lib tech orca

I rode the 2022/2023 Lib Tech T. Rice Orca at Snowbird Resort on an 11” pow day. As well as at Brighton Resort on a sunny, slushy afternoon. The Orca is nimble in the trees and easy to whip around quickly for sprays and spins. I was also impressed with it’s capability on drops. I could feel the rear camber zone support me and reduce the felt-impact on landings. I could also feel the overall rocker shape in the profile hinge at the board’s center. It helped keep my nose up on landings to prevent any tomahawks, even when I landed more centered. The Orca floated well and got the job done, but nothing mind blowing as leaning back onto that rear foot was still needed in the really deep stuff.

In chunky, lumpy snow, I felt comfortable and stable on the Orca. I think I could upsize though, if I wanted to get even more stability for larger hits, higher speeds, and rougher terrain. There is a slight “squirrely” feeling when flat basing, but this is typical for a rocker-dominant board. Carving felt natural and intuitive. It was easy to get in and out of turns, and I could lay a trench if I wanted, especially when distributing weight evenly out onto my front foot when engaging a carve. However, the board had more of a “slashy/surfy” carving feel rather than a “precise” carving feel. This board was a lot of fun in slushy conditions as well. Easy to stay on top of the snow, skim over bumps, and lay a carve or spray at a moment’s notice.

I also took the Orca into the park and was pleasantly surprised by how much pop the rear camber zone offers. I wasn’t expecting much, given the overall rocker profile, but I was able to ollie for extra air off jumps, snag grabs, and get up on jib features without any issues. When in the park, spins were also easily doable, especially with the shorter length, reducing the swing weight. Getting sideways on jibs was a little awkward due to the variations in the profile. Another awkward aspect was coming into and landing switch on and off features, but still doable.

No issues riding switch on groomers or in slushy snow, but a little underwhelming in powder. I felt the board was fighting me more than I expected when riding switch in deep snow, and when landing switch in powder I really had to press into the nose to keep the tail up. More so than I have experienced on other directional volume-shifted decks.

Another aspect that stood out to me was durability. This board feels dense and solid. When I was in the trees, I wasn’t as worried about “snow snakes” wrecking the board, and I felt I could land hard without overwhelming the board’s structural integrity. The base material didn’t feel particularly fast or slow, but a solid average for speed. I think adding some structure to the base would be nice to give it a bit more “gusto” in low-angle powder and flats.

Overall, it is a fun ride that I recommend to any intermediate rider and up. This is a good option for those who are looking for a directional, surfy yet stable, all-mountain powder board. One that excels on drops, tackles trees, and performs in the air.