Location: Winter Park, CO
Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to softpacked to icy groomers.
Setup: I rode the Lib Tech Box Scratcher with Roxy Rock-it power bindings and Vans Veil Boots size 8.
Size: 151cm.
First Impression: This is the only smaller size board I’d want to ride all the time.
Weight: Average
Flex: The box scratcher has a softer nose and tail making it extremely fun to butter and press on the mountain with or float in the powder with. The stiffer flex is between the feet and under the feet giving you good edgehold and stability on the slopes. It’s an easy board to ride, not very difficult with the BTX on the board and makes it adaptable for park to powder. The box scratcher features BTX which is banana rocker between the inserts, flat from inserts out to contact points and features magne traction for edgehold.
Turning: Relatively easy board to ride, engages the edge and the BTX makes it a bit more forgiving on the turns. Once on edge it held a turn and the MTX definitely gripped the snow. I rode the box scratcher first thing in the morning on some more hardpacked conditions and had no problem carving up with the smaller size board. Slower edge to edge for me but easy to initiate turns. Both long and short radius turns were good but I liked the quicker shorter radius turns better.
Stable: Surprisingly for a smaller board, the box scratcher does good on stability. The stiffer flex in between the feet gives it good handing on the cruisers and you don’t feel it flop around like a smaller size normally would. It’s not a stable beast but it can handle the mountain better than expected.
Pop: Good playful pop on the box scratcher and easy to press and butter with the BTX.
Switch: The box scratcher is a true twin and rides like a true twin. Easy to ride switch with no adjustments.
Overall Impression: The box scratcher is the smaller size board for the rider wanting powder to park on a smaller deck. Burtner’s riding is always fun and innovative and he brings that into this board, it handles on the groomers, super playful but can take a powder day too.
Shay’s Honesty Box: The first time that I got on the box scratcher was years ago but even then I knew riding this smaller sized portion snowboard didn’t matter because it handled like a bigger ride. If there’s one small size board I’d ride, it would be this board hands down. It’s not a mindfuck of small sizing, it rides larger than life and makes riding super fun.
Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the Lib Tech Box Scratcher or shop their full line of Lib Tech snowboards
On Snow Photo
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Lib Tech Box Scratcher description
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Review Disclosure: I rode this board at the SIA on-snow. Please be aware boards may change, this review was done in February 2011.
Alvaro
March 10, 2011 at 11:28 pmHey Shay,
You prefer this board over the Nug for the smaller all mountain boards?
thanks!
Shay
March 12, 2011 at 6:45 pmAlvaro,
Yes I prefer the box scratcher over the nug.
Keither
March 13, 2011 at 9:42 amANY Mervin board beats ANY Burton 😉
Some people may not agree, but just thought I’d throw that out there.
andrew
March 16, 2011 at 3:35 pmhi shay, it says wider waist widths, do you have any specs, ive been eyeing off a box scratcher for a while for a second board to play around with but ive got size 11 boots.
thanks
gyuva
September 4, 2011 at 11:36 pmI’ am looking for the ideal size snowboard. My height: 184cm (6 “) Weight: 83kg (183 pounds), boot size 11.5 (Burton Ion). I read a lot of opinions, but my can not decide which size would be better for me. How much more be shorter than the normal size? 154 from the thought, but perhaps I’m wrong! I currently have 159W burton Joystick and Travis Rice 161.5.
2011-2012 Snowboard Review – Shayboarder.com
October 17, 2011 at 12:42 pm[…] 11-12 Lib Tech Box Scratcher […]
jd
December 14, 2011 at 8:14 pmgyyva if you want a smaller board that rides bigger and treats the mountain/hill like a skatepark the Box Scratcher could be a good choice. It’s very forgiving, turns super easy, and a good board to learn new tricks, but can still take some speed on edge. Look at the 151 or 154 Box Scratchers or even the Skate Banana 152.
For the last two years I’ve been riding the 151 Box Scratcher and it’s a great board for a bigger guy to play around on. I’m 5’11 and about 205lbs with size 12 boots (Nike Kaiju) and union contact pro’s (these bindings are amazing) The 151 can handle all mountain riding…not charging huge kickers and not bigger pow days over a foot, but this board is not made for that. Again think skatepark. The effective edge on the 151 is equal to most boards sized around 155. It rides bigger. Shay’s review is right-on…very fun smaller board that I feel comfortable riding almost everywhere.
Hope this helps in your decision process.