The Surfari - ACE OF ACT 2019
PLAYFUL, THEN SERIOUS.
This fish is as fun as ever, but now it’s a better, more balanced snowboard than last year because of increased on-edge performance. It's familiar yet easier to ride.
Part of Amplid’s Centrifugal Collection, the Surfari is based on a tapered fish shape (pintail). It’s hard not to be seduced by its powder riding qualities, thanks to its beautiful nose which acts like the bow of a boat, but also by its very effective grip. Previously, its flex was a little unbalanced and it needed to gain a little fluidity to be one of the best in its category. This is done, Amplid has perfectly rectified this short-coming, and the Surfari is much more balanced, more enjoyable, very accomplished. This general homogeneity makes riding the Surfari easy, now you can take full advantage of its qualities whatever the snow conditions. It’s distinguished from other boards in this segment by a real performance on the edge and its preference for riding fast, while retaining a playful feel and true pow surfing capabilities.
The Stereo - ACE OF ACT 2019
MODERN AND CONSENSUAL.
The efficiency of the Stereo’s nose ranks it among the best freestyle boards out there. A complete offering, its versatile and fluid behaviour makes it an important board in the Amplid range.
In the same vein as last year, the Stereo is one of the best Vs the competition in the freestyle market and fully deserves its Ace, awarded by the panel for its qualities, combining precision and liveliness. Underfoot it offers real freestyle agility and excellent rebound. It is nimble in the air and has very playful soul, but is always balanced. Its tips are simultaneously fun, effective and precise, delivering the necessary support in all turn types. It’s a versatile ride capable of a good grip and varied turn shapes, it reacts short turns and handles speed. It’s an energetic and fast freestyle board, which remains fluid and well-mannered in all terrain, creating new sensations and broadening your horizons.
The Creamer
SERENE AS THE MOUNTAINS.
This is a stable freeride board with broad appeal. We appreciated its natural and versatile character. The Creamer differs from its comrades in Amplid’s range because of its more traditional freeride approach. It is a board that finds its essence in solidness, but a comfortable solidity that’s totally mastered, helping to make it accessible. Its load-bearing nose remains soft in transitions, its progressive edge grip provides confidence and fluidity, and turns can be slid enabling increased control. Its stiffness lies mainly at the centre, which also explains its accessibility. You can depend on the Creamer’s long effective edge and its general firmness to deliver power. The board is responsive to rider-input and will convince good freeriders to push their riding into more difficult terrain.
The Pentaquark
WHO'S THE BOSS?
Designed for hard-snow on-edge performance, the Pentaquark also delivers a damp and forgiving ride on more freeride orientated terrain. Performance and pleasure go hand in hand.
The flagship of the Centrifugal Collection, a capsule collection launched last year by Amplid, the Pentaquark is a pure carving board. It should be ridden like a boardercross board, that is to say, it works best when pressure is applied to the edge by both feet. It transitions nicely from skidded turns to corduroy-cutting-carves, allowing great control. Its formidable carving efficiency is skilfully complemented by versatility. In particular, it pivots rather well on the flat. On rough terrain, even off-piste, we appreciated its damping, which is quite surprising for this type of board. It is an ideal choice for those riders looking for a board whose main characteristic is solid and efficient carving, but which also works freeriding. It’s an interesting concept, because there are so few boards like it on the market.
The Aloha Vibes
NEW STYLE.
Larger than most freeride boards, with its 28 cm waist, this fish allows deep and engaging carves while remaining playful in powder. A newcomer to the Amplid line, the Aloha Vibes honours the audacious “Future Shapes” mini-series which it shares with the Dada. Featuring a pintail geometry, a swallow tail and a nose with plenty of surface area, it has all the hallmarks of a modern powder board. It excels in the powder, but it differs from the competition by another aspect: you’ll find more power and edge-hold than on a good many of its counterparts. It has a nicely balanced and supportive feel. This powdery player’s shape has serious presence but grips on piste. With just a little commitment, it’s possible to do some extreme carving, especially as its width allows for maximum edging-angle without toe or heel drag; it requires technique, but it’s fun! What makes this novelty particularly successful and interesting, is that it isn’t another playful fish, it’s a reliable and racy freeride board with a cherry on the top when there’s a good touch of snow.
The UNW8
HIGH PRECISION.
The nervousness of carbon encourages quick handling and precise carving. For those riders who have the honour of riding it, the UNW8 favours performance over the comfort of the Paradigma. Inspired by Paradigma, it’s an enhanced version, incorporating more carbon. The board offers a lot of stability, support and security. Turns are precise and varied with an edge that bites and cuts when pushed a little bit. Nervous and aggressive, but not intolerant, it reacts proportionally to the strength of rider inputs. Sometimes, because of its flexibility it feels like a freestyle board, offering superior agility to other all-mountain boards of this calibre. A level above the Paradigma, offering a more reactive ride for the most demanding riders.
The Paradigma - ACE OF ACT 2019
PATRIACH.
This versatile board is among the most complete in its category, both turning and for freestyle riding, and differs from the competition because of its all-terrain capabilities. The reference board from Amplid!
Faithful to itself, the Paradigma continues to prance at the top of the all-mountain freestyle trend, with a complete personality and clear positioning. Its consistency and its eager character are real assets in all snow types; it works well everywhere. It’s an effective turner and holds a strong edge, with easy, intuitive steering. The long effective edge provides a lot of stability, but there’s little need for vigilance. It’s precise, fast from edge-to-edge and lightweight for a board of this type. It ollies nicely. Performant, without being demanding, it is a good board for riding everything for a broad public.
