Snowboard Review: 09-10 Rome Agent

Location: Loveland, CO

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy conditions on the mountain.

Setup: I rode the Rome Agent with Union Force bindings and Bonfire Geo boots.

Size: 154cm.

First Impression: The agent is a classic and while I couldn’t ride the 1985 version it was good to get back on a classic ride.

Weight: Average

Flex: The agent isn’t a noodle by any means and longitudinally it’s a tad stiffer than it is torsionally, the torsional flex really allows you to get quick response and maneuverability from it on the mountain.  Rome added reverse-V carbon stringers in the tail to give you more pop and that makes it a tad stiffer.  I tried to press both the nose and tail, found the nose easier to press and butter with.

Turning: It was easy to ininiate turns on the agent (the bevel helped with not catching edges) and once on edge, it held each turn with no problem.  I was able to ride longer S turns with easy stability down the mountain and if I needed quick response from shorter turns, no problem there either.  It carved the icy spots on the mountain without slipping out and I felt really comfortable on it, very predictable ride.

Stable: Getting back on camber means more stability and for a park/all around board like the agent is was an easy ride all over the mountain because it can handle it.  At higher speeds it didn’t feel chattery and in some chop, cut through just fine.

Pop: The agent has never had any problems with pop, consistenly a poppy board and the added V stringers this year give it some good pop from the tail of the board, super easy to snap.  I found the lighter swing weight easy to bonk trees with and off the rollers there was no worrying about where to land on the board, it handled everything.

Switch: The agent is an almost twin board with a longer nose than tail so there was some adjustment in how it rode switch but not much and as a park board it handled fine switch riding.

Overall Impression: The agent is a classic snowboard, it’s popularity stems from it’s ability to ride everything and do-it-all board that keeps you happy.  The cambered version gives you the known stability it’s good for and without worrying about different tech, it’s a predictable enjoyable ride down the mountain.

Shay’s Honesty Box: I only rode two cambered boards at the demos and the agent was the park cambered board, which was fun to go back to and see how it does for a rider like me that’s progressing in the park.   I definitely want to try the Agent 1985 to see if they made it better but the current classic agent is still great as is.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the 2011 version of the Rome Agent or shop their full line of Rome snowboards

On Snow Photo

[singlepic id=7457 w=400 h=300 float=]

Rome Agent description

Review Disclosure: I rode this board at a demo day.