Rayne Avenger, my new lover?

I have never liked topmount boards (exept topmounts with a drop).
I feel much safer when im riding a drop trough board or dropped top mount.

1. You are closer to the ground when sliding, so if you fall, you are already closer to the ground
2. It's more comfortable to travel long distances, it's easier to kick when you'r legs are closer to the ground.
3. And when doing downhill (or slides) it's really nice when you can "lock" your feet to the board when it has a drop.

Rayne Avenger changed my mind.
Boardsport was kind enough to borrow me one for a week so I could test it.
I did some sliding and was cruising around but didn't have time to get to do any kind of downhill with it (which is a shame).

Lenght-38" Width-10" Wheel Base-28.25,29,29.25,30"

Avenger is a race board, but really nice for freeriding and sliding as well!
So you can almost do anything with it!

First thing that I have to mention is the hole in the back of the board.
It was love at first sight!

Love the graphics!

It's so easy to drag the board behind you rather than carry it around.
It's a small detail, but really handy one!

Avenger has a W concave like Isis so that was nice.
I really like boards that have some kind of shape.
The concave really helps you to lock your feet in position. Also the W concave is nice when you are doing downhill. You never have to worry about where your back foot is, you can feel it!

The wheelwells are also an interesting feature.
First of all they look really nice and I think that you don't have to worry about wheel bites so much!

First I was terrified to slide with Avenger.
It's really high and it doesn't have the drops where you can so easily lock your feet during the slides.
Surprisingly I had no problem at all doing coleman slides or stand up slides with it!
Only problem I had was with the one foot slides.
Im used to ride a much lower board so it took some effort to get back on the board after slides. But it's a matter of what you are used to and after a couple unsuccessful tries I got the hang of it!
I really don't do stepping/dancing with my boards but this summer I have been practicing a bit of stepping etc. and the Avenger is better to practice with than Isis for example. The drops that Isis has takes away useful space from the board. But the Avenger with no drops offers you a bit more space to do these kind on things!

Also kicking around the city feels a bit different when the board is not dropped. Takes more muscle.
But now when the bikini season is starting, it's a good thing to train your muscles a bit ;)

Overall I fell in love with the board. The shape, concave, the dragging hole, and the graphics! I have already returned the board, but now I can happily say that I will be riding with it next week!

-Roosa-Liida
(Video material of the test day one)