Get 2 Boards In 1 With Ride’s Alter Ego – Teton Tested

The Alter Ego's clipped tail allows you two different options in the feel and function of the tail. evo photo.

As one of snowboarding’s household names and the maker of my first legit snowboard – not including my 120-something Vision (sorry guys) – Ride has continued to push their designs to new heights, working toward innovative designs that suite any type of rider. The Ride Alter Ego is one of their more interesting shapes that I had the pleasure of testing out in this Teton Test.

It’s been a long time since I have ridden a Ride, so I was certainly curious to hop on a relative of my roots and see what this unique design would bring. I spent a couple days on this board, riding spring like perfect groomer conditions and even a couple days on the sled at a mellow pow stash in the Tetons.

A splitboard clip keeps the tail locked when you want it stiffened up for railing turns. Unclipping it lets the two sides of the tail flex independently, offering a more surfy feel. Ryan Dunfee photo.

Ride released this 2-for-1 board a couple years back after working with Jake Blauvelt to dial it in. So immediately I was intrigued, if Jake is cool with it this must rip. The obvious elephant in the room with this board is the spilt tail and the splitboard clip holding it together. This design essentially provides two different rides in one: both a hard charging mountain-slaying machine, and a pow-chasing surfboard when you release the clip and let the two sides of the tail flex independently.

PROS: WHO WILL LOVE THIS DECK AND WHY

A slight fishtail, camber underfoot, and slight camber in the nose makes for a versatile shape. Ryan Dunfee photo.

The basic shape is an underfoot camber moving up to a rising, rockered nose. A series of carbon stringers in the nose and tail provide chatter-free stability in crud and the polyurethane stuff or what they call “slime” in the contact points of the sidewalls helps to dampen those chundery turns and make for a smooth ride.

The obvious pro for this board is having two different rides in one. At a fairly doable price point, this board provides an affordable quiver for anyone from the everyday charger to the weekend cruiser.

Riding with the tail CLIPPED

It's no steel rail, but super responsive and playful. Ryan Dunfee photo.

To best explain how this beast rides, I wanted to try a couple different types of conditions with both the tail clipped and free. I locked the tail together at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and found a solid, responsive, and dependable ride that felt suited for any type resort conditions. It is a directional design set back ¾ of an inch, but with the tail locked in, I had no problems landing switch and making a few turns. It is about a 6 or 7 out of 10 for stiffness. It had the ability to charge through anything I threw at it, yet the playfulness to allow for some butters and smears over rollers. It was a very responsive ride with the tail clipped. Edge-to-edge was quick and it held really smooth turns well.

When I got into some slightly heavy March pow with the tail clipped the stability continued. Snapped out of turns really well, yet was playful for butters and had a surprising amount of float for the conditions.

FREE THE TAIL

Unclipping the Alter Ego's tail loosened the board up and made it more playful. Charlie Jonas photo.

Next, I unclipped the tail on the Alter Ego and mellowed out for the surfy vibe I was expecting. While I certainly felt the flex in the tail and the change in tail stability, it still had a “same but different feel” on the hard pack. It still held its responsive ride and control, but the playfulness bumped up a bit and the edge-to-edge turns just had a different feel. I somewhat expected to loop out on hard railing turns but the carbon stringers seemed to keep the tail pretty solid while adding just a bit of pop.

Once in the pow, the surfy feel was really noticeable. It made for a looser feel but still responsive and had the power I was hoping for. Long, drawn out pow turns felt awesome and it was pretty effortless to lock into a rhythm back and forth from toe to heal.

Who Will Love This Board

If you like charging line but have more of a playful, medium-speed style, you'll like what the Alter Ego has to offer. Ryan Dunfee photo.

I wouldn’t say this board is build for the Xavier or the Jeremy Jones type of big mountain ripper. It does have the ability to charge and hold strong in big mountain conditions, but there is that bit of flex that lends itself to more playful big mountain experience. It certainly is geared toward more of Jake Blauvelt’s style of riding: fun floaty, bouncing through trees, jibbing, sliding butters, and making quick turns.

CONS: WHO WON'T DIG THE ALTER EGO

The playfulness of this board and its somewhat middle-ground stiffness might not be the best for someone who only charges resort groomers and wants to make fast turns through hellish conditions. It does have a decent amount of chargeability, but I think the nature of this board is suited for more of the mellow, rolling rider; someone that wants to open it up occasionally but moreso likes to surf the mountain and find select slashes and features rather then point it straight through bumps, crud, and moguls. If you are looking for a board that you can charge through the boarder cross course or banked slalom, I would say this is not your ride of choice.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Two boards in one, and on sale for just $335 right now. Ryan Dunfee photo.

The Ride Alter Ego was more fun then I expected. Responsive when you need it, playful when you want it and just an all around fun board to ride. The split tail is certainly a conversation starter and allows you to change it up if your feeling stale in how your board rides. At around $559 – and on sale at evo for just $335 right now – I would say it is a fair asking price for a board with so much versatility.

Check out the Ride Alter Ego at evo.com today