RRD Bliss V5

The Bliss sits right at the heart of RRD’s board range. For the latest incarnation it has been seriously reworked and now benefits from the CNC shaped Paulownia wood core and the carbon biaxial fibers which are a central part of the 2018 line up. In terms of where the board sits in the lineup, it has a similar rocker line to the Poison, but is a little thinner and with more flex.

Designed to be ridden with straps, the Bliss is the kind of board that is designed to appeal to freeriders who are pushing themselves a little harder in the freestyle department. We had the ‘regular’ Bliss on test but it is worth noting that the Bliss has also had the LTD treatment for 2018 if you fancy a ‘blinged up’ Bliss with a little more performance. We are digging the graphics for 2018 and liking the consistency of these across the range of boards.

On the water and what you first appreciate with the RRD Bliss V5 is the incredible smoothness. The board just eats up the chop without any slapping or face spraying, giving you a super comfortable ride. The channels really contribute to the feel of the board and enable you to ride at speed without worrying about it skipping out, they also ensure that the Bliss has plenty of upwind performance and you’re not going to feel like you’re pushing too much water around. Roberto Ricci claims that the Bliss feels a little like ‘riding on a bubble’ and we can see what he means – it’s a cruising machine and just a really pleasant board to get about on. But don’t let this fool you – there is still ample pop in the Bliss and you can load it up enough for freestyle tricks, especially if you are just going for your first Raileys and want a board that is going to send you up nicely, but also not punish you when you come back down…

In a sentence: The Bliss V5 is a supremely comfortable and accessible freeride board with enough performance to keep the average rider more than happy.