I ride Tankers because they outride anything else in their size class. They've got four decent advantages on the other guys; A nose that floats in pow, but holds on hardpack; A tail that's just stiff enough to get airborne edge changes or gain speed when you want it; Width sizes. There's 3 models [167,177,187cm] that're 'fat', 5 models [162,172,182,192,200cm] that're 'normal' waist width; Durability. I've (Still!) got a 162 that's got over 450 days on it. I taught on this board (fulltime instructor) for 3 seasons, then used it both Coaching and as my 'woods beater'. It'll die when it runs outa p-tex, I guess. Eric Brammer - Snowboard Instructor and Coach

“Our boards are fabulous toys, yet the real secret is in making riders feel better on the mountain, that is the confirmation of truly good material. Ralph’s design input and record results make us feel comfortable with the direction our boards have taken. Going fast and feeling safe doing it is an important part of a good day’s riding.” . Rad-Air Brand Manager and Co-founder Harry Gunz

I started riding a Tanker 2000mm a few years ago and was so stoked that I bought a 164cm LSD by Reto Lamm. I couldn't believe what phenomenol boards they were. I started out in 1988 on a Burton Cruzer and riding the Rad-Airs took me back to when I first learned to snowboard. I was surprised how much I just enjoyed snowboarding again. I wanted to increase the ability for others to get to know Rad-Air so I started ExoticBoards.com. Hopefully more people will get to experience the stoke of Rad-Air. It's hard to put a finger on why I like these boards so much, but I'm smiling on every run and that's enough for me! RJ-Owner/Operator - Exotic Boards

Rad-Air Tanker 200!!!   Kiddies, this board is TOB -- The One Board, as in the one board that I would take with me if I had to leave everything else home. 2 meters of PURE FUN; it RAILS in the turns, is SUPERSTABLE and eyewateringly FAST. Had it out at Killington this past weekend; the word is SWEET!!! PS  I have TWO 200 Tankers now. Kenneth Montusi

My new used Tanker 200cm arrived today FAST!! As described and packaged like a pro! Buy with confidence from ExoticBoards.com Thanks again RJ !! Bryan Bryan - www.oldsnowboards.com

Rad Air is an old-school Swiss brand, maybe you've heard of it. The 200cm Tanker model I have is the best board I've ridden in soft snow conditions. I've just returned from Mt.Hood Meadows today. Lots of new heavy snow- 2 feet in the last two days. Last Fri,Sat, and Sun I was at Mt. Bachelor. 8 inches everyday, dry and light. I always feel my Tanker is the best board for the day. If you're style is soul surfing the steeps, trees and glades the Tanker is great. The board is built by Volkl, and is very light with a generous sidecut and medium flex pattern. It turns quick for a 200cm edge-to-edge and you can't tell the you're riding the longest board on the mountain. The size is helpful in handling speed and takes out the jarring little bumps and is great for traversing to untracked territory. I use Clicker bindings with stiff ShimanoSkylord boots. Slopetool

"The Rad Air Reto Lamm LSD 164 rode the groom just like any of my alpine boards, it was a hoot to ride, the best feature of this board I think is the fact that for a 164cm board it has a 10.5m sidecut..you can feel the difference... when at speed I could still lay it down on carves and would not feel as if it were going to throw me over the handle bars.. I did not have to work real small radius turns I could take my time draw out some nice lines and it would just hold. I had Bomber plates on the board and found that the set up was perfect.. don't know why you would put soft boots on it anyway.. you could go into the powder and come out in the Groom and rip! Nice to have best of both worlds... bout as close as it gets.. Surprised the hell out of me. The 164 feels longer than it is in turns but short enough to go around and play!!" "Nice smooth ride as well, no chatter during laydown carves and it was able to handle the higher binding angle with ease!.. and the dampening topsheet is way cool!!!! The aluminum teeth tip and tail protector are the bomb!" Shred Grummer

I checked my daily journals from the last few years of teaching. The 162 Tanker accrued 641 days since late January of '01, got it's edge broken on day 636(bad driving on my part). This compares well to the 60-day expected lifespan that other companies predict for boards. It's my older, '95 Rad-Air Soul that's got the over-800-day miles on it, but I didn't keep logs back then as religiously, even though I rode that board for 9 years fairly regularly. My big Tanker, the 200 cm from 2000, has a mere 98 days on it, as much as my Reto from '04. PSR

I just returned from 2 days of riding the Tanker 2K. What a board! Amazing from the first turn. Super, super fast, carves on any type of snow. In two days of riding nobody stayed out in front of the Tanker. The speed of the board got me a finger pointing from the patrol as I speeded pass them layin' down some narly carves... I waited for them at the bottom of the hill for the lecture but they just ski'd on by, so I think they were just jealous more then anything... I now consider the board my #1 ride.. yeah,, I'm super pleased. Bob @ Mammoth

Doing business with Exotic Boards and RJ Sakson is a real pleasure. I asked a lot of questions because I was buying equipment over the internet without ever seeing it first, and my questions were all answered quickly and honestly. RJ was awesome to work with at every step of the way: board, bindings and bag!  We got 20" of new snow over the weekend, and I took the Tanker out to our local small family mountain. When not accompanying the kids on the bunny slopes, I got a few runs in on my own, and the tanker is fantastic in the deep snow. It floats well despite my 220 lbs on it, and turns easily even at slow speeds. At high speeds, it is really stable. It also holds an edge well on hard pack/ice where the powder had been scoured off by the wind. Overall, an excellent board. Thanks for everything! Regards, George  George - Vermont

RJ, Wanted to share a quick story with you.  I spent week before last celebrating #40 by going to Big Sky, Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, and Moonlight Basin.  The only place I'd never snowboarded before was Jackson, and we stayed at the very nice, but very expensive Four Seasons, where they have a "Ski Concierge".  I wasn't paying for the hotel.  Anyway, it is ski in/ski out, and these folks bring your skis or board out, bring them in at the end of the day, and even warm your boots overnight.  Pretty cool.  I check in with a Tanker 200 and my Donek Axis 182.  On the second morning, I get ready to hit the lifts, and the concierge asks me, "Will you be riding the 2 meter board, or the slightly smaller one?"  I tell him I'm undecided.  He looks concerned.  I ask if there's a problem.  He proceeds to tell me that several of the guys at the hotel had seen the board, and were so impressed, that they had brought cameras and were out by the lift, taking turns having their picture taken with the Tanker.  A couple minutes later, they all apppeared, grinning, and carrying the board.  One of the guys was from Germany, and wanted to know where to buy one.  I gave him your website address.  He said he'd do anything to ride a board like that... so I told him to take it out for a spin.  He did.  The following morning, his grin was ear to ear.  He sent a bucket of beers to my room with a note that read "Awesome, like a knife through butter."  The Tanker legend lives large... in Jackson, Wyoming. Mark - Montana

RJ Been a crappy season but I love my tanker 182 It is so stable at high speeds that I was able to crush my crew . they all are skiers. Riding bombers td2's (titanium - very bling) with raichles with the bts system You should try the bts if you haven't! My new rig is the best setup I have ever had! Thanks for educating me on rad-air Devoted for life John G.

Just got my new 192 from RJ. I have never recieved anything so fast, shipping wise. Big props to ya! You know, there are so many things said about the 192 in particular that you have to ask yourself, are they for real? Can there be such a thing as the one board? Well, I took mine out on it's maiden voyage Sunday. Slopes were fairly empty so I had the runs mostly alone early on. Everyone says these things disappear underfoot, and on the chair up I realized how light this thing was. I spent most of my day just hanging this thing off of one foot on the chair. All reports say this thing carves. I have to say it's true! First two runs I spent on my test/warmup runs layin' this thing over. At medium speeds zero trouble hands on the snow toeside w/o trying, leaving trenches with the best of anything I've been on. It carves as well as anyones A/M board, period. As I turned up the wick, it still held an edge well. Trenches a plenty today! Need to skid? I could do it at will, and reset the edge easily to finish a carve. The board really did seem to shrink under me. As the snow softened up, it still carved well. I started to push the speed limit as the day went on. Stupid fast in the chop, you could feel the board chatter some, but still felt 90% comfortable at raceboard speeds, as compared to my 173 Renntiger. As the snow turned to mush, I became backhoe man, leaving seriously huge trenches. It forgave some stupidity when I overloaded the nose, pulling me back from the brink of disaster. Finally my legs started to give out, so I called it quits for the day, as one seriously satisfied customer. Yes, I gotta confess, the hype is true, it really could be the go to board for every day. It won't replace a race board of some sort in my lineup, but if I am going boarding, it will be in the car, something I can't say about a race stick, or a swallowtail. Now all I need is a few feet of fresh to see if this thing floats as well as advertised! If you ride plates, I heartily recommend the 192, how could you go wrong? Jon Dahl

Hi RJ, Man I love my Tanker!   It plows through crud, ice, and is FAST.  Stable at any speed, and carves like there is no tomorrow. Longboards are definitely the way to go!   Only drawback I can see is the extra attention and the barrage of questions you get with it in the lift lines.   Having a great winter with this thing… Regards, Tony Tony B.

I have ridden a lot of great boards, but always keep coming back to the Reto's. They are not billed as BX specific boards, but over all they are great for BX and last almost forever. They perform so well under many conditions and are super fast! I have 2 of the 156's that I use for short/real technical courses and now have a 164 for the longer/ faster races. Not to mention my Sappa for pipe and my Kiwi Tanker 162 for "fun" days in the trees and groomers. J. Franklin, BoarderCross Racer

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