Lib Tech TRS Review: C3 Twin for Both Directions

Lib Tech TRS, the Total Ripper Series, is a stiff, athletic C3 board with plenty of pop and a true twin character, for snowboarders who ride equally confidently in both directions and want one board for park, piste and off-piste. It is one of Lib Tech's long-running high-level models, with a competition history in every discipline. Here is everything we know about it, from the shop and from Lib Tech, for the 2023/24 generation we have.

Snowboard Science ep. 4: C3 Hybrid Camber - the aggressive camber profile for speed and control

The TRS is a competition board with a long history, from slopestyle to freeride

TRS stands for Total Ripper Series, one of the high-level models Lib Tech has kept in the range for many years. The brand itself describes its history as a long series of wins in every discipline you can imagine: Olympic medals, gold at the World Freeride Tour, slopestyle championships and many Good Woods. Few boards can say that about themselves.

Lib Tech calls the TRS a "powerful slopestyle board with C3 camber" that has become the first choice for progressive freestyle all over the mountain, from the park to off-piste. On the 2023/24 page the brand adds that it is a favorite board of Phil Hansen and Liam Gill. The artwork on our board is by Phil Hansen: a black topsheet with round images and a huge Technologies lettering on the base (the sliding surface).

C3: from classic C2 to a camber-dominant profile in the newer generations

The profile has changed over the generations, first a classic C2 and in the newer versions a C3, but the intent is the same: a stiff, athletic board with plenty of pop for hard riding in both directions. Our 2023/24 board is a C3.

C3 is camber-dominant with a mild rocker between the feet. The camber gives the spring for takeoffs, stability at speed and secure landings on a slopestyle course. The mild rocker in the center keeps the edge from catching at every small mistake and makes the turn easier than on traditional camber. Magne-Traction, Lib Tech's wavy edge, holds on hard and icy snow, where park jumps and the morning piste usually are.

Snowboard Science ep. 5: Magne-Traction - the secret power behind Lib Tech's edges

Twin character, but with a 0.5" setback, so not a perfectly centered true twin

The shape has a true twin character: the nose and tail are identical, and on the 154 both are 29.2 cm wide. Lib Tech lists it as "freestyle / all-mountain twin." But on the current generations the factory stance has a setback of about 0.5" (1.27 cm) on all sizes, so it is not a perfectly centered true twin.

What this means in practice: riding switch is natural, landing backward does not surprise you, and the half inch back gives a little more flotation (in fluffy snow) and calm in soft snow without upsetting the balance. If you want a fully centered stance for the park, the mounting can be moved. The range is 51-63.5 cm.

The HP construction and bamboo platforms make the TRS a board for hard riding in both directions

For 2023/24 Lib Tech introduces Org-Throttle in the TRS: cross-wise bamboo platforms built in under the feet that carry the energy to the edge. Underneath is HP construction: a wood core of 60% FSC-certified aspen and 40% paulownia, triaxial and I-Ax fiberglass with basalt, a Knife Cut sintered base, birch internal sidewalls, UHMW side edges and UHMW protection in the nose and tail.

An important technical note: magnesium and carbon come to the TRS from 2024/25. Our board is a 2023/24, with bamboo Org-Throttle and without magnesium and carbon. The flex grows with the size: the 154 is 5, and the larger sizes go up to 7.

It suits a snowboarder who is equally confident forward and switch, rides with a duck stance (toes of both feet pointing out), loves speed and stability, and wants a board for hard riding in any terrain. On piste it is a fast, stable board for carving and for fast switch riding. In the park it is for jumps, rails and big landings. Off-piste it is for natural jumps and for lines you ride both forward and backward.

Who it is not for: a beginner, and someone who rides in only one direction and wants flotation in deep snow. The first will be happier on an Original Banana, the second on a directional board.

• C3
• twin character
• setback of about 0.5"
• Magne-Traction
• HP construction
• Org-Throttle: bamboo for energy transfer
• 60/40 aspen/paulownia
• Knife Cut sintered base
• flex 5-7
• Phil Hansen artwork
• park / freestyle / all-mountain

Size: we have the 154, for riders from about 54 kg

We have one size left of the TRS 2023/24: the 154, with a 115 cm contact length, a 25.3 cm waist and a flex of 5. It is for a rider from about 54 kg up and a boot up to EU 43. A shorter size on a twin is more maneuverable in the park and when riding switch, and a 115 cm contact length gives enough edge for speed. Enter your weight and boot size and we will tell you whether the 154 is your size.

TRS vs. its relatives: Rider’s Choice, T.Rice Pro and Skate Banana

GNU Rider’s Choice is GNU's answer for the same rider: an asymmetric twin with C2X, a 3-D Delightwood Asym Chip and huge pop, with an evened-out turn on the heel and toe sides. Lib Tech T.Rice Pro is a true twin with C2, no setback (0) and HP construction: more rocker between the feet, a long effective edge and one board for everything. Lib Tech Skate Banana is the lighter, more forgiving path to riding both directions: Original Banana and a true twin.

Frequently asked questions

How to choose, and where to try it

If you ride equally well in both directions, love speed, park and big landings, and want a board with camber and history, the TRS is the choice. If you want asymmetry and even more pop, get the Rider’s Choice. If you want a more forgiving twin, get the T.Rice Pro or the Skate Banana. We only have the 154. Come to our shop at 6A Golo Bardo St. in Sofia or call us at +359 887 800 575 to see whether it is your size. We have been riding this stuff since 1997.