Lobster Snowboards Ikey Helgeson Pro Model Review: A Jib Board That Does More Than Jib

Introduction

Ikey Helgeson is one of the most creative and stylish street riders in the world, so it is no surprise that his signature pro model from Lobster Snowboards is the most jib-specific option in their line and one of the best boards on the market for taking your riding to the park and streets this season. It was a real standout snowboard for the test team, with one tester calling it possibly the easiest and most forgiving snowboard they had ever ridden.

Who This Board Is For

This is an out-and-out jib-specific deck aimed at riders who live on rails, boxes, and kickers and want a board that makes pressing, buttering, and switch riding as accessible as possible. If your season revolves around park laps and street sessions, this board sits squarely in your wheelhouse.

That said, it is not a one-trick pony. If you split your time between park features and the rest of the resort, there is enough versatility here to make the in-between runs genuinely enjoyable rather than something to simply endure.

Shape and Flex: Built for Presses and Butters

Like many jib-specific boards, this is a true twin with a mellow flex, which makes switch riding, pressing, and buttering really accessible. The tips of the nose and tail are noticeably blunt, and that helps reduce swing weight so the board is much more maneuverable and easier to control mid-rotation.

Triple Base Technology: The Standout Feature

Where this board breaks away from the crowd is with its jib-specific variant of Triple Base Technology. Starting just outside the inserts, the nose and tail are broken into three sections. A wide center base section gives you a stable platform for popping or pressing off the ends of the board, flanked by two side base sections with a subtle uplift that increases around the contact point area, creating a three-step shape at the very ends of the board.

On snow, the translation is obvious. The slightly uplifted contact points make the board far more forgiving on boxes and rails, and if you do not quite get your rotation around on a kicker, the board gives you a better chance of riding away cleanly. Crucially, none of this compromises pop or stability when you are riding flat on the center of the base.

Profile: Full Camber with a Gentle Rise

The board runs a low-rise positive camber from tip to tail. It is not an aggressive profile, so it remains easy to lock into a press, but the full-length camber adds real ollie power when you need to get the board up into the air. It also combines with the Triple Base profile to give the board surprising grip and stability for laying down a decent carve outside the park ropes.

Construction: Soft Flex, Serious Materials

Jib boards often omit higher-grade materials in exchange for a softer flex, but this one walks the line between super fun, intuitive, and forgiving while still being built with premium construction. The poplar wood core is reinforced with hardwood stringers for extra strength around the inserts, and biax fiberglass layers add some extra energy through the length of the board without overly stiffening it torsionally.

Carbon stringers run directly from heel edge to toe edge underneath the binding inserts. They keep the longitudinal flex mellow and the ends of the board playful, while adding a dose of energy underfoot for quick adjustments on the run into a feature or a little more response on edge.

Underneath, a super fast sintered base, which you rarely find on jib boards, keeps the board running fast all day without frequent servicing and waxing. The sidewalls are infused with urethane, creating a bumper-like finish that fends off big impacts and dampens higher-speed vibrations.

Things to Consider Before Buying

This is not an all-mountain snowboard, and it is not trying to be. It is still an out-and-out jib-specific deck. The soft flex and blunt tips that make it so fun in the park are exactly what you should expect if you buy it, so riders wanting a stiff, aggressive all-mountain weapon should look elsewhere.

Buying Advice

If you want a board that will genuinely set you up to push your riding this year, this is a strong pick. You will find yourself riding out sketchy positions far more easily, and the board bends and twists exactly how you want it to. The side base sections also smooth out turn transitions in rough terrain and even add a little extra lift in powder, making life a bit easier around the resort between park laps.

Conclusion

The Ikey Helgeson Pro Model manages to be one of the most forgiving, intuitive jib boards available while still carrying premium materials and construction that can go day after day in the park and streets. It was a real standout this season and remains one of the best boards for pushing your park riding forward.