Let me tell you about Rome snowboards! After doing a ton of research I decided to purchase a Rome Design 155. I almost went with the Rome Mod, but since I already have a Burton Se7en I didn't want another board with a funny tail/nose. Now the Rome Design 2008 model is super light. Not a bit of fiberglass. All Carbon, wood and Bamboo. The closest board out there to it is the Burton Vapor. If you want the full details check out the Rome Snowboard website. It was a hard board to find, for some reason none of the board shops in Portland carried it. I REALLY wanted to look at it first. Finally my favorite shop Sublimity Snow and Skate Got a 158 in. Not the size I was looking for, but Steph (the shop owner) was able to get me the right one.
So How is it? Well first off the Rome website lists it as a stiff board. It is not. In fact is really flexible. At first I wasn't sure what to expect. My Burton Se7en is supposed to be a med. flex and the Design is a lot softer. The site recommends this board for Mountain/Backcountry use. After riding it I know why.
When going down super steep slopes it turns like butter. The light weight super flexible design enables me to turn quicker and smoother. That just what you want when one wrong move could send you tumbling. This is the feel I want when I am in a situation where there are no room for mistakes. I have a ton of control. The fact that its so light makes it feel as if I can jump higher, and it just seems to float over the pow.The downside? Well because its so thin it is not as strong as your regular snowboard. Its not a board you wanna do rails on. And it is NOT recommended for "street use" Now all boards can break. Im just saying you might wanna be a little careful with this particular snowboard.
Ok so lets get down to why I'm really writing this blog. My Rome Design broke. The tip snapped while I was swooping through a deep dip in the snow. Didn't seem like it should have but it did. I was deeply distressed because I am not that hard on my boards. But there it was broken. Snapped in such a way that repair wasn't gonna do it.
Prepared for the worst I took it back to Steph at Sublimity Snow and Skate and asked for help with the warranty claim. She called the local Rome Rep and sent my broken board off with a smile. I didn't hear anything for some time. I was convinced that there was no way they would cover it. It would have been very easy for Rome to say "Hey you broke it. Not our fault." I can only imagine how many kids send in boards broken from abuse expecting a free board in the mail. I expect that would get old after a while and any company dealing with that sort of thing would get callus to legitimate situations.
It took about six weeks. Then I got a call from Step and she said my board was back. I went in to find a brand new board! They replaced it with no questions asked.
I am now a dedicated customer of Rome. I will continue to buy from them and recommend their products to all my friends. I love all the tech and design that goes into them. Also the fact that they are a smaller company seems to help to keep them affordable. You really do seem to get a lot for your money. But when it comes to customer service, well... What more can you ask for?Kids, don't forget to fill our your warranty card. I'm off to the Mount Hood Meadows!
