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While the Lib Tech T. Rice Orca couldn't clinch one of the top spots overall and isn't the best all-mountain board for most people, it's our absolute favorite when it comes to riding steep terrain and deep snow. The Orca is exceptionally stable at speed and has great edge hold. However, this board is on the stiffer side, so it isn't the most playful, doesn't have a ton of pop, and isn't the best at jumping. Despite these flaws, we would highly recommend this board for anyone who likes to go fast in deep snow. Period.
Graphic Updates
The latest graphics for the Orca are pictured above. To our discerning eyes, it seems as though these are the only changes for the upcoming season.
Fantastically floaty, likes to go fast, stays stable
Fantastic all-around board, great in powder
Unmatched pop, great edge hold, supremely stable
Well-rounded, great edge-to-edge transition, fast
Great value, supremely stable at high speeds
Cons
Not great with groomers, much more suited for advanced riders
Not the best beginner board
Not the best board for powder
Not the best for jibbing
Not as much pop as other boards
Bottom Line
Should be your first choice if you are planning on diving into the deepest snow
If you want the best of the best all-mountain board, it’s hard to find a better option
Earning the highest honor, it did exceptionally well in all our tests
A versatile all-mountain board for intermediate to advanced riders with a more aggressive riding style
A fantastic all-mountain snowboard that won’t break your budget
Rating Categories
Lib Tech T.Rice Orca
Yes. Hel Yes - Women's
Gnu Ladies Choice
Never Summer Lady West
GNU Klassy
Edge Hold(25%)
8.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
Powder Performance(20%)
10.0
9.0
8.0
9.0
8.0
Stability(20%)
8.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
Playfulness(20%)
6.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
8.0
Pop and Jumping(15%)
6.0
9.0
10.0
8.0
8.0
Specs
Lib Tech T.Rice Orca
Yes. Hel Yes - Women's
Gnu Ladies Choice
Never Summer Lady West
GNU Klassy
Shape
Directional
Directional Twin
Asymmetrical
Directional Twin
Directional
Camber/Rocker
Hybrid
Hybrid
Hybrid
Fusion Rocker Camber
Hybrid
Flex
7/10
7/10
4/10
3-5/10
6.5/10
Tested Length
147
155
148.5
153
155
Measured Weight (Tested Length)
5.8 lbs.
5.4 lbs.
5.6 lbs.
5.8 lbs.
6.2 lbs.
Available Lengths
144, 147, 150, 153, 156, 159
146, 149, 152, 155
142.5, 145.5, 148.5, 151.5, 153.5
144, 147, 149, 151, 153, 156
145, 148, 151, 155
Core Material
Aspen and paulownia wood
Poplar, paulownia, and bamboo wood
Aspen, Colombian Gold, and poulownia wood
NS SuperLight Wood Core
Aspen and paulownia wood
Waist Width
25.7 cm
24.4 cm
24.2 cm
24 cm
24.7 cm
Radius
7
7.3
8.2/7.9
7.42
8
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
The Lib Tech T. Rice Orca is one of our first choices when we know we'll be swimming in fresh snow.
Credit: David Wise
Edge Hold
Starting off, the first thing we looked at for each board is how well it holds an edge, which constitutes 25% of its total score. We started off by riding the Orca in varied snow conditions and noting how well the edge — both toeside and heelside — held in each.
The T. Rice Orca has magne-traction edges, which offers increased control by adding a wavy edge in the "dead zone" area of your edge that is right under your feet while carving. These increase the effective edge length of the board and are absolutely fantastic when it comes to riding in mixed snow conditions. The Orca's superior edge ensures that you don't spiral out of control when you hit an icy patch … most of the time. This board is great at cutting through chop and is super forgiving, but it isn't the snappiest board and is comparatively slow edge-to-edge, giving it a little less overall edge hold than some of the other Magne-traction boards that are just a bit springier.
The serrated edges of this board do a great job of biting into the snow while turning.
Credit: David Wise
Powder Performance
Following edge hold, our next — and easily the most fun — aspect of testing was scoring how well each board rode in powder. Overall, this component of our testing process determined 20% of the final score for each board. We waited for storms, then took out each board and tried to find as many freshies as possible, ranking and scoring how much they floated and how well they handled. It was here that the Orca stood out from the rest.
The secret to this board's amazing float in powder is its somewhat unconventional shape and design. This short, fat board is extremely directional, with its width tapering from the nose to the tail. It has a hybrid rocker camber profile, with a reverse camber underfoot and regular camber at the tip and tail.
This board has a ton of stability even when you open up the throttle.
Credit: David Wise
It has a setback stance compared to other board and an exceptionally long nose, which contributes greatly to its unparalleled amount of float in even the deepest snowfalls.
Stability
After playing around in the powder, we moved on to evaluating and comparing how stable each board is — especially at higher speeds. For this metric, also worth 20% of the total score for each snowboard, we went to the steep groomers and really opened up the throttle. The Orca did very well for its exceptional stability in most snow conditions.
No matter how fast we pushed it with this board, it never gave us any cause for concern. As mentioned above, it cuts through chop with ease and isn't prone to any sort of speed wobble at all.
While this is a stiffer board, the Orca can be plenty playful if you try hard enough.
Credit: David Wise
Playfulness
Next, we moved on rating and scoring how playful the Orca is, which is also responsible for 20% of the total score. Unfortunately, this snowboard is a bit on the serious side and isn't the most playful, but it still scored above average for its slightly above average performance.
The stiffness of the Orca is a bit of a detriment in this category, as it makes it much harder to flex and maneuver. This board definitely isn't a park board, but it can be quite in natural features, such as gullies or small canyons, and we for sure found it to be quite fun in boardercross style terrain.
This board doesn't have the most pop we have seen.
Credit: David Wise
Pop and Jumping
Our last metric focused on how easy it is to jib or jump with each board, which constitutes the leftover 15% of the final score. The Orca's stiffness and length again proved to be a bit off in our testing.
This board isn't the most versatile and is really best for steep terrain and deep powder. It feels quite heavy and is overall harder to jump and doesn't want to lift off quite as well as some of the more flexible boards. We still could do a tail press on the Orca, but you can tell it didn't really want to and we had to try quite a bit harder than some other boards.
You can get this Orca to breach if you try hard enough.
Credit: David Wise
Value
The Orca isn't the best value, as it is one of the more expensive boards and isn't the best all-in-one all-mountain board that some other boards are. We wouldn't necessarily want this board for all conditions, so it's not our top choice if you can only afford a single board.
Conclusion
All in all, the Orca is easily our top recommendation for steeps and deep snow. If that isn't what you ride all the time, then we would suggest an overall more versatile and well-rounded board.
When selecting a snowboard, it's important to consider not...
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