Best Snowboards Of 2025
Drop In On These Top Picks  

Published November 26, 2024

Whether you’re a powder hound, park rat, freeride fanatic, split purist, beginner, or someone who dabbles in all of the above, this article has just the snowboard you’re looking for. Learn about the best boards coming down the pipe in 2025 for every discipline of riding you might be interested in. 

Shop our top picks here, or keep reading to see how the best of the best plow through the competition.

• Best Men’s All-Mountain Snowboard: Burton Process
• Best Men’s Freeride Snowboard: CAPiTA The Black Snowboard of Death
• Best Men’s Powder Snowboard: Jones Stratos
• Best Men’s Park/Freestyle Snowboard: Cardiff Crane Solid Enduro
• Best Men’s Backcountry Snowboard: Cardiff Goat Pro Carbon Splitboard
• Best Men’s Entry-Level Snowboard: RIDE Agenda

• Best Women’s All-Mountain Snowboard: Arbor Swoon Camber
• Best Women’s Freeride Snowboard: K2 Excavator
• Best Women’s Powder Snowboard: Burton Family Tree Short Stop
• Best Women’s Park/Freestyle Snowboard: GNU Ladies’ Choice
• Best Women’s Backcountry Snowboard: Weston Rise Splitboard
• Best Women’s Entry-Level Snowboard: Nitro Lectra Cam-Out

Best All-Mountain Snowboards  

When the forecast calls for over a foot of fresh snow but you pull up to the hill and it’s barely a dusting, you’ll need a board that can adapt on the fly. These all-mountain boards help kill the quiver by performing equally well in a variety of terrain and changing snow conditions. It’s more fun to enjoy whatever the resort has to offer than it is to be slogging around the hill on an ill-equipped board with only spite for the lying weatherman keeping you going. 

Men’s Burton Process Snowboard - 2025 

The key to turning the entire mountain into your own personal playground is found in the Burton Process Snowboard. Bringing a fun freestyle approach to all-mountain riding, the Process’ true twin shape, soft flex, and PurePop Camber profile make it a blast for navigating choppy mogul fields, snaking through tree runs, and sending cat tracks deeper than you normally would. Plus, its Super Fly II 700G core with Squeezebox profiling uses stronger and lighter woods in specifically targeted areas to create the lively, stable, and responsive feel you want on days that include pow runs, park laps, and everything in between. 

Women’s Arbor Swoon Camber Snowboard - 2025 

The Arbor Swoon Camber Snowboard feasts on every zone of the resort, leaving no crumbs behind. With a balanced flex, directional twin shape, and traditional camber profile, this high-energy multi-tool has tons of response and turbo-charged pop to help you barge through tree-hidden snake runs and whip back threes off last-second side hits at the drop of a hat. Mixed triax-over-biax glassing only adds to the board’s versatile nature, while lifted side sections at the tip and tail make for a smoother performance in powder without losing any pop.

Best Freeride Snowboards 

Freeride snowboards offer a more aggressive approach to the mountain, seeking out the steep faces, tight chutes, and burly cliff faces often found on off-piste terrain. These boards require higher levels of response and stability to charge down white-knuckle lines and stomp big drops into choppy snow with confident power. For advanced riders who want to rip through untouched stashes, lay deep carves on corduroy, and thread the needle with precision, look no further. 

Men’s CAPiTA The Black Snowboard of Death - 2025 

Leveraging 20 years at the top of the game, CAPiTA’s Black Snowboard Of Death flexes its big-mountain muscle whenever it gets the chance. This directional powerhouse is more of an all-mountain board that gravitates towards freeride terrain, so it can definitely do it all, but that doesn’t mean it’ll shy away from the steepest and deepest runs the resort has to offer.  

The medium-stiff flex teams up with an Alpine V1 profile to provide pop and stability on hardpack while also boosting float and stompability in powder. CAPiTA equipped this classic with an ultra-light, ultra-dampening Thermopolymer Hover Core for smooth performance in choppy snow and added Carbonflax Amplifiers to the Triax/Triax HolySheet layup for maxed-out energy and response without the added weight. 

Women’s K2 Excavator Snowboard - 2025 

Boasting a huge nose, slight swallowtail, and directional volume-shifted shape with a setback stance, the K2 Excavator Snowboard puts you at the controls for days full of pow-slashing, trench-laying, and cord-carving fun.

The unique directional profile runs camber from the front foot down to the tail with slight early rise in the nose to float over deep snow and blast through crud like it’s nothing, while a lively medium-stiff flex ensures precise response and stability at Mach speed. Throw in the S1 Core and Carbon Power Fork additives for a balance of high-energy turning power and damp underfoot boardfeel that’s impossible not to dig.

Best Powder Snowboards 

Experiencing a top-to-bottom run through thigh-deep powder is one of the greatest joys in snowboarding. Especially, if you’re on a board that’s made specifically to float, bounce, surf, and slash through said bottomless snow. If you have the wrong board, expect a day of hopping, crawling, rolling, and huffing and puffing your way out of the flats. These powder snowboards have been meticulously designed to ensure deep days are the right kind of memorable.

Men’s Jones Stratos Snowboard - 2025 

A hybrid all-mountain machine, the mid-stiff-flexing Stratos Snowboard from Jones approaches powder days with a creative eye and playful, agile feel that’s itching to slash big windlips and pop off pillows into the untouched. The tapered directional freeride shape and setback stance team up with a Directional Rocker profile to maximize edgehold and response while also sinking the tail for nimble control and easy float in deeper zones.

Women’s Burton Family Tree Short Stop Snowboard - 2025

A pow-seeking directional missile, the Burton Family Tree Short Stop Snowboard leads us through the deepest days with its wide rockered nose, flat profile, and swallowtail, turning on a dime and floating without effort. The medium flex and wide yet compact shape make for tons of response and stability at speed, while Burton’s strongest and lightest core maintains explosive power transfer without any extra weight. The power of Carbon Highlights shaves even more weight and turbo-charges this board’s ability to point it down tight chutes with precision.

Best Park & Freestyle Snowboards

Dreaming up a trick, trying it over and over again, and finally landing it as strangers and friends alike hype you up from the lift—it’s easy to see the appeal of park and freestyle snowboarding. Ready to pop off the lip, spin big, slide metal, and stomp switch, these boards bring high-flying fun and limit-pushing performance to the park, pipe, and streets.

Men’s Cardiff Crane Solid Enduro Snowboard - 2025 

Maybe a bit of an outsider in this category, the Cardiff Snowcraft Crane Snowboard lands closer to the all-mountain/freeride end of the spectrum, but it boasts a few features that are sure to be a blast in the terrain park. The twin shape makes it easy to jump, spin, and land switch, while the versatile flex is both soft enough to smoothly lock into presses on rails and stiff enough to boost and stomp through the jump line.

Women’s GNU Ladies' Choice Snowboard - 2025 

Through its unique asymmetrical twin shape, medium flex, and hybrid profile, the GNU Ladies’ Choice Snowboard strikes that perfect balance of playful versatility and freestyle progression. The C2x profile puts shortened rocker between cambered sections under the feet to provide extra-powerful pop when boosting off the lip and stability to land without washing out. The aggressive banana rocker secures confident edgehold on ice and floats easily in pow for days spent beyond the park, while the G Lite 3 core and Carbon Power Bands energize your ollie power without adding bulky weight.

Best Backcountry Snowboards

Ditching the crowded lift lines in favor of chasing solitude, untouched powder fields, and faraway mountain objectives on a splitboard is a magical and rewarding way to enjoy the snow. These backcountry splitboards are built for lightweight, responsive performance that’s just as focused on excelling on the way up as it is on the way down.  

Men’s Cardiff Goat Pro Carbon Split Snowboard - 2025 

Coming correct with maximum power, a featherweight feel, and precise maneuverability, the Cardiff Snowcraft Goat Pro Carbon Splitboard is a premium offering for serious splitboarders looking to check off those bucket-list lines in the backcountry. A blend of unidirectional and triax carbon fiber sandwiches the TITANcore for explosive response and ultra-light agility to make the skin up a breeze without compromising power on the descent. The directional shape, stiff flex, and HALFcamber60 profile combine for top-tier glide, control, and edgehold in sketchy, big-mountain terrain, while reinforcements in the binding and hardware areas boost durability.

Women’s Weston Rise Splitboard - 2025 

A bonafide all-mountain split, the Weston Rise Splitboard wields a directional twin shape and camber-dominant profile to rip steeps, send cliff drops, and land switch in pow without breaking a sweat. The slightly setback stance puts you firmly in the driver’s seat when surfing pow and straight-lining choppy conditions, while the forward-set touring bracket enables smooth kickturns on the ascent. Sustainably harvested paulownia and poplar woods comprise the Rise’s core for powerful pop, and they’re backed up by tip-to-tail carbon stringers for elevated response and agility without the added weight.

Best Beginner Snowboards

Learning to link turns, popping your first ollie, trusting your edges at speed—the foundational building blocks for beginner snowboarders stack more easily with the right board. With a focus on having fun and progressing quickly, these easygoing beginner snowboards are some of the top choices for new riders who want to flatten the learning curve. 

Men’s RIDE Agenda Snowboard - 2025 

For novice riders looking to dabble in a little bit of everything, the RIDE Agenda Snowboard’s all-mountain design takes you from the park to groomer runs, and even through some side-pow, with an intuitive and forgiving boardfeel. The easygoing twin shape, velvety soft flex, and hybrid camber profile deliver a playful personality that fosters quick progression and catch-free fun. Tip-to-tail aspen wood makes for a durable, poppy core, while the biax wrap helps initiate smooth turns everywhere from corduroy to ungroomed runs. And with the learning process comes the chance of a tumble or two, so RIDE equipped the Agenda with Single Impact Plates underneath the bindings to prevent board breaks, along with chatter-absorbing Slimewalls and a tough-as-nails extruded base that promises to take a licking and keep on ticking. 

Women’s Nitro Lectra Cam-Out Snowboard - 2025 

The most important part of learning to snowboard is having a good time, and few boards embody that idea more than the Nitro Lectra Cam-Out Snowboard. This classic all-mountain board comes to the hill with a soft flex and directional twin shape to keep things fun and forgiving as you make your way from the green circles to more daring blue squares. A Cam-Out Camber profile provides beginners with a stable platform and reliable edgehold while also smoothing out squirrelly landings. Meanwhile, the extruded base withstands the usual impact that comes with learning to slide boxes or navigate tree runs.

How To Choose The Right Snowboard For You  

Selecting the snowboard that best suits your needs is essential to progressing your skills and having fun on the mountain. Some of the most important factors to consider are the different categories of boards, your skill level and riding style, and your body size. Finding the right board is an exciting and fun experience, so it’s key you remain honest with yourself about your skill level and how you want the board to perform.  

Types Of Boards 

Freeride snowboards often feature a directional shape, stiffer flex, and longer length to provide the speed and stability needed for steep, ungroomed terrain in varied conditions.

Park & freestyle snowboards are usually shorter in length with a twin or asymmetrical shape to facilitate easy spinning, pressing, and riding switch (non-dominant foot forward). Medium-soft-flexing freestyle boards are better suited for jibbing and hitting rails, while park boards with a medium-stiff flex offer the power, stability, and response needed for bigger park jumps and getting air in the pipe.

Powder snowboards are designed to float through deep snow, often featuring a wider or larger nose, tapered, narrow tail, and a setback stance to ensure buoyancy and maneuverability on your back foot. Generous rocker profiles are commonly found on pow boards to help you stay above the snow and in control with minimal effort.

All-mountain snowboards are built for versatile performance in all snow conditions and varied terrain. These boards usually have a directional twin shape and medium flex to smoothly transition from pow to park to groomer runs and are sized between freestyle and freeride boards, depending on the size of the rider.

Splitboards are made for accessing the backcountry, separating into two halves for uphill travel with climbing skins, then re-connecting into a solid board for the descent. These boards usually put a premium on lower-weight construction and responsive flex to handle tough ascents and long approaches. Within the world of splitboarding, the same all-mountain, freeride, powder, and freestyle board characteristic differences apply, depending on what type you’re interested in.

Beginner snowboards should be soft flexing with a forgiving, easygoing feel to lessen the growing pains. A twin or directional twin shape with a flat or rocker hybrid profile makes it easier for entry-level riders to turn from toe- to heelside without catching an edge as well as venture from groomed trails to softer snow without having to fight their board.

Board Size

The length and width of the board you want is determined in part by your weight, height, riding style, and boot size.

For length, you’ll generally want a board that measures up somewhere between your shoulder and your eye when standing next to it. This fluctuates with the type of riding you’ll be doing (freestyle calls for a shorter board and freeride/powder demands a longer board).

Weight factors in for heavier riders who prefer a larger, stiffer board that won’t fold under their weight while lighter riders want a smaller, easier-flexing board that they can control.

Boot size helps figure out your ideal board width. You want the toes and heel of your boot to just barely hang over the edges of the board (it’s recommended to only have 2 centimeters or less of overhang). Riders with larger feet should go for wider boards, just as those with small feet can go for a narrower option. Wider boards have more surface area, stability, and float, while narrower boards are easier to manipulate in freestyle terrain.

Buying A Snowboard At Backcountry

If you’d like to check out these boards or get some expert input to narrow down your choices in person, you are invited to visit any of our Backcountry retail stores. Find the one nearest to you here. And if you’re shopping online, our Gearhead Experts are here to help answer any questions you may have. Click one of the icons at the bottom of this page to email, text, chat, or call a Gearhead today. 

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