Hello and welcome to my Lib Tech TRS review.
In this review, I will take a look at the TRS as an All-Mountain-Freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the TRS a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other All-Mountain-Freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Lib Technologies TRS HP C2X
Price: $599 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium to Medium-Stiff (5-7/10 depending on the size)
Flex Feel: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 85.4/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 24 men’s all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
- The average score was 81.3/100
- The highest score was 93.3/100 (see below)
- The lowest score was 70.8/100
- The average price was $507
- The TRS ranked 6th out of 24
Overview of the TRS’s Specs
Check out the tables below for the TRS’s specs and available sizes in the charts below.
Specs
| Style | All-Mountain-Freestyle | Flex | Medium (5/10) |
| Ability Level | Intermediate to Expert | Feel | Semi Loose |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Fast |
| Camber Profile | Hybrid Rocker - Lib Tech's C2X | Shape | True Twin |
| Stance Setback | Centered | Edge-hold | Icy-snow |
| Price | $599 (USD) | Base | TnT Dual Layered Fluoro Base |
Sizing
| Size (Length) | 148N | 151N | 154 | 157 | 157MW | 159 | 159MW | 162 | 165MW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waist Width (mm) | 237 | 247 | 253 | 253 | 260 | 253 | 260 | 256 | 263 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 90+ | 100+ | 120+ | 130+ | 130+ | 140+ | 140+ | 150+ | 155+ |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 41+ | 45+ | 55+ | 59+ | 59+ | 64+ | 64+ | 68+ | 70+ |
| Flex Rating | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
Who is the TRS Most Suited to?
The TRS is great for anyone looking for great performance and some serious power to weight. It feels light but powerful making spins and jumps a breeze.
But it can also hold down a carve and can rack up some serious speed. So if you want to ride the whole mountain at pace but do tricks and jumps on the way – and then finish off with a lap through the park at the end, then this board is ideal.
Also, due to the magne-traction, anyone who rides hard and icy snow conditions regularly will like this board – as long as they like everything else about it.
What it’s Not Good For
It would be too much for the beginner to control – it’s super easy to maneuver it but it’s a probably a bit loose feeling and twitchy to be a good beginner deck.
Probably not really for the backcountry either – it’s not designed for it. That said, you could take it out there – I just wouldn’t get this board if that’s what you did most of the time. More details below.
The TRS in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the TRS is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Lib Tech TRS 2017, 157 (253mm)
Date Demoed: February 27th, 2016
Conditions: Choppy and slushy on the groomers. Some rare pockets of powder off. Some rain later in the afternoon but mostly fine. Visibility good all day.
Bindings angles: +15/-9
Powder
I didn’t get a lot of it on the day but did run into some slushy powder pockets. The TRS felt better than I had expected. It has a rocker section between the feet that would help with that float but it’s a centered stance which isn’t ideal for riding powder.
If you ride powder a lot and only want to have one board then there are better options – but if you only occasionally hit powder, the TRS will hold its own. And if you have to go through any icy patches to get to that powder you’ll be happy to have that magne-traction under foot.
Carving and Turning
Could hold a carve pretty well. It’s got particularly good edge-hold for when your on hard or icy-ish snow. I didn’t have a lot of that but when I hit harder patches you could really feel the edges dig in which felt good.
Super-fast from edge-to-edge. Felt almost too fast at first until I got the hang of riding it. You can turn pretty tight when you need to on this and at first it feels like you’re turning too tight.
Speed
This deck is super-fast and that must have something to do with the TnT Base. This isn’t extruded or sintered – it’s its own thing. Whatever it is, it made this board seriously fly. I found that the board felt super light too under that base.
The only reason I don’t give a higher score for speed is that it wasn’t amazingly stable at high speeds. It was a bit loose feeling to be the perfect speed demon. But you’d certainly have no issues through flat spots and short up-hills.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Uneven Terrain
I had plenty of it – I rode this deck on a busy Saturday in slushy condition. Choppy was an understatement! Though at first I found it difficult to navigate this board through the bumps, as I got used to it, it was able to negotiate the bumpy stuff pretty well.
Jumps
There’s plenty of pop in this board. Great for ollies and popping over lips and rollers.
Jumps in the park – small to large – are also fun on this deck. It’s got a medium flex which gives you enough stability on the landings over larger jumps and enough forgiveness.
Switch
Almost perfect. It’s a true twin shape with a centered stance so it’s the same going either way.
Jibbing
This board is really agile – almost too much so until you get used to it. But once you’re used to it then the approach to jibs is awesome.
But on the jib it’s not perfect. Not a jibbing specialist by any means and probably its weakest point. But you can do it.
Pipe
This board is pretty much made for the pipe. I didn’t take it into a proper one but based on the reviews of others and on the boards specs, and in the mini pipe I took it through, this is a board that would love the pipe.
It’s got a centered stance, it’s a true twin, it’s got a medium flex, it has great edge-hold in hard and icy conditions. Enough said.
Changes from 2017 model
The 2018 model now has Lib Tech’s C2X camber profile, which is the same thing as the 2017 models Xc2 BTX but just renamed. I like the renaming of their camber profiles – IMO the terminology is less complicated now. The 2018 model is virtually the same as the 2017 model other than the name change and a different graphic.
Changes from 2016 model
The TRS is now what the old TRS HP (horsepower) was. For the 2016-17 season there is only a TRS HP and a TRS FP (firepower). The 2015-16 model had a TRS, a TRS HP and a TRS FP. For the 2016-17 model there’s just 2.
You might see it named TRS HP XC2 BTX or just TRS XC2 BTX – for 2016-17 it’s the same model.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Switch: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Jumps: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Jibbing: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Carving/Turning: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Powder: | 2.0 | 4/10 |
| Speed: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Pipe: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 85.4/100 |
The TRS was looser and lighter than I was expecting. And had a super-fast slippery base.
In short, this thing felt like slapping a V8 onto a smart car! Was hard to control at first because of this. But got used to it after a bit.
Tame this beast and you can do a lot of cool stuff on it.
The TRS also comes in a Firepower (FP) version ($749) but you pay more for that, of course. The main difference between the HP and FP versions is that the FP is lighter.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re keen to learn more about the TRS, or if you want to research available sizes and current prices, or if you are ready to buy, check out the links below.
- Lib Tech TRS at PRFO.com (CANADA)
If you’re keen to check out some other all-mountain-freestyle options or if you want to see how the TRS compares to other similar boards, check out the link below.
>>Snowboarding Profiles Top 5 Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards
Nate,
Love the reviews. Ive been trying to decide between this and the proto type two. Going to revelstoke in march and want a all mountain board I can grow in (im and intermediate rider) but is also not going to kick my butt all over the mountain. Ive heard good things about both boards. Love riding all mountain and hitting natural features with occasional park session. I just am wondering if this board is manageable in soft snow or will it be miserable?
Hi Tyler
Thanks for your message. I think either one of these boards will suit what you want to do really well. I didn’t find the TRS “grippy” in softer snow – as some can find with boards that are good in ice. I found it fine in softer snow.
That said, if I had to choose between the two I’d go for the Proto Type 2. However, if you think you’ll be riding in a lot of icy conditions, then the TRS is probably the better option. Not sure where you usually ride but for Revelstoke I’d go with the Proto Type 2, but honestly either board are awesome and I think you’d be stoked with which ever one you went with.
Thanks for the reply. Ive also just started looking at some of the YES boards, do you like the camber profile on those for transitioning from a all rocker board, or is the camber between feet catchy? Looking for the board to be able to handle everything kind of like the TRS and the proto type two but I dont know much about YES boards
Hi Tyler
I never find camber between the feet to be catchy if there’s rocker towards the tip and tail. And the YES boards are no exception to this. The YES Basic in fact, is one of the better beginner boards going around, IMO, because it’s so easy to turn on. The Basic’s rocker sections are more exaggerated than the Greats so you do get more rocker in that profile.
I really like all the YES boards I’ve ridden but I also highly rate the TRS and Proto Type Two. It’s a tough choice because you’ve narrowed it down to the best of this sort of board.
Yeah im seeing how difficult this decision is becoming. I also saw your review on the slash brain storm and the jones mountain twin. So my question to you is this. I live on the east coast but every year do a trip somewhere nice. This year is revelstoke. I want a board that can handle the powder and cliff jumps but can handle the being fun in the resort too. So if I throw out the YES Typo, YES Standard, Jones Mountain Twin, TRS, and the Brainstorm. What kind of advice can you give me. I know they are all kind of similar so I apologize. Basically I just want to make sure these can handle the trips where I do get into some pow and am hitting jumps in the back country.
Hey Tyler
Yeah, they’re all fairly similar but do have some subtle differences. But they would all do the job you’re describing.
In terms of powder performance I think that the Brainstorm and the Mountain Twin will do the best job. They’re both pretty good with jumps too. Just perhaps not as good as the likes of the TRS and Proto Type 2.
I think with the YES Typo you’re probably not getting quite as much more in the powder as you are with the other two when compared with the TRS and Proto Type Two. Maybe slightly better but not hugely.
THe Typo is however, probably up there with the TRS when it comes to icy snow. But the Mountain Twin and Brainstorm are pretty up there too – just not quite as good as the TRS and Typo.
So yeah, when it comes to pow, the Mountain Twin and the Brainstorm – and they’re still fun in the resort too – just not as suited to riding switch as the Proto and TRS. And not quite as good on jumps in general than the All Mountain Freestyle options.
It’s never any easy decision – especially when there are so many good options. Let me know what you go with in the end.
Thank you. I was a little concerned with the brainstorm and the back seat profile of it but you make it seem like it can still handle switch without being to difficult. And the TRS is still up there on my list but the more and more I see these RCR profiles Ive been concerned on how it would handle in powder just because it has camber on the tip and tail. I know it would kill it in the resort though. So those were my concerns with those boards. The Typo is probably in my top three right now to be honest. What do you think of the standard? I havent seen to many reviews on it. Again thank you for the help and the reviews.
Hey Tyler
I rate the Standard too. It’s a similar type of board to the Mountain Twin and Brainstorm but not exactly the same.
If you haven’t seen my top 10 all mountain snowboards list and/or my top 5 all mountain freestyle lists you can check them out in the links below. All the boards we have been discussing are in there.
~ Top 10 All Mountain Snowboards
~ Top 5 All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards