The Board That Started It All
The Skate Banana put rocker on the map. When Lib Tech released it, nearly every board in the shop was camber. The Banana flipped that, and a generation of riders learned to butter on it.
It's still in the line, and it still starts arguments. Some riders call it the most fun board they've ever owned. Others say it's a noodle that holds you back. This review answers the real question: who is the Skate Banana actually for?
What It Is
The Skate Banana is a true twin with Lib Tech's Banana Tech profile: rocker between your feet and camber out toward the tip and tail. The rocker makes the board loose and easy to pivot. The camber zones add some edge hold and pop.
Magne-Traction is what makes rocker work on hard snow. The edges have serrations, like a bread knife, that add grip points along the sidecut. It's the reason Lib Tech rocker boards hold better on ice than you'd expect from looking at them.
The core is Lib Tech's Original Power Plus blend of aspen and paulownia, wrapped in bi-axial and tri-axial fiberglass with tough UHMW sidewalls. The base is sintered and fast. Like every Lib Tech, it's built in the USA.
On the Snow: A Skateboard With Loose Trucks
Owners agree on one thing: it's fun. Riders describe it as playful, easy to turn and great for learning butters. Plenty keep one around as a spring slush board long after they've moved on to stiffer decks.
The comparison that keeps coming up is a skateboard with loose trucks. It turns on a dime, it presses easily and it forgives a lot of mistakes. Riders who learned on it say it helped them progress fast and rarely caught an edge.
Edge hold is better than you'd expect from a rocker board. Owners credit Magne-Traction for solid grip on icy mornings. Long-time owners with a decade or more on the board say it carves well and feels stable at moderate speed.
Where It Excels
Butters and presses are the Banana's home turf. The soft flex and rocker center let you load the nose or tail without fighting the board. If you want to learn flat-ground tricks, few boards make it easier.
Park and side hits come next. The true twin rides the same both ways, and small jumps and boxes feel friendly. It won't launch you, but it won't punish a sketchy landing either.
Slush and spring days are where it really shines. Soft snow, slow speeds and a board that wants to play add up to a pure good time. It's also a forgiving board for newer riders who want to progress past the basics without fearing every edge catch.
Where It Falls Short
Speed exposes it. Owners say it gets squirrelly when you open it up. The soft flex has very little backbone, so if you ride hard into rough snow, it folds and slides out.
Long-time owners put it simply: it's a noodle. Trying to ride hard, aggressive terrain on it doesn't work. Those same owners admit that practicing on it made their butters massively better, which is the trade in a nutshell.
Pop is modest. The rocker center doesn't load like camber, so jumps feel softer. Riders who moved off the Banana to a camber board report a real difference: camber feels more stable and grippy on steeps and at speed. Rocker likes to slide, and you have to learn to manage that.
The Debate: Fun or Limiting?
The Skate Banana is polarizing. Critics say rocker can't carve and has no pop, so it's not a good board for anyone. Owners who have ridden it for years push back hard. They say it carves fine, holds well and does a bit of everything, as long as you're not dropping cliffs or charging crud.
Here's the honest take. The board isn't bad. It's specialized. It's built for fun, not for speed or steeps. Riders who want a relaxed, playful board love it. Riders who want to charge will outgrow it.
Owners also point out that the GNU GWO is built on a similar platform and is often cheaper and easier to find.
Who Should Buy It
Buy the Skate Banana if you ride mostly groomers, small park features and slush, and you care more about fun than speed. It's a great board for learning butters and presses and become a buttering machine, and a strong second board for spring days.
Look elsewhere if you ride fast, ride steeps or want a single board for everything. A camber-dominant hybrid like the Burton Custom Camber will serve you better.
Pro tip: If you're unsure, demo one first. Owners say you'll know within a few runs whether the loose feel suits you.
Alternatives to Consider
The GNU GWO gives you a similar feel, often for less money.
A Lib Tech board with C2 or C3 camber adds hold at speed while keeping Magne-Traction.
The Ride Shadowban is a playful but more supportive park board, and a common next step for Banana riders.
The Verdict
The Lib Tech Skate Banana is a classic for a reason. It's loose, playful and grips better than most rocker boards. It's also soft and limited at speed.
Buy it for fun, not for charging, and it will make every run feel like a skate session.