Rome Ravine Select Review

Board: Rome Ravine Select

Price: $649 (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

Out of the 40 Men’s Freeride snowboards that I rated:

Overview of the Ravine Select’s Specs

Check out the tables for the Ravine Select’s specs and available sizes.

Specs

Who is the Ravine Select Most Suited To?

The Rome Ravine Select 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 Select IN MORE DETAIL

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 Select 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 Select 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.

Overall, the Rome Ravine Select 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 Select could be a solid one-board-quiver option for the right rider.