We rode the Skate Banana in the hot orange colorway, paired with the Union Force bindings also in hot orange. It was definitely an attention-getting setup. The Lib Tech Skate Banana has been a pretty popular deck the last few years and the Union Forces are often highly recommended, so we were anxious to see if they live up to the hype.

Size: 159cm

Stance: regs 15/-15, 24″ wide (Dave), regs 18/-12, 23.5″ wide (Leo)

Shape: True Twin With Banana Rocker

Bindings: Union Force

Dave’s stats: 6′, 210 lbs

Leo’s stats: 5’9″ 180 lbs

Conditions: Boyne Mountain (Boyne Falls, MI). Hardpack & icy, super cold a little sun but mostly clouds.

Flex:

Dave says: No surprises, I felt the Banana was slightly stiffer than middle-of-the-road flex.

Leo says: Yup. About mid flex for me as well. This is mainly due to the 159cm size. The 156 I rode last year was mid-softish.

Ollie/Pop:

Dave says: An all mountain shred stick should deliver some good pop for your ollies, nollies and playing around on natural features. My cheat sheet from Test Fest simply says “pop” so it impressed me as slightly better than average in this department.

Leo says: Just average for me. I said it about last year and I’ll say it again this year. PUT MORE POP IN IT LIB TECH! The Skate Banana is such a highly regarded stick. It should have the pop to match that reputation. I want to see Ride level pop in their boards.

Handling:

Dave says: In an all mountain deck I like to have some stability and the Skate Banana delivered there. Turn initiation was good and responsive however it is a full reverse camber so there is definitely a looser skate-like feel when riding this board. I really liked the Magnetraction edges on all of the Mervin boards we rode at Test Fest and the Skate Banana was no exception. It held a pretty decent edge event at speed and on the firm hardpack or icy spots, thanks to the MTX.

Leo says: The 159 definitely handled better than the 156 I rode from last year on faster runs. Still wouldn’t be my choice for steep runs, but completely doable. The Banana Rocker is a great camber profile and I have no complaints about it. Super fun for messing around. Definitely not as pronounced as some Burton rockers with that crazy scoop in the middle so it doesn’t feel too loose. Edge to edge has always pleased me on the Skate Banana and it is responsive. Magnetraction is great for hardpack/icey conditions. Some say it feels grabby at times. I don’t really notice it. That shouldn’t deter anyone from getting a MTX board though. Just go over the edges with a normal edge tool and you’re good to go.

Jibs/Playfulness:

Dave says: It’s reverse camber of course you can press, butter and jib. The reverse camber combined with a pretty good amount of pop really lets you make the whole mountain your park.

Leo says: Well, it is called a SKATE Banana. I don’t know about you, but I’d definitely call BS if it didn’t lend to my freestyle antics. I only hit some wide boxes on this thing. Felt good underfoot. Presses and buttering was fun.

Pricing:

The Lib Tech Skate Banana retails for $489 which is the new black in terms of price points. It seems like a reasonable price, and at least it is competitive with other boards.

Dave’s Take: It was nice to be on a board that wasn’t a 155 so this one fit me a little better than most we rode. Overall it was a loose, playful full-reverse all-mountain stick. Full rocker makes it a little forgiving but the MTX gives it some bite. I still hesitate to recommend reverse camber for beginners, so this would be a good board for intermediate riders looking to progress their riding all around the mountain.

Leo’s Take: I usually hate hype. Here’s why: when something gets as much hype as the Skate Banana and Union bindings, it raises my expectations greatly. What normally happens is I end up comparing it to my favorite products in the same category. The Skate Banana isn’t a bad board by any means. It’s actually a really fun board and I wouldn’t mind having one. I do recommend it a lot to people. The thing is, I have several other true twin rockered boards on my list in that price range that I would much rather have. The Skate Banana, in my opinion, is not “The best friggen board ever!” like I was led to believe. It’s just another solid fully rockered, true twin option. The deciding factor for me on this board would be the magnetraction. So if you have a short list of boards similar to the Skate Banana that you are trying to decide between, consider the terrain you ride most. Lots of hardpack and ice? The Naner should be on the very top of that list. I recommend this board for intermediate-advanced all-mountain freestyle riders.



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