Location: Loveland, CO
Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy conditions on the mountain.
Setup: I rode the K2 Slayblade with K2 Auto Agogo bindings and Bonfire Geo boots.
Size: 156cm.
First Impression: The eco pop won me over, lets see if I feel the same about the men’s model for flatline technology.
Weight: Lighter than average
Flex: Overall it’s on the stiffer end of the spectrum, light stiffer freeride board meant to charge. The nose and tail are stiffer in flex and I found it to be a bit torsionally stiffer than I was expecting which made it a bit slower edge to edge but really stable once on edge it charged the mountain. The K2 Slayblade has flatline technology which is zero camber, flat board which delivers stability and versatility. It’s a good medium between camber and rocker.
Turning: Longer drawn out S turns were the best on this board, it really held a carve throughout the entire turn. Shorter turns I found it a bit more difficult for me from the torsional stiffness to get the quick response out of. I really like K2’s hyper progressive sidecut because it’s easy to get into and out of turns but when you are in the carve, you can really hold it and rally it through.
Stable: One feature of flatline technology is the stability it brings to the table and no adjustability to how it handles the mountain. You can ride it through choppy conditions and it holds an edge, you can charge with it and it absorbs any vibrations with the harshmellow technology. The slayblade was everything for stability on the mountain.
Pop: This board charged so I didn’t play with the pop other than a ollie off a roller which felt fine, not extremely poppy but not dead in the air either. Despite the stiffer flex it’s pressable but requires a bit more effort (definitely my extra weight helped).
Switch: The slayblade is a setback twin, 3/4 setback and when I did maneuver into switch riding I didn’t notice it being an issue with the setback.
Overall Impression: Hands down the Slayblade is one of the more stable charging boards, derived from the Zeppelin K2 has made this board better and faster with their flatline technology and the best is there’s minimal adjustment to flatline since you can ride it like camber.
Shay’s Honesty Box: I’ve only ridden the flatline boards on really hardpacked groomer days and I really want to try them on powder days to see how the flatline holds up in those conditions. The slayblade was a charging board, really excelled at that. I could see myself riding the women’s flatline version eco pop all the time and they both excelled at handling the mountain for speed.
Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the K2 Slayblade or shop their full line of K2 snowboards
On Snow Photo
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K2 Slayblade description
Review Disclosure: I rode this board at a demo day.
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January 19, 2010 at 1:40 pm[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by shayboarder and shredunion.com, Girls Learn To Ride. Girls Learn To Ride said: Snowboard Review: 09-10 K2 Slayblade: Location: Loveland, CO Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy conditions on the … http://bit.ly/8dkItW […]
JP
January 19, 2010 at 3:24 pmThe review I have been waiting for! I rode this at a demo earlier this year and could not believe how quick it got on edge with that sidecut. I am definitely hoping to pick up this board later this season to replace my 163 Nitro Shogun and to complement my Never Summer Evo-R. For a more freeride board I think this is a great compromise between camber and rocker that will perform well in all conditions. I really want to see it in the trees as well because of how quick I was able to make it turn. Maybe I got more torsional flex cause of my big ass feet.
Anyone have more input on pop and how it rides in pow?
David Z
January 19, 2010 at 7:30 pmwhen I was a kid I always had K2 skis, my first snowboard was a K2 back in like 1995. I’ve heard great things about the Slayblade, thanks for the review!
Shay
January 19, 2010 at 8:56 pmJP, great to hear your input on it! The reps mentioned that the torsional flex could have been from my boot size not being enough for the board but I’ve ridden men’s boards in the ww maybe just on flatline technology you really need to match it better cause the eco was super easy to flex torsionally.
Andrey
January 20, 2010 at 12:20 amI’m surprised you found Slayblade a stiffer board, I handflexed it and it seemed something like midflex or softer, definitely softer than the Parkstar. K2 flexmeter really makes me confused – it says that Parkstar is softer than the Believer and Slayblade, but to me it feels stiffest of the three. Would love to read your take on the Parkstar and Believer.
Aaron
January 20, 2010 at 3:07 pmThanks for this review! I’m hoping to get on one of these this season. Looking for next season’s charger board (to replace a well-loved T6) and this is on the list of candidates. Do you think the flat camber is part of what makes it slow edge to edge (no camber to pop you out of a turn)?
Shay
January 20, 2010 at 3:29 pmAudrey, I’ll definitely try to ride the Parkstar and Believer to compare. Slayblade didn’t surprise me since the Zeppelin was a charing board so I knew it would be on the stiffer side when I rode it. Handflexing can be deceiving as well.
Aaron, Nice! Actually when I rode the eco pop it was really quick edge to edge, so I think it’s making sure the ww is better matched up to your boot. Could just be my experience with it.
Mark
September 4, 2010 at 4:34 pmShay, thanks! Great read… I’m really struggling right now on a new board. I’ve been on a Ride Mountain 168 for 10 years. I was going to get a Ride Yukon last year, but ended up holding off, and of course they stopped making them. I’m 6’0″ and used to weight 225. I’m down to 190 now, and my board (being 10 years older now) is just too big and too much effort for me now as I push 40 going edge to edge. I was looking at the Highlife, and also the Slayblade. I really push it hard, and rarely see anyone on the mountain that is faster than me, so I need something that really carves and holds and edge well. On the flip side my kids are now skiing and love the trees, as I do so I need something I can get around with really easily. I definitely have the feet size for a wide board, but not all the weight anymore. I was considering dropping down to a 163 so I can throw it around, but don’t want to loose the stability at the high speeds. The slayblade sounds like a great board for me. What are your thoughts or have you heard others on theirs in how it compared to the Highlife? Thanks!!!!
Shay
September 7, 2010 at 8:57 amMark, awesome on the new board and definitely time. Your 168 is huge unless you are riding powder consistently. Definitely a smaller size would help with edge to edge response and the boards now are lighter than 10 years ago. I can only speak on the slayblade since I haven’t taken out the highlife yet, the slayblade definitely could handle the speed and charging for groomers but not sure on trees. Both of the boards offer wide models so depending on your boot size you have options for sure. Are you able to demo any of the boards before you purchase? Where do you ride?
Andy
November 20, 2010 at 1:17 pmGood review, like a few people here I’m looking to buy a new board. I’ve currently got an Arbor A-frame 170 and an Option Kevin Sausalone 158.5. I weigh in at about 78 kg’s (sorry don’t know what this is in good old ‘christian’ units) and I’m about 6.1. I’ve narrowed the potential new boards down to a Rome Anthem or a K2 Slayblade and was thinking about going for either a 161 or 163 (they would replace the Option). In terms of riding, I don’t tend to go into the parks, and try to get away from the pistes as often as I can. Any advice??