Brand – Rossignol
Model – Retox
Length – 150cm
Camber Profile – “AmpTek Freestyle”, Hybrid, Camber Under the Feet to Outside of Inserts, Rocker Tip and Tail
Key Board Specs – AmpTek Freestyle, Twin Shape, Sintered Base, Wood Core, Medium Flex
What the Company Says – The RETOX is a true-twin powerhouse is built for pure park pandemonium. The stiffer, ultra-blunt tip and tail provide monstrous pop and smooth swing weight, while AmpTek Freestyle enhances stability at high speed to set-your-spin and stomp the biggest hits in the park, so you never come up short.
On Snow Feel – Stable – The Retox, with Rossignol’s AmpTek Freestyle camber profile, has a nice feel when riding. It creates a stable platform while not becoming catchy. This allows the board to be perfect for takeoffs and rails in the park, but it still is playful enough to butter around the mountain without having to worry too much about catching an edge and falling.
Flex – 5 – This board has a good freestyle flex. It’s soft enough to butter and hit rails, but it has a snap to it that really helps on jumps and ollies. Since I’m on the heavier side, this board was a little bit on the softer side (more like a 4), which made buttering a little easier, but the snap was still there when I ollied or hit any jumps.
Turn Initiation – Fast – When I bought this board, I was a little skeptical because, the board specs allow you the ability to downsize and ride shorter than you normally would, so I went with the 150cm, which is now my shortest board. I had seen some other reviews of this board that said the Turn Initiation was lacking a little and felt laggy. I have not have the same problem. It is not the absolute fastest board edge to edge, the increased waist width on the shorter boards definitely decreases the expected turning speed, but I was still able to get from edge to edge pretty quickly while riding the Retox. However, because of the waist widths of this board, and my size 9 boot, if I rode the 156cm or even the 153cm version, it may have been much slower edge to edge. I would definitely check the waist width before deciding to purchase a certain length of this board.
*Ratings will be Poor, Average, Good, Great, and Excellent, and explanations will follow.*
Edge Hold – Great – Because of the Camber dominant profile, with the camber between the inserts, the Retox is really able to grip the ground when you engage your edge. It’s definitely not a Magnetraction or even an EQ 5 like from Salomon, and you can definitely slide out if you’re not careful when you’re on icy patches or extra hard snow, but for the most part, the Retox can handle anywhere you’re trying to ride.
Powder – Good – Haven’t ridden the Retox in any pow, but during the spring it handled all of the heavy slush the east coast could throw at it. Because of the shorter sizes, it may be more difficult to ride this board in powder if you downsize like I did. However, the rocker in the tip and tail could make some more freestyle oriented riders, who like to land switch in pow, pretty happy. It’s not going to be effortless, but it is for sure doable.
Carving – Good – Another place where the Retox isn’t going to blow you away but can surprise you is carving. Because of the camber dominant profile, the board can really lay into the snow. But downsizing the length of the board combined with the rocker in the tip and the tail after the inserts, really causes some issues when trying to really carve it up. If you’re a park rider who wants to throw down a little carve here and there between hits, go for it. But if you’re a big time carver all over the mountain, look elsewhere.
Speed – Good – With the sintered base, you’ll have plenty of speed in the park, which is where this board wants to live. It rides bigger than its size, which is why you can go with a shorter board, but if you’re trying to set speed records, you’re going to get a lot of chatter.
Uneven Terrain – Great – The Retox does pretty well sliding over rutted up snow. Because of the rocker in the tip and tail, it allows the board to be a little more playful, even with the more medium flex. This lets the board flow a little better over crud and chop than if it had been full camber.
Switch – Excellent – Super easy to ride switch. The twin shape paired with Rossignol’s AmpTek Freestyle camber profile give you a solid, stable platform to feel confident on, while the rockered tip and tail give you a playfulness that lets you feel safe, like you won’t catch an edge while riding switch.
Jumps – Great – Pretty good pop on is board. Stable platform for hitting kickers, enough camber between the feet to spring you into the air off the lip. Decent ollie power. Because I am a heavier guy, the board acted softer than usual under my feet, but the tail has pretty decent pop when loaded up. Definitely better ollie boards out there, but this is a pretty solid, balanced freestyle ride.
Jibbing – Great – This board can really perform in the jib park. With the AmpTek Freestyle camber profile, the Retox can really lock on to rails. The flex, although stiff enough to hold its own on jumps, is soft enough to press on boxes and rails. The shorter lengths also offer better swing weight and better maneuverability which can help you get those crazy spins on and off. Rossignol also uses their Glass Fiber laminate which they say gives RRR (Rusted Rail Resistance), whatever that means, sounds good though.
Pipe – Average – Not going to be a great pipe board, especially if you’re jibbing a lot. But if you’re trying to get a few hits in maybe on a nice spring pipe or even a solid minipipe, this could be some fun.
Overall, the Rossignol Retox is a great freestyle board that you can downsize a good deal on. The AmpTek Freestyle camber profile creates a stable enough platform to hit jumps while still remaining playful enough to butter around. The twin shape allows you to feel comfortable riding switch. This board is a great option for more stability and better all mountain performance than the Burton Raduction boards, thanks to the camber under the feet. The small size holds up pretty well all over the mountain, but really helps the board excel in the park on jibs and while spinning and buttering. If you’re a park rat who likes to throw down a mellow carve here and there, maybe give the Rossignol Retox a try.
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