Hello and welcome to my Endeavor Pioneer review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Pioneer as a freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Pioneer a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other freestyle snowboards.
Overall Rating
Board: Endeavor Pioneer 2020
Price: $550
Style: Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Rating Score: 87.4/100
Compared to other Men’s Freestyle Boards
Out of the 38 men’s freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Pioneer’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Pioneer’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freestyle |
Price: | $550 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Camber Endeavor's Multi Camber |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Just on the lighter side of Normal |
* technically directional twin, but very close to true twin. The nose is just 3mm longer than the tail (from my measurements). It's true it's also blunted - so maybe more like 6-8mm longer if it wasn't blunted. Technically directional twin, but very close to true twin.
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
145.5 | 239 | 80-110 | 36-50 |
152 | 252 | 120-170 | 54-77 |
154 | 254 | 140-190 | 65-85 |
156 | 256 | 150-200 | 68-90 |
157W | 265 | 180-230 | 81-104 |
158 | 259 | 160-210 | 72-95 |
Who is the Pioneer Most Suited To?
The Pioneer is great for anyone who wants to ride the park or wants to ride the mountain like a park. It excels in all things freestyle - and is a very well rounded board for riding freestyle.
It's not un-rideable if you want to carve and ride at speed but not its forte.
A pretty easy going ride overall, but not strictly beginner friendly. A high-end beginner will probably be fine on it, but not for the complete beginner. Intermediate to advanced freestyle riding is where this board fits best.
The Pioneer in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Pioneer is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Endeavor Pioneer 2020, 154cm (254mm waist width)
Date: March 6, 2019
Conditions: Fairly cold wind, and quite cold all round. Cloudy with sunny patches. Visibility not perfect but decent.
Snow quite firm mostly, without being too hard, though some hard and even icy patches in places.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 560mm (22″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 264mm (10.39")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 185lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Weight: 2780 grams (6lb 2oz)
Weight per cm: 18.05 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.45 grams/cm*
*based on a small sample size of 51 boards that I've weighed in 2019 and 2020 models. So the Pioneer just on the lighter side of normal. The actual weight of a board and feel on snow is often very different though. The Pioneer felt lighter on snow than normal.
Powder
Didn't have any fresh powder to test it in, but based on specs, not the kind of board you get for riding powder. Fine for the occasional pocket but not for being regularly in deeper powder.
Carving & Turning
Fun for all types of turns. Nice and maneuverable all round, whether riding fast or slow.
Not an aggressive carver by any means. Could get into a carve but not something that's going to have you elbows deep in a carve. A longer size would have been better for carving, but not what this board's forte is in any case.
It was the loosest feeling of all the Endeavor boards I rode. Not ultra-loose by any means, but just very slightly on the looser side of stable.
Speed
Decent at speed - again in a longer size would be a bit better again, but again, speed not its forte. Not what this board is best at, but not what I would be buying this type of board for anyway.
Uneven Terrain
For bumpy terrain it felt really good. Going over bumps it hugged the terrain well and was nimble enough to easily weave through bumpy areas.
Was fine in crud too.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
Now we get into the Pioneer's territory!
Good pop - and super easy to access that pop, and all round super fun board for jumps.
Approach: Great approach for everything from small to large jumps and sidehits.
Landing: Really solid. It's sweet spot is off medium jumps, but doable for large jumps too.
Side-hits: Ideal for sidehits. Really good, easy to access pop - nimble on approach for those trickier to get to sidehits, easy to spin and to take off and land riding switch.
Small jumps: Small to medium jumps this thing was super fun. Just about ideal.
Big jumps: Maybe not the boss of large jumps, but doable.
Switch
Basically the same either way.
Spins
I found the board really easy to get around. Yes I was riding a 154, which is a little shorter than I'm used to, so keep that in mind. But even so, for this type of board I would consider the 154 and no longer than the 156 anyway.
That plus great pop and works really well for taking off and landing switch, makes this a great spinner. Only half a point off for those that like to go massive with their spins - a board with a slightly stiffer platform would likely be better then, but for most of us, that's not part of our repertoire anyway.
Jibbing
A good little jibber too - a good all-rounder for freestyle riding.
Butters
I found the Pioneer to be the most buttery of the Endeavor boards I rode. I thought that would go to the Ranger, but I actually found this a little more buttery. And the Ranger is good for buttering, so this is a great little butterer.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
JUMPS | 4.5 | 18/20 |
JIBBING | 3.5 | 14/20 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
BUTTERING | 4.5 | 9/10 |
SPINS | 4.5 | 9/10 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 4.0 | 4/5 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
CARVING/TURNS | 3.0 | 3/5 |
SPEED | 3.0 | 3/5 |
PIPE | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 87.4/100 |
Overall, the Pioneer has everything you need for riding freestyle. It's predominantly a jumper and spinner, but can certainly hold it's own down the jib line too. It's also really buttery, but without feeling flimsy at all.
One of the funnest freestyle decks I rode last winter.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Pioneer, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
- US
- CANADA
If you want to check out some other freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Pioneer compares to other freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
Hi
Is there any difference between 18/19 and 19/20 models?
Thanks
Hi Mat
The 19/20 model is the first time I’ve ridden the Pioneer, so not sure how much different it feels, but it does look like they tweaked a few things.
The 18/19 Pioneer is rated as stiffer. Not sure in reality how much difference there is, but that’s how it’s rated.
The 18/19 Pioneer also has some different sizings and there are some different effective edge figures there. And for some sizings the sidecut looks to have been tweaked in some cases the widths too. So, there’s certainly some changes that look to have gone on there. Not sure how much those changes affected the ride or how different the 18/19 was to the 19/20 though.
Where did this rank in your 2020 top 10 freestyle boards?
Hi Max.
Still to update the Top 10 Freestyle list for 2020. But the Pioneer will very likely be in the top 10. That list is next on my list to update, so it shouldn’t be too far away.
Ya. At 87.4 you’d think it would land in the too half of your list too!
Yeah absolutely! Have finalized my Top 10 now. Haven’t updated it on site yet, but I’ve put everything through the scoring system – and the Pioneer is going to come in at #3.
Hey Nate is it true twin? In the video they say directional twin. Thanks
Hi Pat
Yeah technically it is a directional twin. But it’s so close to being true twin, I decided to label it that, but I suppose technically it is directional twin. I measured the tail to be 3mm shorter than the nose (so very very little). But the nose is blunted – so you could add probably another 3-5mm onto the nose I guess – which would make it 6-8mm longer than the tail. And that slightly different nose/tail shape does make it technically not true twin. Should have explained that in the review though – thanks for pointing out. I will edit now.