Best Lib Tech Snowboards: Reviews by OutdoorEquipment.com
Read OutdoorEquipment.com’s Lib Tech snowboard reviews & learn why their Banana Technology snowboards rock! Reviews include Snow Mullet, Dark Series & more!
If you’re looking for a winter sports company that thinks well outside the box, consider Lib Tech. Put simply: their snowboards are designed to revolutionize snowboarding.
Unlike other snowboard companies who simply piggy-back off each other’s innovations, Lib Tech carves its own way through the industry crud. The conceptions of Magne-Traction and Banana Technology have brought Lib Tech well into the spotlight for their creative solutions to age-old snowboarding issues.
But can their snowboards even compare to big names like K2 and Burton snowboards? You bet they do.
Lib Tech has won so many awards for their sticks that it would require a whole separate article to list them all. But here are a few to give you an idea:
- 2009 Best of Test — Snowboarder Magazine
- 2009 Good Wood Test — Transworld Snowboarding
- 2009 Women’s Good Wood Test — Transworld Snowboarding
- Tested Best, Men’s Over $600 — Future Snowboard Magazine
- 2007 Innovation of the Year — Snowpress Innovation Awards (SIA)
And even better than that: real riders love to use them
Best Lib tech Snowboards: Reviews of the Bestselling Models
Like Arbor snowboards, Lib Tech takes great pride in making environmentally sound products. Way back in 1986, the company made great strides in green manufacturing by replacing ABS plastic, which is toxic, with polyethylene, which is recyclable.
And it hasn’t stopped there. They’ve created sustainable polymer top sheets for their boards, bamboo cores, basalt fiber instead of fiberglass, and water-based graphics for the designs. Even the factory’s heating system is run on canola-based bio-diesel.
This is a company that has stayed on the edge of progress, not just with its eco-friendly message but also with the design of their wares.
Lib Tech’s patented Banana Technologies solves the problem of weight distribution and contact points with snowboards. Instead of an up-curve between your boots, these designs have a down curve, giving you a perfect point of balance at the center of the board. This helps you glide over powder, build speed, and provides added agility, control, and confidence.
To give you a better idea of what you can look forward to if you decide to go with Lib Tech snowboards for your next purchase, here’s a peek at three of the bestselling models in the lineup:
- Snow Mullet BTX Banana Rocker Snowboard
- Dark Series C2BTX Banana Rocker Snowboard
- Lib Ripper Skate Banana BTX Banana Rocker Youth Snowboard
Each of these boards has it ups (great all-mountain boards) and its downs (price and top sheet vulnerability), but they are all worth looking into.
Lib Tech Snow Mullet BTX Banana Rocker Snowboard Review
The Snow Mullet is an all-mountain snowboard that’s especially wicked on the powder. With the Banana Technology, you’ll have total control of this board when you’re cruising along the top of the deep stuff.
Crave pop? The Snow Mullet has plenty of it–the Morning Wood core is stiffened at the tip and tail for great stability on big landings.
The shape of this board is Directional Progressive, which makes it perfect for floating through powder
Some other great features of the Snow Mullet BTX Banana Rocker include:
- ReCURVE Magne-traction camber/rocker combo
- Bio-Plastic top sheet
- UHMW sidewalls
- And TNT Fluoropolymer Speed base.
On the other side of the coin, there are a few things that aren’t necessarily so great about this model. For one, the top sheet gets damaged easily. Don’t expect to keep it free from dings forever, or even for more than a day.
Another thing: the Snow Mullet can be a bit tricky to make tight turns with, especially with the longer models.
Learn more about the Snow Mullet
Lib Tech Dark Series C2BTX Banana Rocker Snowboard Review
With the famous Banana Technology rocker between your feet and cambers at the tips and tail, the Dark Series C2BTX is perfect for all-terrain riding. And this isn’t the kind of board you need to be gentle with, either–you can absolutely tear up the mountainside.
If you’re an aggressive snowboarder who likes to touch on all parts of the resort–from backcountry to groomers, from park to powder–then you need a board that can handle a variety of different terrains. The Dark Series is made for just that purpose.
The core is Columbian Gold Wood and provides a stable, tough ride on a super lightweight board. This makes it just as good in the trees as it does on the half-pipe.
The Direction Twin shape helps you move through powder and cruise through crud with its longer nose and twin chassis.
Is there anything wrong with the Lib Tech Dark Series C2BTX snowboard? Only the price tag. At $600, the Dark Series isn’t an inexpensive snowboard.
Is it worth the price? Yes, but you may find a board better suited to your needs from another company that’s cheaper… Like the K2 Believer or any number of Arbor snowboards.
Learn more about the Lib Tech Dark Series C2BTX
Lib Tech Lib Ripper Skate Banana BTX Banana Rocker Youth Snowboard Review
Whoa. That’s a mouthfull.
If you want your kids to learn to snowboard all over the mountain, not just in the park or on the groomed stuff, then check out the Lib Ripper Skate Banana youth snowboard.
With the famous Banana Technology rocker and camber and the Magne-traction design, your kid won’t have any problems floating across deep powder or smashing through the crud.
Every new boarder needs a decent snowboard to learn on–something they can grow on that offers more than just the most elementary of lessons. The Lib Ripper Skate Banana will teach your kids, but it will also grow with them.
This isn’t a snowboard you’ll have to replace in a year because your child has outgrown it. This model will, instead, work for your child long after he or she has moved past the greens and easy blues.
Learn more about the Lib Ripper Skate Banana
Lib Tech Snowboards: Summary
Some people believe that Lib Tech snowboards are far more expensive than they have any right to be, and while there may be a shred of truth to that statement, those people have probably never had the pleasure of riding Banana Technology-infused snowboards.
It really does make a difference–especially if you’re a backcountry boarder. These are some really great, if a bit pricey, snowboard that will treat you right all over the mountain.
Lib Technologies, or Lib Tech, is a revolutionary snowboard manufacturer whose parents are Mervin Manufacturing and Quiksilver. It was in 1977 when Mike Olson constructed his very first snowboard, and less than a decade later, he was doing it full-time.
There may be no more humble beginnings for a snowboard company than with Lib Tech–the original factory of was an old racehorse barn. Olson paid for the rent for his new headquarters by mowing the lawns, unclogging the gutters, and doing menial household chores for the barn’s owner.
But Lib Tech has overcome the hardships of its youth to become a modern superpower in the world of snowboard equipment.
| Store | Inventory | Price Range |
Backcountry.com |
$339.95 – $659.95 |
Tactics |
Tons! | $339.95 – $969.95 |
Moosejaw.com |
Tons! | $339.95 – $697.00 |
EVO.com |
$339.95 – $2499.95 |
DogFunk.com |
$339.95 – $969.96 |
Pro Board Shop |
Tons! | $459.95 – $697.00 |
The-House.com |
Tons! | $329.00 – $697.00 |
Tightboards.com |
Tons! | $339.95 – $697.00 |
Skis.com |
$460.00 – $696.95 |
Ride on back from Lib Tech Snowboards to Outdoor Equipment.com
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