Location: Mammoth, CA
Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy groomers.
Setup: I rode the Emerge Punked Out with Union Team bindings and Vans Veil Boots size 8.
Size: 155cm.
First Impression: I first got it out and the first test is always skating to a stop which this board did not want to do, it was hard to get the toe or heel edge to engage into a easy turn. Once strapped in and adjusted to it, it felt a bit better but still not easy.
Weight: Average
Flex: I thought the punked out was on the stiffer end for a women’s board but that made the all-mountain portion a lot more stable and it was still capable of riding in the park on the jumps. Stiffer torsionally with a tad softer longitudinal flex, still capable of pressing but the flat profile made it less playful. The Punked Out says rocker but it’s really a flat profile when laid down on a flat surface with the contact points lifted up just enough.
Turning: Getting the board to engage into a turn took more effort and there was a slow point where it was noticeably slower but once into turns it felt comfortable and gripped the snow on long radius turns. Shorter turns because of the engagement weren’t as comfortable for me.
Stable: This was the highlight of the board was that it was stable when hauling down the mountain and it gripped the icy conditions with the flat profile and stiffer flex. It absorbed rougher terrain just fine. For speed, no problem.
Pop: The punked out was fine with pop on the jumps but again the shorter turns made it a bit harder to maneuver so didn’t feel as comfortable all around.
Switch: Rode the same switch as it did regular.
Overall Impression: The punked out is the women’s all mountain board for a mix of all mountain to park riding. Definitely on the stiffer side and handles the longer radius turns a lot better.
Shay’s Honesty Box: It took some adjustment to how the turn initation was, it wasn’t as easy to engage and it took a while to adjust to how it turned. Definitely a slower board to maneuver and something with the effective edge and sidecut that needed playing with. Once turning, it was good in handling. I think it’s a good start but requires some work.
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On Snow Photo
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Riding photo
Emerge Punked Out description (click on it to pull it up)
Review Disclosure: I borrowed this snowboard from Emerge and shipped it back to them.