YO, THANKS

I just rode a Rome SDS 157 I think, or 156.5
I would have to say the Rome was a bit more user freindly on the flex for me than the Custom's more quirky zonal flex. Thats where the nose softer than the tail flex wise, But I would ideally want to acheive torsional rigidity equal to the tail's torsional flex.
Meaning, the Burton's Custom's nose seemed twist more readily if you turn it over and flex the nose torsionally.

The Rome sds's flex was very predictable and had happy pop in the tail and well tapered directional core profiles, with sidewall construction. An impressive ride!

Just like an acid flashback, this topic sent me into blinding whirl of ultraviolet pinwheels, and levitational realization. This next rambling describes how shapers pull off the impossible! They achieve the perfect amount of what I call "lough"(pronounced luff) in the nose!
Your nose just doesnt turn into the boards turning edge surface with one angle change, There is tons of shit goin on here. It's gotta feel a little softer in the nose to ride pow, but you need it to perfom switch at speeds and in the park for landing backwards!

This crucial feature or attribute of a snowboard- "lough" is the ability of the boards shaper to master the process of shaping and tooling to preciseley tune when a board will flex; To convey this purpose properly is to be taken to Snowboard's design Nirvana.
This is a crucial area; understand its purpose and you may master the Art of the turn.

A place of few that equate to a relative few MAster shapers that can operate freehanded and create a snowboard with their bare hands evry single step of the way.

The nose sidecut release tapers are where the sidecut of the board and the nose area's effective edge and sidecut actually meet.

From the center releases; to the end of the boards actual effective edge, has two points of contact.
1. the sidecut s end, 2. the effective edge's actual end.
This are areas of design that only a true "Connisuer " of snowboard shape and design combined with production knowledge can recognize.@
KNow. a good shape right off the bat.
Identify sub standard materials and construction.
Insist on quality!!! Insist on it!
I am like a board snob because I am actually obsessive compulsive about this topic- Snowboard Design and Research and development. It fascinates me.

This is due to riding a brand of snowboards over a period of ten years that Insists on only using the highest quality materials available.,Buy products from people that understand the ride and have an intended user.

Learn to spot brands that skimp on research, have no real roots in the sport, and place sandwiched epoxy-laden wood, abs,ptex and steel on some prepurchased corporate store shelves selling you the illusion of a snowboard.

This is the shapers endless conondrum of suprise, feedback, due-diligence, replication, and maybe sometimes pure luck to pull off a true Masterpiece.
Master shapers have garnered the respect of freinds along the way and The Sport's top athletes by doing what they love...making snowboards.
Bottom line is , if you educate yourself , you can start to recognize quality as a consumer and be confident in your purchase..

.Or you could just go order a Unity,

yEAH yEAH