2010/2011 K2 Fastplant
Being primarily a park riding jibber, I have ridden many different park and jib-specific decks over the years from Technine to Forum, Burton, Rome, and Ride. All total I have probably ridden 12 different park boards in just the last 6 years and not one holds a candle to the 2011 K2 Fastplant snowboard.
Part of what made me choose the Fastplant was the fact that a lot of my boards end up broken. Not only did the Fastplant come in the flex rating, size, base profile, and true twin shape I was looking for but this particular board also comes with an "INDESTRUCTABLE" core called the BamBooyah core.
This core is modeled after some of the current eco friendly skateboards being built these days utilizing Bamboo. This skate influence is what gives this board a 5 year warranty against core breakage. It's a laminated core made up of multiple layers of Bamboo pressed together using an eco-friendly glue. This core also helps give the Fastplant a great medium-soft flex rating, it feels like a 4-5/10 but it flexes very smoothly and locks into presses easily. I never feel like I am going to pop-out of a press when riding this board.
K2 went with a jib-rocker base profile for this snowboard which gives you a 0 camber between the bindings and a slight reverse camber outside of the bindings. This helps to keep your contact points up and catch free as you try new jib tricks that you may not have thought were possible before. K2 also utilized a Hybridtaper on this board which helps to lighten the nose and tail to reduce swing weight, making spins easier.
This board felt great right out of the plastic. Even sizing down from a 155 to a 151 the board feels very stable at mach1 speeds over the chop and hitting jump lines. This is also quite possibly the most poppy snowboard I have ridden, I noticed that my ollies and nollies are now higher than they ever have been when riding any other snowboard.
Being 26 years old, I thought that my years of snowboard progression had come to an end, but riding this deck I have been able to land new combinations on rails daily. With a very mild de-tune on the edges(-3 degrees) I feel confident hitting rails at any speed and landing in any position. This board locks into slides and presses very well and landings are always stompable. Spin on, spin off, gap-to-rail, and press some of the steaziest presses of your life with the new K2 Fastplant. Hands down the best park board I have ever ridden.
*On a side note I have also ridden this board on numerous 12" plus powder days and still had no trouble floating through.*
-Ken Kanowitz