Gear Up For Another Wild Ride
With Our Top All-Mountain Gear Of The Year

Prepare for another best season ever with our Gearhead® Experts’ top all-mountain gear of the year.

Men’s Top Picks

Best in class, best for variable conditions, and best value setups.

Best Board For Variable Conditions

Best Value

Modern all-mountain innovators that pack a lot of tech for the price tag.

Women’s Top Picks

Best in class, best for variable conditions, and best value setups.

Best Board For Variable Conditions

Best Value
Modern all-mountain innovators that pack a lot of tech for the price tag.

More Top Picks To Round Out Your Kit

Helmets

Goggles

Accessories

Gear Up For Another Wild Ride

With Our Top Freeride Gear Of The Year

Prepare for another best season ever with our Gearhead® Experts' top freeride gear of the year.

How We Choose Freeride Snowboard Gear

Freeride snowboarding is characterized by riders’ ability to see what others don’t in the natural terrain. Where others could see a snow-covered log, you might see the perfect opportunity for a backside three. Where others could see a pillowy zone far too steep for comfortably turning, you might see that turning isn’t the best way to get down it anyway—sending it is. These freeride snowboard kits are built to help you fulfill your off-piste, sidecountry, and backcountry freeride ideas. See what others don’t, and realize your visions.

Snowboards

• Length: The length of the snowboard helps determine maneuverability and stability. When you stand with your board vertical next to you, it should reach somewhere between your shoulder and your eye, but this size will also be determined by the style of riding you plan to do. Many riders pick longer boards for powder and freeride, while park riders choose shorter boards. All-mountain or resort boards are often in-between, or medium in length. Some beginners like the maneuverability of shorter boards, too, and larger/heavier riders might appreciate the stability of a longer board.
• Width: The ideal all-conditions board width will be just barely narrower than the length of the boot, meaning your heels and toes will hang over just slightly but not so much that they drag on the snow. The width of the snowboard, especially in the middle, influences how it performs in different snow conditions. Narrower boards are better for groomed runs, while wider boards provide better flotation in powder.
• Profile: A snowboard’s profile refers to the shape of the board when viewed from the side, specifically the design of the underside from the tip to the tail, and it’s made up of a combination of camber and rocker.
• Camber is the arch in the middle of a snowboard, which helps with grip, stability, and control, especially on hard-packed snow. Camber acts a bit like a spring and can ease transitions between turns and landings, and it’s particularly beneficial for making precise turns and maintaining edge hold on groomed runs. Do-it-all boards usually have some amount of camber for versatility. If a board does not have camber or is advertised as having full rocker or reverse camber, it’s usually a specialized tool for pivoting, slarving, and playful jibbing.
• Rocker refers to the upward curve at the tip and/or tail of a snowboard. Rocker is especially beneficial for increased floatation or planing over deep snow and fosters easier turn initiation. The transition point between camber and rocker is usually where you’ll find a snowboard’s contact point, or where the edge hits the snow for turn initiation.

Snowboard Bindings

• Strap in bindings are the most common type of binding you’ll find. They’re reliable and secure, and come in every price range, from begginner and inexpensive to high performance and pricy.
• Rear entry bindings are made for ease of transitions. The highback pops down so you can slide your boot into the binding. When you step down the highback pops into place and the straps cinch down snugly over your boot.
• Step On bindings are closer in design to ski bindings as the boot clicks into the binding securely when you step down. This system is super easy to use and minimizes the time spent sitting in the cold snow transitioning.
• Binding flex is often on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being softest and 10 being stiffest. Many beginners and park riders gravitate toward softer bindings while freeriders and powder hunters could prefer bindings on the stiffer side. All-mountain riders generally pick a binding somewhere in the middle, with a flex rating between about 3 and 7.

Snowboard Boots Just like every foot, every boot is different. It’s best to try boots on before you buy, but knowing what flex rating pairs with your style of riding will give you a good foundation of options.

• Flex index refers to the stiffness of the boot. Beginners often look for softer boot ratings (1–4), while more experienced riders can benefit from stiffer boots (6–10). Style of riding will also determine what boot stiffness is best for you. Many park riders like softer boots and many freeriders like stiffer boots.
• Lacing systems most common on snowboard boots are lace-up and BOA. Lace-ups are less expensive but take more time to dial in. BOA systems take no time at all to achieve the perfect fit but they are a little pricier. Some boots feature a combo of these two systems or a hybrid lacing system (such as speed lace) featuring a cordlock for cinching down a boots’ liner. Many kids’ boots with feature hook and loop (Velcro) for ease of use.

When tackling the mountains’ most uncertain terrain we choose medium-stiff to stiff flexing boards for stability at speed. And because we rarely ride switch because (fingers crossed) there’s a bunch of powder waiting for us out there, we pick a tapered, directional shape with 20mm or so of setback to keep the board’s nose above the surface. Ideally a freeride board should have a traditional or hybrid camber profile, should be just a bit longer than average, and just a bit narrower than an all-mountain board. To pair with this somewhat aggressive board, we like a stiff boot and stiff binding, too.

Men’s Top Picks

Best in class, best for variable conditions, and best value setups.

CAPiTA The Black Snowboard Of Death This directional all-mountain board has been getting better for more than 20 years, and in it’s latest iteration we’ve picked it as our top deck for freeriding. The Black Snowboard Of Death is a medium flex board that gets progressively softer toward the tip and the tail. The Alpine V1 Profile means positive camber underfoot, reverse camber in the tip, and flat camber transitioning to reverse camber in the tail for hardpack bite, increased pow performance, and stable landings. The wide shovel and narrower tail increase float and playfulness when nature cooperates with a huge pow dump. DC Transcend Snowboard Boot The DC Transcend Snowboard Boot is an all-mountain boot with the classic DC look. It’s on the stiffer side to increase responsiveness when you need top performance for high-stakes freeride scenarios. The R3 liner with PrimaLoft® insulation keeps your feet warm because you need that dexterity for a glue-like connection to the board on big freeride lines. IMPACT-ALG insoles increase heel hold while STORMPROOF™ Storm Flap protects you from the gnarliest mid-winter conditions. And to dial it all in? Yes, it’s got High-Power Focus BOA® Fit System to lock you into the most comfortable and dexterous stance possible for high performance. The Union Atlas Snowboard Binding The Union Atlas Snowboard Binding pairs perfectly with our board and boot picks. It’s made for intermediate to advanced snowboarders who want utmost control for seeking the mountain’s furthest unknowns. This is a medium to stiff flexing binding delivering your deck powerful edge-to-edge control. Improvements this year include a new softer yet super responsive highback design with more EVA foam and an upgraded stiffer ankle strap for a more secure feel.

Best Value

Send it don’t spend it. Here are our top picks for value-conscious freeriders.

Women’s Top Picks

Best in class, best for variable conditions, and best value setups.

K2 Excavator Snowboard Freeriders who want only one board, you’re going to want to read about this one. The Excavator is a unisex board with a wide nose, a bit of a swallowtail, and a just-right medium/stiff flex. To give you optimal surf-appeal and trench-plowing precision when you want it, this board features a directional camber profile with early rise in the nose and camber running from the front foot to the tail. Nitro Bianca TLS Women’s Snowboard Boot There’s nothing else like the comfort of a leather boot—and that’s what makes the Bianca TLS a fan- and Gearhead-favorite freeride boot. It’s also a delight to get in and out of with its LS 5 Twin Lacing System, Re/Lace Liner Locker, and new 45° Laceglider. You might think all that plushness would inhibit this boot’s performance, but it’s just the opposite. Foothold perfection, warmth, and ease-of-use just amplify your ability to perform when you need it most for big freeride lines. Union Trilogy Women’s Snowboard Binding Understated performance. The Union Trilogy is a straightforward-looking binding with several excellent color options that just also happens to provide some of the highest levels of energy transmission in its class. Built from the highest quality Duraflex nylon, these bindings ensure the next generation of women snowboarders have the strength, safety, and security needed for confident shredding.

Best Value

Send it don’t spend it. Here are our top picks for value-conscious freeriders.

More Top Picks To Round Out Your Kit

Helmets

Goggles

Accessories