Snowboard Reviews

Palmer's Honeycomb “simply does it all with a design that floats easily, rides fast, and turns like it can read your mind. The Honeycomb felt stable at speeds that cause other boards to get shaky. ‘Carving feels effortless and faster,’ said one tester. There's also an increase in stability through the turn. And coming out of the turn, this monster accelerates even more.

Pioneering the use of honeycomb in almost all of its boards, Palmer puts the lightweight material in the nose and tail for enhanced performance. Results: Turn initiation and exit are smoother and more predictable with the main portion of a turn being tight and responsive. In fact, turning and edging were the Burn’s highpoints with testers. “Solid” and “edges well” were all over the comment cards. “For board construction and high-end details, Palmer is at the front of the pack”.

Steady as a heartbeat, it was a solid board that held its line and was really fun to ride. The Pulse shined during higher speed freeriding, situations where its extra stiffness aided in stability. Also notable was its edge control in the pipe, perfect for blasting lofty airs and easing into smooth landings.

“GIVE ME LIBERTY, or give me death!” one tester exclaimed after banking 6000 vert on Palmer's women-specific all-mountain freestyle offering. Enhanced by a Nomex Honeycomb core (made of impregnated aramid fiber, 10 times lighter than wood) at the tip and tail, the Liberty is quick on the draw. “You'd think it'd be a bad idea to take a playful, butter-licious board into some steep, hairy chute, but it was really Liberating,” another tester said.

The Palmer Jade is the epitome of park confidence, and it was great fun to ride. I found it playful and flexible, and it just wanted to bounce around the mountain. I think it’s a board for girls who are just discovering the park as it was easy to turn into switch and I was confidently in control when lining up to jumps.