Salomon Assassin Review

Hello and welcome to my Salomon Assassin review.

In this review, I will take a look at the Assassin as an all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Assassin a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.

Overall Rating

Board: Salomon Assassin

Price: $499 (USD recommended retail)

Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle

Flex Rating: Medium

Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (5/10)

Rating Score: 85.4/100

Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards

Out of the 27 men’s all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:

• The average score was 80.9/100
• The highest score was 94.4/100
• The lowest score was 69.7/100
• The average price was $486
• The Assassin ranked 7th out of 27

Overview of the Assassin’s Specs

Check out the tables for the Assassin’s specs and available sizes.

Specs

Sizing

The 2019 model of the Assassin has undergone a bit of an overhaul, so there are a lot of changes compared to the 2018 model, including sizings.

2019 Model’s Sizes

2018 Model’s Sizes

Who is the Assassin Most Suited to?

The Assassin is great for anyone who likes their board to feel light and snappy. This board was super-light and really easy to throw around.

It’s an all-mountain-freestyle board through and through so it’s best for those that like to ride the whole mountain but want to ride it freestyle, finding natural hits and anything that they can do tricks off. But still be able to lay into a decent carve when they want to, and still be able to hit the park.

It’s a lively ride but reasonably easy going in terms of how easy it is to ride but not enough to be a board I would recommend for beginners – but certainly fine for solid level intermediate riders all the way up to expert riders.

The Assassin in More Detail

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Assassin is capable of.

Demo Info

Board: Salomon Assassin 2018, 158cm (253mm waist)

Date: April 9, 2017

Conditions: Mix of sun and cloud. Perfect visibility all day. Snow was also perfect for demoing – soft packed in most places, with some powder to be found but also some harder spots in places too. Not slushy which is rare this time of year. Quite cold too, especially first thing in the morning.

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Bindings Used: Flux DS 2016

Powder

Powder probably the weakest point of this board – but like any board, you can ride it in the powder.

It was a bit of work to keep the nose up but doable.

It’s got a bit of rocker tip and tail which helps, but there’s not heaps of it and it’s a true twin and a centered stance so never going to be super-strong in powder – but that’s not what this board is really made for.

Carving & Turning

In terms of carving it’s pretty good. It’s got a good bit of camber in there and it’s stiff enough to hold a decent carve and the edge hold in harder snow is pretty good too.

For standard turns this board is super fun. It’s light and snappy and it’s quick edge-to-edge. I didn’t find it catchy at all – just a nice quick, but also smooth, turner.

Speed

Not a speed demon but you could ride it pretty fast and still feel pretty comfortable on it. It’s more at home cruising around looking for natural features to jump or spin off rather than bombing straight down the mountain – but it still feels decently stable at reasonable speeds.

Uneven Terrain

It’s not too stiff and it feels reasonably damp for the fact that it’s so light. It’s not the dampest board in the world but it does handle the bumps and chunder reasonably well.

Jumps

I really liked this board for jumps. It’s poppy and it’s light so there’s plenty of spring going on there – and it’s easy to spin.

But it’s also got a stable feel and that’s nice on landings – it’s stable but also has give on those landings.

It’s got some good quick edge to edge speed and is lively and agile – so the approach to jumps is great too. So, it’s really nice all around on jumps, whether that’s jumps in the park or natural hits on the mountain.

Switch

The Assassin is great for riding switch and that’s no surprise given its un-catchy nature, true twin shape and centered stance.

Jibbing

Not the king of jibs but above average. For me, this board was as good on jibs as I would need but if you were a more jib focused rider and were doing more extreme things on jibs you might want something else – but all good for the casual jibber.

Changes from the 2018 Model

The 2019 model got a major overhaul. The major changes include:

1. A change from a True Twin shape (2018 model) to a Directional Twin shape (2019 model)
2. A lot of sizing changes (see sizing tables above)
3. Some subtle changes to effective edge and width
4. Sidecut has changed (now using Salomon’s Quadratic sidecut – 2018 it was their equalizer/radial sidecut)

So a lot has changed – but there are also a few things that remain the same – like the same core, flex and base.

Note: The 2018 model was the last model of this I rode, so I can’t say how much difference these changes made to the ride for the 2019 model. The scores in this review are based on the 2018 model.

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

All round had heaps of fun on this board. It’s snappy and poppy and man is this thing light! When I held it without bindings it felt like nothing. And you could feel that lightness on the snow. If lightness is something that you like (like I do), you’ll love this board. If you prefer something that feels a bit more hefty underfoot it might not be your thing.

But it can still hold a carve and the edge hold is pretty good.

Excels for riding switch, with jumps and definitely a great board for exploring natural hits all over the mountain or hitting the man-made ones in the park.