Original Freeride

This review is going to cover all of the Original Freeride sizes. Some people also like to call this board the Original Beast. Hope you enjoy the review! Read on to find out more about this board.

From left to right: 38" with rocker, 41" with rocker, 38" with W, 41" with W


Downhill: 8/10
Freeride/Slide: 9/10
Freestyle: 6/10
Cruise/Carve: 7/10
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Downhill: The Original Freeride is not only a freeride board but also a good downhill board. It has a good sized wheelbase to be stable on most race courses around the world. A couple of Original racers have taken this board to high speeds and I know some have finished top 4 in a few races with this board. It has a good agressive concave which locks your feet in. The concave is more flat in the middle and rises up sharply at the sides. The dropthrough lowers the board and keeps it stable and easy to predrift.

Freeride/Sliding: This board is great for freeriding because it is symmetrical. Drop through the deck and it easily slides out or topmount it for controlled grip and slides. Personally, I have smaller feet so the wide platform doesn't appeal much to me. On the rockered Freerides, I have to hang a little when sliding but with the W version, I don't have to hang much. The gas pedals on this board also help when doing slides, especially with toeside slides.

Freestyle: The Original videos featuring this board also feature people doing ridiculous tricks using the Original Freeride. These are tough tricks to do unless you are very experienced at freestyle. These kicks are functional but are not the best. The 41" beasts are pretty heavy and it is a little harder to do freestyle tricks. The smaller 38" ones are better suited to freestyle. There have also been a couple incidents of the tails snapping right off.

Cruising/Carving: The Original Freeride is not a bad cruiser. It can actually be pretty comfortable... that is unless you have a W concave version. The W concave can get a little annoying when pushing long distances. Topmounting the Original Beast will make it a little more responsive if you want a nice carver.

Overall, the Original Freeride is a pretty darn good freerider. It can also be used as a downhill board and freestyle board but the board is not specifically designed for those things. The concave and gas pedals are very comfy. In the end, choose which version of the Original Beast you prefer for the style of riding you are doing. Thanks for reading this Original Beast review by Vital Media Co.