Best Snowboards for 2018
Purchasing a new snowboard can prove to be an overwhelming and confusing experience. With an extraordinary variety of different shapes and sizes, how do you know which snowboard is best suited for you? You will need to look at different specs and stats, and if you don’t know what they mean, it’s impossible to know what to get. Fortunately, we are here to help. Below, you will find a wide range of snowboards that cater to beginners and experienced snowboarders alike.
Ride Burnout 155 – $650
Anyone who witnessed the 2018 Winter Olympics will know who Billy Morgan is. He won the bronze medal in the dramatic Big Air event and used this board to achieve it. This board is ideal for freestyle riding and is far from the most expensive snowboard on the market. The mid-stiff flex provides plenty of speed, and it’s not so rigid that you won’t be able to ride rails on it. It’s basically a fantastic all-rounder at a very good price.
K2 First Lite – $380
The K2 First Lite is ideal for beginners. It’s essentially designed with female riders in mind which means its available in much shorter lengths too. With a forgiving profile and a soft flex, this is the perfect board to improve your tuning technique. The sizes range from 138cm to 154cm, making it perfect for females due to their lighter bodyweight.
Solomon Villain – $540
The Villain is the perfect example of a snowboard that can be used by both professionals and beginners. The flat profile and soft flex make it extremely easy to turn and is ideal for improving your overall technique on intermediate red and easy blue runs. The board is also suited for presses, making the edges harder to catch.
Bataleon Storm – $600
The Dutch brand entered the world of snowboarding in 2006 and managed to create quite a splash due to their Triple Base Technology. This essentially means that the edges of the board’s base are lifted, which makes it more difficult to catch. Therefore, turning is much easier for beginners. This is a responsive and stiff board which is designed for intermediate and advanced riders.
Burton Custom X – $800.
The Custom X has been a part of the company’s range of snowboards for an extremely long time with new improvements featured every single year. The 2018 model is a stiff flexing model which is best suited for intermediate and advanced riders. If you enjoy a bit of everything along with charging down a mountain at a fast pace, you can’t do better than the Custom X from Burton.
Korua Pencil – $520
Korua is a small German-based company which was established by a small group of professional snowboarders who aimed to create snowboards that stood out in a crowd. With strangely shaped tails and vibrant colour schemes, it definitely stands out. For those that are into carving, this is the best board on the market. It also floats like a dream due to the spoon-like nose and is ideal for tricks.