run here in Fernie on a 150 K2 Party Platter, 1st generation, flat, zero camber.....
The thing is that I could feel the board begging for mercy - torsionally! It was struggling to deal with the pressure and I had to ride super precisely in regards to foot position. The board didn't help me at all. Torsional stiffness helps the rider, but definitely at the cost of less versatility - which I'm emphasizing in the video!
Thanks for this. Would love to see a breakdown of the Bowlrider
@@kimball_stone I’ll likely do a Stranda review series. Thanks for tuning in! 👍
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel No problem. I appreciate the technical deep dives
Thanks. From what you said about the Biru and the Cheater, it sounds like the Biru compares to the Jones FreeCarver 6000 and the Cheater compares to the 9000. It would be great to hear you make those comparisons, and given that the FreeCarvers are Jeremy Jones's new favorite boards and may be positioned to explode next year, I wonder if 2 detailed videos with Biru vs 6000 and Cheater vs 9000 comparisons could lead to a big boost in sales for Stranda. But not at the expense of Jones, because the content itself will help to really grow the category, and there is so much room for it to grow, don't you think?
I don’t think much of the Freecarvers. The core profiles are thin in the middle and thicker towards the tips. That creates torsional flex you don’t necessarily want in a carving board. I’ve had people tell me at demo events that the Biru has much more grip than the Freecarvers. I honestly don’t understand what jones did there other than somewhat creating a board for the masses that has carve in the name and a long effective edge. But that is just my take on what makes a good carving board from personal experience with such boards.
Curious if you still feel this way after riding the FreeCarver
@@JohnSnow-md2lw 100% confirmed. The 9000 is a good board, but IMO it's a powerful freestyle flex with a carving radius and effective edge. The flex bothered me. And for a carving board it's quite light, which to me makes for a less planted feel. That's preference, though...
A video featuring some of the Stranda product range would be great 😊
Noted!
How come i find this channel soooo late? Very Informative detailed! Keep up the work man
Thank you so much! You're not that late! I only properly started seven weeks ago.... Hahaha 🙂
Wow, your video makes me look for places where i could demo this beast in Eurpe (AT, IT, CH, AT,,DE).
www.unicosport.com/?lang=en (Italy)
surfshoppe.com/ (Italy)
www.playground.ch/en/ (Switzerland, future dealer, email them!)
www.zerogchamonix.com/fr/ (France)
www.pie-freeride.ch (Switzerland)
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Otherwise: if you can put a board on edge and are aiming for riding without sliding much while not being taken for a ride, just buy one! It's next level awesome! I don't think I've ever gotten any negative or even 'average' kind of feedback from any experienced rider. And I'm not talking expert level. Just people who are confident on a snowboard.
Will first play a bit with improving my stance (need to try posi-posi) on my current board (Nidecker megalight) to get a bit better backside carve but yeah, might just pull the trigger. Is there a way to let them know you were the one eho sold them to me? :)
@@pkundrat Just mention it to Mats when you order. I don't get anything from that, but it's good that he knows.
I have been to Wobble Town. Nice folks, but I don't think I wanna go back. 😄
Oh my friend, this is my channel, Thank you!! 🙏 My first prefernce the soft boot carving. I' m about 167 cm and about 78kg. I have Amplid Pentaquark 158 with Kessler plate. My boots Burton Driver x, bindings : Rome Cleaver and Flux XV. The Amplid is carving specific board but not "custom" board. What dou think, i need "custom " specific carving board from little manufacture? What dou you think, i 'm testing +36 and +18 angles and about 51cm stance...? 😉
Thanks for the compliment! 51cm is probably on the wide side for your height, but play with it!
I don't think you need anything custom. Just try different things and find out what works best. I simply love a long effective edge... It's so secure and smooth...
Happy turns!!
How can I demo one?
Find a dealer or visit a demo event here Stranda goes to... Where are you?
Wondering if you have ridden the Popeliner 2.0 and how you would compare to the Cheater
More everything. More edge, more speed, more weight, more confidence.... It's a riot! :-)
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel So I just learned how to carve, and it's the only thing other than trees that I really want to go far with. I already have a tree board in the Orca. I plan to get the Biru for a cruisey carver & party board. Should I get the Cheater or Pipeliner 2.0 for the ultimate Carver? And also curious if the Pipeliner is a "riot" as you say, why you haven't switched to it?
@@JohnSnow-md2lw I have both. No need to switch. I ride the one I feel like when I get up in the am and look outside the window 😅
Pipeliner requires much more skill than the Cheater. It’s not an everyday carver unless you’re heavy and good at it.
Nice deck! I've got a 170 but a completely different beast, LibTech Birdman. Love to try a board like the Cheater. I picked up a Zoid recently (not that it's like the Cheater), bargain £115 new! Looking forward to getting it on the mountain, might do a posi-posi stance experiment on it. I normally ride +15/-15 and haven't ridden any different wrt angles for @20 years. I'm intrigued to test the difference.
Interesting side-note on the topic of edge length, and I hope it doesn't come across the wrong way - to get the same edge as the cheater 170, you would have to make a birdman 190 or so. The cheater has 1cm more edge than the the doughboy shredder 195, and my US orbit 57 has 2cm more edge than the bird 170. Of course, the bird wasn't made with carving in mind, just an interesting comparison, as I think many people tend to put way too much stake into overall length when choosing a size. Personally I hardly look at overall length anymore! The bird is a rad shape though - I know a few people here who ride them almost exclusively, and pick up new ones whenever they're available.
@@spenserak Absolutely. Friends were surprised at the manoeuvrability of the Bird when I was riding trees and also that it still floated well switch (looks mad though). Your estimation sounds about right, I seem to remember 150-odd effective edge. I only ride it on big dump 30cm+ days as I've got a repaired crack in it. Have a Speedodeeps for regular pow riding at the moment, but I'll look to try the Zoid out in the pow this year. I'd love to have another bird as back up though, be gutted if it goes completely..
Hi Lars
Your channel is amazing. Best source of information I ever found on the internet for what I like to do, surf-carving.
Thank you so much for your work!
Should I order my Stranda Cheater 170 in regular (260) or wide (275) ?
My stats: 6ft 1.5in / 180 pounds / snowboarding for 28 years mostly in Switzerland for the whole saison / advanced to expert
Bindings: Now Drive Pro (M) +9 / +30
Boots: Ride Insano 9.5 (27.5cm)
Your opinion is highly appreciated.
You're likely fine with the standard Cheater. I'm a 10 in the Insano and my wide Cheater is clearly more than I need....
I just ordered the standard 170 cheater with Mats. Can't wait to ride it ! Thank you for your time Lars. Cheers Luca
(From watching all your videos, I had the feeling that the regular 170 cheater is the right board for me (who likes to get bucked around...). But then there is all that hype about wide boards for carving...)@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
The great thing about a fast base is not the top speed, but the acceleration it allows and how it keeps speed - you can get in 3-4 more clean carves where others are already pointing it and still leapfrog them in the following flat and make it through when they have to unstrap. 😂
(Yes, it is also proper technique and reading the terrain to pick your line smart, but having that down and being on a fast base is gold.)
Bang on!! Totally agree!
Thanks for another in-depth video! You’re a great communicator and I appreciate the way you explain the tech side of things.
What are your thoughts on korua boards? I ride the transition finder and love it for its carving plus freestyle abilities. Haven’t tried their other boards yet but it seems that stranda has a similar objective as korua where they make boards for turning.
Thank you very much!!
Koruas are great. Personally I find them too stiff in the nose and overly tapered. The terrain I ride is quite steep and narrow. The Strandas tend to enter turns easier/quicker and steer better across the hill in steeper terrain with higher forces. Koruas shine in Europe on their wide open groomers. Stranda has much higher quality wood cores, which you obviously pay for. All a bit preference, too. Carve on!
This description definitely makes me want to try out the stranda boards! I ride mostly on mt Washington here on Vancouver Island where we have a mix of steep and open terrain but after watching you carve on narrow steeps, it makes me want to jump on the stranda band wagon! My wife and the bank account will not be happy about it though… lol 😂
@@jameslee7961 hahaha, yeah, that old bank account....
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelHey there's also steeps here in Europe, as you should know.
But if you mean that there's always a lot more easy than expert slopes in a given resort, then yes, that's true.
But what about the length when its really steep, as in jump turn territory, not too good I presume?
I have not ridden any Stranda nor Korua, but am quite happy with the Jones Freecarvers not being overly long, for that reason.
@@elho001 Well, jump turn territory is not carving territory, and I am solely speaking of carving performance!
Cheater is a great pow board, but it's not a board for technical freeriding.
I was just trying to point out the origin of the Korua brand. They're designed on European glaciers, which is where all their early carving videos have been filmed. The boards obviously work, and they ride great. I've tried almost all of them.
But when the runs get steep and narrow I have to work them much harder than any Stranda - and that is clearly a result of the nose flex and sidecut radius/taper, which makes them harder to steer around fully. Hence my conclusion that they're more fun on wide open, fast runs!
I haven't ridden the Freecarver yet. Would be interesting to jump on!
When a board is so stiff, how do you switch edge if you can’t use torsional force with your feet?
Hi! Thanks for the question!
First of all the board DOES still flex torsionally, just not very much. Torsional flex is for steering through the feet, which is the best way to steer a board at slower speeds. It is not what gets a board onto its new edge, though!! It only helps with it!
More importantly the rider's centre of mass (hips) needs to move to the inside of the turn!! This doesn't require any torsional flex at all once the board picks up a little more speed!! Technically you could stand up straight as a pencil and lean into the turn with your whole body and with toe or heel pressure occurring simultaneously, and the board would get on edge. At slow speed this is difficult, because you can't balance very well with the weight on the inside of the turn without the forces that hold you up... Hence, one should be able ride and steer a board comfortably at moderate speeds before getting into a board that is torsionally stiff.
Watch my video on double posi stances! I talk about some stuff there... th-cam.com/video/htKNZS-3CBw/w-d-xo.html
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thank you for replying and thanks for the great content you put out.
Amazing video. Amazing board. You should give a try at the korua bullet train 🤙
I've tried it!
It's too rigid for my liking and the titanal sheet takes away from some of the feedback (board is almost too damp...). But it surely holds an edge!!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel i agree somehow that the feeling isn’t the best. But damn that thing eats whatever comes in front of it.
Have you maybe tried the stranda biru?
@@DrCrimp-sg5pb yes, i have! great board!! Much tighter radius than Bullet Train and Cheater. Different beast..... More versatile! Great board overall!
I used this board and is amazing. Very easy to Ride
Isn't it?! It's such a beauty and there's no limits at the top....
Loving it
Thank you!! Got a bit long.... but really, I could talk about this board for hours....
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel maybe you should ;)
Do you approach this board differently compared to other boards? Like leaning more towards nose, because of the flexibility compared to tail?
When I wanted to learn more about carving, I quite quickly stumbled upon the Knapton series - how to really really carve. I think it would be awesome to go through these steps from your view!!
I for one really appreciate the work you put into your channel and I know how much work it can be. Hope you continu for a long time! Cheers
@@gomjabbar84 Thank you very much! I ride my Cheater like I ride my other boards. I'm generally more front foot heavy. Check out my video on +/+ stance and the carving tips one!! I think it's a bit different from Knapton's approach.
I've spent some time away from snowboarding (3-4 years), but all my boards from the late 90s to the mid 00s were boardercross boards, then I changed to somewhat softer boards which I never really enjoyed as much as my Palmer Crown, F2 Eliminator LTD, or my Dark Horse (I know, technically not a BX board). I am going to order this Cheater 170w just in time for my trip to Saas Fee this March, and I'm really, really looking forward to it. Now, what to buy to replace my 2016 Malamutes? I heard the '23/24 ones are terrible, which is really sad. I miss some proper carving but I'm not going back to hard boots. ;)
I went from a decade of riding Malamutes to K2 Thraxis and later Ride Insano. Salomon changed the boot fit dramatically along the way, and they don't work for me anymore.
Hey, just a question, did you end up buying that board because of my content, or how did you find the Cheater? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Your content helped to lot to steer me towards the Cheater, I was looking at good carving boards and hadn't heard of Stranda before - I have been out of the loop for some time, then ran into your video which piqued my interest, and I kept investigaging futher, but yes, IF I end up buying it (I'm 80% there with the decision, talking to Mats now about delivery), I'd credit your video mostly. I will tell Mats in my next e-mail about it.
@@JefeBoss That's great! Thank you!!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelJust back from a week in Saas Fee with my Cheater 170w! Amazing board, took me a while to get used to - including catching toe edge on a black mid turn on day 2. Was riding the first 4 days with my old completely packed and destroyed Malamutes, until my new boots arrived. I finally went with Nidecker Index - this is what they could have quickly in my size, and for now I find them amazing. Stifness seems similar to a Driver X and they are super light and compact from outside - now let's see how long they last. Anyhow, with the new boots it all clicked, I was finally not "losing" the board beneath my feet due to wobliness in the boot. I thought my season was over but I'm now considering going for another full week here in Spain in the Pyrenees, I'm hooked and I want to keep practicing my carving form and the week after Easter should be quiet too... Oh and by the way, I loved Saas Fee, was my first time there, but there are definitely other resorts I rate higher for groomers in the area.
Curious if you still feel this way after riding the FreeCarver
Yes. 100%. I answered in more depth already, I think. You asked this somewhere else I think?! NO?!
Great Video! What do think about the "Tree Surfer"?
Tree Surfer surfs trees, Cheater cheats!
Hahaha... :-)
For real though: Tree Surfer as a pow board is incredible! Such a powerful nose and so much float! On groomers it's agile and nimble with tons of grip. But the long drawn out rocker nose makes it less perfect for more aggressive carving performance. The feel is the same in regards to damping, though. Same wood core! Great board! Too narrow for me. I ride a Shorty 164W.
Thank you!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
Hey, did you end up getting a Tree Surfer? :-)
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel I did. I bought a 157. Its amazing. It floats exceptionally well, handles chop like a champ, and carves well also. it is a responsive yet damp ride. I is my daily driver.
@@wildwest so great to hear that! May I asked whether it was my content that brought you to the purchase? I'm trying to get an idea of what makes people buy Stranda after all. Cheers!
I've just ordered one for the Kiwi winter next year, can't wait. I am also tempted by a Biru as well - how would you compare the two?
@@banjomactavish can’t be compared. Two completely different boards. Together they can make a great quiver. Biru is more versatile and much nimbler, but on edge it has a lower speed limit due to the tight radius. Fun pow board, too!
Cheater is the king of corduroy…. So stable. So much grip. So smooth….
Thank for your awesome content. I’m looking for a stiff board to pair with my Custom X and Never Summer Proto FR and I’m between the Cheater and the Biru. I’m looking for something that can hold high speed turns on compacted and icy men worked groomers. What do you suggest for bombing the hill :)? Thank a lot for your great job. Best channel about snowboarding. I started in 1993 here in Italy. Ciao!
Cheater over Biru for those conditions, for sure!! Have fun!!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thanks so much!
Any idea if you can test these boards in Austria somewhere? We tried contacting Stranda twice the past few weeks but so far have not received any comment unfortunually. Very curious about this one and the Shorty!
Can you email me this question, please?
lars.justaride@gmail.com
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I'll take care of getting you an answer!
Binding recommendation for the Cheater 170W?
I ride NOW bindings and love them. Mats from Stranda swears by Drake bindings, which he also sells through Stranda. I've never tried them. Really, as long as you buy a reasonably stiff all mountain binding, it's all good. Bindings can change the feel of a board and the feel of turn initiation. But that is a preference thing... NOW, imo, have the best vibration absorption properties but lack some adjustability, which some people really want.
Hey Johan, just a question... Did you end up buying your Stranda boards because of my content, or how did you find the brand? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
Curious which NOW binding you ride with this board.@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
@@JohnSnow-md2lw The Drive Pro. Great bindings!
Would you suggest the Drive Pro for the Biru too? Someone told me to consider the Select Pro for that board. Which would you choose, or is there a third option you would recommend?
Hi, at 10:08 time we can see the delamination under edge? Is that ok? My Cheater has now 1 month, should I afraid? Is it sth what need to be fix?
It is not delamination! The sidewall material is a little more shiny there after removing sidewall with a removal tool. That board has zero damage after 4.5 seasons. Likely one of the best built brands in the game. Five years with zero delam warranty cases across all sales!!
Hey, just a question, did you buy that board because of my content, or how did you find the Cheater? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
Short story long is that I wanted to buy carving board with quite long effective edge - which will be in wide variant. I considered: SG Soul 164XT, Stranda Cheater 170W and OES FR 165W. To be honest: with Stranda I was little afraid about radius which is only 8.5m but now I know that I was wrong:). This board is best that I ever riden, even on ice it is holding edge. I used to ride on hard boots with hard board but from now I quit...
And in the end: Yes I admit that my buying was after Your's video, btw one of the best content about soft boots carving on YT.
regards
Lukas
@@lukaszk5911 wow, that is awesome on so many levels! Thanks for the trust!!
You really made me consider getting a new board :) I have big issue with my current setup/skill level: if I do clean carves I'm getting too much speed to the point where I'm not able to hold the line and I have to skid to slow down. Currently I ride bataleon goliath 164W (I weight 95kg, 31 cm feet (47 EU) ) , and I have to really fight for the grip. In my country groomers are usually icy (very hard snow). Is Cheater good choice for that kind of terrain or should I look somewhere else? How does Chater can cut through ice and is it stable at higher speeds? Should I maybe get charger board instead? I really belive it must be fun to ride Cheater but at the same time I'm afraid of that softer nose.
Sorry to say this, but it doesn't sound like a gear problem. Heel edge is super hard - if you build too much speed too early in the turn, it's very hard to keep a line without skidding. Watch this video here: th-cam.com/video/-pUirpQDI8s/w-d-xo.html
But to your question:
The Cheater has wild amounts of edge grip. But really, there's so much about riding technique here... I can carve the way I carve on almost any snowboard. I will then notice whether the board is comfortable going there or not, but they all somewhat do it. The Cheater has a very high limit!! You have to be super heavy or ride some crazy terrain to find the limit of that board. I bet you can make some changes to your position and likely to your timing that would help with better grip. This video here is helpful, too:
th-cam.com/video/htKNZS-3CBw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=LnkVQWOzNZvh7fA_
Thank you for watching my stuff, and really, no offence!! Just trying to help!!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel Thank you for your feedback 👍
Hey, what board did you end up going for and how is it? Cheers!
Hey Lars! Loving all the videos this season. Would love to get on a cheater one day. Quick question about boots for carving. I have always ridden more of a stiff boot- Burton Ions and Tourist for the past 8 or so years since I split my time between lifts and backcountry. I know a lot of the Japanese guys are riding the k2 Taro Tamai boot and am considering them for carving. What are your thoughts on stiff vs soft boots for carving? Also I have torn the liner of my boots at the stitching at the side of top from flexing them during carving, are intuition liners the solution for that? I am on the second pair of boots that have done the same thing in the same spot. Thanks and keep the great content coming!
My Intuition liners have outlasted two pairs of shells and at 230 days are still going strong... So good chance they'll fix your issue!
Boot wise... Japan is mellow! On mellow groomers I can find a soft boot appealing. But as G-Forces increase with the steepness of the terrain I need support. But that's just me. It's probably personal. I have little ankle flex, so a stiffer boot protects me from flexing through my actual range of motion when I hit a bump or whatever...
I'd love to ride softer boots, but so far those attempts failed every time for me.
Thanks for the compliment on my content!! Much appreciated!!
Great video Lars! I'm looking for a way to improve my carving next season.
I am considering the Cheater (wide) as yours.
I use Ride Anthem boots (size 10 - mondo 28) and Rome Brass bindings, both being a 5 out of 10 in terms of stiffness and performance.
I mostly ride on quite narrow tracks (Folgaria ski area in Italy), and during this entire winter I almost never encountered the perfect snow conditions for carving (too warm, it snowed but the snow easily melted), but I did have fun trying nonetheless.
I have a Salomon Rumble Fish board, which has been a lot of fun and I want to keep it as my all-round ride.
But as for a dedicated carving board that will help me improve my riding, would you recommend the Cheater wide?
From a Rumblefish to a Cheater that's about ten steps at a time! Hahaha... 🙂 The Cheater is great, for sure. It will take you some time to get used to that much more board. I don't know your riding level, so I can't really answer that question very well. Worst case scenario: the Cheater will be a board you'll slowly grow into the more you ride it.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel can I maybe send you a video of my riding? Unfortunately I ride with a friend that can't both keep my pace and film properly, so the videos are often not great, but maybe it'll give you a hint about my level (and I would love any technical hints!).
I already tried other boards, like the Infinita from Sandy Shapes, which is a bx board but also suited for soft boot carving.
Quite heavy and cumbersome at low speed and in difficult terrain, but as for carving, I loved the support and the dampening.
Let's say that carving on the Infinita was way less tiring than on my Rumblefish, which shakes and quivers a lot when I take her out of her comfort zone like that!
Just scratched the surface of that board, though, and unfortunately it didn't solve my feet overhang problem (255 waist on the 159 long Infinita).
Any intermediate boards that I should consider in your opinion?
@@marcellacolombari4794 how little boot drag are you aiming for? And are you certain that you're not in too big of a boot? Just asking because it would be frustrating to get a super wide board to then realize that you get away with smaller boots...
In regards to board recommendations: very difficult question to answer from an outside perspective without knowing anything about you or the terrain you ride.
In regards to video: yes, you can send a video to lars.justaride@gmail.com
However, I can't do a free video analysis since people are paying for this service, and that just wouldn't be fair - also, the amount of time I'm spending making videos and answering just about every question has to be worth something eventually that goes beyond happiness and satisfaction but actually put food in the fridge :-)
I hope that's understandable.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel fair enough, I'm curious! I'll try to make a decent video and then I'll send it to you.
I am looking for a 5 to 10 mm boot hang tops. I would like a board wide enough to let me use quite closed binding angle on, the back foot, like +6/+9.
As for the boots, I've already studied your videos, so I'm positive that the size is correct ☺️ also improved my fit with Superfeet insoles and C-shaped profiles for heel drag, even if I'm not completely happy with this last point.
But this could depend from the fact that my Ride Anthem boots are quite too comfy for my tastes, I would like more reactivity, so I'm not try to overmodify them, but rather buy a pair of new, more technical boots when my finances will allow it
What do you think about Biru? I have Jones Aviator 2.0 + Capita SuperDOA 158W and Stranda will add one softer/party board to my gear.
The Biru is not all that soft. It’s a performance board. It’s like. K2 Party Platter on steroids. Stiffer, faster base, can take bigger drops and higher rider weight. It’s still a side hits board and fits well with your others. But it’s not a soft board by any means.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thank you
Curious how you compare the Cheater to the Biru for carving groomers, especially for someone who is still learning to carve. And also wondering if there is another, perhaps more affordable non-Stranda board that would help me build the carving skills necessary to get the most out of the Cheater.
Any board can be carved. Any board can be used to learn the right body position on. In particular as a beginner carver it's much more about you than about the board. Pick something directional with a small amount of taper and predominantly camber rather than rocker. Watch my waist width video for the right width. K2 and Nidecker offer good vibration dampening and edge hold at a great price (Nidecker Escape / K2 Broadcast)... They're all mountain boards but will work for a while.
Biru and Cheater are very different... Biru is a whip. Quick turning, powerful little devil... Cheater is a smooth operator eating up every bump in the way, but can't be whipped around so quickly due to its length. Sorry, going into the details here is impossible.... I'd be writing for an hour. Carving is not carving... different terrain, different desired feel, different riding styles and ability levels. Hard to tell anyone what would be a good board for them without knowing how they ride and where they're at.
Thanks Lars, a nice technical review. I own a number of boards and really love my Yes Optimistic (157) - it has a similar camber profile, but a super tight turning radius (6.5m), which I absolutely love - tight, hard turns at medium speed. Turn initiation is amazing, the tight radius means it grips early and turns super confidently. I do miss the long EE of some of my other bigger boards (Jones Flagship 162W / Kessler The Ride), the EE on the Cheater is something else!! I've got plenty of boards with a turning radius of around 8.5, and I prefer the tighter 6-7m...... Maybe the Cheater's soft nose means it can cheat by bending&gripping into a turn faster than regular boards.Would you say the Cheater is really that much better for that initiating tight turns to make up for 2m of extra turning radius? I'd love your thoughts. Thanks for your channel :)
It's all relative... For a 170 the Cheater turns on a dime and engages turns very effortlessly. But it doesn't have the race car steering that some of those short camber boards with tight radii have. The limitations of those shorter designs are too high for making an actual carving board like the Cheater. Due to its deep sidecut, which is a result of the long EE on an 8.5m radius, the Cheater has a huge range of cleanly carved radii. That means that ultimately it can probably turn as tightly as your Optimistic - but at a much higher edge angle!! To get to that higher angle, it takes more effort and time. Hence, the board does not ride like those short whips.
If you appreciate smoothness and calm but precise turns, the Cheater is king. You sound like the opposite, though! :-) And I understand that, too!! Every design has its excitement to it.
Amazing and well reasoned response, thank you Lars! It gives me something to think about, and I now also found your excellent explanation about the subtleties of EE vs sidecut depth.... having said that, the short whips are what I love for now ;)
Hi from Australia! Lars, thank you so much for this channel - as a snowboarder of 24 years having to work a lot of the things you talk about myself it's nice to have some proper good info in your videos!
I've got a couple of questions I was hoping you could help me with. I've been riding a wide 160 korua fish tail for the past 5 years or so and love the board but have been finding its limits in terms of edge hold. I'm looking to get into something like a stranda for carving on steeper blue and black groomers. I normally ride with at about +27, +9. How does the cheater go on steep terrain? I'm slightly hesitant about the radius being a bit small. I think i need that video on side cut. I'm leaning towards the pipeliner but the cheater looks like it would be good at handling Australian variable snow conditions.... Would love to hear you compare the two boards and go into their limits for steep carving as well as handling variable snow.
I was also hoping you could give some info about where the stranda boards are made. I can't see it anywhere, I emailed stranda directly but haven't had a response.
Cheers!
Tom
Thanks, Tom!
Personally I find that Koruas are more difficult to carve in steeper terrain due to the stiff noses and the large amounts of taper. The noses require a lot of force to bend into a turn, so getting the board high on edge early in the turn can feel more difficult and makes timing even more crucial... The large amounts of taper prefer to finish turns more in the fall line rather than across the hill, so speed control is more difficult. It requires more work to bring those board across the hill without sliding out in the tail. I ride Koruas all the way set back for more tail pressure....
Stranda Cheater does steeps much better. The radius is not a concern. Pipeliner will be all new for next year with a 275mm waist width. That board is no joke.... I love riding it, but it's a handful! Cheater has a much broader range, because you can also ride it slow and in variable terrain.
Strandas come from GP87, a very highly regarded factory in China, under an American engineer. Most Gentemstick boards come from there and other small, exquisit brands like Cardiff. Great quality control, great materials!
Hope that helps!
Hi Lars another Australian here loving your channel.
Sorry to jump on the back of your question Tom but I had the same query about the Stranda Cheater. Lars are you able to elaborate on why the side cut radius of the Cheater is not a concern as it seems tight compared to some others carving boards which are 10m or more?
@@chrishall3522 No worries! This is all a bit personal preference. A larger radius - unless the board has a super deep sidecut (check my episode on that!) - will obviously make larger arcs and therewith be faster and more difficult to control in steep terrain. It depends on the carving you want to do. I love what I call 'surfstyle' carving - riding above the fall line, finishing every turn fully across the hill, max g-force, max speed control... For that the Cheater is a dream. If you're more after speed on edge, the Pipeliner or any 10m+ board might be better - at the cost of greater difficulties with controlling your speed through turn shape in the steeps.
Cheers for the reply Lars, definitely helpful. Yeah to get the korua to finish its turns I find I start my turns early facing up the hill to load the board up and set a high edge angle before getting into the turn/fall line. Just don't seem to be able get the grip i need to carve s turns on steep runs. Always thought it was the relatively quick 8.3m turn radius causing it to wash out at high edge angles and pressure from the extra speed and steep slope...
How do you find the cheater compared to the pipeliner on firmer/icy groomers?
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
@@TomJBHmusic you got it! You're doing it well, I guess. More taper, more wash.... Set the bindings back and see what happens.
IMO most Koruas are simply not designed for steeps. But that is really just me!!
Pipeliner is way more board. No sleeping on that one. It is superior to the Cheater when it's icy. May more camber. 10cm more edge... But you wanna be on your game!!
Umm. why does it look like that board is delaminating at the join point with the high edge wall? 😅
No delam here. Just marks from sidewall removal. Board is 100% fine. I know what you mean. Just looks weird here.
what about that same 275 waist but with size 12's? looking at the Biru I'm 6'3 200lb with mondo 30.2 feet.
Dang... probably too narrow! Depends on what you want. For laid out carves, no chance! As a good allmountain board, likely fine.
thanks!@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel
I was wanting to get the Biru 154, but I wear size 11 boots and want to carve and have the option of laying out at least sometimes. Would that require risers and or an extreme posi posi stance?
@@JohnSnow-md2lw hard to say. Depends on your boot and ability level. I think you will be fine.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel is there a riser and or binding angle that you would recommend for riding a Biru 154 with size 11 boots?
Great video really informative. Do you have a dedicated powder board? Is this your daily driver? Basically I’m asking what’s in your quiver 😅. So many questions so little time 😂
I’m based in the uk and want to buy a Stranda board but just don’t know what to get! I currently have a Jones Flagship which I love as it’s super dependable & is a great board for bc missions. However, I get a bit bored riding piste on it as you can just zoom about on it & it doesn’t really encourage you to play & turn on it! I can only afford to buy one Stranda board and want something different to what I have but not sure if I should go super specialist & buy a dedicated piste carver. Is the Cheater fun in powder? I’m torn between 3 boards, the Cheater (next level carving), the Makrill (carving & pow), the Bowl Rider (surfy all rounder). Any help would be greatly appreciated as i’m suffering from analysis paralysis 🤷🏻♂️
Generally, I would say go extreme. Especially carving is something you can do on any board (except the Banana Hammock 😉) and differences in snowboards are notable, but by any means not as dramatic as say in cars when comparing a Hummer to a Ferrari.
Cheater is great in pow. But if the terrain is tighter, you better have some body mass! In wide open terrain you can be a lighter guy as well, and it will still work fine.
Makrill is wild! Carving performance is crazy... but it is Japanese surfstyle carving with a speed and terrain limit. The Cheater can carve anywhere with confidence. Powder wise the Makrill is super quick turning and at home in the trees. Opening the throttle those short fish shapes can get squirly!
Bowlrider is a very good allrounder. But among the Stranda pow boards the Shorty is the best carver! It is less playful than the Bowlrider, though. I ride a Shorty over a Bowlrider!
Hope this helps... Key is: every Stranda holds an edge like a dream! Pick your poison! ;-)
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel I really appreciate the reply. Great info that’ll really help with my choice 👊🏼
Get yourself a party wave +
Hey, did you end up buying a Stranda? If so, which one? :-)
Awesome content. Have enjoyed all your videos. I’m really considering this board but worried it is too much for me. I’m new to snow boarding this year and can handle blue runs don’t enjoy fast speeds at this stage. I weigh 170 and have size 7 boot. My current board is 154 so I’m concerned this is too much to handle as I progress. What are your recommendations? Wait until I’m better or get one and learn with it now?
Great question.
If I knew how you ride already, I'd be able yo give better advice...
If you want to learn how to carve and hold an edge and draw a clean line into the sow, and you have wide, mellow groomers available, you can probably ride this board. The length will be manageable on a mellow, open groomer, and you'll feel very safe. The board is stiff and soft in the right places, and the name is how it rides: like cheating!
BUT: with a board this long there's not much to be done as a beginner in regards to doing sliding turns!! So it would require some commitment from your side and ideally a lesson in carving. Otherwise you might be a little overwhelmed for a while. Not sure how to answer this precisely...
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel I am very committed to learning to carve well and have been taking some lessons. I do have wide groomers available and mostly enjoys long green and blue runs. I can make basic carving turns but want to progress that much further. I also learned with typical instruction in the duck stance so now beginning to try more neutral and posi posi
I think this will ultimately be the board I want to graduate to. Not sure if I should go with another shorter one first like the Biru.
Thanks for the advice. I’ve learned a lot from you and Malcolm Moore.
@@DonTran001 sounds like you might as well try a Cheater and grow into it. It is a rather easy board to ride once a person can comfortably execute basic carving turns.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thanks for the encouragement. It’s down to this board or the Jones free carver 6000. Funny, I just saw you post a video about this exact board a little while ago. Have you had a chance to ride this Jones board? How does it compare?
@@DonTran001 they simply don't compare.... I could write an entire page about this.... The Cheater has an entirely different flex pattern, which is meant for carving. The Jones 6000 is so thin and soft in the middle and so rigid in the tips that personally I'd say they got that entirely wrong... I played around with it and actually couldn't believe what I saw and felt. It's not a carving board... And I'm on thin ice here as a Stranda ambassador. Jones make great snowboards, I'm not bad mouthing the company whatsoever! Rode them for almost ten years. But on this one, I don't even understand why it is the way it is, if it's really meant to carve well. I can only speak from demo event experience. I've heard multiple times "The Stranda Biru carves and turns so much nicer than the Freecarver" - and the Biru doesn't even carve as nicely as a Cheater... So that is all I can say. The torsionally soft flex of the Jones makes it way too easy to steer through the feet for something that is supposed to have strong edge grip. This, imo, is a classic move of a company that wants to crowd please and keep things 'easy to ride'. But carving is not 'easy to ride'. It's advanced snowboarding.
Have you tried any Soul or Korua boards?
Have tried Korua and heard of Soul. Curious to check those out. Korua is nice but not great for my steeper, narrower terrain. Noses are too stiff and too much taper IMO.
Hey Lars, love your channel and i've been extremecarving with laid-down linked turns on sofbtoot for about two years and can easily carve the steepest black slopes with C-turns so this allows only minimal to no overhang to really not boot out. i have boards with varying waist widhts between 260mm and 278mm, 260 is a bit narrow even vor my size 41 Burton Driver X boot, i need pretty steep angles like 47/27 on a 275 board i can ride 30/15 without significant boot out. Now i'm really looking at the cheater and just asking myself whether i should get the 170 Wide or the narrow one. as i am short, about 170cm my natural stance is about 49cm and i would pbbly ride the narrowest holes. Do you know what underfoot width the wide and normal cheater respectively have? i can not decide if i want the narrower easier on my achilles tendon one with steeper angles or the wider (maybe too wide for such a long board?) cheater - help! :D
Underfoot for your stance width is about 268 on the standard and 283 on the wide. Maybe 1mm less even…
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thank you so much for the quick response! still hard to decide... maybe i'll go for the shorty 164W as a quiver killer. Or do you think i would be better off with a cheater for proper carving? 1st world decisions ^^
Hi there,
You’ve really sold me on the board, the only problem is the wide version only goes up to 270mm waist width. I have a size 13 boot and Sean from donek recommended at least a waist of 290mm. Would this board be suitable for me? I want to get as low as you do in my carves
Sean is quite right. You could go 30cm waist, no problem. Of course this depends on riding level.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel I know I could ride 30cm, but there are no boards available on the market at that width apart from customs. So would the Stranda cheater not be a viable board for me?
@@xviigg as I said.... depends on riding ability! I can't answer that one, sorry.
At 10:12 on it appears that your sidewall is cracked and separating from the steel edge... not a good look!
Not the case.
It's the mark of sidewall removal, which on this one was difficult due to the very firm material used.
There's no cracking, and I'm still riding the board. I was actually gonna make another video about this particular one to express how insanely happy I am with the built quality of Stranda. Never had a delam, never even seen one. Even after high impacts with bent edges there would not be any opening between edge, sidewall or base.
You're not the only person who made this comment! I get it! I does look like it in the video.
my naked weight is 70 kg. shoe size is 8.5. which model do you recommend? 170 or 170 wide
Standard width!!!
is it possible to ride it all day at the resort? How does he behave around the hills in the afternoon? or is it only a groomer board?
@@НикитаОнберг For a bigger, heavier guy it can well be a daily driver. Not for my 5'9" and 138lbs....
Have you tried Nobile snowboards? E.g. Nobile N8? What do you think of those?
Have not tried, no.
Hey, I'm thinking to get a board to up my carve game next season. Currently in doubt between the Cheater and a Jones Freecarver 9000. This extremely valuable information and the fact that I learn fast is pushing me more towards the Cheater and getting something that lasts me the next 10 years without wasting my money on something in between. What's your thought on this?
I did a review comparison between the two. Check it out!!
Just ordered the cheater. Thoughts on the Makrill?
Makrill is so much more board than any 153 powder fish out there... It's super fun in powder, very much like surfing a short, wide fish shape... Super quick to maneuver off the tail, tons of float and hellish fast. This is not super unique for such a shape... But then on groomers it's a carving board... like... stable and calm when entering turns, then with a good snap out of the turns, and with an unbelievable amount of edge grip! The grip is nuts... It makes no sense! It's such a short effective edge, it simply shouldn't grip like that. I love the Makrill! Great vibration dampening, too. Stranda feel in a short fat powder fish shape! Winner!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel that’s good to hear because after talking to Mats I ordered the Makrill too! 🤣
Thanks Lars! I grew up on Big White snowboarding since 1986. Now live in Bend, OR riding Bachelor. Your knowledge and ability to communicate is truly impressive. Never met anyone in almost 40 years of riding with your comprehensive board literacy. Clearly a result of your love of the sport. Keep up the great work! My new favorite channel on TH-cam!
@@johann108 so great to hear that!! Thank you!!
Hi, I just found your channel and am watching all the videos! Very VERY interesting topics and amazing explanations. As well I am interested in buying a Stranda Snowboard and was on the urge to buy a Descender. As a 200cm tall, 135kg heavy rider with a mondo 31 boot, would the Cheater would be a good choice as well? The Cheater 170w compared to the Descender 166w? I ride mostly in Austria ressorts on and around groomers.
Thank you so much!
Cheater is better on groomers, for sure. Descender is extremely versatile and in particular the big 166W carves amazingly well for not actually being a carving board... It is a bit up to you and your purpose. Cheater in pow is great but needs some space. Descender is easier to turn in tighter off piste terrain and floats a bit better in powder.
Hard to go wrong with Stranda... Ride and built quality is insane!
Hey, did you end up buying a Stranda?
I want to try that board. I don’t get to ride nice groomers conditions that much but I’m very curious of how I would manage it. I’m 155, 5’9“ with 9US booth size, would you go 170 wide like yours?
Definitely go with the standard width, not the wide!! 260 waist for a size 9 foot is perfect! It's a great ride. Give it a go! Have fun!
are you in the US by chance? I'm trying to sell the regular verison as I have the Wide too.
@@saltycoke in Canada / Toronto
Just found your channel, and I’m loving the content! I’m interested in getting a Cheater to up my carving game, but not sure about size. I’m 5’10”, 175lbs, US10 boots. 260 seems maybe too narrow, and 275 maybe too wide. What do you think?
I hear ya!
I'm a US10 in my Ride Insanos, and I ride the wide. It's plenty wide and leaves me with no limits, which is pretty epic at times. But this depends on ability level. If you don't need the ultimate freedom for riding high edge angles, then the 260 waist will be fine.
Hey, just a question, did you end up buying that board? And was that because of my content, or how did you find the Cheater? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!
Not yet, but I am still very interested in the board based on your review. I did find out about it from your videos. I'm still on the fence about size. 260 is too narrow for how I want to use it. I want to be able to really lay it on edge. I'm just concerned both the length and width of the 170W may be too much. I'd consider myself an advanced rider, but I am slowing down a little as I get older. Do you ever feel like the 170W is too wide for you?
@@holmespun since I purely carve on the board, the width is perfect. For sliding around it would be too much board overall.....
Have you tried a Donek snowboard? Wondering how this compares to the Knapton twin?
There's this thing about the Knapton twin.... It's Ryan! He's amazing! His very own Knapton twin also has an 18m radius, which is a different board all together than what you buy from Donek. I'm sure they'd make you one, though.
Personally I think that if you're not trying to aim for Ryan's level of performance in regards to combining freestyle with carving, don't buy a twin! There's no benefit for just carving in a twin. The Cheater has nothing to do with Ryan's riding style whatsoever. The Cheater is a race board inspired directional surfstyle carving board. Ryan would hate it for the riding that made him famous. He might love it for the riding I do. :-) Directional flex alone is such a game changer for a directionally ridden board.
I'd love to try a Donek at some point! Sean Martin is a wizard. I would not pick the Knapton Twin, however.
Donek boards are amazing. I own a knapton twin and aloha. The knapton is a very serious board and you really have to put a lot into it to ride it proper but when you do it’s insane. At least at specs I have. Mine is an 11m radius with a 30cm waist. But it’s a bit much for me at my current size.
I love my aloha and always gravitate towards it but wanted to downsize a bit and upgrade some things so I just placed an order for a new 157 with a 29cm waist, 7-10m progressive radius, new “secret construction” core, race base, and a custom shovel nose design. So stoked for it.
@@dlabmobiledetailing I believe it!! I'm serious when I say I'd love to try one eventually. They sure know what they're doing. 11m radius is perfect!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-ChannelYeah, it is defenitely remarkable how Ryan can ride that way on such a humonguous plank and speaks so much more for his riding than the board.
When looking at the Japanese carving guys, one notices they do very similar stuff with alr kinds of boards.
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel well if we ever run into each other you’re more than welcome to try mine out. As long as I can try the cheater ;) that board looks amazing.
I plan on heading to Fernie for the banked slalom later this season.
That board looks sweet! What are your thoughts on the Biru? Thanks!
Biru is awesome, but rides entirely differently to the Cheater. It carves insanely well, but clearly in a much tighter radius, so there's a speed limit in that regard. But therefore it's a Swiss Army Knife! It's so versatile!! It's also a lot of board. In short/fat party board world the Biru is clearly one of the more advanced rides.
I agree…it’s a LOT of board. I’m about the same size as Lars. I bought the 154 & really wish Stranda made a 151.
@@richardsnider3807 we'll get there... ;-)
I will buy one!!!
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel does it mean that shorter biru is already work in progress? I am also looking at Biru 154, but I am also a bit concerned that maybe it is too much for my weight, I am maybe tiny bit heavier, 156lbs, but I really like the versatility of Biru. At the moment I have Dancehaul 152, which is also short/fat party board, but I wish it would hold edge better. OTOH shorter board has also shorter EE, which will also affect the edge hold.
Mats should trademark the ‘Gaussian camber profile’ for the Cheater 🤓
Like for the excellent thumbnail work you have been doing lol
Hahahahahahahaha.... I literally had a conversation this morning where I emphasized how much I HATE my thumbnails and how I have to get so much better at that. Maybe I don't! Hahaha...
Did Jones copy a bunch of ideas into their FreeCarver?
Not sure what you mean?!
The Freecarver 6000 is the only one I've seen and felt in person so far, and it is quite the opposite of a Cheater - other than squeezing a lot of effective edge into a certain length, which is simply one of the many known ways of designing a carving board. Freecarver 6000 has a super tight radius, Cheater is much more normal. Freecarver 6000 is torsionally soft with relatively stiff tips, which i.m.o. makes a board ride easier, but kills edge grip. So that recipe on a carver seems strange to me, but I might just be missing something there...
There's nothing new out there anymore. It's all been done :-) Everybody is copying, if that is how you'd want to call it. Some combinations of ideas work better than others... ;-)
@@Justaride-Snowboard-Channel thanks for such a detailed reply. I guess I got a FreeCarver 9000 this year and saw very similar shapes... even from the old Hovercraft, too.
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FIRST!
Epic!!
Hello Lars. I could use your input. I am 6’3”, 300 lbs., with size 13 US boot. I realize I am pushing well beyond the rider weight specs of really any board, but would like to know what length in the Stranda Cheater ….or any other board you’d recommend. I have been snowbaording for well over 30 years at what I’d say is an intermediate level. I try my best to carve my LibTech T.Rice Pro 161W as best I can. But, would like to get a carve specific board.
I hear ya… Stranda Cheater 170W would be a massive upgrade for riding groomers in every possible way. But you could also go with an even wider board. Depends on your ability level. Cheater is 275mm waist. It would help you out quite a bit over the t rice. Obviously also an entirely different board all together…
Hey, just a question, did you end up buying that board? And was that because of my content, or how did you find the Cheater? Would be interesting to know. Thank you!