2025-26 Head E.B.I. LYT, 161 cm
Available Sizes: 143, 146, 147, 152, 153, 156, 161, 162 cm
Blister’s Measured Weight (161cm): 3.53 kg / 7.77 lbs
Blister’s Measured Nose-Waist-Tail Widths (161 cm): 31.1 / 27.2 / 30.6 cm
Stated Sidecut Radius (161 cm): 8.6 / 7.4 m
Rocker Profile: Rocker – Camber – Flat – Camber – Rocker
Stated Flex Rating: 6/10
Core Construction: “Lightweight wood with hexagonal core inserts at tip and tail”
Base: Sintered Base
Reviewer: 5’ 11”, 175 lbs / 180 cm, 79 kg
Stance: +29 / +5, 23”
Boots Used: Nitro Select, K2 Orton
Bindings Used: Now O-Drive, Jones Apollo, Jones Mercury FASE
Test Duration: 20+ days
Test Locations: Alyeska Resort, AK
Intro
Head is a big global brand with lots of history in everything from winter activities to racquet sports, making their entry into snowboarding in 2001. Generally known more for their skis than snowboards, we were excited to see how Head’s technology and design approach translate from two planks to one.
The E.B.I. LYT is the first board we’ve tested from Head, and one of seven shapes in the LYT snowboard series, which emphasizes the use of lightweight materials. Within that lineup, the E.B.I. LYT is the flagship, all-mountain, directional shape designed for freeriding in everything from groomers to powder.
I have been particularly interested in this “Pow-Groomer” snowboard category for the last few years, hoping to find a 1-board quiver option that still manages to emphasize carving in various snow conditions. The E.B.I. LYT certainly looked the part and showed a lot of promise on paper, but I of course had to see how it all comes together on snow.
What Head Says about E.B.I. LYT
“The E.B.I. LYT is your perfect all mountain snowboard to tackle any terrain the mountain throws your way, packed with all the features our tech department has to offer.
Sometimes you are lucky to get first lines on a powder day, sometimes it’s choppy and on some days, you stay on the groomers. The E.B.I. LYT is your perfect board to tackle any terrain the mountain throws your way. The Hybrid Camber POP profile is very versatile, the Swallow Tail helps you float in the powder. To save weight, we added Hexagonal Core in the Tip, while a Triaxial Fiber assures a smooth ride with balanced power distribution. Your versatile partner on both the front and the backside of the mountain!”
Construction
The E.B.I. LYT is part of a seven-board series utilizing Head’s LYT construction. As the name implies, the collection is designed to be lightweight for decreased swing weight and improved agility, but Head says that their lightweight constructions still retain a strong and snappy feel.
The E.B.I. LYT is built around Heads proprietary lightweight wood core with a honeycomb “Hexagonal Core” insert in the nose for further swing weight reduction. The Hexagonal Core insert is obvious in the nose on bright days, allowing light to transfer through. It certainly brings the weight down, but the nose does feel slightly softer than I would prefer — I’ll touch more on that below.
The core is wrapped with triaxial fiberglass, and graphene is placed strategically throughout the board to increase strength without adding weight; Head claims this “magnifies a board’s positive characteristics.” For those wondering, Graphene is a carbon allotrope arranged in a honeycomb structure and is said to be extremely strong for its weight and thickness (100-300 times stronger than steel). How does this translate into a snowboard? It essentially functions like lightweight carbon stringers in the tip and tail. It’s difficult to attribute individual materials to the overall performance and ride, but the E.B.I. LYT does seem strong, durable, and snappy after 20+ days on the mountain.
With all that talk of lightweight materials, how does the weight of E.B.I. LYT compare to other similar shapes? Well, I was pretty surprised how heavy this “lightweight” board is compared to similar swallowtail “Pow-Groomer” options we have spent time on. Though, to be fair, the E.B.I. LYT is on the wider side of what we have tested in this category, adding to total board volume. Although the E.B.I. LYT is not the lightest board we’ve tried, that’s also not necessarily a bad thing — for an all-mountain resort board, a little extra weight can help it deal with rougher inbounds conditions. For reference, here are a few of our measured weights for some notable boards:
- Jones Storm Wolf (162 cm) 3.00 kg / 6.6 lbs
- Jones Storm Chaser (152 cm) 3.05 kg / 6.7 lb
- Nitro Squash (159 cm) 3.09 kg / 6.81 lb
- Head E.B.I. LYT (161 cm) 3.527kg / 7.77 lbs
In terms of other details, the E.B.I. LYT has a sintered base, which seems strong, fast and retains wax well. The top sheet is effective at shedding dry and wet snow, and the silver mountain graphic seems surprisingly grippy under my boot soles, which is always nice when unloading from the lift. I haven’t run a stomp pad since I was a teenager, but this board certainly does not need one. The E.B.I. LYT features a fully wrapped metal edge except for the inner notch of the swallowtail. As I reiterate in all my swallowtail reviews, I think a metal edge around the swallowtail is critical for protecting the more vulnerable areas on the board, both on and off the mountain.
Shape
Head calls the E.B.I. LYT “an incredibly lightweight freeride machine” with “a long directional shape.” Despite that description, it’s a nice middle-ground between longer pow-specific boards like the Jones Storm Wolf and shorter volume-shifted boards like the Jones Storm Chaser. Similar to the Nitro Squash, I consider the E.B.I. LYT to be a part of the “Goldilocks” category — boards that ride well in moderately deep snow and can edge well in firmer conditions — both attributes you would look for in a 1-board quiver.
Longer and narrower shapes, such as the Amplid Snowmellier, are ideal for those 18”+ (45+ cm) deep days, offering tons of float for big, long turns in the alpine, but they aren’t as easy to ride in tighter terrain or on firmer / shallower powder days. Short volume-shifted boards (like the Season Forma, Jones Storm Chaser, Rossignol Sushi, etc.) are extremely maneuverable and playful in tight, restricting terrain, but often feel sluggish on bottomless powder days. It seems the middle-of-the-road options such as the Nitro Squash, Amplid Surfari, Jones Hovercraft and E.B.I. LYT are more versatile for everyday riding. Supportive on hardpack, but enough float for shallow to moderate powder days. But enough on theory, let’s dive into the specifics of the E.B.I. LYT.
The nose of the E.B.I. LYT is longer and wider than the Squash, with a similar but more angular, blunted tip. The blunted tip (along with hexagonal core) reduces swing weight while maximizing the volume / float. The tail of the E.B.I. LYT is a stubby swallowtail that is well-suited to both powder and firmer conditions. Compared to the Nitro Squash, the tail is similar visually, but the E.B.I. LYT features a deeper, narrower notch down the center and slightly more rocker. I think Head nailed it on the design — it creates enough of a volume reduction in the tail to sink effectively in powder and reduce leg fatigue, yet it still feels supportive and poppy in firmer conditions.
Similar to the tail, I think Head nailed the sidecut shape for carving and freeriding. The 8.6 / 7.4 meter sidecut radii on the 161 cm E.B.I. LYT help make it a fantastic groomer board with impressive edge hold. The sidecut radii combination does a great job of allowing for short, tight carves while still holding on nicely for long, more drawn-out turns.
It’s also worth mentioning that Head offers eight different sizes of E.B.I. LYT to accommodate different riders’ statures and preferences, ranging from 143 cm to 162 cm. While there are no extra-wide options offered for riders with bigger boots, the shape of the E.B.I. LYT is already fairly wide. I would imagine there would be a bit of heel/toe drag for someone riding a size 12-13 boot on any of the sizes, but as a rider with a US men’s size 9, I have a couple of centimeters to spare on the 161 cm (waist width is 27.2 cm).
Rocker / Camber Profile
The E.B.I. LYT features Head’s Hybrid Camber Pop profile, which is essentially a rockered nose, camber underfoot, a flat section between the bindings, then another bit of camber and a rockered tail. As I’ll describe more below, my biggest gripe with the Head E.B.I. LYT is the amount of rocker in the nose. There is approximately 6.5 cm of splay / height in the nose, which seems excessive. For comparison, the Nitro Squash has approximately 4.5 cm of tip splay. The E.B.I.’s heavily rockered nose does an effective job staying afloat in light to moderate-density powder, but in some situations, it seems almost too rockered for its relatively soft flex.
Despite what I feel is too much rocker in the nose, the camber profile between the binding is spot on, resulting in excellent edge hold on firm conditions. The camber underfoot also has sensational pop, making the E.B.I. LYT a dynamic ride for side hits and airing features. The rocker in the tail is well aft of the rear binding, resulting in a very supportive and snappy tail, yet it has plenty of rise to ride switch without digging in.
All in all, the camber profile of the E.B.I. LYT is well suited for the “Pow-Groomer” shape — it edges well on groomers and in firmer conditions while providing a good amount of float, but I’d be curious to try a version with a slightly less splayed out tip / nose.
Flex Pattern
Head rates the flex of the E.B.I. LYT as a 6/10, which feels accurate compared to other boards I’ve tried. The 161 cm E.B.I. LYT is rated for riders between ~175-200 lbs (80-100 kg), and as a 175-lb rider with a preference for stiffer boards, I find the E.B.I. LYT flex a suitable match for the rest of its design.
It’s an easy board to manipulate but still feels quite lively with good pop, making it well-suited to seeking out side hits, jumping, and carving. While I wouldn’t consider this board to be a stiff, hard-charging option, the flex feels fairly supportive at higher speeds in untracked powder and when laying down carves on groomers. The E.B.I. LYT does seem softer than the Nitro Squash and Jones Hovercraft (both rated 7/10), resulting in a more playful and freestyle-friendly feel.
The torsional flex of the E.B.I. LYT is fairly stiff, which I think is partly due to its width. I’ve found a stiffer binding (such as the Jones Apollo) is a great match for riding groomers and firmer, variable conditions to help drive the edges and transition from edge to edge effectively.
Overall, the flex of the E.B.I. LYT is well-matched for the shape and intended use of being a versatile powder-groomer board, and is exceptionally fun for jumps, drops, and side hits. Now, let’s talk more specifically about how it did over my 20+ days of testing.
FULL REVIEW
Powder
I’m quite pleased with the E.B.I. LYT’s abilities in powder. The shape provides adequate float and the high-volume nose + swallowtail combination does a fine job of reducing powder-associated leg fatigue.
Similar to the Nitro Squash and Arbor Bryan Iguchi Pro Camber, the E.B.I. LYT seems best designed for less than about 12” / 30 cm of light to moderate density powder. After a couple of days riding Alyeska Resort’s North Face in 8-10” powder, I was impressed with the floatation and how nimble the E.B.I. LYT felt, especially at lower speeds. Despite its directional shape, the E.B.I. LYT is a capable freestyle option, especially in soft snow — its shape and flex encourage airing features and feel supportive when landing.
The E.B.I. LYT’s powder performance runs into limitations in dense snow. As I mentioned above, its nose felt too soft and heavily rockered in wet and heavy powder. On a couple of wet, maritime powder days at Alyeska (home of the Chugach Cement), the long, rockered nose was prone to folding up and tossing me over the front. Tweaking the stance and setback did not seem to address this issue. Although it’s a pretty specific, condition-related problem, a little less rocker and added stiffness in the nose could help alleviate this issue. Even in deeper and lighter snow (>12’’), the flex of the nose can be felt under the front binding, which did not result in forward-pitching tendencies, but was an unusual feeling.
For deeper days with more than 12’’/ 30 cm of new snow, I would opt for a bigger and even more powder-specific shape such as the Jones Storm Wolf, Weston Japow, or Amplid Snowmellier, or a shorter, volume-shifted option like the Jones Storm Chaser for a nimble, surfy ride. Those longer specialist boards offer better float and are much more stable when blasting through tracks at higher speed. That said, the E.B.I. LYT is designed to be more versatile than those big guns, trading deep-snow performance for versatility in firmer, shallower conditions. It has a speed limit, especially as the day progresses and becomes more tracked out, but the E.B.I. LYT is a fun, playful option for cruiser powder days.
Soft Chop
As with its performance in denser powder, the E.B.I. LYT feels a little soft as speeds increase in soft chop and moderately tracked snow. In shallow sections of choppy powder where the bed surface is felt (around 3-4” deep), the E.B.I. LYT edged well — particularly on lower-angle terrain. I did find it more prone to getting knocked around and washing out on steeper, tracked terrain relative to the Nitro Squash. I think this partially due to the E.B.I.’s more dramatic, angular edge-to-nose transition; the Squash’s transition from edge to nose is much more rounded, which seems to keep a longer segment of the effective edge engaged and loaded in steeper chop. I also suspect that riders with larger boots might be able to drive the edge into the snow more effectively, whereas my smaller boot and binding offer less leverage over the E.B.I. LYT’s wider waist.
All that said, the E.B.I. LYT is a fun cruiser board that is easy to manipulate in soft chop at slower speeds, as opposed to stiffer options that are more suited to blast through tracked snow, but can also feel like more of a handful at low speeds.
Crud and Variable Snow
Outside of soft chop, the E.B.I. LYT’s versatile shape does well when riding less desirable snow surfaces, such as crud and variable conditions. While its shape has compromises in deep snow, it makes up for them in firmer conditions, proving much more engaging than the more dramatic swallowtail shapes such as the Jones Storm Wolf, Amplid Snowmellier, or Weston Japow. The E.B.I.’s tail does a wonderful job of feeling stable and less chattery compared to the more pronounced and longer swallowtail options.
Once again, the E.B.I. LYT draws numerous parallels to the Nitro Squash in that its tail is quite supportive and feels more like a regular, directional shape as opposed to a swallowtail. They differ in stiffness, though — the tail of the Squash feels stiffer, particularly under the back foot, resulting in a slightly more stable ride at higher speeds. The E.B.I. LYT’s overall flex pattern, however, lends itself to feeling more playful and slightly easier to throw around on variable conditions.
Groomers
The E.B.I. LYT is an exceptional groomer board. The most fun I had with this shape was on fresh groomers during a several week high-pressure system, where its impressive edge hold instilled confidence to really lay the board over, resulting in what felt like some Eurocarve-adjacent riding.
The camber and sidecut do an excellent job locking in the edges on firm to soft groomers without feeling too demanding on the legs. Groomer-specific shapes, such as the Amplid Pentaquark, offer similar if not better edging on corduroy, but those shapes tend to take significantly more rider input and skill, whereas the E.B.I. LYT is quite intuitive and easy to ride. The E.B.I. LYT handles variability within the groomers much better than the Pentaquark, and it avoids any tendency to hook or catch as the snow gets warm and slushy. Overall, its performance is very similar to the Squash, but the wider shape of the E.B.I. LYT can allow for steeper edge angles without any toe or heel drag.
Who’s It For?
The E.B.I. LYT is ideal for intermediate- to expert-level riders who are interested in a versatile board designed with powder and carving in mind. This is an intuitive cruiser board for general resort riding in a wide range of conditions.
The E.B.I. LYT does an excellent job balancing powder performance with the versatility of a groomer, on-piste shape. Although its shape is focused on edge hold, the snappy, mid-flexing E.B.I. LYT is playful and adds a fun freestyle component. For those looking for hard-charging or deep-snow-specific shapes, I would recommend a longer shape and stiffer flex, such as the Jones Storm Wolf or Weston Japow. However, if you’re searching for a 1-board-quiver option that will be suitable for everyday riding, the E.B.I. LYT is worth a look — it is snappy and playful, yet absolutely rails on groomers.
Bottom Line
The Head E.B.I. LYT is a versatile shape that is optimized for carving. While there are better deep-snow and groomer-specific options, the E.B.I. LYT is an effective blend of both worlds, resulting in a solid quiver-of-one, “Pow-Groomer” board. While reminiscent of the Nitro Squash, the E.B.I. LYT has a softer, more freestyle-friendly flex to it, whereas the Squash feels a bit more stable on chop and at higher speeds.
It’s a great time to be in the snowboarding world, as I’m not sure we’ve ever had so many capable shapes that are fine-tuned for specific conditions. Versatility is still quite valuable for a lot of us, though, and if you are looking for a lively carving machine that excels on groomers and in moderately deep powder, the Head E.B.I. LYT is worth a ride.
