Hello and welcome to my Lib Tech Orca snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Orca as a freeride snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Orca a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freeride snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Lib Tech Orca 2021
Price: $649
Style: short/wide freeride
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)
Rating Score: 81.0/100
Compared to other Men’s Freeride Boards
Out of the 36 men’s freeride snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Orca’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Orca’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freeride (short/wide) |
Price: | $649 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Rocker - Lib Tech's C2X |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Setback 64mm (2.5") |
Base: | Sintered (Sintered Knife Cut) |
Weight: | Felt a little heavier than Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
144 | 255 | 100+ | 45+ |
147 | 257 | 110+ | 50+ |
150 | 265 | 120+ | 54+ |
153 | 267 | 130+ | 59+ |
156 | 267 | 140+ | 64+ |
159 | 267 | 150+ | 68+ |
Who is the Orca Most Suited To?
The Orca is best for anyone looking for a stiffer short/wide board and mainly wants to ride at speed, carve and find powder. Or for those with bigger feet, but still want something 159 or under, that wants that kind of freeride experience.
Also for those looking to ride longer, more drawn out turns as opposed to short/sharp snappy turns and looking for something that is damp and smooth.
Not a beginner or even intermediate board, IMO - advanced to expert.
The Orca in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Orca is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Lib Tech Orca 2021, 153cm (267mm waist width)
Date: February 20, 2020
Conditions: Beautiful sunny day with perfect visibility. Almost too hot!
Off groomer quite crunchy and icy and the steep run I test on was quite crunchy too, but on groomer was really nice - hard packed underneath but with some soft on top.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 530mm (20.9″)
Stance Setback: Setback 64mm (2.5")
Width at Inserts: 276mm (10.9") at front insert and 275mm (10.8") at back insert
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 175lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Salomon Lo-Fi
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Damp or Chattery?
Really quite damp. Quite far up the damp side of the scale
Smooth or Snappy?
Smooth for sure. Again, quite far down the smooth side of the scale.
Powder
No powder to test on unfortunately, as I think this board would be super fun in powder.
Based on specs, it would be a powder lover for sure. A healthy amount of taper, heaps of setback, a longer nose than tail and rocker in the profile.
Carving & Turning
Carving: Nice on a carve. Not a monster carver, but still really nice. Prefers long arcing carves to shorter sharper ones.
Turning: Again prefers things to be a little more long and drawn out when making regular turns - as opposed to shorter, sharper turns.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: Not terrible maneuverable at slower speeds. Takes some effort to switch edges at slow speeds. Starts to purr more when riding faster.
Skidded Turns: Not great for skidded turns. Somewhat doable, but not super forgiving of them.
Speed
Performs really well at speed and prefers some speed behind. It feels like a much higher performance board when the mph is higher. And feels stable at speed too, when you open it out. In once sense this was quite surprising, given the length I rode (153) but in another sense it wasn't too surprising given how stiff it feels (7.5/10, bordering on 8/10)
Uneven Terrain
Felt great in crud - just smashed through it like it wasn't there.
Not as good in bumpy terrain, particularly trying to weave through - not nimble enough to be great in there.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
OK butnot amazing overall.
Pop: There's a good bit there, when you really give it some. But it takes quite a bit of effort to extract, IMO.
Approach: Really stable for faster approaches, but not as nimble as i would like for slower, trickier approaches
Landing: Solid on landings for sure. Can really stomp it when you get it right, but not that forgiving if you get it wrong.
Side-hits: Doable but not great. Not nimble enough for my liking and pop not easier enough to extract.
Small jumps/Big jumps: Best for bigger jumps where you need good stability on approach and landing.
Switch
Doable, as any board is really, but one of the less suited boards to riding switch.
Spins
Being a shorter board, it wasn't too bad getting the spin around, but still not super spinny. Not great for landing switch or setting up switch - or any kind of tricky setup. So not ideal for spins, IMO.
Butters
I found it surprisingly buttery for how stiff it is. I'd say as much as 3.5/5 for buttering, which really surprised me, given how the board otherwise felt.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING | 3.0 | 6/10 |
POWDER | 4.5 | 18/20 |
SPEED | 4.0 | 16/20 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
JUMPS | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SWITCH | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 81.0/100 |
If you're looking for a damp, smooth board for long, drawn out turns but mostly want something that's effortless and floaty in powder.
Make sure you like your board relatively stiff and wide and that you're an advanced rider - and if that all melds together, then this is a great option.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Orca, 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 freeride snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Orca compares to other freeride snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hi Nate,
I was wondering which size you would recommend for someone who is 6’1 190 size 11 boot?
I am mainly getting this as my pow and tree board
Hi Rob
For you, for the Orca I would look at the 156. For this board, given it’s width, I think the 159 is going to be too long. You might really like the 153 in the trees, but I think the 156 strikes a good balance between float in pow and maneuverability in trees. However, if the pow you see is pretty much always in the trees and not open terrain, deep pow, then I might lean more towards the 153, particularly if you already have a longer Flagship in your quiver. Actually thinking about the fact you have the Flagship in your quiver already, makes me more likely to lean 153. What size is your Flagship?
My Flag is a 164, which is why I was leaning 153 for the Orca. I don’t want too much overlap in my quiver, and I figured the 164 flag would be more than fine in wide open powder bowls. I’m getting the Orca to be my short/fat & playful powder board, but I’m hoping I won’t be sacrificing too much float with the 153?
Most of the pow I see is in trees, but I do more rarely get into the wide open & deep terrain
Thanks for answering all my questions btw!
Hi Rob
Yeah for the quiver I think I would be leaning 153. The Flagship 164 will do very well in open terrain pow – and I think that will give you a greater difference in the quiver and more maneuverability/playfullness in that shorter size.
I decided on the 153! Thanks for all the help. I was also wondering where you would put the upper weight ranges for the 153 size? I don’t plan on gaining that much weight but with holiday cooking and all…
Hi Rob
At a guess, I would say around 200lbs as a max. I think you should be good. A few extra turns after holiday cooking will help 🙂 – a good excuse to ride more, right!
Hi Nate,
I am getting a new board for the 2021 season. I am 5’11 and float around 220-230 pounds with size 11 boots. (32’s) and Union Atlas bindings.
I live in Vancouver, BC and get to ride 50 to 70 days per season on the local mountains, Whistler and Interior BC. I would say I am an advanced/expert rider in all disciplines except park.
I am a powder hound and tree dweller. I spend 80% of my time hunting down powder stashes in the slack country and trees. I love tree riding and linking fast, smooth turns. I also go on occasional back country adventures using snowshoes. Apart from that I like natural jumps, side hits and medium drops. I hit the park occasionally to do jumps and easy rails/boxes (But I don’t want park to have much influence on my board selection) I also bomb down groomers when there is no powder to be found.
I am looking for a board to deliver in all those fields if possible. I rode the 2020 Orca 153 on a demo day last March and loved it. I found it to be nice and light when turning and it felt great in chopped snow. The snow on the slackcountry that day was mediocre but I got a chance to ride it on some short hits of powder and the board felt amazing. I don’t know if my experience was biased from being a T Rice fan boy but I loved the board. Is there anything else you would recommend that would be better suited for my riding style?
I rode a Ride War Pig last year for 15 days and loved it until the top sheet peeled off. (Returned it under warranty)
My friend is pushing me to try a Yes PYL. I have also been recommend to check out the Kazoo….
Any help much appreciated my friend!
Chat soon,
Paul
Hi Paul
Thanks for your message.
Since you’ve experienced and really like the T Rice Orca that’s definitely a safe bet for you, so I would be leaning towards that. Size-wise, the Orca is definitely a board to size down with, but I would probably be leaning towards 156 for you, even after sizing down. However, since you liked how the 153 rode, again, that experience I would maybe lean there. And maybe that size is OK for you, given you’re in the trees a lot. I think 156 would work for you as well, but you might not find it quite as nimble/light feeling. At 175lbs and with a size 10 boot, I didn’t find the Orca that nimble – not un-nimble either, but not that nimble. So my biggest concern with going to 156 for you, is that you found it less nimble. Going longer would give you more stability at speed and more float in powder, so that’s the trade off. But if you liked the feel of the 153 in powder, then again, I think that would be where I would lean for you.
The Kazu was the first board that came to mind when you were describing everything there, so I do think that would be a great option for you. If you hadn’t tested and really liked the Orca, I would probably be saying Kazu 160, but there’s no substitute for experience, so given your experience I would still be leaning Orca.
The PYL would also really suit what you’re describing. You’ve had some good recommendations, IMO. Based on specs and taking into account how you describe your riding, I would say the 160W would be the best size for you – going a little shorter for trees, and the 160W isn’t that wide for a wide board. But you could probably also get away with the 162 width-wise, if you wanted to go a little longer. But I would be leaning 160W for the PYL for you. I think both the PYL and Kazu would work for sure, but the safe bet would be Orca. Given you’ve had a good experience on it. If you did get the chance to test other board, then I would certainly try out the Kazu and PYL though.
Hope this helps
Hey Nate,
Thanks for the speedy reply man. Much appreciated!
I shared your same thoughts on the sizing, the pros and cons between 153 and 156.
I did have a great experience on the Orca for sure but also feel that I may have been slightly biased and I was wanting the board to perform so that may have affected my judgment. Sometimes I feel like there is a lot of hype in regards to this board. Some people love it and some people find it not so great.
What concerns me is how you rated other boards in regards to quick turns and turn iniation etc. From your experience you did not think the Orca performed as well as others.
If I was to take the Orca out of the equation what would you be leaning towards.
Looks like we ride similar terrain as you are located in Vancouver too.
I am mainly hitting the trees on Cypress and slack country off Sky chair, along with 5 -10 days in Whistler and 10 days in the interior.
I am open to any board that performs well in powder and trees most importantly but can also be a daily driver for groomwers and average snow.
Thanks man!
Hey Paul
Yeah sounds like we have pretty similar seasons alright! I split my time between the locals, Whistler and interior also.
Taking the Orca out of the equation, I would probably lean towards the PYL, but it’s a very close call between that and the Kazu. Both would definitely do the job well though, IMO. The main reason I would take the PYL, is that it’s subtly better for speed and carving, for when you’re on the groomers. In the trees/powder, they are equals, IMO. So definitely not a bad choice between them, in my experience.
For the Orca, given that you’ve got a bit of weight on me and a larger foot, the 153 would certainly feel different for you than it does for me, so there’s definitely that to consider too. It could even be the case that the 159 would feel for you how I felt the 153 – or maybe something like a 157, 158 if it existed. Hard to say for sure of course, but weight and boot size on a given board does make a noticeable difference.
Thanks Nate. Much appreciated my man! I can get a killer deal on a 2019/20 Never Summer Westbound (480 CDN) in a local shop. I might be leaning towards that as the price is great.
In reality I could get the NS and still have $400 ish leftover to pick up another full on powder oriented board to add to a quiver for the same price of one board below.
The other options that we chatted about were the PYL (815 CDN) or Orca (700 ish CDN).
Would you rate the NS for all the type of riding we chatted about before?
Hi Paul
I think the West Bound would suit what you’re describing, for sure. I would say it’s got a bit more of an easy going feel compared to the Orca – it’s a bit softer flexing, but not soft by any means (7/10). But it’s one of those boards, that I really liked to carve on, but still found quite maneuverable at slower speeds. And really good in uneven terrain. So based on what you described, I think it would work well. Can work for side-hits etc too – and whilst not ideal for park riding by any stretch can take you in there – and I know that wasn’t a major factor for your decision.
For more details on what I thought of the West Bound, check out:
>>NS West Bound Review