Snowboard Review: 11-12 K2 Fastplant

Location: Winter Park, CO

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to softpacked to icy groomers.

Setup: I rode the K2 Fastplant with K2 Auto Agogo LTD bindings and Vans Veil Boots size 8.

Size: 151cm.

First Impression: The upgrade to the 11-12 fastplant just adds to the fun of the board!

Weight: Lighter than average

Flex: Stiffer flex between the bindings with the ollie bar and flat profile but with the rocker it had a softer nose and tail so you had playfulness but also stability between the feet. The bambooyah made for a solid flex without any surprises when riding and it was an easy board to adjust to.  The Fastplant has jib rocker so the board is 80% flat and 20% rocker just enough on the tip and tail to keep the contact points off the snow until engaged.

Turning: The fastplant features the hyper progressive sidecut that makes it a easy to ride and very predictable board on edge.  It can handle rallying into a carve or taking it for a more mellow ride.  Both long and short radius turns on the fastplant felt smooth and comfortable.

Stable: The ollie bar between the bindings stiffened up the fastplant which helped make it more stable down the mountain.  I felt really comfortable riding the smaller size and feeling like it handled the mountain for a jib rocker board.  The bambooyah core with the ollie bar was an improvement in stability from last year and the board could handle turns without washing out or folding.  Still a very playful buttery board to have fun with.

Pop: Last year the fastplant was easy to pop, this year it’s easy to pop but with extra snap involved.  The ollie bar is new on the 11-12 fastplant and has a 100% carbon element in the center of the board between the binding inserts that is molded into place pre-loaded with camber.  I noticed the improvement from the previous year and it was still a blast to ride with the upgraded pop.

Switch: The fastplant is a twin and rides exactly like a twin.  I didn’t have any adjustment to the handling and felt good switch as it did regular.

Overall Impression: The Fastplant is that all around fun freestyle board that’s also good for the environment.  You’d actually want to ride this fun deck and keep riding it (while knowing in the back of your mind you are being eco conscious).  The new ollie bar gives it additional pop that it made it a noticeably good improvement from last year while still keeping the fun ride.

Shay’s Honesty Box: Last year the 154cm fastplant impressed me, so this year during demos it was an easy choice to try the fastplant again with the upgraded ollie bar to see how it did in a smaller size and with the upgrade.  Last year was good but this year is better, more stable of a ride but still the fun playful bamboo board it was meant to be.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the K2 Fastplant or shop their full line of snowboards

On Snow Photo

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K2 Fastplant 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.