2012 Lib Tech Banana Magic Review

Location & Conditions: Boyne Mountain (Boyne Falls, MI). Hardpack & icy, super cold a little sun but mostly clouds.

Size: 157cm
Stance: 23.5″, 18 negative 12 regular
Shape: Banana rocker but with very mild camber zone under feet, not pronounced enough to be called a C2 banana, but not really a banana.
Bindings: Union Contacts
Dave’s stats: 6′, 210 lbs
Leo’s stats: 5’9″ 180 lbs

Flex: Lib uses basalt instead of fiberglass to go along with the “eco-friendly” theme that is taking the snowsurfboard world by storm. The Banana Magic is pretty stiff, probably 7 out of 10 but a fairly stiff 7. For those of you that have ridden the T.Rice, it is slightly less stiff than that board.

Ollie/Pop: Tons of pop.

Handling: The Magic was exceptionally stable at high speed and responsive, quick to roll over edge to edge. Magnetraction actually does work, although it’s a little over-hyped. It does give you noticeable performance everywhere but it isn’t going to turn that bulletproof blue ice in to powder, you still need to know how to handle yourself.

Leo says: I do agree with David that magne-traction isn’t going to turn ice into powder, but it is the best option for these types of conditions. I’d actually prefer it over my positive cambered stick. I also believe the Magic has a more mellow magne-traction. The Banana Magic’s edge to edge power is something else. For the second year in a row of my demoing, it is the best handling board out of the bunch. Short, medium, and long carves are all very fun to engage on the Magic. It’s definitely not the fastest stick I’ve been on, but fast enough.

Jibs/Playfulness: This board wasn’t what I’d call “playful”, it was meant to be ridden pretty hard. That said for a stiff all-mountain deck it would be forgiving for an advanced or advanced-intermediate rider.  You could probably take it in the park and I’m sure it will excel on the jump line. You could jib with this board but I don’t know why you’d want to.

Leo says: I didn’t jump with this board this year, but I did last year. Nothing special though, I’d say it was a 10′er. Popped off a lot of rollers and some bigger moguls. Handled very well and wasn’t washy.

Price: Not for the faint of heart, this board should retail somewhere around $700 placing it firmly in to the stratosphere of snowboard pricing, but mirroring an industry-wide trend (more on this later) towards more expensive, premium boards. Click on the "Buy Now" button to compare prices.

Dave’s Take: I would’ve preferred a stiffer binding pairing but anyways this board was the only 5-star deck I rode on day 1 of Test Fest; a blast to ride and very responsive but is definitely geared towards the more advanced riders. The magentraction gave you great edge hold and it carved like a dream. I feel like this is more of a freeride board than an “all mountain freestyle” but if bombing steeps and hitting natural features is your thing, this board is gonna do it for you.

Leo’s Take: The Banana Magic was my favorite board last year and I was highly anticipating riding it again this year. I even told David we can’t be friends anymore if he didn’t like this board. Even with the horrible Union Contacts on this stick, I thoroughly enjoyed it and gave it my only 5 star rating this year. If you are looking to buy this stick, do yourself a favor and put at least mid-stiff bindings on it. Personally, I’d slap some Rome Targas or Ride SPIs on it. By the way, make sure you know how to ride before hopping on the Magic. It’s for the advanced intermediate and up.