I’ve held out on this review for quite some time, because I wanted to get the right amount of riding, in the proper conditions for this board.  I finally feel I can put up a review worthy of this beast without feeling like I neglected to really experience the board.    The Skunk Ape can almost be considered the defacto go to board for big footed riders and bigger guys.  Lib makes this beast in sizes up to 190cm although hard to find at that length, still impressive!    Let’s dig into this beast shall we?

The Skunk Ape, generally regarded as a solid board, definitely caught my eye this year when I was at 720 Boardshop.  I picked up the 169cm version of the board, and waited for excellent conditions before taking it out.  Much like most LibTech boards, the Skunk Ape includes the Magna Traction technology in conjunction with the banana rocker tech.  The graphics continue with their skulls, and demons motive, and a zombie is the culprit graphic on the 10-11 version of the board.

Skunk Ape Topsheet

I rode the board in multiple conditions, including deep pow, slushy spring conditions and groomers/ice pack.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the board handles.  It’s pretty smooth transitioning edge to edge, and while not the dampest board I’ve ridden, it does tend to absorb nasty terrain rather well.     I still have issues getting used to riding magna traction, and found I really needed to just detune the edges just slightly, as I found then a little too catchy for my tastes.  Not really a huge issue, but just something I’ve found I tend to do on boards with magna traction.

The banana tech makes the Skunk Ape float in powder, making it very very fun to ride in pow conditions.  On the hard ice pack/groomers I did find the board to be slightly “washy” but nothing to write home about really.   I would expect that from any board that is strictly a rocker design, as the effective edge generally changes, unless there is some camber in the profile somewhere.   Regarding the graphics, and design of the board, I can’t say enough great things about how LibTech designs their boards, and the beautiful graphics they slap on these things.  Not only are the colors super bright and vibrant, but the boards are generally more “eco-friendly” than some other manufacturers out there.

I rode the Skunk Ape with Union Force bindings (Green) and Flow “the One” size 12 boots.  I didn’t notice any heel or toe drag during any of my outings with the board.  The waist width is wide enough for those of us with bigger feet.  For those of you who care about the bases, the Skunk Ape comes with the TNT base which is Libs version of an extruded base really.  I would much rather prefer a sintered base myself, but found the TNT base works well for this board, and is actually a very fast base.

I didn’t really do much in the way of butters, or any ground tricks on the 169, but did find the Skunk Ape is still a playful board even at the 169cm length.  It handles drops, and kickers well, providing enough pop and flex to facilitate nice jumps and soft landings.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Skunk Ape, and found the ride to be really fun in pow conditions, and pretty much average on hardpack/icy groomers.  The magna traction always takes some time for me to get used to, but it does grip well, and works as advertised, although don’t expect pow from ice.  The Skunk Ape generally runs on the higher end of the price spectrum ranging anywhere from $500-$600 in retailers, or sometimes cheaper online.  I noticed the Skunk Ape does tend to sell through quickly so if you have your eyes on one, and can get a good deal on it, definitely consider it!

LibTech Skunk Ape

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Flex: 6-7 out of 10

Sizes:

157 BTX

161 BTX

165 BTX

169 BTX

172 BTX

180 MTX (No Banana Tech)

190 MTX (No Banana Tech)
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*All boards share the same waist width of 26.8 across all models*

*Disclaimer*  I purchased this board from 720 Boardshop with my own funds*