“What can I say, I’m a big fan of Korua boards and the Pencil was no exception. At 164, the Pencil is the longest board in their range of rocket ship shapes. It does, however, feel a lot shorter than it actually is. It is a pretty wide board coming in at 269mm waist width, so changing edges was a bit slower unless you gave it some beans.

“As you’d expect with a Korua it’s amazing when you get it on an edge. Lay it over and you’re off”

As you’d expect with a Korua it’s amazing when you get it on an edge. Lay it over and you’re off. I felt like I really needed to go fast on this board and it was a pleasure to do so, really stable and lively. I would be comfortable riding this board in all conditions, especially in powder. Its big nose would create tonnes of float. Probably not my go-to board in the park but you never know. Turns were easy to get in and out of and the board had plenty of life.

I would recommend this board for intermediate/advanced all-mountain, powder hound, carving fiends.”

“When I heard that Korua were going to be doing smaller sizes I knew that I had to try one, after years of watching people ride them and listening to them rave about them, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Despite it being a unisex board, it worked better than a lot of female specific ones I’ve tried.

There are a lot of boards on the market than can carve, but I’ve never felt more in tune with a board and more like a board understood the fundamental breakdown of a carve. Some boards are too stiff and spit you out the end of the turn, but the Pencil was gentle enough at the crux of the turn that it was a beautifully easy transition. Almost as if the board knew what you wanted to do before you did it.

“Almost as if the board knew what you wanted to do before you did it”

If you’re someone who likes turning and burning then you have to try this board, it didn’t slip out once even through the deepest turns. The camber section keeps it feeling lively and allows you to really throw your weight into the carves.

It was aggressive without being catchy, gentle without being limp and fast without being uncontrollable. A Eurocarve aficionado would excel on this, it’s wide enough to really get elbows down with no issues. Even for a smaller womans foot, it handled beautifully.

I didn’t get the opportunity to try it in fresh deep snow, but a bit of left-over chowder showed me that it’s an easy floater, with the ability to be very manoeuvrable. One of the most exciting experiences I’ve had on the hill in a long time, if you’re a lady with a yearning for turning- then this is the board for you.”