About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in March of 2022.

My take

As a self-proclaimed “snowboard bum” and a huge fan of the Rome Snowboards lineup, I found the 2023 Rome Party Mod to be a very capable freestyle board that’s versatile enough to get loose all over the mountain. It’s best suited for the intermediate/advanced rider who wants to shred every terrain park in sight while also having a party on groomers, side hits, and anything else in their path.

About the gear

• Model: 2023 Rome Party Mod
• Size: 153cm

About me

• Height: 5’10”
• Weight: 150 lbs
• Experience: 10 years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I bought the board: March 2022
• Days tested: 25+ days
• Mount position: Regular, front foot +15, back foot -15
• Boots: Vans Aura OG
• Boot Size: 10.5 (Men’s)
• Bindings: 2017 Union Flite Pros
• Where I’ve used it: Berkshire East (Mass.); Mount Snow (Vt.); Okemo (Vt.); Stratton (Vt.); Mt. Hood (Ore.)
• Terrain: Trees, park, groomers, powder, chunder, and slush

How it performs

What I was looking for

When I set out to purchase a new snowboard, I knew I really wanted something that was going to excel in the terrain park and help me take my freestyle riding to the next level. I also wanted something versatile enough for those days I wasn’t riding park. Essentially, while freestyle performance was my main focus, I still wanted to be able to have a party on my snowboard all over the mountain.

Why I chose this gear

I ended up going with the Rome Party Mod because it was quite literally marketed as a board that at a party is “most likely to nose press the bar shirtless.” That tagline was enough to catch my attention, and after watching several review videos, I was convinced it was going to be a great fit for my riding style.

I was also considering the Yes. Dicey, which I’ve demoed and enjoyed. But ultimately, the Rome Party Mod had a slightly stiffer flex, which offered a bit more versatility outside the park.

What I love about it

• Flex pattern: I found the flex pattern on this board to be super interesting and different from what I was used to. The midsection of the board (between the bindings) was actually decently rigid, yet the tips of the board (both nose and tail) proved to be quite flexible. This meant that the board didn’t immediately feel like a loose “jibby” board, and I had to put a bit of effort to do butters. HOWEVER, once you got the board flexing, it had tons of power behind it, and it was super fun to throw around! It’s all about finding that sweet spot!
• Nimbleness: This board is incredibly nimble and turns on a dime! It allows you to navigate any trail effortlessly, and weaving around small skier children has never been easier! There weren’t a ton of opportunities to ride in the woods as I got this board late in the season, but when I did get in there, maneuvering through trees was a breeze!
• Freestyle abilities: The lightweight nature of this snowboard, coupled with its stiffer flexing midsection, meant you could really boost this board into the air when popping. While traditionally, camber boards offer the most pop, this board can 100% compete even with its rocker-flat-rocker profile. I was also quite surprised at how stable this board felt on bigger jumps. A couple of the reviews I watched advised that it is primarily a board meant for metal (rails, boxes, jibs, etc.), but I felt it could handle decent-sized jumps with no issues. Even if I landed too far back or forward, this board made it easy to recover, and I rarely washed out on landings.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Choppy terrain: Since this is primarily a freestyle snowboard, it’s going to have drawbacks in other areas. One of those problem areas is how it handles choppy terrain (think slush, moguls, ungroomed chunder, etc.). While I didn’t have a bad time riding these sorts of terrain/conditions with this board, it certainly wasn’t a gentle experience. This board isn’t very damp, and so, vibration caused by choppy terrain could be felt throughout my entire body while riding. The best I can equate it to is driving a car with bad shocks: you’re going to feel every bump in the road.
• High-speed riding: Whenever I pointed my nose straight down the trail and got some speed, the chatter in the tips was more than a little noticeable. As I mentioned earlier, the flex in this board comes mainly from the nose and tail, so when cruising at high speeds, the tips start bouncing up and down. Personally, I didn’t mind it as I just kept my body loose and absorbed the chatter, but if you’re looking for a smooth high-speed ride, this board is not the way to go.
• Flotation: This board is far too soft flexing to float through powder well and simply doesn’t hold speed. Additionally since it’s a twin tip, you have to work hard to stay in the backseat and not immediately sink. While it will work in powder on occasion, it’s not a good board choice if powder is your primary riding condition.
• Durability: After about 30 days of riding this board pretty aggressively, I did notice several small chips in the topsheet as well as one spot it was beginning to delaminate. While none of these actually affect how the board rides, it just looks a little beat up and can hurt to see after dropping a good amount of money on a board. My best advice if you’re worried about this is to not ride like me and avoid hitting grass/rocks/trees when possible!

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite time with this board (so far) was riding Carinthia Parks at Mount Snow on closing week. It was consistently warm and sunny, the snow was slushy, and this board really let me explore the full potential of my freestyle abilities. Just a few weeks prior, I had ridden my previous snowboard (a 2018 154mm Rome Mechanic all-mountain board) on the same park build, and I was amazed at the difference between riding the Party Mod. I was able to pop onto rails much more effortlessly, jib in ways I hadn’t thought possible before, and really boost into the air off of the jumps.

Value for the money vs. other options

In my personal opinion, despite there being cheaper boards out there, this board is totally worth the retail price of $500 if you get it with the goal of getting a snowboard that’ll help you crush it in the park while also being fun and playful for the occasional non-park day! Snowboards that are cheaper aren’t going to be as park-focused and won’t help you progress nearly as much as this one will. Similar boards would be the Yes. Dicey, which is even more park focused (and therefore less versatile) than the Rome Party Mod, and the CAPiTA Pathfinder Reverse which is more all-mountain focused and less park focused than the Rome Party Mod and therefore would deliver similar but slightly less park capability.

Final verdict

The Rome Party Mod is for the intermediate-advanced snowboarder who knows they want to spend most of their time in the terrain park and crushing side hits all over the mountain.