These were my first pair of Snowblades. They are the ones responsible of bringing me into the sport. They are fast but not too fast. Powder is a problem most of the time and carving is not as easy or fun as some others but riding on the east coast groomed hard pack is the best. I spent the most time on these boards and liked them a lot. They are long and thin- that makes them an easy transition from skis because you can keep your feet close together without having the boards overlap. It is very easy to get air on them, and I mean easily clearing 30-40 foot tabletops. however landings are, most of the time, painful. There are rubber shock absorbers in the binding system but they are not that useful. These boards are great but they lack the width of Skiboards to make them perfect all around.