Location: Whistler, BC
Snow Conditions: Bluebird with hardpacked ice in the morning and slush in the afternoon. The Prior AMF was the 4th board of the day so the conditions were a lot softer, choppier and slushier.
Setup: I rode the Prior AMF Rocker with Union Forces and Rome Vamp boots size 8.
First Impression: It may be rocker but it rides like a camber board
Size: 156cm
Weight: heavier than average
Flex: I wish I had downsized on the AMF rocker, the stiffness of the board made it a more aggressive ride. Longitudinally it was stiffer and despite having rocker on the nose and tail, I didn’t find that to make it easier for press because of the stiffer flex. Torsionally there was some give to it but it was still relatively stiff for a freestyle board, definitely the more backcountry freestyle board to ride. The Hybrid rocker that the AMF has is a rockered tip and tail with a flatter camber between the bindings, making it ride like a cambered board with some added perks of staying afloat in powder easier.
Turning: This is where I had to be on my game and be more of the rider in charge on the AMF rocker. It wasn’t as easy to initiate turns as most rocker boards are and I found myself really needing to ride the board into carves, controlling it more than I would have liked. Once on edge, it was smooth and held a turn throughout the arc.
Stable: It was like being on the Titanic but never worrying about ice. The board was fast, stable and charged better than many freestyle boards, largely in part from the stiffer flex and less noticeable rocker. When riding through some really cruddy, choppy, slush/ice mixes the board did not disappoint.
Pop: While I didn’t find it as fun in terms of pressing or butters, the pop on the AMF rocker was all fun. It was easy to pop off the tail of the board and it handled landings fine off the rollers.
Switch: The AMF rocker is a twin shape but directional flex. I didn’t take it into more than a couple turns switch riding, so wasn’t able to get a good feel for it switch.
Overall Impression: I certainly wouldn’t expect Prior snowboards to put out a snowboard that wasn’t solid for charging the mountain and the AMF rocker was exactly that, very stable for bombing, not as forgiving and it didn’t ride like a typical rocker, reminded me of camber boards when it came to turning and carving. It’s a board meant for an aggressive rider who will ride it hard or the board would ride you.
Shay’s Honesty Box: This is exactly why demo’ing board is best to see what each person likes, I took out the Prior AMF and was so-so on it but my friend Marc took out the Prior AMF, reviewed it and loved it (said he would buy it). For me, it just wasn’t my style of board. The cool thing with Prior is you have your choice of graphics when it comes to the AMF rocker.
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