Lib Tech Skate Banana Review: Who It Is For and How It Rides
The Lib Tech Skate Banana is the board that introduced Banana technology in 2007 and showed that a snowboard can be very easy, very fun and still technical enough for advanced riders. Who is it for: from someone stepping on snow for the first time to a rider who wants a board for park, trees and deep snow. Here is everything we know about it, from the shop, from the slopes and from Mervin.
-20%- Delivery in up to 2 days
- Shop at 6A Golo Bardo St., Sofia - since 1997
- Size advice:
+359 887 800 575
The Skate Banana changed how the industry thinks about board shape
When Mervin released the Skate Banana in 2007, most boards had classic camber. Banana turned that logic around: rocker between the feet instead of camber, and with it came Magne-Traction, Lib Tech's best-known patent, the wavy edge that brings back grip on hard snow. Today, almost twenty years later, the model is almost the same. Americans say it is something that changes the game, and for us that is exactly the right phrase.
It is a favorite snowboard of the TrueRiders Shop team. The name is no accident, in our view: it steers like a skateboard. Shift your weight from your toes to your heels and the turn starts almost immediately, with no complicated movements. It is one of the quickest-turning boards we have ridden.
Original Banana: rocker between the feet, barely a hint of camber toward the ends
Original Banana / BTX: rocker between the feet and very small, barely noticeable camber zones toward the nose and tail.
The original Banana profile has rocker between the feet and very small camber zones toward the nose and tail. The rocker lifts the edges toward the ends, so the board does not bite the snow when you make a mistake and turns almost by itself. The small camber zones bring back a little spring and control without losing the freedom. That way the Skate Banana stays easy, free and forgiving, but not characterless. We call it "forgiving, but demanding".
On hard snow and ice, Magne-Traction does what rocker alone cannot: the seven waves along the edge bite into ice like a serrated knife. This combination is what makes the board possible: rocker for freedom, Magne-Traction for control.
Snowboard Science ep. 2: Banana rocker - the revolution that changed snowboarding
In deep snow the nose floats up by itself, and in the trees the board is the most maneuverable
In deep snow the nose lifts up on its own. That is the rocker at work. You do not need to stay far back all the time, and the risk of the nose diving is much smaller. Doychin rides it off-piste: at low speed, in thick forest and in tight trees it is the most maneuverable board he has had, and on long rides in deep snow it does not load the back leg.
In the park it is playful and lively: rails, boxes, balancing with a press on the nose or tail, riding switch. The true twin shape (identical nose and tail, so it rides the same in both directions) and zero setback make it the same in both directions. The sturdy wooden core with lots of pop gives plenty of ollies and spring, even though the profile is rocker.
From the first day to years of riding: a board you do not outgrow
A complete beginner can step on it in the morning and see real progress by the end of the day. At the same time, an advanced rider will not be in a hurry to replace it. On piste it forgives many mistakes and rides in both directions, and in the park and in the trees it stays interesting for years. That is why, in our view, almost every board collection should start with a Skate Banana.
- Original Banana / BTX
- true twin
- zero setback
- Magne-Traction
- flex 5-6
- OP+ construction (2025/26)
- sintered Knife Cut base (2025/26)
- artwork by Phil Hansen
- all-mountain / freestyle / deep snow
Size: shorter for park and trees, longer for speed and deep snow
The Skate Banana rides more freely than a camber board of the same length, so you can comfortably take a size in the middle of the usual range for your weight. The waist has to match your boot: the standard width up to size 43, the W version from size 44 up, so your toes and heels do not drag in a carve. Enter your weight and boot size and we will show you which of the available sizes fits.
| Size | Contact length | Waist | Sidecut radius | Flex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | 112 cm | 25 cm | 8.1 m | 5 |
| 152 | 114 cm | 25.2 cm | 8.2 m | 5 |
| 156W | 117 cm | 26.5 cm | 8.3 m | 6 |
| 159 | 120 cm | 25.5 cm | 8.4 m | 6 |
| 159W | 120 cm | 26.5 cm | 8.4 m | 6 |
-20%- Delivery in up to 2 days
- Shop at 6A Golo Bardo St., Sofia - since 1997
- Size advice:
+359 887 800 575
Skate Banana versus its relatives: Glider, GWO and Box Scratcher
The Skate Banana has a whole family around it. The Lib Tech Glider is the women's Skate Banana: the same Original Banana, a narrower waist and a softer flex for lighter riders. The GNU GWO is the more affordable way into the Banana feel: BTX and Magne-Traction at a more reasonable price. The Lib Tech Box Scratcher is the youthful, even more park-minded take on the same idea: more pop and a street design.
| Skate Banana | Glider | GNU GWO | Box Scratcher | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profile | Original Banana | Original Banana | BTX / hybrid Banana | BTX / Original Banana |
| Shape | true twin | true twin | twin | true twin |
| Flex | 5-6 | 4-5 | 4-4.5 | 5 |
| Who it is for | from beginner to advanced, the whole mountain | women, from the first day to confident riding | a first board, a more reasonable price | young riders, park and street |
| Terrain | all-mountain / freestyle / deep snow | freestyle / all-mountain | freestyle / all-mountain | park / street |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Skate Banana suitable for beginners?
Yes. The rocker between the feet does not bite the snow when you make a mistake and the turn starts almost right away, so a beginner feels progress on the first day. And you will not have to replace it after a season.
Is the Skate Banana good in deep snow?
Yes. The rocker makes the nose float up by itself, without you having to stay back all the time. In thick forest and tight trees it is one of the most maneuverable boards we have ridden.
What is Magne-Traction?
A wavy edge: seven raised points on each side that bite into hard snow and ice like a serrated knife. That is how a board with rocker keeps control on an icy piste.
What is the difference between the Skate Banana and the Glider?
The Glider is the women's Skate Banana: the same Original Banana profile and Magne-Traction, but a narrower waist and a softer flex for a lighter weight and a smaller foot.
Which size should I get?
In the middle of the usual size for your weight, because Banana rides more freely than camber. From a size 44 boot up, the W version. If you are not sure, write to us.
How to choose and where to try it
If you want one board that will teach you to ride and stay with you as you get better, the Skate Banana is the choice. If you are a woman or lighter, the Glider. If the budget is smaller, the GWO. Come to the shop at Golo Bardo 6A in Sofia or call us at +359 887 800 575 and we will show you the board in person and pick the size together. We have been riding this stuff since 1997.
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