Better snowboards don't make one a better snowboarder, they only allow one to become a better snowboarder. But a Donek is not merely a better snowboard, and if there's any sort of magic that can actually make one a better snowboarder, Sean Martin has given it form.My reaction to my new Donek 165 Wide were as follows: Day one - "I like it, its a good board." Day two - "Wow, I really love this board." Day three - "Oh my god, how could I ever ride anything other than a Donek again."My Donek 165 Wide is awe-inspiringly stable and responsive. Conditions on the three days so far ranged from literal sheet-of-ice to Slurpee style slush. The board almost feels like it won't let you fall down. It has never chattered, not once. I've never had to wrestle the board into doing something it didn't want to do, it simply does. It cuts through slush, rails over ice, glides over packed, all ever so effortlessly. It shoots straight as an arrow; it turns on a dime. It pops even my 260lb bulk out of a carve with ease. It almost seems to have a mind of its own - the mind of a well trained, lovingly loyal, telepathically gifted canine whose single desire is to make you happy. Somehow, even near the end of the day when my knees don't want to bend and my muscles let my weight slip to the back foot, even then the board somehow just keeps on accomodating even such bad form without failing me.In the interest of salvaging a little bit of objectivity, I offer my one and only nitpick of the Doneks. On both my and my wife's boards the heelside/toeside alignment of the inserts seems to be about 1-2 millimeters too close together. Thankfully, our binding plates, like most these days, have slots instead of simple holes through which to fasten the screws, allowing me to mount the bindings by aligning the slots heelside to toeside, and making this really a non-issue for us.I go faster on my Donek than I have ever had the courage to go before. Yet I do so with peace of mind and confidence in not only the abilities of the board, but my own abilities as well. And therein lies the magic, even though I know it to be impossible, the Donek has not simply allowed me to become a better snowboarder, but has somehow made me a better snowboarder.

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