Curated Snowboarding Experts Will Cabral & Arielle Busch got their hands on the 2024 Ride Deep Fake Snowboard this spring. Check out how it performed in the carving, freestyle, and freeride categories, but consider the fact that each and every rider is different; if you have any questions about the Deep Fake or need recommendations on which board would be best for you, reach out to a Snowboarding Expert here on Curated.

Before we get started, it's worth noting that Curated Experts are not sponsored by any brands. All of these reviews are completely unbiased.

Brand Claims

What does Ride claim about this board? [Will] The brand claims that this is an aggressive board suited for the groomers and powder.

[Arielle] Ride claims that this board is a tapered directional with a little bit of extra camber in it, and it is meant for powder runs and groomed terrain, and it will be quite aggressive.

Overall Impressions

What is your overall impression of this board? [Will] This thing can make huge turns and fly. It has a rocker camber design, so you have a little rocker in the nose to help with the float and the powder. And this has a 10-meter sidecut on the 159. Most boards I’ve been riding are in that 7-meter to 8 ½-meter sidecut, so a 10 wants to make huge turns and charge down the mountain.

[Arielle] It’s extremely approachable to a wide demographic of riders, definitely, like intermediate to advanced. I really like that because different kinds of riders can practice different skills on the same board. I loved carving on this thing. I already expected that because of the little taper that it’s got. The edge hold was great, too.

Carving

How does it turn? [Will] This thing wants to make huge turns and charge down the mountain. But the maneuverability was a little tougher to deal with.

[Arielle] This board was pretty easy to turn. I didn’t feel like I needed to work too hard to get edge to edge, which is why I think it’s approachable to a rider who’s not just advanced, but also an intermediate could find it easy to get edge to edge on this without really remembering that they’re snowboarding.

What is the edge hold like? [Arielle] The Slim Wall technology on the Deep Fake was pretty awesome in terms of edge hold. You can see it on the board, allowing you to lock in in a very, very smooth way, even in the powder. I didn’t feel any slippage. I didn’t feel out of control. It kept locked in from that powder onto that more groomed terrain.

How damp is the board? Do you feel any underfoot chatter? [Arielle] On all of my landings, I absorbed everything very well. I didn’t feel that much underfoot chatter, honestly. It just cut through, was precise, and had a lot of underfoot control, which I enjoyed. This is why I will keep saying that this board is very easy to ride. You don’t have to be the most skilled or technical snowboarder to get on this deck.

How does it perform at speed? [Will] With the huge sidecut and the super-fast base, this will definitely challenge your skier friends and have you be the first one down at the bottom.

[Arielle] In terms of speed, this board could keep up, given its shape and the fact that it is camber-dominant profile.

How is its energy/acceleration? [Will] This thing will fly and beat your friends down the hill.

[Arielle] This board is lively and has some energy. It’s not like the liveliest board. I wouldn’t say that it wanted to pop off of everything. Once again, that could have been because there was a lot of powder. However, it has personality, and although it’s very easy to ride, it’s also very fun to ride.

Freestyle

How is it for freestyle snowboarding? [Will] Being pretty stiff and narrow, it wouldn’t be my first choice for freestyle.

[Arielle] In terms of freestyle, this would not be my go-to park board.

Could you speak about playfulness and pop? [Will] It did have some pop in there.

[Arielle] It is definitely playful. I was able to press butters.

Is it good for riding switch? [Will] Riding backwards, I did have a landing switch into powder, which felt kind of awkward.

[Arielle] It can hang riding switch. You can definitely do your spins.

How is it on jumps? [Arielle] I launched on this board as much as I could. The extra camber in it is something you can feel. There was some pop in this.

Freeride

How is it for freeride snowboarding? [Will] It was fun, but I was getting tired towards the end of those mogul runs on this thing.

[Arielle] It can do everything all-mountain. You can do your park laps, your tree runs, you can get into some powder, you can do some carves on some groomers, and you’re just going to have an enjoyable time.

How is it in powder? [Will] I got an opportunity to ride some fresh snow and be the first person on the mountain. And it was so great to have those conditions.

[Arielle] In the powder, it did float. I felt like I was on top of the snow. This wouldn’t necessarily be my go-to powder board, though. It can survive as an all-mountain ripper. It can do a little bit of everything. However, it was not a master of all trades.

How is it in uneven terrain and chunder? [Will] It did pretty well powering through a bit of chopped-up snow but it still wants to make huge turns and fly.

How is it riding in the trees? How is its maneuverability? [Will] This made me work really hard to ride in tight terrain and bumps.

[Arielle] I got to really take it in the trees and the powder. Like I said, it's so easy to go edge to edge. It's a very easy board to ride. So being able to just go edge to edge, quick turn, right through the trees, easy to get in and out of there.

What terrain is this board good for? [Will] Definitely it is something that’s suited for the wide-open groomer and somebody who likes to make big, deep carves.

[Arielle] I would ride this a little bit more as an all-mountain. You can do the East because it’s got good edge hold, but you can also do the West because you can get out on it on a powder day. But let’s say you were heading out to Japan — I would not be putting you on this board as your quiver killer.

What kind of terrain should riders avoid with it? [Will] I wouldn’t be riding this in tighter terrain; maybe have something easier to maneuver through tight spaces there.

[Arielle] It won’t be my go-to park board or my go-to powder board.

Recommendations

Who would you recommend this board to? [Will] I recommend this board for an aggressive rider who wants to rip groomers and go fast, a top-to-bottom-style rider. They don’t like to stop much. They’re not necessarily interested in exploring through the trees and making slow, calculated turns.

[Arielle] I would recommend this for an intermediate to advanced rider looking for something fun, easy to ride, and easy to get on; you don’t have to work that hard, even if you are a little bit more skilled. And if you’re not that skilled of a rider, you don’t have to work that hard, yet you can have a board that has power, pop, and personality without feeling overwhelmed in any way. And this is a unisex board. It can be ridden by my ladies, my men. It also comes in a wide range of sizes.

Who should avoid this board, are there other better options out there for them? [Will] It’s probably not a fit for somebody who’s still in the intermediate range.

Snowboards work differently for different types of riders. If you want help finding the right board for you, reach out to Will, Arielle, or any other Snowboarding Expert here on Curated for free, personalized recommendations on the best board for you.