Hello and welcome to my Lib Tech BRD review.
In this review, I will take a look at the BRD as a mellow freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the BRD a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other mellow-freeride snowboards.
NOTE: The 2023 model was the last model of the BRD.
Overall Rating
Board: Lib Tech BRD
Price: $629
Style: Mellow Freeride
Flex Rating: Medium
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 87.5/100
Compared to other Men’s Mellow Freeride Boards.
Out of the 32 men’s mellow freeride snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the BRD’s Specs
Check out the tables for the BRD's specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Mellow Freeride |
Price: | $629 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Rocker But predominantly camber - Lib Tech's C3 Camber |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 2.5" (64mm) |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Felt Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
153 | 245 | not available | n/a |
156 | 250 | n/a | n/a |
159 | 255 | n/a | n/a |
162W | 265 | n/a | n/a |
167W | 268 | n/a | n/a |
Who is the BRD Most Suited To?
The BRD is a great option for anyone looking for a directional freeride board, but doesn't want it to be super stiff or overly demanding.
It's still something you'll want to have good technique already to ride - it's pretty camber dominant and isn't super easy on skidded turns, but it's also not overly stiff and something you can ride all day without fatiguing, if you're not used to stiff boards - or if you're a lighter weight rider for whom a super stiff board feels even stiffer.
Also great for anyone wanting a good board for powder, but one that still does a good job carving up the groomers. It rides well in all snow conditions. It could be a one board quiver for the right rider - if you don't really ride any freestyle or any switch, then it can be a daily driver - or it can work as a compliment to a more freestyle focused board in your quiver.
Nor for beginners and probably not even low-end intermediate riders. But solid intermediates with good technique should have a great time riding this board.
The BRD in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the BRD is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Lib Tech BRD 2022, 156cm (250mm waist width)
Date: March 3, 2021
Conditions: Temp 0°C (32°F) but -6°C (21°F) with wind and that wind was quite chilly but not overly strong - 10kph (6mph)
Overcast but 90% visibility
24 snow: 0cm (0")
7 day snow: 24cm (9")
On groomer: Soft on top. Not slushy but kind of like when it's slushy but the snow wasn't wet. It's like it was ice overnight but softened up.
Off groomer: Very hard/crunchy.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 555mm (22″)
Stance Setback: Setback 64mm (2.5")
Width at Inserts: 261mm (10.28") at front insert and 255mm (10.04")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 175lbs
Rider Boot Size: US9.5 Adidas Tactical ADV
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Control Board for Control Laps: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker
Weight: 2960grams (6lbs 8oz)
Weight per cm: 18.97 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.43 grams/cm*
*based on a sample size of around 100 models that I’ve weighed in 2019, 2020, 2021 *& 2022 models. The BRD is a little heavier than normal on the scales, but on snow it felt very much just normal.
Flex
It's a tough one to judge on flex, because the tail is considerably stiffer than the rest of the board. I would say around 7/10 in the tail, 5/10 in the nose and around 5.5/10 down the rest of the board. An overall feel of around 6/10 bordering on 5.5/10. But don't expect it to feel that soft on the tail.
Damp or Chattery?
Really quite a damp board. Felt very little chatter, relative to other boards, riding the BRD.
Smooth or Snappy?
More smooth than snappy, IMO.
Powder
I didn't have any powder to test it in on the day, but it's well setup for powder. It's got a really big setback, it's got a really healthy amount of taper, and whilst it's camber dominant it doesn't have an early rise nose. All of that and a nose that's quite a bit longer than the tail - and it's got all the makings of a great board in powder.
Carving & Turning
Carving: It's not a monster carver, but it's still really good. It's something you can lay down a good carve on and at decent speed.
Turning: It's not effortless to turn. You've got to put a little into it. But when you do it is a fun board to turn on. And you don't have to like throw everything into it or anything, but it's also not effortless.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: It's fairly nimble at slow speeds. Not as much so as my control board (Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker) but a little more so than the Essential Service that I also rode that day.
Skidded Turns: Not that forgiving of skidded turns. And not too surprising given the stiffer, cambered tail.
Speed
Good speed and good stability at speed too. Opened it out pretty fast and didn't get wobbly or anything. Also had good glide, which is something I don't typically comment on, unless I notice it being better or worse than normal.
Uneven Terrain
Crud: It handled the crud pretty well. Smashes through pretty well, doesn't really get bucked around much.
Bumps: It's not as agile weaving through bumps as my Terrain Wrecker but it's also not bad at all. Going over bumps it was pretty good at hugging them too, without being overly huggy. But all round a fun board to take into the trees.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
Not something I would get if I was wanting to hit jumps most of the day, but not bad for a freeride board.
Pop: Good pop, but a little weird with that noticeably stiffer tail. Particularly for doing ollies and nollies, it can feel a bit weird. Pop not overly hard to access but not super easy either - and that's probably because of that stiffer tail, making it take a bit more effort to pop.
Approach: Stable on faster approaches. Not ultra maneuverable for trickier approaches, but also not like a boat or anything. You can make adjustments when you need to.
Landing: Solid landing base, but forgiving enough too - but can feel a little weird with that uneven flex.
Side-hits: Not ideal but certainly doable.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: I'd say best for medium to large jumps.
Switch
Doable, as any board is, but quite weird. Everything about this board is directional, so when you switch it around, you've got to get used to riding it in a hole new way.
Spins
Not amazing. Harder to access pop - and if you can get past that, then you've got a board that's pretty tricky to setup or land switch. Getting the spin around wasn't difficult and whilst it's a little heavier than the average board, it didn't feel that way.
Butters
Pretty weird for butters. Off the tail it was much harder to press than off the nose.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
POWDER | 4.5 | 27/30 |
TURNS/SLASHING | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
CARVING | 4.0 | 8/10 |
TREES/BUMPS | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
CRUD/CHUNDER | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 8/10 |
JUMPS | 3.0 | 3/5 |
SWITCH | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 87.5/100 |
Overall, the BRD is a powder board, that works really well on groomers - and if you're only ever wanting to ride in one direction and want something that's not too overbearing but at the same time can still handle some speed and lay down a carve, then it's something you should have on your shortlist.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the BRD, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other mellow freeride snowboard options, or if you want to compare the BRD to other mellow freeride snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hi, I’m 6’2’’ and weight 210lbs with a US size 12 shoe. I’ve been riding the Rossignol one-mag 161W for about 20 years, I loved the board and use it all over the mountain. I want to change to a bigger board, I tend to board more groomers & powder, and do not really do parks or tricks, would you recommend the lib tech brd in 167W for me? Or is that too big? It just that size is on a really good offer.
Hi Zio, thanks for your message.
I would put your “typical all-mountain” length at around 163. With a freeride leaning board, you can go a little bigger than that, but I think 167W could be stretching that a bit. I know guys who like really long boards that would say go for it, but in my experience they are the outliers and most with your specs would find that a bit too big. If you’ve experienced a board that big and liked it, you could be one of the exceptions, but otherwise, I’d say it’s going a little too big, IMO.
Hope this helps
Hi guys,
Brd is really perfect in a deep snow. I tried it at Mamay (Siberia), and snow conditions were so hard (more 1.5m ) that only two of us could move alone , another guys were used our lines for speed gain and so on. I am 6.1 / 180lbs and use Brd 162w, its awesome for freeride in every cases – deep snow, wide fields cruising, forest, big rock jumps. I could compare it with my lovely old Lib Tech Snow Mullet 172, and Brd is better in many aspects ( what about floating – nose not so wide , but nose length and shape is perfect).
ps found our short movie from Mamay – you ae welcome
BR, Yury
Hi Yury
Video looks amazing – some sick conditions there!
Thanks for your insight
hi, is this thing still on?
I’m 5’10” and 150lbs with size 10 boot
Having a hard time choosing between 156 and 159.
I want to stay nimble for trees and moguls and stuff but do like to bomb big mountain stuff.
I’m coming from an ancient 154.
What will the advantages / disadvantages of going one or the other be?
Hi Chris
Thanks for your message. Always on!
I would go 156 for your specs. 159 a little on the big side and it’s likely going to feel too big in the trees, IMO.
Advantages/disadvantages of 156 vs 159 – the 156 will be more maneuverable with the 159 having better stability at speed and better float in powder. But at your weight, you shouldn’t have any problem with float or stability on the 156. Note also, that if you went 159 it would likely feel noticeably stiffer.
The one question mark over the 156, is that it’s quite narrow at the back insert. So, if you’re riding with quite a straight back binding angle (e.g. 0-6 degrees) and like to rip deep carves, then there’s some risk for boot drag. I had no issues with boot drag, but keep in mind that I was riding it with a low profile 9.5 and a 15 degree back binding angle.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thanks for the reply! Very helpful. I pulled the trigger on the 156.
I will be experimenting with back foot angle quite a bit so I think I should be able to find something that works.
You’re very welcome Chris. Hope it treats you well and that you have a great season.
What’s a board that does well on groomers and powder that an intermediate can handle?
Lib tech BRD, K2 Instrument, Yes Hybrid?
Hi Peter
Thanks for your message.
I haven’t ridden the K2 Instrument, but the BRD and Hybrid fit that description, IMO. But I would say you’d want to be a solid intermediate rider for that. If you were more low end intermediate, then something like the Ride Wildlife, Slash Brainstorm would be better – or something like the GNU Hyper, if you preferred a bit of a looser feel.
Hope this helps
So I got the K2 Instrument, I should probably detune the edges at the contact points before taking it for a spin right?
Hi Peter
Thanks for the update. You could detune at the contact points if you wanted. I typically don’t with a new board, unless I feel it needs it after riding it.
Hey Nate- I’m 5’9″ 155 pounds with size 9 boots. The BRD seems like a good pick for an easy-riding quiver of 1 freeride board for both powder and groomers. Another board I have my eye on: How would the 156 BRD compare to the 157 Salomon Super 8? Thanks!
Hi Dave
Thanks for your message.
I would go 156 BRD for you over the 157 Super 8. Main reason – sizing. The Super 8 is on the wider side – and the 157 quite wide for 9s, IMO. The BRD 156 is a great width for 9s, IMO, and it’s a good length for your specs. So, sizing-wise, it’s just right, IMO.
Hope this helps
Yes, this helps a lot. I LOVE the shape of the BRD… But now I’m weighing the 156 BRD against a 156 Squash and a 154 K2 Excavator. Your thoughts on those three for the above specs and conditions? As always… THANKS!
Hi Dave
I haven’t ridden either the Squash (though have heard good things and hoping to get on it this winter) or Excavator (also hopefully get on this one), so I can’t compare to the BRD from experience. In terms of specs and what I hear of them, I think they would certainly suit what you’re describing, but can’t give any first hand experience of how they ride. Sizing-wise, I think the Squash is spot on in the 156 – a really good size for you, IMO, like the BRD is in the 156.
Sizing for the Excavator is a little less straight forward, because of it’s volume shifted nature (really quite wide). In terms of surface area, the 154 is probably going to feel closer to a 158/159 as a rough guess. The 150 more like a 154/155. So I would be tempted to go down to the 150 if you were going to go Excavator. The 154 would of course give you more float in powder, but it might be too much of a boat to turn. The 150 is perhaps a little on the small side, particularly when you take into account the effective edge, but I think it depends on how much you want to be bombing/doing hard carves. I would be leaning 150 overall for your specs, but it’s a tougher choice. BRD and Squash 100% 156, IMO.
Hi Nate,
I’ve got a cheap Rossi twin I’ve been using to learn on for the last couple years and I wanted to step my game up with something more aggressive that can take hard carving, charging, is decent in pow, and able to navigate well through trees. I was looking at the Rome Ravine Select as I heard it was a good aggressive all-mountain board and was wondering if you ever had the chance to try one of these out? I’m 5’8-9″ 170lbs and I recently found one in 158 for sale. I haven’t had any experience with a directional board but I also don’t know if I want to go from a twin to another twin, would you be able to weigh in your opinion on this?
Thank you,
Hi Edward
Thanks for your message.
I haven’t tested the Ravine (or any Rome boards) unfortunately. It’s a brand I’m hoping to get on board in the near future, but not so far.
Without knowing the exact Rossi model, but based on how you describe it, I would imagine that the Ravine would give you a step up and be a bit more aggressive, without being too big a step up. It looks like it’s got a healthy amount of camber but it’s not overly stiff – more mid flex. From what you’re describing, I’m guessing you’re on a softer flexing Rossi, which is probably more rocker than camber dominant.
In terms of shape, you would be going a lot more directional. If you’re not really riding switch or doing freestyle stuff, then I wouldn’t go twin again. From how you describe your riding, a more directional board would be better suited. There are more in between boards that aren’t twins but aren’t as directional as this one – and if you wanted to still be able to ride switch and do spins and stuff, but wanted to go a little bit directional, then there are boards that are less directional but a still somewhat directional. However, if you’re not doing those things, then no reason why you can’t go tapered directional. It will be a bigger change, going from a twin, and take a bit to get used to, but for your riding style it sounds suitable and you will get use to it.
I think the 158 is at the end of your range for length – as in I wouldn’t go any longer. But if you’re looking to ride quite aggressively with charging and hard carves, then I think it’s suitable. Going to be a little more of a challenge when riding slower in trees. But this is also assuming you’re an intermediate rider. If you’d consider yourself more of an advanced rider, then I think 158 is about right.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi. Nate,
I’m sorry if I’ve posted comments twice.
Thank you for your review and your review has made me wonder what would be the right size for me.
The other day, I had an opportunity to try BRD 159cm because my foot is 10.
Soon, I found out it was less nimble and the edge-to-edge was less quick than I had expected, despite the width of the waist.
(I usually ride Salomon Ultimate ride, with the waist of 260mm.)
I don’t mean to say BRD is a bad board.
(I think it’s better than T.Rice Pro in terms of feeling I can get from turning.)
I like the stability and the graphic of the board.
Therefore, could you please tell me if I should pick up a shorter size or I should choose another board.
(I found Gnu Banked Country(159cm) and Lib tech Golden Orca(153cm) are more maneuverble and the edge-to-edge is quicker.)
For your reference, I’m 5’7” and 175lb. My foot size is 10.
Hi Kenny
Thanks for your messages.
I think you could definitely make arguments for both 156 and 159 for your height/weight. 156 would definitely be a more nimble ride, at the sacrifice of a little stability at speed and some float in powder. I think 156 is probably the best balance if you’re using it as a do-it-all board. If you’re using it predominantly for bombing and powder, then I’d say 159.
I get why you went with it in terms of width with 10s though. Not just the waist width, but the width at the back insert is 255mm, which is pretty narrow. I didn’t have any issues with boot drag, but I did ride it with 9.5s (and the most low profile boots I’ve measured), so slightly smaller boots than what you would have on there. I have ridden boards with similar width at inserts with 10s (I’m either a 9.5 or 10 depending on brand of boots) and haven’t had issues, but in those cases I’ve had +15/-15 binding angles. 255mm at the inserts is definitely in the risky zone for boot drag, IMO.
T Rice Pro trying to turn quickly in tight spaces is not a fun experience! (at least in my experience and sounds like you felt the same)
Thank you for your advice.
I was concerned because I also tried Capita Kazu Kokubo 151cm with the waist of 25.1cm, which is similar to that of Lib tech BRD.
(It was the only size they had.)
I was comfortable on the board, but sometimes my heel dragged and I fell on a spring chunder snow slope.
I think I won’t have any problem as long as I ride on BRD on firm snow.
Hi Kenny
I would predict back insert on the Kazu 151 to be around 258mm (based on measuring the 157), but if you were on a narrower stance – which is quite likely given the length, then it would have been a little narrower than that on the back insert. Probably closer to around that 255mm.
If you did go with the 156 BRD and found you were getting heel drag, it might be a case of adjusting the bindings so the overhang is a little more on the toe side. It might be the case that your boots were overhanging more on the heel side when you rode the Kazu (I find I’m more likely to get toe drag than heel drag).
Nate,
Thank you for your review on BRD. I have a question about the length.
The other day, I had an opportunity to try BRD and picked up 159cm because my foot size is 10(28.5cm). I found out the board was heavier and less nimble than I thought it would be.
I know boards from Mervin tend to be on the heavier and damper side, but I felt comfortable on Gnu Banked Country, the board with a similar waist width and the same length(159cm) and Libtech Golden Orca(153cm), one with a broader waste width.
Should I pick up the shorter BRD, like 156cm, or should I choose a different board?
(I don’t mean to say this board is bad. I like the stability of the board and the edge-to-edge speed is OK, at least much better than T.Rice Pro(155cm).)