Year Model: Lib Tech Orca 2023
Size: 147
My Height & Weight: 5’7 & 130lb
Bindings: Bent Metal Bolt
Camber: Camber / Rocker / Camber – A bit of rocker right between the feet, camber under each foot, and rocker in tip and tail.
Shape: Directional
Flex: 7/10
Carving: The Lib Tech Orca snowboard felt really smooth and solid carving. The Magne-Traction edges stood out by really digging into the snow. I felt firmly planted on big carves and even on slightly icy groomers. I never felt like I was going to skid out. The Orca likes to go fast.
Stability: The Orca is very stable and secure. It has a wider waist width being a volume-shifted board, so it felt very solid underfoot.
Ollies/Pop: It is a pretty stiff board. I felt that you really had to muscle it to get it to pop. If you do the work, it will pop, but it’s not as eager to jump around like some.
Trees: The Lib Tech Orca seems to like bigger carves more than short quick turns. So it wasn’t my favorite in trees, but it definitely held its own.
Powder: I personally didn’t get to try this board in deep powder. But from what I hear, it really shines in powder.
Butterability: It was too stiff for me to be able to really butter it.
Jumps: It took a lot of effort to go off smaller jumps, and you have to muscle into it IMO. The Orca is best for larger jumps, where you’re looking for more stability on take-off and landing and the jump itself does most of the work.
Where it shines: This board shines when making big swooping carves on groomers and in powder. It also plows over uneven terrain and chunder very well.
Who would love it: An advanced rider who is looking for a board that is great in powder and also carves well would love the Lib Tech Orca.
Personal Thoughts: I personally like a board to have a bit more of a playful flair, so I like the Never Summer Harpoon and the Ride Warpig a little more in this freeride volume-shifted category. However, for someone really looking to charge hard and fast and float in powder, this is a great choice! I would also put damper bindings on the Orca rather than the Bent Metal Bolt that I demoed it with.
