Kemper Freestyle:
This is a new release and a reconceptualization of the iconic Kemper brand that helped pave the way for freestyle snowboarding from the 80’s through the early 90’s. Kemper continues the tradition by keeping the stoke and reintroducing the original graphics from our past incorporating technology of today with some retro shapes that any snowboarder can appreciate and truly look forward to riding. Kemper looks forward to sharing the freedom and fun we all had from our early years that we can share with every generation of snowboarder.
Snowboard Tested and Rider Specs:
Kemper Freestyle Size: 155cm (25.4cm waist)
Bindings: Union Falcor (medium)
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV size 9
Stance: approx 22.8″
Set back: 20mm
weight(without biindings) approx 6.5 lbs
Rider Height: 5’9″
Rider Weight: 180
Conditions/Terrain Tested: groomers, park, mini-pipe, left over powder and all mountain terrain (carving)
Key Features from Kemper Snowboards:
- Price $489
- (MSRP)Construction: Camber
- Shape: Directional Twin
- Flex: 7 out of 10
- Core: Poplar/Bamboo
- Fiberglass: Tri-axial Fiberglass
- SidewallL: UHMWPE Sintered Sidewall
- Topsheet: Gloss Topsheet
- Base: Extruded
Review:
Hi Kemper, I’ve missed you… Last year I was excited to see the brand resurgence of Kemper Snowboards. It brought back memories of my youth when snowboarding was breaking into a new era and Kemper was one of the original snowboard companies leading that charge in the late 80’s and early 90’s with a strong team and that neon glow you’d recognize anywhere. I was excited to try the updated version of the iconic Kemper 88/89 Freestyle 155cm snowboard I loved in my youth! To be fair this is not the same Kemper from over 20+ years ago and lot of time has passed and tech has changed.
The Kemper Freestyle has the look of a classic Kemper with some slightly updated lines. The new Kemper Freestyle is a blunt directional twin shape that is a reasonable weight for todays standards. The stance options and waist width of the new Freestyle will work out well for most riders (shoe size 8 US up to 12) as it is almost a mid wide with a waist width of 25.4. The 20mm set back is not much and I felt like the directional twin shape was true to its description. This board is listed on the stiffer side of a mid flex camber profile, however I felt it wasn’t as stiff as it was described, which is good for my riding style as I like a true mid flex board. I was able to get the Freestyle in about 8 inches of left over powder for a bit and I have to say this board felt right at home in pow it was easy to maneuver and floated well too. It pushes through rough terrain easily and where this board excelled for me, possibly due to the slightly mid-wide waist width, was carving on groomers. The Freestyle held an edge really well when eurocarving both frontside and backside and that’s where I had the most fun on this board just pure freestyle joy all over the mountain. For an extruded base I felt it held speed fairly well compared to a sintered base, in this price range I would prefer a sintered base for durability, just my opinion. Rallying through the mini-pipe and popping little airs are fun on the freestyle and it’s no slouch in the park too it handled rails and jumps easily and even off of the larger features it felt solid on take offs and landings. The Kemper Freestyle 155 will give you a retro-look and hold its own in any condition you throw at it, if you like camber and need some nostalgia for your quiver of boards check out the Freestyle.
Overall Impressions:
Reconceptualizing a classic, the new Kemper 89/90 Freestyle is fun to ride for your all mountain endeavors, if you are a fan of traditional camber boards this board does well all over the mountain from carving, powder and some park laps it can hold its own. While it may not be my daily driver, this board would be great for the rider looking to bring some nostalgia into their quiver or collection of an era we can all appreciate from snowboardings history.
Pros
- Nostalgia – you’re getting a classic look from Kemper packed with today’s board tech
- Rides great in powder, floats well
- Great edge hold and carving properties
- Performs good on jumps, pipe and rails
- Fun cruising the mountain
Cons
- None
| Price: |  (4.3 / 5) |
| Performance: | (4.3 / 5) |
| Design: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Overall: |  (4.4 / 5) |