Best Snowboards of 2018

Snowboarding since its creation has been and always will be awesome! Year after year board construction, technology, and innovation keeps the sport progressing for us to enjoy. From traditional builds to odd new shapes, the fun continues to increase. The board lineup for 2018 is straight fire that is loaded with designs that will make you drool over anything you set your eyes on. 

The cool thing about boards now is there is one for every situation and all types of terrain. Fortunately we get to go all over and test all the new gear at some pretty awesome spots. From local Loon in New Hampshire to Brighton in Utah and a few places in between, we are on our grind -- testing boards is a grind right? -- yea ok, but layovers though -- anyway let's talk snowboards. 

Freestyle

Lets start things off with a bang with the face lifted GNU Riders Choice! True twin and asymmetrically cut drives home park perfection. C2 profile allows for incredibly fast toe to heelside transfer and a much softer landing when coming back down to Earth. Despite it’s it’s epic park status, the Riders Choice can shred the groomers with a playful mindset for an added bonus. A serious two thumbs up for freestyle fun and the graphic overhaul is a breath of fresh air from the dated lumberjack steez. I mean chainsaws are fun, but i’m looking to have fun not work.

If you're prone to possibly getting away from being a baker smearing butter all over everything you see. You should take a look at the Ride Warpig. Although it's a shaped deck it is awesome at everything. Stiffer design offers more power on hard snow and a wider platform makes tree runs and powder, but at the end of the day its a Billy BA park ripper.

The Ride Warpig is one of the sickest all mountain freestyle decks ever created. Ride has relentlessly worked on prototypes of this model that eventually resulted in perfection. From kickers to rails and even just spraying the homies, the Warpig is phenomenal at it all. Directional rocker makes for super easy turn initiation and Carbon Array provides some serious pop. Flotation and maneuverability are also massive plusses for the day it nukes or the park is overrun. The Ride Warpig awaits for the park lapper who may dabble elsewhere on the slopes and isn’t afraid of awesome things.

All Mountain

The absolute quiver killer is the Burton Custom Flying V that has made history, is making history, and will definitely go down in history. Flying V puts rocker in the middle and camber underfoot boosts confidence in all conditions. Flotation, turn initiation, stability, and any other sick word to describe it is true. 45º Carbon Highlights reinforce and fine tune stiffness and torsional strength you can feel as speed increases. This board has fun on the mind at all times and without a doubt can take charge of all terrain. Tree stashes-check, hard charging-check, jump lines-check! Taking advantage of the EST binding setup allows for natural flex and increased binding options! Burton’s Infinite Ride is the icing on the cake that breaks the board in before it hits the sales floor, so day 1 and day 1000 this board feels identical. With the Superiority at its finest is the Burton Custom Flying V.

All mountain boards are some of the most popular designs that offer the ability to do a little bit of everything. If you're looking for something on the traditional side that is more favorable for riding switch or hitting jumps the Lib Tech T. Rice Pro is a more than legit option.

The Lib Tech T. Rice Pro is a true all mountain masterpiece that can do everything extremely well. C2 profile is fantastic for arcing turns, massive kickers, and powder lines through the trees. A 2017 Good Wood award winner solidifies the awesomeness of the T. Rice Pro. Used heavily throughout the filming of The Fourth Phase lets you know this board is the real deal. Freeride/Freestlye build makes this true twin feel a lot more all mountain than twins usually feel. All T. Rice Pros come with HorsePower construction without having to fork over the extra dollars for the core everyone wants. Opening up the entire mountain as your personal playground will make for an epic winter. Light up east coast groomers, dominate west coast, and take it on your next heli trip...you never know, you could be the next Travis Rice!

You can’t have the best of blog without dropping in some Never Summer. The kings of the Colorado have plenty of experience with perfection. The Never Summer West is a prime example of all mountain excellence. Ripsaw rocker camber gives a little more bite when putting it on edge without loosing an ounce of float. Handmade in the good ole United States backed with a 3 year warranty puts a giant stamp of approval on each deck. It can simply do it all. Rocker in the center makes flotation easier than saying your ABC’s, even if you weren’t paying attention in school powder runs will be easy. The Never Summer West will most definitely impress and definitely won’t disappoint. Get a taste of one of the best snowboards ever built, a taste that is better than Taco Bell late night after a real good night…and that tastes phenomenal.

Freeride

The Burton Skeleton Key is another top contender for mountain conquering. Backseat camber places the power underneath your back foot so you still have some serious drive and carvability despite all the rocker up front. That rockered nose and tapered shape lets that tail sink right in and keeps that nose on top of the good stuff, and at this point is when you will fall in love with shape boards. Pop from pillow to pillow all over Arapahoe Basin and shred powerful lines on Tuckerman’s Ravine on the east. It simply a free ride monster that will pump you full of confidence in all scenarios. Triple layer of fiberglass is why the Skeleton Key is bombproof for even the most aggressive riders. If you know how to ride and have been on the same ole stuff since the 90’s, break out of your comfort zone and play on something a real shredder could shed a tear over.

The Jones Flagship is the board for the rider who wants POWER. Camber from front to back has precise control and boy does it love speed. Rocker in the nose and a smidge in tail helps you stay afloat and gets your edge locked in effortlessly. Spoon Technology bevels the front and rear of the board to blast snow into another dimension to keep you ripping at full throttle. It’s got a beechwood core, that is a seriously powerful wood, so you will feel at ease at the fastest speeds you have ever reached. Don’t forget to load up your apps so you can actually track your personal speed record and have it on file to show off. If you feel as though you haven’t found the right board, the Jones Flagship is that niche board that could fit the bill.

Bottom Line

There is a lot of incredible stuff out there this season. When you begin your search for the perfect deck this winter expect to see things you’re not accustomed to seeing. Don’t shy away from these shaped boards! They are often significantly better than a deck that visually looks more comfortable to you. Whichever way you choose, the boards above are all killer options that won’t let you down. Let the shred season begin!!!