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Snowboards

Rome Freaker 2021-2022 Snowboard Review

Tested and selected for our top 100 snowboard products of the year: the Rome Freaker

  • Price: £410 / €460 / $460
  • Category: All-Mountain
  • Sizes: 149, 152, 154W, 155, 157W, 158, 160W
  • Flex: 7/10
  • Shape: Directional Twin
  • Profile: Combo
  • 3D: No
  • Base: Sintered

Why we chose the Rome Freaker Snowboard: What’s in a name? Quite a lot, as it turns out – so it’s time for this one to get the attention it deserves.

If you’re familiar with Rome’s output of late, you might recognise the specs on this as also belonging to last year’s Speed Freak model. Given that it’s definitely more of an all-mountain design than an out-and-out charger, the new name makes a lot more sense.

So it’s not technically ‘new’, but instead can be seen as a fresh start for a board that perhaps, didn’t get a fair shake under its old moniker. As far as we’re concerned, justice has been served, and the nerds just looking to max out the top speed on their phone’s tracker app can look elsewhere.

“Rene Rinnekangas swears by this one”

MORE INFO:
ROME.COM

Who Is The Rome Freaker For?

Let’s face it; most of us want a board that can deliver every day. The Rome Freaker is exactly that, a true taskmaster that is as happy in the air as it is in a carve. Rene Rinnekangas swears by this one – and if you come across anything on the mountain that he can’t do, be sure to let us know.

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

While there may be a subtle directional element to the outline (take a closer look at the nose and tail), the Rome Freaker is essentially twin-shaped. You will feel the difference when you’re riding in your preferred stance, thanks to what’s under the hood, but switch riding is nevertheless encouraged. Shape-wise at least, this one is as accessible as they come.

The mostly-camber profile is also centred, with none of the setback that you might find on all-mountain boards that lean more towards freeride. Small sections of rocker at the nose and tail make this less of a precision tool than a true camber might be, but in the right circumstances, that’s a very good thing. This ‘Fusion Camber’ configuration keeps the door open for loose freestyle riding, without losing the pop and carving performance that only camber can deliver.

“The mostly-camber profile is also centred, with none of the setback that you might find on all-mountain boards that lean more towards freeride”

Construction and Materials

The Rome Freaker is one of only two models in the brand’s 2021/22 range to feature Directional Triple Bamboo Omega HotRods. Two bamboo rods at the back, near the edges, provide some additional stability, not to mention a bit of extra rigidity in the tail for delivering uber-ollies. Then at the front there’s a single rod in the middle, so you still get some of the benefits when riding switch. All three are wrapped in lightweight carbon for added response.

Elsewhere the combination of triax and biax fibreglass layers offers up the perfect amount of torsional twistability to compliment the longitudinal flex, with a lightweight poplar/paulownia core sandwiched between the two. The ‘Sinterstrong’ base sitting underneath it all isn’t Rome’s fastest (another reason to wonder why this was ever called the Speed Freak), but it’s not far off, and doesn’t require a lot of upkeep.

“Simply put, the Rome Freaker is an all-mountain board when it needs to be, but under the right feet it’s capable of so much more”

Roundup

While we very much approve of the name change, even calling this the Freaker might still catch some people out. It’s a bit more conventional than that, and would honestly suit a rider that likes to clock up their riding miles inbounds and far from the park.

Having said that, anyone who like to fly their freak flag high will love the potential for spontaneity offered by the profile, combined with the sheer oomph in the tail when you just want to send it to the moon. Simply put, the Rome Freaker is an all-mountain board when it needs to be, but under the right feet it’s capable of so much more.

Trade Secrets

Matt Stillman – Marketing Manager / Team Manager, Rome

rome sds logo

“All new for the 21/22 season, the Freaker is the new go-to for Rene Rinnekangas. This directional twin has an appetite for high-speed transition destruction and an eye for creative lines all over the mountain. This year’s graphic is a psychedelic nod to those who spent their life’s close to the speaker.”

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