Hello and welcome to my Rome Ravine Pro review.
In this review I will take a look at the Ravine Pro as a Freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Ravine Pro a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and also see how it compares with other Freeride snowboards.
Note that the Ravine Pro used to be called the Ravine Select.
Overall Rating
Board: Rome Ravine Pro
Price: $599 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride
Flex Rating: Stiff (8/10)
Flex Feel: Stiff (8.5/10)
Rating Score: 87.5/100
Compared to other Men’s Freeride Boards
Of the 35 current model freeride snowboards that we tested:
❄️ The Ravine Pro ranked 5th out of 35
Overview of the Ravine Pro’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Ravine Pro’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freeride |
Price: | $599 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Smooth/Snappy: |  |
Dampness: |  |
Playful/Aggressive: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Directional Hybrid Camber (camber to the tail and most of the way to the nose, with a little early rise rocker before the nose contact point) |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | 15mm (0.6") |
Base: | Sintered (Rome's "SinterSpeed") |
Weight: | Felt Normal |
Camber Height: | 9mm |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
152 | 254 | 125-169 | 57-77 |
155 | 256 | 139-183 | 63-83 |
158 | 257 | 152-196 | 69-89 |
162 | 259 | 169-213 | 77-97 |
166 | 262 | 187-231 | 85-105 |
Who is the Ravine Pro Most Suited To?
The Rome Ravine Pro is for those who like to bomb groomers, carving enormous ruts into them with ease and then, when the powder flies, get amongst it in the trees or on steep terrain at the top of a peak.
Don't expect much from it when it comes to jibbing or on jumps as the stiffer flex and many directional features make it less than ideal for them. Otherwise, it can handle itself pretty well thanks to its speed, edge hold and ability to smash through crud with little effort.
I would only recommend it to riders who are making the jump from intermediate-advanced and up to expert as it is just way to aggressive and stiff for a beginner or intermediate.
THE Ravine Pro IN MORE DETAIL
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Ravine Pro is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Rome Ravine Select 2023, 162cm (259mm waist width)
Date: February 17, 2022
Conditions
Overhead: Whiteout. Visibility really bad. Like 20%. Got a little better after a while.
Temperature: -1°C (30°F) through the day. -4°C (25°F) with wind chill in morning. -1°C (30°F) with wind in afternoon. Wind pretty much non existent though. 5kph (3mph) winds all day. Slight change of wind direction in afternoon, which wasn't as cold a wind.
24 hour snow: 0cm (0")
48 hour snow: 0cm (0")
7 day snow: 4cm (1.5")
On groomer: Nicely groomed. Soft packed. Got slushier as the day went on.
Off groomer: Pretty soft with a couple of harder semi icy patches but for the most part semi-slush, particularly as the day went on.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +12/-9
Stance width: 22″ (560mm)
Stance Setback: Setback 0.6" (15mm)*
Width at Inserts: 10.71" (272mm) at front insert and 10.67" (271mm) at back insert.
Rider Height: 6'1"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV
Bindings Used: Fix Yale: M
Weight: 6lbs 14oz (3120grams)
Weight per cm: 19.26 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.59 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 200 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 models. So, on the scales the Ravine Pro was a little heavier than normal, but on snow it felt normal.
Powder
Unfortunately no powder to test in on the day but after getting a feel for it and looking at the specs, we feel it's likely to be very good in powder.
The directional shape mixed with the 7.5mm of taper, nose rocker and 15mm setback stance are all great indicators that the Ravine Pro would perform nicely in any amount of powder.
Carving
Absolute carving machine for long drawn out carves! But will require you to work a bit harder for slower sharper carves, due to its more aggressive profile. That said, the early rise rocker in the nose helps tone it down a bit, making it more manageable. Overall a carving beast for a capable rider
Turning
Ease of Turns/Slashing: Tail was pretty easy to release, while the diamond 3D shape technology helped create smooth turn initiation and less catchiness overall, making turns/slashes enjoyable.
Maneuverability at slow speeds (nimbleness): Average amount of nimbleness, which is better than I was expecting, given the boards more aggressive profile. With that being said, you couldn't get lazy on it. Always required you to lean into an edge pretty hard.
Skidded Turns: Handled them OK but could feel catchy if your technique was off - it's capable of punishing you, if you get too loose.
Speed
Just incredible fast when you want it to be and super stable as well, even in less ideal conditions, like cruddy groomers. Glide wise, it felt average, which isn't really a huge deal when its capable of being as fast as it is.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: Destroyed crud with next to no effort. All you have to do is point and go, but it also felt really maneuverable when in it too, which was nice because not all boards are capable of both due to weight or profile.
Trees/Bumps: The relative quickness from edge-to-edge made maneuvering between bumps, trees, and moguls pretty good. On top of that, if you got low enough it could go through ditches or hug bumps without any issues.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
Capable enough to have some fun but not ideal for someone who wants to be hitting them consistently.
Pop: Average amount of pop overall and it did take some effort to extract it, due to the stiffness of the board.
Approach: Felt easy to line up and stable, while being fairly quick from edge-to-edge was decent for last second adjustments.
Landing: The larger nose and stiffness made landings feel a bit uncomfortable and unforgiving at times to me. It was something I got used to but still noticed when I landed a bit uncentered.
Side-hits: While it could be capable enough for a few certain riders, it's less than ideal as it's just too stiff and unforgiving. Add in the lack of pop and you just have a board that isn't really made for them.
Small jumps/Big jumps: If I had to choose, I would say small as these were the most manageable size for it.
Switch
Not ideal for switch riding and its easy to understand why. The taper, setback stance, and directional shape all make it tougher than average to ride switch on.
Butters
Like switch, butters aren't easy because the boards overall flex is quite stiff, especially in the tail. So, if you want to butter it, you will have to put a lot of effort into it, shifting your weight and really leaning into them.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
POWDER | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
SPEED | 4.5 | 18/20 |
CARVING | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 4.0 | 8/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 3.5 | 7/10 |
JUMPS | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
SWITCH | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 87.5/100 |
Overall, the Rome Ravine Pro is a beast and needs to be ridden where it excels, which is either in powder or carving groomers. You also need to be a capable rider, because if you're not, it can be a unforgiving board that will punish you. You need to take control of this board, or it will take control of you.
Otherwise, you can expect it to handle the rest of the mountain with competence and if you don't plan on jibbing and only plan to be going off a few occasional jumps, then the Ravine Pro could be a solid one-board-quiver option for the right rider.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
Check out the links below for more info on the Ravine Pro, where to buy or if you are researching prices or available sizes.
If your keen to check out some other Freeride options or to see how the Ravine Pro compares to other freeride decks check out the link below.
Hey, I was wondering what size in the Rome Ravine pro I would go with
I’m between getting the 158 of the 162
I’m 6 feet size 8 boot about 155 to 160 lbs advanced rider looking for the board to rip around Whistler for free riding and just general riding around the resort as well
Thing is is I ride boards usually a little bit bigger I have an k2 alchemist in 160 a high path and a 159 and a couple other boards around that size and I don’t feel like they’re uncomfortable to ride at that length at all and I was just curious if 162 for this board would be too much board or if the 158 wouldn’t be a little bit of more of an all mountain board than a free ride board
Hi Ben, thanks for your message.
For your specs I would typically say around 158 as an “all-rounder” size for you. But for your boot size I would usually recommend going a little shorter as most boards in that range are on the wide side. But for experienced riders, particularly if you’ve developed a particular preference whether from trying different sizes and preferring something or because you got a size at one point and got used to it and that becomes what feels most comfortable to you, there’s definitely a lot of personal preference involved when you’ve been riding a long time. But I like to find a starting number to work around. In this case 158.
In a lot of cases freeride boards can be sized up, but this is typically based on the effective edge to overall length ratio – i.e. freeride boards tend to have long noses, so more of their size tends to be outside the contact points, so you can go longer with the overall length without them feeling as long as the overall length might suggest (when on hard pack). This isn’t really the case with the Ravine Pro with the 158 having EE 121.8cm and the 162 having EE of 125.5cm. But it’s also not really the case with the Alchemist (122cm EE on the 160) or Highpath (121cm EE on the 159).
I found the Ravine Pro pretty stiff myself, but I haven’t tried the Alchemist and K2 rate it at 9/10 flex, so imagine that’s just as stiff or stiffer, based on other K2s I’ve ridden. I rode the Antidote recently (which K2 rate an 8/10 flex) and I felt it at 8/10 flex, so my guess is the Antidote is a touch stiffer than the Ravine Pro, but the Ravine Pro a little stiffer than the Highpath.
The Ravine Pro does look to be wider than the Alchemist. For some reason Rome don’t publish tip and tail width, but the waist width is wider and I measured the width at inserts on the 162 at 272mm front insert and 271mm back insert, which is pretty wide (most wide boards are up at that). The Alchemist with a 253mm waist and based on the width at inserts of other K2 boards, is likely to be considerably narrower at the inserts and likely tip/tail too.
Hopefully that gives you more info to go off to see which you feel would be the right size. I would say that the 162 Ravine Pro would be a larger step up in size vs the 160 Alchemist than the 2cm suggests. You’d be increasing effective edge by 3.5cm, which is a noticeable amount and it’s wider. It might be a little softer, but overall is going to feel like noticeably more board, IMO. The 158 Ravine Pro is likely to feel similar size-wise to the 160 Alchemist, IMO, all be it with a likely slightly softer flex. So if you’re looking for a bigger feeling board, then the Ravine Pro should deliver that (and a bit more) IMO, If you’re looking for similar size feeling to your others, the 158 would be closer feel and probably still feel bigger than the 159 Highpath and similar to 160 Alchemist, IMO.
Hi Nate. I’m riding Yes PYL for 10 years – I like it, but it seems that technology has improved in 10 years and maybe I’m missing out something a bit by not investing in new board. Am I right? I’m seriously thinking about buying R. Ravine Select… Could you tell me how this board compares to the J. Flagship? (Or maybe another board?)
I focus on such factors:
A. Fast, stable and good damping board
B. I like aggressive fun maneuvering in bumpy terrain & crud/chunder
C. I love surfing in powder (however I have not a lot of opportunities for that – assuming that I ride for about 100-120 hours/season, I practice surfing in powder for about 15-20 hours).
Flux XF & XV (both from 22) and Burton ION (22). 90 kg and 29.5cm
Thanks in advance and best regards
Hi Dominik
Thanks for your message.
The Ravine should work well for everything you’re describing. The one thing to mention is that if you’re riding slower in tight technical bumpy terrain (tight trees, tight moguls), it’s not going to be effortless. You’ll need to really work with this board, because of how stiff it is. You do need to be focused and really lean into the edge (which it sounds like you would) when slower. It can be quite catchy at slower speeds and also if you don’t put in the effort it will be slow edge-to-edge when riding slow. That’s the biggest thing to think about.
Vs the Flagship, I would say:
1. The Ravine Select (8.5/10 flex) is a little stiffer vs the Flagship (7.5/10 flex)
2. Overall the Ravine Select is a little damper and has be ridden more aggressively to get the best out of it vs the Flagship
3. The RS has a locked in feel vs a more stable feel (which is what I would call right in the middle between locked in and loose) – so the RS really wants to lock into an edge and it’s not easy to release the edge for slashing. The FS on the otherhand is something that can lock into an edge when you want to, but you can also release it when you want to slash turns. It’s nice to have this option, but it also means that the Flagship will release that edge more easily than the Ravine Select when leaning into a really aggressive carve at higher speeds. The Ravine Select will stay locked in. Flagship is a good carver and it takes quite a lot for it to release the edge (when you don’t want it to) but it does have its limit. The Ravine Select’s limit is higher – as in it would take a lot more to make the RS let go. If that all makes sense.
4. The RS is more stable at speed – both when on edge and flat basing. And feels less chatter at speed and in hard crud/chunder type conditions.
5. I’d put the Flagship just ahead in terms of powder. However, the RS is still really good and not much in it.
So overall, for what you’re describing, I think the RS would be the best option. But if you were willing to sacrifice a little stability at speed and carving grip to gain some quicker edge-to-edge turns in tight spots, then the Flagship would also work.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hello! Been riding the 2023 BSOD with Atlas Pro bindings and absolutely loved that setup. Super stable and the carving experience what incredible and it performed decent in powder. Unfortunately, some some lowlife bastard stole my entire setup a couple of weeks ago, so now i need to decide what to replace it with. While i loved the BSOD, I’m considering this the ravine select for better powder float and easier turn initiation in steep moguls and tree runs. The BSOD was solid, but pretty damn demanding. I’m still looking for that stiff and aggressive deck that can lay trenches at speed. The Ravine select appears to be slightly more approachable, but i’m a little worried that it’s not aggressive enough and i’d be downsizing from a BSOD 59 to select 58. Will this feel like a chattery noodle compared to the ’23 BSOD and will it carve as well? How do those two boards compare in general? Will i be happy with this if i’m looking for something just SLIGHTLY less demanding than the BSOD? Oh and i’m thinking about the Rome Cleavers in lieu of Atlas Pros for better dampening and comfort. Which would you recommend having ridden both? Thanks!!!
Hi Roland
Thanks for your message. And sorry to hear about your board being stolen. That boils my blood! And it happens all too often. I’m pretty pedantic about locking my boards up these days, as I’ve heard it happen too often. Shame that we have to though.
I would be surprised if you found the Ravine Select less damp than the BSOD and equally as surprised if you found it less aggressive. And in terms of carving, we actually thought the Ravine Select was better and just as good at speed. It’s not as good for jumps or switch, but it doesn’t sound like you’re too concerned about that. You may find you get a little better experience for tree runs, but we found them pretty similar. That said, powder in the trees would be better on the Ravine Select, IMO. At slower speeds the Ravine Select did perform a little better and was a little more forgiving vs the BSOD. We feel the BSOD does take a bit more effort to initiate turns at slower speeds – you can get it humming edge-to-edge but does take more effort. In that sense the Select Pro was that little bit easier, so in that sense, it’s slightly less demanding. But in every other sense, this is a rather aggressive and demanding board.
And in terms of it’s flex, we found it quite a bit stiffer and it’s quite a bit heavier too. We tested the Ravine Select in 158 and BSOD in 159 and the Ravine Select weighed in at 6lbs 14oz (3120grams) and BSOD at 6lbs 6oz (2900grams). So if weight is a thing for you, the BSOD is quite a bit lighter.
But I don’t think you’d it find it to be not aggressive enough, particularly when you’d only actually be reducing your affective edge by 0.26cm. And certainly not going to feel like a chattery noodle!
I would be leaning Cleavers on the Ravine Select, as they are a better flex match, IMO, with the Ravine Select being stiffer than the BSOD. The Atlas Pros would work, but I’d go Cleaver – and as you say, then you can get a little more dampness out of them as well.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey thanks Nate!! Just saw your reply :). I ended up getting the select and cleavers. Haven’t ridden it yet, but my first impression is great, especially the binding. Those rome binding feel like they are going to deliver. Excited to try out the new setup!
Hey Roland. Nice one! Always exciting getting a new setup. Would love to hear how you get on, once you’ve had a chance to get it out on snow, if you think of it at the time.
Awesome review guys. I’m honestly set on getting this board as I’ve been a huge Rome fan since I started snowboarding. But I’ve been struggling between the 155 and 158. I’m 5’11 170lbs with a size 10 boot (I use the M/L Katanas). I consider myself advanced/expert but I’m so used to having a smaller board (153 Rome Mod Rocker). Should I go for the 158 or would 155 be better given my specs?
Hi Mike
Thanks for your message.
Purely based on your specs, I would say the 158 would be your best bet. But given this is a wider board and given you’re used to a 153, I’d be erring 155.
For more perspective, I would put your “typical all-mountain length” at around 159. You could even go a little longer with a freeride board like this, but in this case I wouldn’t because of how wide it is. So that puts the 158 as a good size, IMO. However, going from the Mod Rocker to this in the 158 would be a huge size increase. The 155 is already going to feel quite a bit bigger, IMO, not just because of that 2cm extra length, but because of the extra width too. In this particular case I would be leaning to the 155.
Hope this helps with your decision
Super helpful!
Yea I wouldn’t say I’m doing pillow lines off cliffs or narrow chutes but I love going fast and hitting the backcountry.
Will I be sacrificing stability and speed with the 155? Or is it negligible vs. the 158. Also, would it be too similar to the mod rocker or does the shape, camber, and width make it a completely different board for what I’m looking for?
Thanks a ton. Love the site and appreciate the response.
Hey Mike
While I’ve never ridden the Mod Rocker, it looks to be a very different board. Even just the camber profile is going to make it feel hugely different. And while the mod rocker does look like it’s pretty stiff for the type of board it is, the Ravine Select will still be stiffer. And that’s not even to mention the shape. The Mod Rocker is a true twin and the the Ravine Select Tapered directional. That’s also going to make a huge difference to the feel of the board. If you’re looking for a more freeride board, then the Ravine Select will be a lot more suitable.
In terms of stability at speed, the 155 won’t be as stable as the 158. Bigger boards are always more stable, all else being equal and will float better in powder. But for your specs and this particular board I think the 155 will be plenty stable at speed and should give enough float in powder too. You certainly should feel a good bit more stability at speed vs the 153 Mod Rocker and way better powder float.
Thanks man! Appreciate the thoughts and reply.
You’re very welcome Mike. Hope you have an awesome season!
Hello guys! First of all thx for a great site about boards! Amazing job.
I’ve got a question
My headache is what to take select or regular Ravine
i’ma 6,4 tall about 190lbs with 10.5 (probably) boots and think about 162 but is ravine select hard for intermediate guy?
I want board for progress on carving and sometimes try freeride but still wonder select is hard for me)
Hey Alex
Thanks for your message. If you’re an intermediate rider I would go with the regular Ravine. The Ravine Select is only something we would recommend for advanced level riders.
Hello
I am 196lbs 6 feet size 9 boots
Should I go 158 or 162
Hi Eric
Thanks for your message.
I would put your “standard all-mountain length” at around 161, so the 162 is closer, but with size 9s and the width of this board, I would be leaning 158. If it was me with your specs, I would go 158. But the 162 is certainly not out of range. Fraser handled the 162 find and he’s lighter than you but with a slightly bigger foot. So it’s not out of the question by any means. I think ultimately it depends on whether you want to get the most out of speed, big carves and powder, or if you still want some slow speed maneuverability out of it. Buying a board like this, I imagine you’re a pretty advanced and pretty aggressive rider, but it depends if you want to be able to slow it down at times, ride trees, that kind of thing. I think the 158 would do better if you want to mix it up sometimes. But if it’s all about bombing and powder for you, then I’d be leaning 162.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi! I just bought the regular Ravine 155. I am 5’9″ size 9.5 boots. I stand about 170lbs. Is this too small? I was worried about the width and I am coming off of a Rome Agent 156. Will it be too playful for me?
Hi Brett
Thanks for your message.
I think the 158 is probably the most optimal size for this board for you, but the 155 isn’t going to feel tiny or anything. It’s a little on the smaller side. Which will make it more playful and more mellow than it would feel in the 158. But it’s note the kind of board, even in the regular version that’s going to be super playful, even sizing down a little. It depends on what you want. If you want to keep it maneuverable and aren’t as concerned with stability at speed and float in powder (it’s still not going to be bad at speed or powder for you in 155, but just not quite as good), then you should be good, but if you wanted to optimize speed and powder, the 158 would have been better.
All that said, with the width of this board being more than your average regular width board, sizing down isn’t a bad idea, so that brings the size closer. With that extra width (the 155 has a 256 waist and is around 267mm at the back inserts and 268mm at the front insert), the 155 shouldn’t feel as small as it otherwise would. It’s not ultra wide for 9.5s but it’s on the wider side for them, IMO.
Hope this helps
Your the man, Thanks!! Are you going to release your review of the regular ravine soon? Thanks!
You’re very welcome Brett.
It wasn’t scheduled to come out for a couple of months, but I’ve moved it up the queue and will hopefully have it out within the next week.
Have you tested out the Ravine? I know it’s softer, but by how much? Also size for either? 170lbs 9.5 boot 5’9”
Hi Pat
Thanks for your message.
We found it significantly stiffer than the Ravine Select. Now, we did ride the Ravine in the 158 and the Ravine Select in 162 and shorter boards always feel softer (all else being equal), so that had something to do with it, but even taking that into account, the Ravine is still noticeably softer. We felt the Ravine at 6/10 in terms of flex, versus the 8.5/10 on the Ravine Select. In the 162, the Ravine would have felt at least 6.5/10 and maybe 7/10, so there’s still a noticeable difference there.
Size-wise for you, I would be looking at the 158 for sure. It should be spot on size-wise, IMO.
Hope this helps
Seems like the 162 is way too big for a 180lb rider. I am 5’10 175lb looking at a 155cm 2021 version. Would that have more liveliness and pop? Should I go with a regular Ravine or Capita Navigator instead?
Hi Brian
It’s on the bigger side for 180lbs, yes, but as a freeride board you can ride it a bit longer. Fraser enjoyed it in the 162. However, it is a little wider than normal too, so ideally for him I would have put him on the 158, but we only had the 162 available. Personally I would ride it in the 158. And for you, I think the 158 would be just right as well (depending on boot size). The 155 wouldn’t be wrong for you, but it’s on the small side for this type of board. Unless your boot size is like a 9 or under, then it would make more sense to size down to the 155. If you’re looking to mellow the board out a bit and have an easier ride, then the 155 would do that, whilst sacrificing some speed, stability and float in powder. In terms of pop, the pop would be easier to extract from the 155, but total pop wouldn’t be more. But overall feel is that it would be a bit livelier, at the cost of some of it’s smoothness and stability.
The regular Ravine is softer and noticeably so – what we felt as a 6/10 flex. But note that we rode that in a 158 and a smaller board, all else being equal, will always feel softer than it’s bigger equivalent. But the size wasn’t enough to make the amount of difference that we felt from it. So it’s definitely softer overall, but in the same size the gap would be a little less.
Which board is better for you would depend on how you want to use it. If you want that extra stability at speed and big hard carving ability and you value that over maneuverability and a little more playfulness, then go Ravine Select. If you want something more mellow then the regular Ravine – or something like the Navigator which is also pretty mellow. If you think you’ll be riding slow fairly often, want to be able to get lazy and not always bomb and ride a lot of trees, then I’d be leaning Ravine or Navigator. But if you like your riding fast and need your board to handle a lot of speed, then the Ravine Select is the better choice, IMO.
Hope this helps
Awesome review just ordered the board! Any specific bindings you’d recommend for this?
Hey Jeff
Thanks for your message.
I’d go with something stiff. At least an 8/10 flex and anything up to a 10/10 flex. If you wanted to match Rome to Rome, I really liked the Rome Cleaver, which I tested for the first time last winter. But anything from this list is a good bet, IMO.
Thank you again for the help!
I’ll grab a pair of the Rome Cleaver.
You’re very welcome Jeff. Hope they treat you well and hope you have an awesome season!