Rossignol Ampage Snowboard Review: A Jib Board With Actual Snap

Introduction

The Rossignol Ampage is a soft, jib-oriented park board that sets out to do one thing well: make the mountain feel like a playground. Riding it through a full mix of spring conditions at Copper Mountain, from creamy snow to chunder and ice, it turned out to be far more versatile than its floppy first impression suggests.

It was tested with Rome Black Label bindings and K2 Thraxis boots, which is a solid park-leaning setup and a fair way to judge where this board shines and where it runs out of answers.

What the Autotune Camber Profile Does

The Ampage uses Rossignol’s Autotune camber profile: about 30 percent camber between the feet and 35 percent rocker in both the nose and the tail. That micro camber zone delivers load, pop, snap and drive, while the rocker in the tip and tail gives you a big surface to press on and makes turn entry and exit forgiving.

The overall flex is very soft, and most of that softness lives in the nose and tail. The middle is the stiffest section, though not stiff by any stretch, and there is an abundance of torsional flex. You can genuinely twist this board, which is exactly what you want for manipulating presses and slides.

Pop and Jump Performance

Surprisingly for such a soft board with this much rocker, it pops really well. Loading the camber section and rolling back on the tail is easy, and that rocker acts like a little springboard. It will not boost you to the moon, but side hits, popping off rollers and ollieing onto features all come naturally.

For jumps, keep it to small and medium sizes. Larger landings, roughly anything over 15 feet, are beyond what the rocker-heavy profile can handle, since you basically need to be bolted for bigger drops. On hips, small quarter pipes and micro features, it has more than enough pop and feels like a genuinely fun screw-around board.

Butters, Presses and Jibbing

This is where the Ampage earns its keep. It butters beautifully: you can roll onto the nose or the tail, ollie and press into it on landing, and the immense sweet spot in the tip and tail locks in and lets you swizzle around until you pop out with a little spring.

That same character translates to jibbing. It locks into tail and nose presses and holds them to the end of the feature, and when you go sideways it cradles around the rail instead of clapping out. There is just enough rigidity that you do not feel like your nose or tail will slam into the ground mid-press.

Can It Actually Turn?

This was the pleasant surprise. A soft, rocker-heavy board like this was expected to carve poorly, and it does not completely suck. Mellow, short, quick setup carves into a feature and medium-paced carves all work fine, and it grips well, even holding an edge on icy patches without washing out.

The limitations are real, though. Try to lay it over hard on a groomer and drive your knee into the turn, and the tail simply has no power for that. You can also overpower the board at speed. At higher velocities the tips flap, you feel it resonate underfoot, and lumpy or bumpy terrain transmits every contour straight to your body. It is not a damp or stable ride, so expect to get jarred on abrupt hits.

Who Is This Board For?

The Ampage fits someone starting out in the park who wants a board to progress on that will not hold them back. It presses well, slides well, pops with ease, and works as a good all-around mini-shred board.

It is also a reasonable pick for anyone who wants a playful deck for messing around on smaller features without giving up all ability to turn. Comparable boards worth looking at include the Gnu Money, the Capita Pathfinder Reverse, and the Arbor Draft, with the Union Ultra and the Battalion Chaos as relevant binding-style recommendations for pairing.

Things to Consider Before Buying

This is not a board for high speeds, big jumps or aggressive carving, and the soft flex plus rocker-heavy tips mean stability is the first thing you sacrifice. If your riding revolves around wide-open groomers and big air, look elsewhere.

If your days are built around rails, presses, micro features and small jumps, the trade-offs barely matter. It exceeded expectations for how much more versatile it turned out to be, and it is easy to have fun on from the first run.

Conclusion

The Rossignol Ampage is a jib board with snap, and that combination is exactly what makes it work. It butters, presses, slides and pops with a playfulness that outperforms its soft flex, while turning better than it has any right to. Buy it if the park and jib life is where you spend your time, and know its speed and big-jump limits going in.