The Best Snowboards for Beginners and Experts

The best pound-for-pound value on the list, the Rossignol Trickstick reeled in a Good Wood Award from Transworld and a 92 rating on Boarder Insiders. And it did it while keeping its price just below $300, making it the cheapest board to earn Good Wood.  Reviewers appreciated the floaty 80/20 rocker-camber shape; playful, park-specific design; solid tips; and soft but ample flex that helps to give it better edge-to-edge stability. The board also gives you a unique amount of customization: the tips and tails were designed to be cut with a jigsaw to your specific dimensions (Rossi recommends taking it into a shop). You can forget stickers too, Rossignol does its own version of scratch-and-sniff, letting you scratch off the top layer of the topsheet to reveal the design underneath. Make it yours.

A solid intermediate board for an impressive price, the Nidecker offers legit details without the excess. While other boards in this price range are using a cheaper, slower extruded bases, the Axis keeps things sintered with a fast, smooth 6000 sintered base. Don't flinch at the "STD CamRock"--that STD just stands for "standard," a blend of cambered middle and rockered tips that delivers all mountain versatility. How often do you get to use "$300" and Kevlar in the same sentence? The Axis' Vibra-Kevlar under your feet eats up vibration to keep you smooth and comfortable. Add in a directional shape and setback stance, and this board is great for budding freeride, powder and all mountain riders.

Back in its heyday, Morrow was one of the top names in the snowboarding biz. Fast forward a decade and a half later and the company has been restructured into a beginner/low-priced snowboard manufacturer. You may not find Morrow boards on the podium these days, but the company does offer some of the cheapest rides for beginners and intermediates out there. The Fury is a beginner-specific board that retails for a very reasonable $270. The Fury offers a combination of powerful speed and lively tricks. Its 360-degree structural caps and edges add durability so that when you take the inevitable fall, you won’t have to look for a new board when you pull yourself back up. Morr-Rocker provides maneuverability in the park. We’ve all got to start somewhere, and nothing caters better to first timers than the Fury.

The Burton Clash is a beginner/intermediate-specific board that gives newer riders every tool they need to progress while keeping pricing down to $330. The board has a soft flex; EZ V camber shape for easy, no-hook turning; and edges tuned for a forgivable hold. The twin flex helps when learning to ride and trick switch, and the directional shape puts the pop in the tail where you want it most. This board gives up-and-coming riders every advantage they need: a forgiving progression-inspired ride, low price, and a fun, playful build.

One of the true originators of the rocker craze, Lib Tech injects the Skate Banana with its Banana Tech (BTX) rocker. This not only delivers a playful, catch-free board with a low spin weight, prime for rails and boxes, but also a flotatious shape that soars through thigh-deep powder without getting weighed down. While a rocker shape cuts down on edge hold, Lib-Tech's Magne-Traction technology solves the problem, delivering maximum edge hold on any snow surface including ice and hard pack. The H Pop core provides amazing strength, light weight and power. The Skate Banana has won so many awards from so many snowboarding magazines that they are too numerous to mention (Snowboarder Magazine "Best of Test" and Transworld Snowboarding Magazine "Good Wood Test Winner" to name a few). So it should be no surprise that this continues to be one of the best of the bunch and what the others strive to attain. If there's one board that anyone riding on the intermediate level or above should try, it's the Lib-Tech Skate Banana.

This incredible all-mountain board is built for both aggressive all-mountain and loose park riding. Not for the timid, the Arbor Element delivers solid control and power with a flex and shape designed for all mountain and freeride. Arbor's "The System" combines the float and flow of a true rocker profile with powerful Grip Tech edge hold. That's what you call "the best of both worlds."  The bamboo inserts in the poplar core liven up longitudinal flex. Like generations of Arbor boards before it, the Element RX looks like it just fell in a forest (and everyone heard). The Arbor Element can handle any element you throw at it but is best for intermediate riders and above.

If freestyling--park, backcountry or both--is your thing, then look no further than the Rome Mod. Designed to launch and play off of pretty much anything, the Mod Rocker is an all-mountain freestyle machine.  Rome's Airpop Core Matrix features a mix of woods that keeps it lightweight and ultra-snappy. Throw in a set of restructured Carbon Double Barrel HotRods and you'll barely need to use your muscles when ollying. The Quickrip sidecut lets you play when you want and push when you need. Don't be left behind--give the Rome Mod a try.

Not every board is blessed with Olympic Gold Medal credentials, but the Roxy Eminence is. This board graced the feet of dominating rider Torah Bright when she took home gold in Vancouver. And according to Transworld's Good Wood people, who've awarded it for four years running, it hasn't lost a step. You probably recognize the "BTX" as your friendly neighborhood Banana Technology--the curvy rocker shape that keeps your flow meter at max in the park and helps you ride powder without even trying. While the board has earned most of its props on the freestyle circuit, features like cambered tips, Magne-Traction edges, medium flex and Sintered 9900 base ensure that it performs well all around the mountain.

Never Summer is known for its durable, bomber boards and the Lotus is the Denver company's answer to an all-out freeride weapon for women. The board is essentially a women-specific Premier F1 and delivers the same rock-solid stability, high-speed hold and F1 Elastomeric Stabilizer-derived vibration absorption as the Premier, but with a softer flex and narrower waist for the ladies. Famed female tester and blogger Shayboarder ranked this the top women's powder board for 2012, despite the fact that it's not even a pure powder board. She admits that it's her go-to for everything from Champagne Powder days to park days. The board has a rocker-camber hybrid profile and Vario sidecut.

Gnu calls the B-Nice its "all terrain freestyle fun banana." It's hard to think of a more giddy description for a snowboard than that, but it's also hard to trust marketing speak. More trustworthy is Transworld Snowboarding's panel of testers who awarded the B-Nice a Good Wood award for the fifth year in a row. Gnu has built this board to perform across all types of terrain and all levels of riders, so it's no wonder that a panel of testers have been loving it for half a decade. The board features an effortless Banana rocker shape, grippy Magne-Traction edges and EISS 5 UHMW sidewalls for durability and snap.

Feel good with the Burton Feelgood. This board is great for any girl looking for a responsive option that leaves everything on the mountain but doesn't sacrifice anything. The camber design offers unparalleled control and on-a-dime turns, while Burton's Frostbite Edges allow superior grip on the hardest of snow conditions. Lightning Bolts Hi-Voltage weaves energy transfer strands into the fiberglass beneath your feet for top-notch power and response. The Feelgood comes complete with Burton's ChannelM6 binding mounts for the most adjustable, tunable binding experience you'll find on any board.

The Ride Compact is a loose, poppy board that comes at a very affordable price. Ride keeps things light with its Membrain urethane topsheet and free-swinging with its LowRize rocker shape.

The urethane 85A Slimewalls are damper than a PNW valley during a four-day Pineapple Express, eating up big landings and cold rails with ease. If you can forgive the cheesy pun, "Cleave Edges" will have your back, offering a burly steel interface that cuts into snow and absorbs impacts.

There&'s Jeremy Jones and then there's Jeremy Jones. Literally--there actually are two professional snowboarders named Jeremy Jones. No put-down on Burton's guy, but this Jeremy Jones is the premier big mountain rider in the world. He builds it, tests it on insane terrain in the likes of Alaska, Antarctica and Norway, and then stamps his name on it. The Flagship is Jones' big mountain freeride board. It combines a directional shape with a rocker-camber hybrid for powder float and stability on harder stuff and Magne-Traction for gripping where lesser boards let go.

When you think about it, big mountain freeriding is really the manliest form of snowboarding. While the toddlers and tweens are jibbing to the latest rap track in the comforts of the park, the men are out trudging through freezing temperatures, howling wind and blinding snow, scoping descents, hiking blade-like ridge lines and slaying area that the masses won't touch. Their loss, because the Man's Board gets it done. It lives up to its name by offering high-speed stability, camber-rocker float and edge hold, and multi-radius sidecut to deliver sure turning and stable bombing. In a world of loud, garish boards, the simple beer bottle themed-graphic is a refreshing breath.

While Salomon labels this an all-mountain board and gives it a directional twin tip, some reviewers said the board's stiffness and reluctant spring make it a poor choice for park riding.

Never Summer invented the rocker-camber hybrid, which delivers the perfect combination of float and rock solid speed that big mountain boards thrive on. The company’s R&C technology works in conjunction with its Vario sidecut, providing ample performance in all types of terrain. The Premier F1 has long served as Never Summer’s venerable freeride stallion, delivering speed, hold and surefootedness around the mountain. The board’s F1 Elastomeric Stabilizers eats up bumps while its Durasurf sintered base flies over the groomed stuff. The board's big mountain graphics just provide a reminder of where you like to be. The multi-flex core delivers a variable flex profile, delivering the versatile performance you need when encountering ever-changing on-mountain conditions.

From its name, to the billowing spine graphic on its top sheet, to its bomber construction, the Yes Pick Your Line is a big mountain board through and through. The board is purposely built for big, natural terrain, pairing a hard-charging directional shape with a freeride-specific camber-rocker hybrid underneath. Fancy materials like Kevlar (shock absorption) and carbon (pop and response) enhance the board's performance. That's why it's the board of choice for Yes teamer and Whistler-area big-line guru David Carrier Porchern (DCP).

"Deeper" is the snowboard flick that brought the unlimited potential of the earn-your-turn ethos into the spotlight. Jeremy Jones, star of the film and founder of Jones Snowboards, offers the Solution as his dedicated splitboard. The board is designed to tackle all types of terrain and features a directional rocker at the tips with camber under the feet, Magne-Traction edges and a directional freeride flex that's forgiving when you need it to be and like a rock when you don't. Topo map graphics remind you of all that untapped terrain out there.

This year Never Summer took its versatile SL board, a freestyle board that's solid enough to be comfortable all over on, and cut it in half for a split version. The board delivers everything that riders loved about the SL--Rocker & Camber float, pop, stable edge hold and fast turning, to name a few--but it just delivers it a little farther into the mountains. If you want the freedom to leap and spin with ease, the SL Split's lightweight build and forgiving flex will keep you smiling.

Even the most sponsored-to-the-teeth pro never claimed that snowboarding was cheap. Splitboarding is even less cheap, with many boards exceeding $800 and $900. The Rome Whiteroom delivers a poppy ride injected with all the latest technology for the bargain price of $600. Shop around for a while and if money's key, you'll no doubt find yourself back at the Whiteroom product page where you'll find a spec sheet full of light, responsive materials like Rome's Airpop Core Matrix and Carbon V Powerbars. The powder-specific camber will unleash plenty of butterflies in the stomach during long, dreamy float sessions.

Voile was doing splitboards back before splitboarding was even a thing. A true originator and innovator in the niche, Voile continues to offer top-notch splitboards today. The Mojo RX offers a quality, all-mountain package, and that package is available complete with Voile's mounting hardware, bindings and skins. Or you can buy just the deck and use your hardware of choice. The Rome Whiteroom may be the cheapest splitboard deck around, but if you factor in the cost of the included skins and hardware, the Voile is a very attractive package.  The Mojo RX keeps you nimble in the powder with its big, rockered nose and tapered tail. Meanwhile the board's camber keeps your feet locked into the terrain.

A performance-oriented youth board, the Nitro Demand packs enough technology to keep the young rider moving on up the trail map. The Gullwing puts rocker between the feet for a loose, tricky ride and camber at the bindings for added control. The Powercore full poplar core delivers the right blend of power and snap. The Demand is an excellent choice for fast learners and intermediate + rippers.

Those goofy, pointy tips may look like they belong on a powder board, but the K2 Happy Hour is all freestyle. The board delivers the smoothness of an apres ski libation thanks to its combination of flat profile and carbon fiber- webbed tip. K2's Ollie bar is a carbon-Kevlar strip that helps to mend the pop deficit typical of a flat-rocker board. Both Transworld Snowboarding and Snowboarder magazines were impressed enough to give the Happy Hour their respective awards.

The Gnu Park Pickle gives you banana from tip to tail and pickle from side to side. The curvy rocker profile gives you freedom to trick with ease and the float to soar through powder. Meanwhile, Gnu's Magne-Traction edges provide grip and stability when you need it. The asymmetric sidecuts--that's the pickle--deliver more specific heel- and toe-side turning dynamics. The Gnu Park pickle won a Transworld Good Wood for this thoughtful design combination.

Born and bred in Tahoe, the Smokin Superpark is a serious freestyle ride for those that take freestyle seriously. Smokin's Clash Rocker (CTX) gives you rocker between the bindings with camber out to the tips. The camber gives you solid contact with the snow and combines with Magne-Traction edges to deliver grip and stability. The rocker, on the other hand, gives you the maneuverability on every feature you encounter. Snowboard magazine slapped a Platinum Pick on this park weapon.

The Angry Snowboarder describes the Nitro Rook as a board that feels like you've already put 100 days on it your very first trip out. If that's not a compliment for a freestyle snowboard, then compliments don't exist. The Rook gives you Nitro's Zero Camber for seamless transitions from snow to rail to snow to box to snow to jump, and so on. The sidecuts were carved specifically to prevent hooking and catching. Add in a twin tip shape and super cush flex and you have a freestyle beast.

The best pound-for-pound value on the list, the Rossignol Trickstick reeled in a Good Wood Award from Transworld and a 92 rating on Boarder Insiders. And it did it while keeping its price just below $300, making it the cheapest board to earn Good Wood.  Reviewers appreciated the floaty 80/20 rocker-camber shape; playful, park-specific design; solid tips; and soft but ample flex that helps to give it better edge-to-edge stability. The board also gives you a unique amount of customization: the tips and tails were designed to be cut with a jigsaw to your specific dimensions (Rossi recommends taking it into a shop). You can forget stickers too, Rossignol does its own version of scratch-and-sniff, letting you scratch off the top layer of the topsheet to reveal the design underneath. Make it yours.

The sickest board in the sickest movie from the sickest rider, the Lib Tech Travis Rice Pro let Travis Rice destroy it all over the map in his new film “The Art of Flight,” one of the best films you’ll see all season. Just like Travis, the board looks and feels good in pretty much any mountain scenario—fresh pow, hardpack, mank, slippery sketch, rails, etc. The board’s C2 Power Banana (BTX) rocker-camber provides rocker between your feet and camber at the edges. Magne-Traction edges are like an orangatan grip on the slick stuff.

If you’re a sheep, you’ll be sold by the name of this Capita board: Totally F’KN Awesome, how can you go wrong? Savvy riders will want to be sold by features, and the selling points include cambered midsection with rockered tip and tail for corner-to-corner versatility, carbon V-Tech reinforcements for power, and a medium flex. The Totally F’KN Awesome slots in at a solid mid-range price point, and the 80’s ski graphics are a slick bonus to anyone that respects neon tights and big, frosty hair. The board offers plenty of pop and play, but powers through crud, chop, powder and whatever else you’re into.

Lib Tech helped to write the book on what we've come to call rocker profile, so it knows a few things about float. The Birdman puts Lib Tech's Banana Technology (BTX) to work in a board with a big, curvy nose. The "Flotation Device" floats easily through powder but still rips hardpack admirably. It only comes in 170 or 180 centimeter sizes, so meeker, less experienced riders will want to stay away.

Jeremy Jones isn't the type of rider that hits snooze on days when the storm drops less than a foot. He's out there shredding some of the gnarliest terrain on some of the most exotic mountains in the world all season long. That means he's riding everything--from chest-deep pow to chunder to windblown ice. So Jones' powder board may be influenced by powder riding, but it's designed to rip through his full resume of riding. The flattened nose and directional rocker increase float in powder and the firm tail and Magne-Traction edges help you rip through other conditions.

Unlike the bulbous noses and split tails that you find on most powder boards, the Sick Stick is an unassuming powder stick. In fact, if it weren't for those pointy tips, you could easily mistake it for a freestyle or all mountain board. The tapered twin shape and centered stance keeps you loose on jumps and features, letting you enjoy seamless switch and forward riding, something you wouldn't enjoy on the average directional powder board. The Pow-Rocker takes care of the powder part, while the Popster feature adds extra oomph to your ollie. Since powder relies on a cold, clean climate, the Sick Stick uses eco-conscious bamboo-based construction.

$2,500 for a snowboard? When you're buying a board from an "experimental division," you'd better believe you're paying top dollar. Or top dollar plus a thousand. The good folks at Lib Tech may have decided to make a hyper-eco-friendly board, but it’s less like driving a Prius than it is flying an F-16. Sintered base? Psshhh...try a sintered carbon base. The board's magnesium oxide strand base uses 30 percent less petroleum products but is still twice as strong as fiberglass. The top sheet is made from castor beans and is still the toughest thing going. The self-healing bipolymer sidewalls are super impact resistant, glow in the dark and offer healing properties that would make Wolverine jealous. And Lib Tech's Vectran Torsion Rods are 25 percent lighter than carbon...the material that we swore was the lightest thing on Earth.

When the Burton Vapor first came out, you probably thought, "Wow, that's what happened when Burton 'gave R&D an unlimited budget to advance the state of the snowboard art.'" But no, that's actually how Burton describes the $1,500 Method. The Vapor opened the door and the Method walked right on through and asked for a bigger allowance. Unlike the Vapor, which is a powerful, responsive camber board, the Method utilizes Burton's Flying V rocker-camber construction. This provides a little more giddy-up in the park and better flow on days when it's puking. Don't worry about loss of control, though; Multizone EGD has perpendicular wood grain in four separate zones, a design that delivers more power and control to the edges. The Ultrafly Core, Vaportech construction and Carbon Vaporskin help keep this board as light as possible.