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For 2021 the Monarch remains Naish’s pro performance freestyle twintip. Standing true by the hearts of its followers, it has a new top shape that strengthens the board for harder landings and provides more consistency in its flex. The FTC 2.0 CNC’d shaping of its predecessor is gone and a thicker, stronger core remains. Not lost on the need for torsional control, Naish have CNC’d smaller, trapezoid cutouts from the thick deck. These sit at the midstance, parallel to each other and slightly inset from the heel and toeside rail. Not only do these allow for some necessary torsion in the board, they also double up as a perfect grab area for board offs.
The Monarch is definitely a high performance board needing a higher level of rider to appreciate it. Sub intermediate and lighter riders will prefer the more forgiving ride of the Drive or the Motion. Riders after less grip and more play to their ride will enjoy Naish’s latest board, the Traverse. As ever, Naish have focused on the quality of the Monarch’s construction which translates into performance, and the extensive base contouring of the Monarch unleashes a level of grip, control and access to speed that few other boards offer. With the ability to take off like a rocket, it is crucial to note the value of choosing the correct size in the Monarch. Its shape is so focused for speed that a lighter rider could quickly find edge control at speed a challenge. Our advice is one size smaller than your standard twintip. All of that speed on tap and biting grip make the Monarch a great boosting board. The ability to spot a kicker and accelerate at it feels sublime, and more consistent longitudinal flex pattern to this year’s board makes it easy to take off with.
As with any other performance board, you should take the time to adapt your stance to get the most out of it. As soon as you tune it right to your preference, you will discover how responsive and playful this board can be. Charging with speed and carving aggressively into a wave face rarely feels more satisfying than what this twintip can achieve. Expect cornering like it is on rails, and an exhilarating amount of speed on exit. If your goal is to rule the Big Air leaderboard, you will love the Monarch. The stiff and explosively reactive, mid-rockered board with aggressive base shaping that we know and love to push to new heights is here to stay.
