Reader Review

Rider: Powderjunkie (Darren)
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 180lbs.
Boot size: 10
Stance: 22 inches
Angles: 20*/0*
Years snowboarding: 19
Years splitboarding: 2
Riding preference: Freeride/Freestyle
Home Terrain: Tahoe/Sierras

The Prior Demo Tour was at Kirkwood Ski Area on Saturday, January 29, 2005 providing the perfect excuse to go check out their new Khyber model. The Khyber is designed to be a tight turning, powder board and with the winter we’ve been having in Tahoe it should be a great match for our current conditions. Chris and Tika were the Prior reps on hand and they were very informative and helpful. The board is meant to be ridden slightly shorter (2-3cm) than your normal freeride board so they set me up with the Khyber 160cm. Thanks guys!

I stayed in-bounds on the Cornice chair for my first two runs. The snow was mostly choppy and packed powder conditions. I liked the scoop shape of the nose (similar looking to the Burton) and I liked the length of the tail (longer than the Burton Fish). The flex was moderate and the sidecut radius fits the board shape well. I was able to initiate turns easily through the bumps and trees.

The board held a good edge in these conditions and the nose was stable. I didn’t notice any chattering when making hard-carving turns at speed on groomed runs. I even took the board over a few jumps in the terrain park and the board felt solid. There is enough tail to land airs with confidence and riding switch was not a problem on the groomers.

After a few runs on the lifts getting used to the Khyber, it was time to take it in the fresh powder. I headed to the east bowl of Thunder Mountain which is easily accessed from the Kirkwood ski area boundary. The conditions were supreme…one to two feet of new, light powder. I dropped into a small chute that opens up to a nice bowl and then down into a tree section with lots of rollers, gullies, and fun terrain. It was perfect terrain and conditions for the Khyber. The board performed really well in the new snow and the nose stayed afloat effortlessly. Turning was also easy and took minimal effort thanks to the Khyber’s taper.

At the bottom of the run I converted the Khyber into split-mode and skinned back up to Martin Point, which is mostly on mellow terrain. Kick-turns at switchbacks were easy thanks to the shorter length and the skis held a good edge considering the softer flex. For my last run I took a line through a steeper tree section that opens up into a broad gully before closing out into a dense forest. The board responds so quickly that I didn’t even have to initiate turns early in the tight trees.

Since I didn’t ride this board on steep, icy terrain, I can’t evaluate how well it would handle in these types of conditions. The board is designed primarily for powder so I think a rider might have issues holding an edge on really firm snow due to the deeper sidecut and softer flex (but that’s not what the board was designed for). I would guess that this board could handle those conditions, just not excel in it. I also wonder if skinning on steep, icy traverses would be more problematic with a short, tapered board with a moderate flex. A heavy rider may feel that the flex is too soft, especially if they prefer a stiff board. At my 180lbs, I felt the flex was appropriate for this type of board. For powder, trees, chop, and most everything in between, this board could handle it all.