Forum Recon Review

This is one of Forum's most popular boards, according to a Forum Recon review from retailer Snowboards.net, and has been in the brand's lineup for years. This snowboard is intended primarily for beginners looking to progress into the terrain park. In a Forum Recon review at The Good Ride, the site's gear experts say this board is light, forgiving, and super-easy to turn. Users posting Forum Recon reviews of an earlier version of the board on the website of retailer TruSnow hail the Recon as a good value for anyone learning how to snowboard. A few mention that the older model was sluggish or lacked stability at high speeds.

The Forum Recon has a directional twin or "twin-like" shape, with a slightly stiffer tail to add control. Yet it still lets boarders ride either regular or switch (leading with the right foot instead of the left). The flex on the Recon is relatively soft flex - Forum rates it a 4 out of 10 -- so beginning riders should have little trouble maneuvering the board. It also has a low-maintenance extruded base.

Forum calls the camber ChillyDog With Pop (apparently because it mimics the shape of a cooked hotdog). This is a continuous rocker profile, where the center curves toward the ground, with no flat areas. This reverse camber provides a smooth ride and helps prevent a beginner from catching an edge and falling off balance. The wood core is thicker at the tip and tail of the board to make it easier to get up on boxes and rails.

All in all, the Forum Recon is an inexpensive entry-level or park board that performs consistently almost anywhere on the mountain, ideal for boarders who aren't yet sure what kind of terrain they'd like to conquer.