For a long time I was wondering about Mervin’s (GNU & Lib Tech) C2 and C3 camber. I used to ride a 2018 C2 Banana Magic (BM) and then at the end of this season I got a 2024 Lib Tech TRS. The Banana Magic was a C2 hybrid camber profile with camber under foot and a rocker in the middle.
When I got on the TRS it was a big change. The TRS has the C3 camber which is basically a traditionally camber board with a slight rocker in the center.
I didn’t like it at first. It felt really stiff. It has these riser pads under foot that make it so stiff. It is changing my riding style though. After 3 days I went back to the Banana Magic and that felt weird.
I could feel the rocker in the middle of the board that I had got so used to. It felt kind of squirely like some people say about C2. I realized that C2 keeps me in a more upright position and the TRS made me squat more. At first it felt like the TRS had less suspension or something. I would hit bumps that it didn’t seem to absorb like my Banana Magic.
I did 3+ seasons on the BM and over 300 days.
- C2 = control, precision and float
- C3 = control, precision and power
- C2’s perfection vs. C3’s aggression
About the Lib Tech TRS C3 2024
Up until 2021 the TRS was a C2 board or C2X. Then in 2021 they made it a C3 and then in 2022 they added the riser pads. The 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 seem to be the same board but with a different graphic. And that looks the same for 2025.
I got the TRS at the end of the season 2024 so I didn’t get to ride it much. I rode it for 3 days and then the mountain closed. Then I was thinking of selling my TRS to get something less stiff. And I sold my Banana Magic and I still wanted to hike some jumps at the mountain post season so the only board I had to ride was the TRS.
So since I’ve been hiking with it I noticed it’s definitely more springy than the BM. I just hike some jumps so the runs are real short so you know you don’t get the feel for it. It’s taking some getting used to that’s for sure. Despite being the same length 154 it feels longer than the BM.
C2 vs. C3 – float vs. power
If you look at the pic at the top of the page comparing c2 and c3 then you will see the only difference in the words Mervin uses to describe them is power and float. And in the older description it’s aggression vs. perfection (c2).
Float…
The C2 is supposed to float more. I rode that board in Idaho and New Hampshire. New Hampshire sucks for snowfall, but in Idaho I saw quite a few pow days. The C2 I had above is a true twin with no setback (although I set it back .5 of an inch) but I think it did pretty good in powder. Not so great on the deepest days.
I remember when I first got on the BM after riding true camber boards it felt kind of “surfy” as they say. It feels looser and when I first got on the TRS I was thinking the BM was more agile.
The TRS I don’t know as I haven’t experienced enough but it’s also a twin with .5″set back and camber so most will say it won’t float well.
Power…
As for the power I think the TRS has a more stable, locked in feel to it. When you put it on edge it’s going to charge right through it. It’s stiffer feeling. It carves well. I think it wants to go fast and bigger. It has more pop.
TLDR: C2 vs. C3
The C3 is going to be better at speed, be more stable, have more pop and be more locked in on carves. The C2 is going to be better in powder and feel more surfy and loose.
Pros C2 (BM)
- Floaty – floats better in pow because of that rocker
- Looser
- Surfy
- Agile
- Softer
- Better at skidding a turn
Cons C2
- Less locked in
- Less pop
- Softer
Pros C3
- More locked into a carve
- Stiffer and more stable
- More poppy
- Better at speed
- Better at landing big jumps
Cons C3 TRS
- Less agile maybe not as quick or absorbent of bumps
- Stiff which means less forgiving
- Nose and tail presses will be harder
- Not as good at low speed
- Not as easy to skid a turn
It was totally different from the board I was used to so the TRS felt hard initially to do tricks on. It felt harder to move around trying spins and stuff.
I’d like to ride it more to get a better feeling for it.
TRS specs
Ok you will find something confusing about this board. I saw someone else make a forum post about it too. So on the Lib Tech site you will see.
But anyways I got the 154 and around the web and from reviewers heard it was a pretty stiff board. I emailed Mervin below and they also said it was a pretty stiff board.
“The TRS is for sure one of the stiffest boards in the Lib line”
But yeah if you check the Gnu Headspace board another one I was considering the 155 is listed as a “6” but lots of reviewers said it was a fairly soft board and not stiff. Hmmm…