_REVIEWS2010-2011_BOARDS

Snowboard Review: 10-11 Chemical Storm Rocker

Location: Steamboat, CO

Snow Conditions: Sunny bluebird with hardpacked corduroy snow, leftover powder and bumped groomers.

Setup: I rode the Chemical Storm with my Union bastardized bindings and Vans Veil Boots size 8.

Size: 155

First Impression: The shape of the Chemical storm’s nose and tail is getting too much attention but the ride of the board makes it worth the attention.

Weight: average

Flex: The Chemical storm rocker had a stiffer flex between the bindings that helped give it more stability down the mountain and on edge.  Overall stiffer torsionally and mid-stiff longitudinally.  The tad softer nose/tail were still butterable and could play around on.  I found the flex perfect for freeriding and when I took it into the park at the end of the day, could handle some park with the rocker.

Turning: With the stiffer torsional flex on the chemical storm, it required more effort to get from edge to edge. Once on edge it really held each turn and you felt most comfortable on the longer drawn out carved turns.  You never felt like the board didn’t take you into the full arc of a turn and even when I skidded out turns, it felt smooth and not hooky. I took the board out for a couple early morning corduroy laps and got shots where you can see the line down the mountain.

Stable: It didn’t ride like a 155 but rode like a longer length board in turns and handling.  The only so-so riding was on really choppy, cruddy conditions where it didn’t cut through as easily and I felt bounced around.  On icy terrain, it held an edge without slipping out.  In some leftover powder, it floated with the rocker but there wasn’t a lot of new snow to judge it on.

Pop: Despite being a rocker, it’s a stiffer rocker board so I found it slightly playful on the nose/tail and still capable of ollies off rollers.  I took the chemical storm in the halfpipe which actually impressed me with how easy it was to swing around and good pop off the tail of the board.  On the boxes was easy to maneuver and no catching.

Switch: I didn’t notice any adjustment in how the chemical storm rode in switch riding but I also spent 90% of the time riding regular on it and just cruising.

Overall Impression: This is one of the most interesting boards coming out, from a unknown company and yet the shape/graphic got the most attention on the mountain.  It was smooth riding on the mountain and in the park, it definitely won me over with how it handled for a variety of riding conditions.

Shay’s Honesty Box: Earlier this year Jeff from Chemical Storm mentioned trying out his new rocker snowboard they were producing, testing it and giving feedback.  By the time I got on it, it was already decided to keep it the way it was and I was given permission to review the board.  I have to say for a first time board, the chemical storm is something to watch out for…the design and shape people notice and ask about.  It’s the most popular board I’ve ridden this year and the graphics are the most commented on.  For a first time board, it can hold it’s own against the others.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for men’s snowboards or shop their full line of snowboards

On Snow Photo

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Chemical Storm Rocker description

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Review Disclosure: This board was given to me from Chemical Storm.

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    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by shayboarder, shredunion.com and Girls Learn To Ride, freakdesign. freakdesign said: RT @shayboarder: Snowboard Review: 10-11 Chemical Storm Rocker http://bit.ly/cVXim7 […]

  • Andy B
    May 10, 2010 at 4:58 pm

    Nice writeup Shay. Would not mind trying out one of those Chemical Storm boards myself. Eyecatching design to say the least and what’s the shape of nose and tail all about?

  • david
    May 11, 2010 at 8:18 am

    whats the theroy behind the tip design? Large surface area in the nose for good float in the pow, but kind of the reverse effect in the tail. Long contact lenght on a short board. I’d love to see more insight from board engineers, on tech. Industry tech terms from the marketing departmen drive me nuts, all the boards are very simalar in consturction, its the little tweaks that set them apart.

  • Jeff (CHEMICAL STORM)
    May 11, 2010 at 10:38 pm

    Thanks for the comments Andy B and david!

    Unfortunately there is NO design benefit of the tip/tail of the CS Rocker. We just wanted to create board which stood out from the crowd. We just hope you like the shape of it as we do?! I think most of the benefit of the board will come from the camber (rocker/reverse camber). I am a big fan of the rocker and I believe it’s here to stay.

    I would like to thank Shay for her time in reviewing my first board. We are an Australian company based in Brisbane, where it doesn’t snow. We rely on people such as Shay to help with testing and feedback. Hopefully we will be able to send more boards for her to review in the future.

    Kind regards

    Jeff Pang

    Chemical Storm

  • ghostovan
    May 14, 2010 at 10:17 am

    Sick design is standing aside from common products – good move!

    But what inside Jeff? I’m curious about tech specs and “best for” guide line (how do you see your board fate and path? is it made to park/all-mt/freeride?) – sort of “the board spirit” putted into by your hands guys.;)

    All the best wishes to you Chemical Storm!

    PS Are you going to do some direct sales? (I doubt that here at Russia I can get one of your sticks at local store in few next years..=\)

  • Jeff (CHEMICAL STORM)
    May 15, 2010 at 8:42 am

    Thanks ghostovan for your kind feedback! I am stoked that people such as yourself like the design. There are so many great board companies out there already but hopefully Chemical Storm offer something different for the rider.

    We are putting together tech specs at the moment. I will put these up here once they are available. We are still finalising the final product so I can’t comment on what is inside yet. However, this board is aimed for the Park. We will be releasing a All Mountain board very soon. Maybe we will also have it reviewed exclusively by Shay? 🙂

    Being located in Brisbane, Australia where it doesn’t snow at ALL we will be doing direct sales in order to expand our market. We are working on a online store for our potential customers. I would love to see Chemical Storm boards in RUSSIA, one of my favourite countries!

  • ghostovan
    May 16, 2010 at 10:10 pm

    That’s great! I’ll keep an eye on your progression guys. Hope you’ll get a place at snowboard market with some benefits in cash and respect.

    Anyway it’s challenging to make snow-stuff without snow around (may be you’ve got indoor slope near?), so Shay could provide a lot of useful data able to ride the great number of USA resorts (lets ask her kindly!;))

    PS If you are going to distribute your products at Russia, you may contact PROSNOW company (prosnow.ru, e-mail: info@prosnow.ru -it seems to be an exclusive distributor for 686, Flux, Never Summer, StepChild at Russia) as a start point.

    Good luck!

  • Dedrexel
    March 27, 2011 at 1:14 am

    Hi Jeff, I run a store in Sydney called Inski. Drop me an e-mail if you’re interested in doing some demos with us. dom.drexel@inski.com.au