REASONS TO BUY
Fantastically floaty
Likes to go fast
Stays stable
REASONS TO AVOID
Not great with groomers
Much more suited for advanced riders
Lib Tech T.Rice Orca Review
Should be your first choice if you are planning on diving into the deepest snow
Credit: Lib Tech
Our Verdict
While the Lib Tech T. Rice Orca couldn't clinch one of the top spots overall and isn't the best all-mountain board for most people, it's our absolute favorite when it comes to riding steep terrain and deep snow. The Orca is exceptionally stable at speed and has great edge hold. However, this board is on the stiffer side, so it isn't the most playful, doesn't have a ton of pop, and isn't the best at jumping. Despite these flaws, we would highly recommend this board for anyone who likes to go fast in deep snow. Period. To compare it to the competition, check out our comprehensive women's all mountain snowboard review.
Editor's Note: This review was updated on November 15, 2023, to show Lib Tech's 2024 graphics for the T.Rice Orca.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Lib Tech T.Rice Orca | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | | ||
| Price | $489.83 at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $384.96 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | Check Price at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $440.99 at Evo Compare at 3 sellers | $384.83 at REI Compare at 4 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | For aggressive riding and deep snow, this is a phenomenal choice | This is one of our absolute favorite all-mountain boards | Earning one of the top scores we have seen to date, we highly recommend this board | If you are looking for a true twin-tip freestyle snowboard that thrives both in the park and across the mountain, this might be your No. 1 | Fast and stable but it occasionally slipped out on icy patches |
| Rating Categories | Lib Tech T.Rice Orca | Yes. Hel Yes - Women's | Gnu Ladies Choice | Lib Tech No. 43 | Jones Twin Sister |
| Edge Hold (25%) | |||||
| Powder Performance (20%) | |||||
| Stability (20%) | |||||
| Playfulness (20%) | |||||
| Pop and Jumping (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Lib Tech T.Rice Orca | Yes. Hel Yes - Women's | Gnu Ladies Choice | Lib Tech No. 43 | Jones Twin Sister |
| Shape | Directional | Directional Twin | Asymmetrical | Freestyle Twin | Directional Twin |
| Camber/Rocker | Hybrid | Hybrid | Hybrid | Hybrid | Hybrid |
| Flex | 7/10 | 7/10 | 4/10 | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Tested Length | 147 | 155 | 148.5 | 152 | 149 |
| Measured Weight (Tested Length) | 5.8 lbs. | 5.4 lbs. | 5.6 lbs. | 5.2 lbs. | 5.7 lbs. |
| Available Lengths | 138, 144, 147, 150, 153, 156, 159, 162 | 146, 149, 152, 155 | 142.5, 145.5, 148.5, 151.5, 153.5 | 146, 149, 152 | 140, 143, 146, 149, 152, 155 |
| Core Material | Aspen and paulownia wood | Poplar, paulownia, and bamboo wood | Aspen, Colombian Gold, and paulownia wood | Aspen and paulownia wood | Paulownia and poplar wood |
| Waist Width | 25.7 cm | 24.4 cm | 24.2 cm | 23.9 cm | 24.4 cm |
| Radius | 7 | 7.3 | 8.2/7.9 | 8 | 7.2 |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
The Lib Tech T. Rice Orca is one of our first choices when we know we'll be swimming in fresh snow.
Credit: David Wise
Edge Hold
The first aspect we tested for in each board is how well it holds an edge, which constitutes 25% of its total score. We started off by riding the Orca in varied snow conditions and noting how well the edge — both toeside and heelside — held in each.
The T. Rice Orca has magne-traction edges, which offers increased control by adding a wavy edge in the "dead zone" area of your edge that is right under your feet while carving. These increase the effective edge length of the board and are absolutely fantastic when riding in mixed snow conditions. The Orca's superior edge ensures that you don't spiral out of control when you hit an icy patch… most of the time. This board is great at cutting through chop and is super forgiving, but it's not the snappiest board and is comparatively slow edge-to-edge, giving it a little less overall edge hold than some of the other Magne-traction boards that are just a bit springier.
The serrated edges of this board do a great job of biting into the snow while turning.
Credit: David Wise
Powder Performance
Following edge hold, our next — and easily the most fun — aspect of testing was scoring how well each board rode in powder. Overall, this component of our testing process determined 20% of the final score for each board. We waited for storms, then took out each board and tried to find as many freshies as possible, ranking and scoring how much they floated and how well they handled. It was here that the Orca stood out from the rest.
The secret to this board's amazing float in powder is its somewhat unconventional shape and design. This short, fat board is extremely directional, with its width tapering from the nose to the tail. It has a hybrid rocker camber profile, with a reverse camber underfoot and regular camber at the tip and tail.
This board has a ton of stability even when you open up the throttle.
Credit: David Wise
It has a setback stance and an exceptionally long nose, which contributes greatly to its unparalleled amount of float in even the deepest snowfalls.
Stability
After playing around in the powder, we evaluated and compared each board's stability — especially at higher speeds. For this metric, also worth 20% of the total score for each snowboard, we went to the steep groomers and really opened up the throttle. The Orca did very well for its exceptional stability in most snow conditions.
No matter how fast we pushed it, the Orca never gave us any cause for concern. It cuts through chop with ease and isn't prone to any sort of speed wobble at all.
While this is a stiffer board, the Orca can be plenty playful if you try hard enough.
Credit: David Wise
Playfulness
Next, we rated and scored how playful the Orca is, which also accounts for 20% of the total score. Unfortunately, this snowboard is a bit on the serious side and isn't the most playful compared to some of the competition, but it still scored above average here.
The stiffness of the Orca is a bit of a detriment in this category, as it makes it much harder to flex and maneuver. This board definitely isn't a park board, but it can be quite fun in natural features, such as gullies or small canyons, and we found it to be a blast in boardercross style terrain.
This board doesn't have the most pop we have seen.
Credit: David Wise
Pop and Jumping
Our last metric focused on how easy it is to jib or jump with each board, which constitutes the remaining 15% of the final score. The Orca's stiffness and length again proved to be a bit off in our testing.
This board isn't the most versatile and is really best for steep terrain and deep powder. It feels quite heavy and is overall harder to jump and doesn't want to lift off quite as well as some of the more flexible boards. We still could do a tail press on the Orca, but you can tell it didn't really want to and we had to try quite a bit harder than some other boards.
You can get this Orca to breach if you try hard enough.
Credit: David Wise
Value
The Orca isn't the best value, as it is one of the more expensive boards and isn't the best all-in-one all-mountain board that some other boards are. We wouldn't necessarily want this board for all conditions, so it's not our top choice if you can only afford a single board.
Conclusion
All in all, the Orca is easily our top recommendation for steeps and deep snow. If that isn't what you ride all the time, then we would suggest an overall more versatile and well-rounded board.
—
Marissa Fox
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