Category: Longboards

The Summit Marauder is a great board. It has very nice construction quality. It is sidewall construction as opposed to the cap construction of the Spruce long boards… but I can’t really say I notice much difference performance wise in sidewall vs cap construction. It has great float in pow and definitely more float then the Spruce 120, and has good edge hold. BUT it in no way matches the performance of the Sherpa. The Sherpa beats the Marauder on every count hands down, in stability, powder performance, ice hold, stability in crud, speed, even on turn ability and carving. A lot of the carving performance difference has to do with the more relaxed side cut of the Marauder vs. the very tight turning radius of the Sherpa. The Sherpa’s 160 tips are simply amazing in pow and crud and offer major improvements in performance over the 147 tips of the Marauder in those conditions as well.

Marauder in the backcountry and am using it more than the Sherpa for one reason. It is easier to climb with than the Sherpa. If I could get the Sherpa UP the hill as easily as I can get the Marauder, the Sherpa would be hands down my favorite backcountry board. The Marauder has two primary benefits for me in the backcountry. I travel in the company of skiers all of whom have smaller tips then me! We take turns breaking trail and following each other. If I am on my Sherpa. I cannot fit in their track because of my huge tips!!! I either have to break trail myself all the time or else break the trail again for my wider boards! Also , when climbing uphill traversing across icy slopes , the straighter side cut and smaller tips allow me to get a better climbing edge then the deeper side cut of the Sherpa so climbing in those conditions are easier .

The Marauder has a significant float increase over the Spruce 120 which I used extensively in the backcountry last season and so for these reasons it has become my go to backcountry board.

Rider – Jack Jue – Expert Skiboarder

I have ridden boards ranging from Head Shape 94 and the RVL8 Tansho to RVL8 KTP, Condor, Mary Jane, Revolt, ALP and the Spruce 120. My favorites, by far, have been the Condors. However, I was really wanting an all-mountain board that would give me easy setback for powder and chop and have bindings that would be easily adjustable to different sole length boots when I wanted to loan them out to a friend.

The Marauders have turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The direct mount Tyrolia railflex binding has all the on-the-fly adjustability I wanted, and the Marauder is just a perfect board for me in the deep and soft stuff. If I intend to spend an entire day off the groomed runs, this is the board I take. I like it over the Spruce 120 due to the extra width and surface area. I am a heavier rider at around 185-190 lbs and I prefer wider boards.

I typically prefer the shorter boards (specifically the RVL8 Condor and KTP), but until I can devise a way to get on-the-fly setback and sole length adjustability on a release binding setup on the Condors, the Marauders have to fill this niche for me. They are as long as I would ever want to go, have great float, and great edge hold. In all, it’s a good setup and a good choice for heavier riders in pow and for those who want some flexibility in binding adjustments.

Rider – Robert Oshea – Intermediate Skiboarder