High speed stability. Easy to ride. Quite forgiving considering its a high end freeride board. The base is super fast. Proabably one of the fastest out there. Construction is pretty damn durable. Ace graphics (on the 2003). Holds an edge like nothing else, gives you supreme confidence for mega speed turns thanks to the risers.

Price. But you pay for a top end board. Number of front foot inserts, which leads to not as great as could be powder performance as I tried to set the bindings back as far as I could.

First off, this is a review for the 2003 model 157. This board is amazing. I have only been on beginner boards (Sims Quest and some other crap rental) for 2 weeks, so buying this board was a bit of a leap of faith as all the reviews said "For advanced riders..etc.." By the end of the first week, I was over taking virtually everyone, including FAST skiers. The base is 5% wax which means it is SERIOUSLY fast. It really is easy to turn and not once did it wash out in a carve. Put it on its edge and it like on rails. Supremely stable at high speeds with no chatter. Fast as I go now, I can't do jumps, so as a freestyle board I can't comment. But as a powder board its ace. You don't have to lean back too much. However this is my only gripe. I feel it really should have had 2x4 inserts on the front foot instead of 2x3. If it did then it would been perfect in powder and so got top marks. But still an excellent board. Highly recommended. Don't be put off if you're a beginner with high aspirations like me. I now straight-line runs and only turn if I have to. Mostly.

Similar Products Used:

Sims Quest 155 Generics 155 Ride Timeless 169 (Super stiff and too big for me)

Fast, versatile, fun to ride. A board worth owning. Carves great with softboots or step-ins. Torsional stiffness is phenominal.

Don't get it if you are a beginner or want outlandish graphics. It has six inserts for the front binding, eight for the rear. Not many teens and twenty-somethings know what they will get when they buy a Recon Riser

This board is quick. Got big feet and want to go fast? This is your board. It has great edge hold and is a pleasure to ride. Every rider should try it once. The 170 is very stable at speed.

Similar Products Used:

Custom, Floater, K2 HC

Versatility on all types of terrain and surfaces. Sick carving, edge-holding at any speed.

Number of holes still a mystery. Barely noticable 'topographic map' graphics, but who cares.

Whistler pow to East Coast wack, this board does it all. Thought that it was especially sick on the hardpack, east coast wack...unbelievable control. Have I mentioned the speed? I would highly recommend that you at least demo this board and see for yourself.

Similar Products Used:

Burtons, K2 Double Wide, Forums, Ride Timeless

Light and stiff, with nice pop. Sh1t hot edge to edge and ''ken fast in a straight line, with no toe drag!

Why only 6 binding mount holes on the front foot. Pricey if you paid retail (suckers...), worth it if you have the bread.

Recon Riser 170. The skinny board for big feet (boot size: 3054713.5 us). I would recommend this board to anyone who is sick or riding a plank (k2 trucker 167). Sinks a bit in the pow with a heavy arsed rider (125kg), but I''m working on fixing that.... I rekon it would be good for up to 115kg on the to pow, but don''t let that discourage you if you spend most of your time on the piste. This board rips on everything from fresh cords to slushy moguls to dry ice.

Similar Products Used:

K2 Fatbob 164, K2 Trucker 167, Burton Canyon 167

Versatility - hardpack to slush. . . you''''ll always wear a smile. An easy board to ride but still bites into a turn like Picabo Street in a gold medal run.

The front binding hole pattern is a mystery to me. Why only 6 holes on the front? The only way for me to have a 20 inch stance is to be set back much more than 25 cm or have no set back at all.

This board is everything that people say it is. Carves like a champ. Almost as stiff as those old school boards but has the bounce and snap that those boards lacked. It''''s also heck of a lot lighter. The whole "K2''''s come up with a new high tech base" bit is no joke! This board makes wet-slushy snow "feel" light because it slices through and over everything. Side by side with buddies with freshly waxed boards, my recon glided much faster. Not much of a test but I''''m convinced. Two "quirky" things about this board.(Does not affect ride) 1. The board has MORE vibration than most. It feels almost as if you standing on top of a wooden speaker. The board however does not chatter, sketch, or squirm at mach 1. 2. As it glides over snow, it makes a quiet but detectable sound that is somewhat like a zipper being pulled fast. To small footers. Don''''t get scared off by all the marketing to big footers. I ride in men''''s 7 boots. This IS still a narrow board after all. . .

Similar Products Used:

Morrow Indy, Burton Super Model. K2 AC 166

Carving power/edge hold Speed and edge transition Big footed riders fit

Expensive Hope it doesn''t delam like my other K2s

I love this board. I haven''t been on anything that holds and edge like this board-it holds through anything-ice, chop, crust. It''s stupid fast and edge transition is effortless. Great stiffness for the steeps and lots of pop for the kickers. Very little board chatter. This is the Ferrari of snowboards.

Similar Products Used:

K2 Fat Bob, Trucker, DoubleWide, Eldo Burton Custom, Bullet Ride Yukon, Timeless, Mountain

-Sick edge hold -SuperFast Edge-to-Edge transitions -Lightning quick turns -Fast Base

-Noise (some people think it sounds cool)

Wow! What else can I say. This board rocks. This board has absolutely insane edge hold and edge transitions are so smooth it''s like ridin'' in butta. I liked the idea of the risers as I have size 11 feet and I was right on the edge for a wide board. This board gives you the advantages of a narrower board (speed, edge transition) while eliminating toe drag and adding power. Plus, the risers don''t mess with the flex of the board like a Palmer Power system will. Also, you have to be careful cuz this board turns on a dime. The first time I rode it, I ended up doing 360''s half the times I tried to turn. It''s that quick. This board does all the work for you, riding it is effortless. It''s already allowing me to take my riding to the next level. The only weird thing about this board is the base makes noise. Kinda sounds like corduroy rubbing together as you head down the mountain.

Similar Products Used:

Rossignol Rooster