telos back / slash

I’ve been riding the 2021/2022 Telos Back/Slash for years, and it has become my go-to powder, trees, and all-mountain slash board. I love this deck and am stoked to write this review. On groomers, the Back/Slash holds an edge no problem while catering towards tighter turns. There is plenty of pop for sending it off side hits, but since the tail is so short, it’s good to remember to pull up with your front leg when ollieing to engage the full ollie power of the board. The flex helps with this as it’s stiff enough to be stable but soft enough to be playful and maneuverable, especially in regard to torsional flex, which is easy to notice and use. Telos rates this board as a 7 out of 10 flex, and I agree — but I’d say it’s a playful 7. Switch riding is also surprisingly easy; having that big nose behind you is a little awkward, but it can definitely be done. Landing and riding out the switch is also not an issue. Just remember to lean into the nose when landing switch in pow.

Speaking of powder, I have never had float issues with this board. On really deep days, I scootch my bindings back one insert, but other than that, I can always keep my nose up, and any rear leg fatigue is minimal. In powder, this board feels extremely surfy as the tail can be whipped around with ease; slashing and spraying is almost hard not to do. Taking this board off drops is also no issue as the tail sinks, the nose floats, and the camber between your feet provides a stable platform to absorb the impact. For larger drops though, you could bump up a size to help with stability. Tree riding is definitely one of this board's strong suits. I have gotten into some tight, deep woods on this deck, and my confidence never waivered as navigating last-minute obstacles always felt quite doable.

I’ve also taken the Back/Slash into the park and had a great time. It wasn’t the best for hardcore jibbing and jumping, but honestly, I didn’t have any issues. I could take off and land switch, boost jumps, hit rails, spin, and grab fairly easily. I would not recommend this board to someone as a dedicated freestyle ride, but for the all-mountain guy who hits the park every now and then, it gets the job done.

The only con I have is when charging with this board through bumpy, uneven terrain, as I can sometimes feel the nose get bucked a bit off-course. This may be a sizing issue as I ride a 148 and weighed 175 lbs when I bought this board. Now I weigh 200 lbs, and a 153 would likely suit my riding style better. However, that is the beauty of volume-shifted designs, you have the freedom and leeway with sizing to get the style of ride you want. My 148 is super nimble, great for trees, slush, and low-angle pow, but if I bump up to a 153, I will trade off a bit of playfulness for more stability. So depends on you and the ride you are looking for. To be clear, this board is stable at higher speeds in powder and on groomers. It’s just the hard, lumpy stuff where I experienced some issues.

Once again, I love this board and would recommend it to intermediate riders and up. Those looking for an all-mountain, powder board that can navigate trees and carve while remaining an overall playful ride.