The Anthem SS 2012 performed well in all conditions from boosting out of well ridden natural pipe walls to floating the steep powder laden bowls of Sapporo Teine.

This board is tech madness and if you want to ride varied terrain and fancy yourself as a bit of a Lucas Debari then this is the board is for you.

This board also looks the part with it's swish high end graphick!

So what this makes this board tick? Well first up it packed full of strength, think stiff, giving you the ability to power through anything and accelerate out of turns. Strength is bought to by Rome’s PressurePop Tech: Kevlar V which transfers the energy from under the binding out to the contact points on the effective edge for maximum response. Put this with the Carbon Torque Hotrods that run between the bindings arching out to the sidecut at the centre which softens the end to end torque but still allows great edge to edge control to power out of turns. The Hybrid Camber gives it float when needed, this is done by making the edge contact points longer, allowing the camber start points to be set back so that when you decompress the board the tip and tail rise up.

All this tech basically means you get increase control and pop from the reinforcement while increased float and ease of turn from the hybrid camber when in the pow. Finally put all this with the SinterCarbon.2 Base to make you slide even faster.

This board is a machine for someone who likes to free ride in the powder, down steep lines, off kickers and the pipe and park. A good board for  peak to pipe runs this winter in Niseko or where ever you ride!! It comes in 157, 159, 161 and 163 and for more Tech Check Rome.

Thanks to Pete from Great Lakes Insurgents RomeSDS for the image

For some photos of the area check below the vimeo

Head – Japan Love! from HEAD Snowboards on Vimeo.

End of February Christophe Schmidt, Fredrik Evensen and Shayne Pospisil went Asahidake in Japan to meet up with Masaomi Harada. Because of the great snow conditions it was possible to film this clip in 7 days. Enjoy!

My central photos on Flickr

Nice Line in Central

Rome rider Cameron slashing around the Sapporo Teine resort on a deep day

Kopish kicking a method strapped in the 2012 Targa's and Mod

Some progressive ideas that the Rome binding design guru has put into place are the V-rod baseplates that have a smaller binding footprint on your board with all four corners raised up allowing more board flex. From your toe and lateral side of your heel the V-rod baseplate delivers power and the “Yes, I cant system” gives you EVA-to-board contact for maximum cushioning, canting options and lightness. The Targa’s come with normal flat, 2 degree and 3.5 degree footbed/basepads and are the only Inbase canting system in snowboarding so far. I rode them normal-flat and Cameron rips the 3.5 degree cants. Cam likes cant as much as rice-ball triangles and it gives him leverage on rocker boards. Seen it in the 90′s… cool cant-tech comes back around.

AntiShock highback and AutoStrap out of your boots way.

Internal highback adjusting and a fresh looking binding

2012 Targa binding is ready and willing with cool new toestraps and highbacks

The four corners of the V-Rod baseplate are raised up for more board flex

The Targa’s Boot-size tweakable baseplates and tuff aluminum underwrap heel hoops are solid to stand on. The interchangeable and tweakable EVA inserts in the ankle straps give you 3 flex options and the new Conformist.3 toe straps fit snug. The new AntiShock highback takes the abuse and has fully tweakable rotation, toe and heel ramps. The Targa’s tool-less tweakable forward lean, toe and ankle straps come in handy when it’s time to swap boards for a run.

Tweakable to the max, the 2012 Targa’s hold your boots like you hug your best friend.

Brian

Mitts that bite powder and kill next season

Work on your puppet show skills in the park, on the lifts or gondolas and create dialog with other fish out there poaching the lines. Check em out next winter 2012!

Brian

We hit the Asari side of the hill first up and straight of the top found fresh lines on/off piste in wind loaded and protected  spots. Back to the top for more we circuited the Asari chair for the morning with a short break at the Asari View Restaurant for a teri chicken mayo man and to warm the feet, it was cold.

The afternoon saw Brian, Sofie and myself check the other side of the resort out and to our surprise scored freshies deep n bottomless in some unassuming places following lines of other riders. With a quick circuit back on the other side to some more “out of the way spots”, more fresh lines  were enjoyed until we were out of time and hopped on the home run chair and then the road home. Fun times! and definitely worth a check again, till next time… enjoy the vid and pics

Asari Chair

Asari Chair at Kiroro

Asari Chair

Teri Mayo Chicken Man

D*Face base graphic

Quick slash

The Mod’s mellow rocker starts outside the binding inserts and is loaded with carbon hot-rods that snap the pop. It edges awsm with the quickrip side-cut (Rome’s reply to Mervins Magna-traction) and it’s just as playful at jib tempo in the park as it is at mach speed. Wheeling in deep Niseko powder or bombing the tard-traverse-crud in slush or crust, pipe, park or rails, the 2012 Mod is dirty-clean. Equipped with all the bells and whistles of Rome’s high end line… the carbon double barrel hot rods in the tips, kevlar impact plates under the boots, air-pop core fully wrapped in superlight biax laminate with that carbon-sintered super fast base… It’s worth next season’s loot.

Rome and D*Face 2012 Mod Rock top sheet

Mod Rock rail pop

Everyone that I have let ride this board instantly likes it. The 2012 Mod is one of Rome’s most hyped boards for next season and it’s been a gem to ride from the arctic north to the rising sun. Rip-Roaring Fun.
 Ask your local shop about it next season!

Brian

Found my car

The icing on the cake?

Light Snow

electric snow

snow bar

snow on top

Is this my car!

photos courtesy of the wolfe and the windh