Snowboard Review: 09-10 Stepchild Chi Borg

Location: Whistler, BC

Snow Conditions: Bluebird with hardpacked icy conditions to softer groomers.

Setup: I rode the Stepchild Chi Borg with Union Trilogy’s and my Rome Vamps size 8.

First Impression: I shouldn’t have waited to ride a stepchild for this long…not bad, not bad at all.

Size: 158cm

Weight: average

Flex: Consistent flex throughout the board that was a pretty easy mellow flex pattern. It wasn’t a noodle nor was it stiff, just a very good mid-flex that could ride any part of the mountain. Pressing or doing butters on the nose and tail was easy to flex and hold without catching an edge. Torsional flex had some give to it, if I need a quick response from it it was capable of quick turns, stops and sprays.

Turning: This is where it surprised me and by my expectations, I wasn’t expecting it to hold S turns very well but it was a really smooth stable ride on the long radius turns. It was easy to initiate into turns and on edge, it held a turn from start to finish. So far when I’ve ridden the reverse cambers with 6mm of rocker, it’s enough to have freestyle fun but still a very consistent turning board once on edge.

Stable: It was hard to judge because it was a groomer perfection day but I did find some ungroomed cruddy snow to take it through and it handled the vibrations without feeling bounced around. It handled cutting through and holding an edge through the cruddy/choppy snow. I didn’t have any problems with it handling speed and quick to stop.

Pop: I didn’t have any problems with popping off the tail to get a couple ollies when riding it but I didn’t take it on any features and just played around with tail and nose butters.

Switch: Despite the chi borg being a true twin, I thought the switch riding felt a little weird and off for some reason when I did ride switch with it. There certainly wasn’t a catching or problem maneuvering to switch riding which is the reverse camber coming into play.

Overall Impression: The rocker on the stepchild is 6mm for all three of the sizes, making it easier to press the nail and tail without sacrificing good edge and stability. This is the board that could handle park to powder with the reverse camber/rocker and is the step up from the jib stick for getting out of the park. It was my first time with a Stepchild board and I was impressed, good overall board.

Shay’s Honesty Box: You definitely want to size down with this board, I rode the 158 and I would have preferred the smaller 155 for the Whistler riding. I just wish for all mountain riding, it didn’t have extruded base on it…I can see it doing a lot better without extruded but it’ll keep the cost under $400 so that’s good. I can see this being a good board because it won’t be a major adjustment from regular camber into the reverse camber/rocker arena. I can see this board in powder still having good float and rideable when the powder is tracked out.

*This Review was done in April 2009, please be aware that products may change.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the 2011 version of the Stepchild Chi Borg or shop their full line of StepChild snowboards