Weston Backcountry Backwoods Review
Cons: Backseat landings, switch riding
Manufacturer: Weston Backcountry
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Weston Backwoods may feel light, but it doesn't skimp on performance. It boasts quick, accurate, and powerful performance movements. It features a micro camber for most of the profile with rocker in the tip and tail and has a volume shifted profile, which means a wider waist width and short length, which allows you to downsize.
Performance Comparison
Edging
The Backwoods is like a Peregrine Falcon in its turning ability. This board excels at fast, short, and medium radius turns. Whichever radius you want, once you think about turning, you are already doing it; it's that easy to get on edge. The Backwoods is incredibly nimble to move around bumps and allow you to look at the mountain differently. It feels like you're surfing. The board is meant to be downsized, which unlocked this playful feeling without compromising security; it feels like you're riding the entire edge of the snowboard. The turning itself is powerful and consistent, which then is translated into a strong snap of the stiffer tail. We really enjoyed this turning style. It had a lot of response and power in a user-friendly package.
Float in Powder
The Backwoods is included in our spring 2019 update. Based on this timing, we have not ridden this board extensively in powder. This board was designed with powder flotation as the first priority, and testing is currently in progress. The shape of this board seems to indicate good powder flotation. The long nose - with a little bit of rocker - should provide plenty of surface area to promote float, in conjunction with the tapered tail.
Stability at Speed
The Backwoods provides a stable ride, especially considering its length and playfulness. The cambered profile and wider waist give you a solid platform to charge over things that are in your way. When we were straight-lining, the nose resisted chatter well. Our testers felt secure and enjoyed going fast down the mountain, making quick edge transitions.
Playfulness
The Backwoods was playful in its versatility and styles of riding that it can support. If you are looking to really drive the snowboard, it can do that. If you want to slash around, its got you. If you want to win your local bank slalom, it can do that. In contrast, the Backwoods was hard to butter around the mountain. The nose was hard to initiate a butter and even harder to maintain. We were, however, able to rip turns and pop into butters which were still enjoyable, but we had to work for them and accept that we couldn't hold them as long.
Popping and Jumping
The Backwoods provided sufficient pop when taking off side hits and jumps. In didn't blow our mind, but we found that we could still jump over everything we needed to. The long nose is a good platform to load your ollie. The tail has a V-shaped stringer of carbon to stiffen it up, which helps with pop and landing security, but the shorter tail does take some adjustment to nail ollies and landings. When we needed additional support on hardpack landings, the tail provided adequate support. However, jumping and landing on park jumps is not a primary design goal of the Backwoods and still performed well.
Value
The 19-20 Backwoods is partnered with the National Forest Foundation. Ten percent of every Backwoods sold goes to support the foundation; that is rad! The board is priced competitively with other high-performance snowboards, and it's worth every penny.
Conclusion
The Weston Backwoods provides a refined and versatile ride in all conditions. It features a gently volume shifted profile that is quick on edge and stable at speed. Its design places the least amount of emphasis on jumping and landing, but we found it was proficient in this category. This board is good for intermediate to advanced riders who want to surf the mountain and have fun with every turn, whether in ice or powder.
— Isaac Laredo