From flat camber bargains to perennial heavy hitters, these five boards rise to the top as our favorite options for riders looking for the perfect stick for everything from powder steeps and trees to bumps and groomers.
Niche Aether
SNOWBOARD OF THE YEAR
My typical season is a mix of blue groomers with the family to leg-crushing days on the bumps and in the trees at Mary Jane.The Aether is an absolute joy to ride all over the mountain. It carves effortlessly on groomers, floats through bumps, and is quick and responsive in tight trees.
ECO-FRIENDLY!
Niche also has a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, with a long list of eco-friendly practices, including Digi-Print top sheets, HempHop stringers, Bamboo sidewalls, Bio wax, and Bio-Resin, their commitment to the environment is matched by few in the snowboard industry.
| CAMBER PROFILE | Multi-Camber, Rocker between the feet, traditional toward the tips |
| SIZES | 153, 157, 159 |
$519 | Buy Now!
Never Summer Chairman
I’ve been an unabashed fan of Never Summer snowboards since the mid 90s, and as a combination of their Premier (which I rode for five years) and Cobra (badass all-mountain bomber!), The Chairman might just be the ultimate Never Summer board.
| CAMBER PROFILE | Rocker Camber – rocker between the feet, camber toward tip and tail |
| SIZES | 157, 160, 164, 173, 161x, 165x, 169x (x = wide) |
| WARRANTY | 3 years |
Smokin’ KT-22
Packed with features including mello magne-traction, sustainable Aspen wood core, Pop Gnarly hemp torsion x fibers in the tip and tail, and legendary Smokin’ durability, the KT-22 is a beast of a board, made for all-mountain crushing.
| SHAPE | Twin |
| CAMBER PROFILE | Early rise rocker nose, camber tail |
| SIZES | 152, 156, 159, 159w, 162, 162w |
| WARRANTY | 3 years |
$539.99 | Buy Now!
Dinosaurs Will Die Wizard Stick
Every time I see this board it brings a smile to my face! That shape! That orange! So much fun to ride, and excels everywhere on the mountain! For $399, are you kidding me?!
If you want to see the Wizard Stick destroy some rails, check out Methods of Prediction, one of our picks for Best Snowboard Films of 2015/16
BEST BUY
| CAMBER PROFILE | Crossbreader, regular camber between the feet, reverse camber toward tip and tail |
| SIZES | 154, 158 |