You can toggle (by clicking the "+" sign) each year below to see the lists from past season's.
BEGINNER BOARD #15
Board: K2 Raygun
Beginner Board Rating Score: 88.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
To start off the list we have the K2 Raygun in #15.
The Raygun is a very versatile board, which is great to have when you're just starting out and aren't sure of your style yet.
But more importantly it's a board that offers a great combination of stability and ease of turning, in a nice medium-soft flex. It's a board that you probably want to have a couple of days on the hill first to get on, but once you've rented a couple of days, this is a great first board option.
Score Breakdown for the Raygun
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 88.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #14
Board: Arbor Formula Rocker
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
The Formula Rocker offers an easy going rocker profile that is catch-free and easy to initiate turns on. But Arbor do their rocker in such a way (called their System Rocker) that it's not as loose feeling as most all-rocker boards tend to feel.
It's still on the looser side but not as loose as a lot of other continuous rocker boards.
It's also a little stiffer than some boards on this list - which can make it more difficult but will also mean that it can be ridden further into the intermediate phase - and certainly within in the realm of most beginners, in terms of flex, unless you're quite light in terms of weight.
2022 saw the Formula rocker switch from an extruded base to a sintered base. This means a faster base but also one that requires more regular waxing than an extruded base. So not as hassle free. But if you are looking for a sintered base, this is one of the least expensive boards with a sintered base going around.
Score Breakdown for the Formula Rocker
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL | 89/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #13
Board: Burton Ripcord
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
It's not often that a freeride board is also a beginner board, but this is the case for the Ripcord.
So, if you're looking to get into powder in your early days riding, but don't want a super aggressive hard-to-ride freeride board, then this might be a good pick for you.
Not something that will help if you want to learn to ride switch from the beginning or if you think you'll get into riding freestyle - but great for the budding freerider.
Score Breakdown for the Ripcord
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 2.0 | 2/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #12
Board: Rossignol Sawblade
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Jib/Park
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Sawblade offers a really easy going ride that, like the other Rossi boards in this list, features their "Auto-Turn" camber profile, which offers both ease of turn initiation but also enough stability.
Rossignol's auto turn changed slightly for 2022 - now featuring 30% camber in the middle of the board with 35% rocker towards the tip and 35% rocker towards the tail (35/30/35). Previously it was 40/20/40, so there's a bit more camber in there now - but still rocker dominant.
This is a park/jib oriented board. So, if you think that's something you'll get into later, then this is a great investment that you can learn to ride on now and that you can keep even when you upgrade to something for riding the rest of the mountain, then using this as your park deck.
Score Breakdown for the Sawblade
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL | 90/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #11
Board: Ride Agenda
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Agenda is very much a freestyle snowboard – so if you were to go into something other than that once you progressed past the beginner phase, you would need to upgrade. But it's also great for just learning how to ride on before you get to that point.
Otherwise it has an easy going hybrid camber profile with a camber section under the feet for stability and rocker sections towards the tip and tail for easier turn initiation plus a nice easy soft flex rating of 3 out of 10.
Note, confusingly Ride refer to it as a hybrid rocker profile, but by my definition it's hybrid camber (because the rocker is tip and tail, rather than between the feet). But ride call it that because it's a rocker dominant hybrid profile.
Ride Agenda Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #10
Board: GNU GWO
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
GNU's GWO takes off where the Carbon Credit left off. The only real difference between the Carbon Credit and GWO is that the GWO isn't asym. The other difference? The GWO is a little cheaper, so that's always nice.
The GWO is one of the easiest boards to turn going around, so if you're still trying to link your turns, this is one board that will make it easy to do.
And if you're looking at getting into riding freestyle/park, then this will be a great investment for that style of riding.
Also a great option for those that encounter hard/icy conditions often.
Score Breakdown for the GWO
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #9
Board: Salomon Pulse
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
The only downside to the Pulse as a beginner board is that there isn't any rocker to speak of in the camber profile. This would usually cause me to cross it off the list straight away, but the Pulse is easy enough to turn on in spite of that. And part of that is the edges are slightly turned up at the contact points.
A great option if you want a versatile all-mountain ride and think that you might want to go for a traditional camber board down the line - an easier gateway to trad camber than going straight to trad camber.
This is also the equal cheapest on the list.
Score Breakdown for the Pulse
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.0 | 20/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #8
Board: YES Basic
Rating Score (as a beginner board): 91.5/100
Style of Board: Freestyle
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Advanced
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
The YES Basic is a great little freestyle board that is also well suited to beginners.
It has a nice forgiving medium-soft flex, is easy to turn on but still feels very stable underfoot.
It’s a great option for those that often ride in harder or icy conditions, is very versatile and is a board that can take you beyond the beginner stage and even beyond the intermediate stage, if you're riding takes a freestyle dominant path.
The Basic’s Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #7
Board: Burton Instigator
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Instigator is a great board to get your snowboard learning underway and whilst you’ll probably want to upgrade once you’ve surpassed the intermediate phase, it can take you into any type of riding you would want to go.
It's not the cheapest on this list - but it's one of the most beginner friendly going around.
Score Breakdown for the Instigator
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #6
Board: Rossignol District
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
Basically perfect for the beginner - a very easy board to learn on that should ensure fast progression.
It's a great option for those that want to head in a freestyle direction, or want something to learn the basics on, then either keep it in their quiver as their beat-up park deck or upgrade and sell.
The 2022 model gets a little more camber in the profile, but only subtly so, and it's still rocker dominant (see Rossi Sawblade at #12 above for more details).
The Districts Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #5
Board: Nitro Prime
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
At #5 we have the Nitro Prime. The Prime is an easy to ride/progress on entry level board, that is nice and versatile for those starting out not knowing how they want to ride yet.
It's the equal cheapest board on this list, so if you're a beginner snowboarder on a budget, this is definitely worth considering.
Score Breakdown for the Prime
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #4
Board: K2 Standard
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
This is a great option to start your snowboarding journey out on.
Like most here, it’s an up-to-intermediate level ride but it’s definitely a do-it-all kind of board – so you won’t have to worry about knowing the type of riding that you think you'll like.
More importantly, it’s a board designed to be very easy to ride and to build confidence on.
Score Breakdown for the K2 Standard
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 93/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #3
Board: Arbor Foundation
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Foundation is about the ideal beginner board.
The only thing is that it's a little on the looser side, which can make it more difficult to one-foot off the lift for some. But it's certainly not super-loose. Not as loose as other continuous rocker boards tend to be, due to Arbor's System Rocker approach.
All-round it's a super easy going, catch-free, easy to turn ride that is confidence inspiring.
Score Breakdown for the Foundation
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 93/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #2
Board: Rossignol Circuit
Beginner Board Rating Score: 94/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Circuit is a great all-mountain starter board. It’s nice and forgiving, with easy turn initiations but also with a stable enough feel, when riding at slower speeds.
Whilst, it would need to be upgraded once you graduated from an intermediate level – it’s versatile enough to take you in any direction you wanted to go, up until that time.
The 2022 model gets a little more camber in the profile, but only subtly so, and it's still rocker dominant (see Rossi Sawblade at #12 above for more details).
Score Breakdown for the Circuit
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 94/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #1
Board: Salomon Sight
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
And the #1 beginner boards this year - the Salomon Sight.
It's one of the easiest boards out there to progress on – it’s nice and forgiving, catch-free, easy to initiate turns on and nice and stable underfoot at slow speeds.
Whilst there is a reasonable amount of camber there - it's still really forgiving and easy to initiate turns on - and gives you a great introduction into more camber dominant boards, if that's where you're headed to.
It’s also a very versatile board being an all-mountain board – so no matter which style of riding you get into as you progress, you’ll have a board that can take you there.
The only thing that drags down the versatility score (and overall score) and stops it from being a completely perfect score, is that that you’ll probably want to upgrade once you progress beyond an intermediate level. But it will be one of those boards that you can use to progress to beyond that intermediate level faster than most boards out there.
On top of all of that, it’s a really reasonably priced board – helping to make it Snowboarding Profiles’ all-round #1 beginner snowboard.
Score Breakdown for the Sight
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 96/100 |
Over to You
So there you have my top 15 snowboards for beginners for the 2021/22 season. Hopefully this has helped you in choosing your beginner snowboard.
BEGINNER BOARD #15
Board: K2 Raygun
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
To start off the list we have the K2 Raygun in #15.
The Raygun is a very versatile board, which is great to have when you're just starting out and aren't sure of your style yet.
But more importantly it's a board that offers a great combination of stability and ease of turning, in a nice medium-soft flex. It's a board that you probably want to have a couple of days on the hill first to get on, but once you've rented a couple of days, this is a great first board option.
Score Breakdown for the Raygun
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #14
Board: Burton Ripcord
Price: $379
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
It's not often that a freeride board is also a beginner board, but this is the case for the Ripcord.
So, if you're looking to get into powder in your early days riding, but don't want a super aggressive hard-to-ride freeride board, then this might be a good pick for you.
Not something that will help if you want to learn to ride switch from the beginning or if you think you'll get into riding freestyle - but great for the budding freerider.
Score Breakdown for the Ripcord
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 2.0 | 2/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #13
Board: GNU Carbon Credit Asym
Price: $419
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
GNU's Carbon Credit Asym is one of the easiest boards to turn going around, so if you're still trying to link your turns, this is one board that will make it easy to do.
It's quite a loose feeling board - which can be a little tricky when it comes to getting off the lifts but otherwise a great board to learn on.
And if you're looking at getting into riding freestyle/park, then this will be a great investment for that style of riding.
Also a great option for those that encounter hard/icy conditions often.
Score Breakdown for the Carbon Credit Asym
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #12
Board: Rossignol Sawblade
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Jib/Park
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Sawblade offers a really easy going ride that, like the other Rossi boards in this list, features their "Auto-Turn" camber profile, which offers both ease of turn initiation but also enough stability.
This is a park/jib oriented board. So, if you think that's something you'll get into later, then this is a great investment that you can learn to ride on now and that you can keep even when you upgrade to something for riding the rest of the mountain, then using this as your park deck.
Score Breakdown for the Sawblade
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL | 90/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #11
Board: Arbor Formula Rocker
Price: $359
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
The Formula Rocker offers an easy going rocker profile that is catch-free and easy to initiate turns on. But Arbor do their rocker in such a way (called their System Rocker) that it's not as loose feeling as most all-rocker boards tend to feel.
It's still on the looser side (something that makes it easier to turn on but can be tricky one-footing it off the lift) but not as loose as a lot of other continuous rocker boards.
It's also a little stiffer than some boards on this list - which can make it more difficult but will also mean that it can be ridden further into the intermediate phase - and certainly within in the realm of most beginners, in terms of flex, unless you're quite light in terms of weight.
Score Breakdown for the Formula Rocker
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #10
Board: Ride Agenda
Price: $379
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Agenda is very much a freestyle snowboard – so if you were to go into something other than that once you progressed past the beginner phase, you would need to upgrade. But it's also great for just learning how to ride on before you get to that point.
Otherwise it has an easy going hybrid camber profile with a camber section under the feet for stability and rocker sections towards the tip and tail for easier turn initiation plus a nice easy soft flex rating of 3 out of 10.
Note, confusingly Ride refer to it as a hybrid rocker profile, but by my definition it's hybrid camber (because the rocker is tip and tail, rather than between the feet).
Ride Agenda Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #9
Board: Salomon Pulse
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
The only downside to the Pulse as a beginner board is that there isn't any rocker to speak of in the camber profile. This would usually cause me to cross it off the list straight away, but the Pulse is easy enough to turn on in spite of that. And part of that is the edges are slightly turned up at the contact points.
A great option if you want a versatile all-mountain ride and think that you might want to go for a traditional camber board down the line - an easier gateway to trad camber than going straight to trad camber.
This is also the equal cheapest on the list.
Score Breakdown for the Pulse
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.0 | 20/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #8
Board: YES Basic
Price: $399
Rating Score (as a beginner board): 91.5/100
Style of Board: Freestyle
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Advanced
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
The YES Basic is a great little freestyle board that is also well suited to beginners.
It has a nice forgiving medium-soft flex, is easy to turn on but still feels very stable underfoot.
It’s a great option for those that often ride in harder or icy conditions, is very versatile and is a board that can take you beyond the beginner stage and even beyond the intermediate stage, if you're riding takes a freestyle dominant path.
The Basic’s Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #7
Board: Rossignol District
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
Basically perfect for the beginner - a very easy board to learn on that should ensure fast progression.
It's a great option for those that want to head in a freestyle direction, or want something to learn the basics on, then either keep it in their quiver as their beat-up park deck or upgrade and sell.
The Districts Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #6
Board: Nitro Prime
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
At #6 we have the Nitro Prime. The Prime is an easy to ride/progress on entry level board, that is nice and versatile for those starting out not knowing how they want to ride yet.
It's the equal cheapest board on this list, so if you're a beginner snowboarder on a budget, this is definitely worth considering.
Score Breakdown for the Prime Screen
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #5
Board: Burton Instigator
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Instigator is a great board to get your snowboard learning underway and whilst you’ll probably want to upgrade once you’ve surpassed the intermediate phase, it can take you into any type of riding you would want to go.
It's not the cheapest on this list - but you could argue that it's the most beginner friendly (and it's still really reasonably priced)
Score Breakdown for the Instigator
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #4
Board: K2 Standard
Price: $369
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
This is a great option to start your snowboarding journey out on.
Like most here, it’s an up-to-intermediate level ride but it’s definitely a do-it-all kind of board – so you won’t have to worry about knowing the type of riding that you think you'll like.
More importantly, it’s a board designed to be very easy to ride and to build confidence on.
The price went up a little for the 2021 model, but only by a very small amount and still a really reasonably priced snowboard.
Score Breakdown for the K2 Standard
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 93/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #3
Board: Arbor Foundation
Price: $319
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Foundation is about the ideal beginner board.
The only thing is that it's a little on the looser side, which can make it more difficult to one-foot off the lift. But it's certainly not super-loose. Not as loose as other continuous rocker boards tend to be, due to Arbor's System Rocker approach.
All-round it's a super easy going, catch-free, easy to turn ride that is confidence inspiring.
Score Breakdown for the Foundation
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 93/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #2
Board: Rossignol Circuit
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 94/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
This freestyle leaning all-mountain board is a great starter board. It’s nice and forgiving, with easy turn initiations but also with a stable enough feel, when riding at slower speeds.
Whilst, it would need to be upgraded once you graduated from an intermediate level – it’s versatile enough to take you in any direction you wanted to go, up until that time.
Score Breakdown for the Circuit
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 94/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #1
Board: Salomon Sight
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
And the #1 beginner boards this year - the Salomon Sight.
It's one of the easiest boards out there to progress on – it’s nice and forgiving, catch-free, easy to initiate turns on and nice and stable underfoot at slow speeds.
Whilst there is a reasonable amount of camber there - it's still really forgiving and easy to initiate turns on - and gives you a great introduction into more camber dominant boards, if that's where you're headed to.
It’s also a very versatile board being an all-mountain board – so no matter which style of riding you get into as you progress, you’ll have a board that can take you there.
The only thing that drags down the versatility score (and overall score) and stops it from being a completely perfect score, is that that you’ll probably want to upgrade once you progress beyond an intermediate level. But it will be one of those boards that you can use to progress to beyond that intermediate level faster than most boards out there.
On top of all of that, it’s a really reasonably priced board – helping to make it Snowboarding Profiles’ all-round #1 beginner snowboard.
Score Breakdown for the Sight
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 96/100 |
Over to You
So there you have my top 15 snowboards for beginners for the 2020/21 season. Hopefully this has helped you in choosing your beginner snowboard.
NOTE: This is a past seasons top 15. For the latest season's Top 15 Beginner list, check out the link below:
>>TOP 15 BEGINNER SNOWBOARDS (Latest Season)
BEGINNER BOARD #15
Board: GNU Carbon Credit Asym
Price: $419
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
GNU's Carbon Credit Asym is one of the easiest boards to turn going around, so if you're still trying to link your turns, this is one board that will make it easy to do.
It's quite a loose feeling board - which can be a little tricky when it comes to getting off the lifts but otherwise a great board to learn on.
And if you're looking at getting into riding freestyle/park, then this will be a great investment for that style of riding.
Also a great option for those that encounter hard/icy conditions often.
Score Breakdown for the Carbon Credit Asym
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.0 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #14
Board: Capita Horrorscope
Price: $379
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-advanced (for jib/park riding)
Style of Board: Jib/Park
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Whilst being first and foremost designed as a park/jib/street board, the Horrorscope is also great as a beginner board.
If you think park riding is ultimately what you want to get into, including jibs, then this board would be a great investment – will be great to progress with as a beginner deck but then will serve you as a park board for years.
Even if you ride other styles too, you’ll always have a great park/jib board in your arsenal.
Score Breakdown for the Horrorscope
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #13
Board: Burton Ripcord
Price: $379
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
It's not often that a freeride board is also a beginner board, but this is the case for the Ripcord.
So, if you're looking to get into powder in your early days riding, but don't want a super aggressive hard-to-ride freeride board, then this might be a good pick for you.
Not something that will help if you want to learn to ride switch from the beginning or if you think you'll get into riding freestyle - but great for the budding freerider.
Score Breakdown for the Ripcord
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 2.0 | 2/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #12
Board: Ride Agenda
Price: $359
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The only thing that really stopped this board from getting a perfect score was the versatility. It’s very much a freestyle snowboard – so if you were to go into something other than that once you progressed past the beginner phase, you would need to upgrade.
Otherwise it has an easy going hybrid rocker profile (new for the 2019 & 2020 models - was previously flat-to-rocker) with a camber section under the feet for stability and rocker sections towards the tip and tail for easier turn initiation plus a nice easy soft flex rating of 3 out of 10.
Note, confusingly Ride refer to it as a hybrid rocker profile, but by my definition it's hybrid camber (because the rocker is tip and tail, rather than between the feet).
Ride Agenda Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #11
Board: Salomon Pulse
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
The only downside to the Pulse as a beginner board is that there isn't any rocker to speak of in the camber profile. This would usually cause me to cross it off the list straight away, but the Pulse is easy enough to turn on in spite of that.
And the Pulse scores so well outside of that, that it still makes this list. A great option if you want a versatile all-mountain ride and think that you might want to go for a traditional camber board down the line - an easier gateway to trad camber than going straight to trad camber.
Score Breakdown for the Pulse
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.0 | 20/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #10
Board: YES Basic
Price: $399
Rating Score (as a beginner board): 91.5/100
Style of Board: Freestyle
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Advanced
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
The YES Basic is a great little freestyle board that is also well suited to beginners.
It has a nice forgiving medium-soft flex, is easy to turn on but still feels very stable underfoot.
It’s a great option for those that often ride in harder or icy conditions, is very versatile and is a board that can take you beyond the beginner stage and even beyond the intermediate stage.
The Basic’s Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #9
Board: Rossignol Sawblade
Price: $379
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Jib/Park
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Sawblade was a new board in Rossignol's line for 2019 and continues with a 2020 model.
It offers a really easy going ride that, like the other Rossi boards in this list, features their "Auto-Turn" camber profile, which offers both ease of turn initiation but also enough stability.
This is a park/jib oriented board. So, if you think that's something you'll get into later, then this is a great investment that you can keep even when you upgrade to something for riding the rest of the mountain.
Score Breakdown for the Sawblade
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #8
Board: Rossignol District
Price: $319
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Basically perfect for the beginner, except for being slightly above the soft flexing range. But for most, this will still be a very easy board to learn on that should ensure fast progression.
If you're a lighter rider or not that strong, then maybe going softer flexing for your very first board, but otherwise, this is a great board for most absolute beginners and for those who have a little bit of experience under their belts but are still looking for their confidence.
It's gone up slightly in price for 2020, but it's still a really reasonably priced deck.
The Districts Score Breakdown
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #7
Board: Arbor Formula Rocker
Price: $359
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
The Formula Rocker offers an easy going rocker profile that is catch-free and easy to initiate turns on. But Arbor do their rocker in such a way (called their System Rocker) that it's not as loose feeling as most all-rocker boards tend to feel.
It's still on the looser side (something that makes it easier to turn on but can be tricky one-footing it off the lift) but not as loose as other continuous rocker boards.
It's also a little stiffer than some boards on this list - which can make it more difficult but will also mean that it can be ridden further into the intermediate phase - and certainly within in the real of most beginners, in terms of flex.
Score Breakdown for the Formula Rocker
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #6
Board: Nitro Prime
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 94/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
At #6 we have the Nitro Prime. The Prime is an easy to ride and progress on entry level board, that is nice and versatile for those starting out not knowing how they want to ride yet.
It's the equal cheapest board on this list, so if you're a beginner snowboarder on a budget, this is definitely worth considering.
Score Breakdown for the Prime Screen
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5 | 18/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 94/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #5
Board: Burton Instigator
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 94.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Instigator is a great board to get your snowboard learning underway and whilst you’ll probably want to upgrade once you’ve surpassed the intermediate phase, it can take you into any type of riding you would want to go.
It's not the cheapest on this list - but you could argue that it's the most beginner friendly.
Score Breakdown for the Instigator
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 94.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #4
Board: K2 Standard
Price: $359
Beginner Board Rating Score: 95/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
This is a great option to start your snowboarding journey out on.
Like most here, it’s an up-to-intermediate level ride but it’s definitely a do-it-all kind of board – so you won’t have to worry about knowing the type of riding that you think you'll like.
More importantly, it’s a board designed to be very easy to ride and to build confidence on.
The price went up a little for the 2020 model, but still a really reasonably priced snowboard.
Score Breakdown for the K2 Standard
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 95/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #3
Board: Arbor Foundation
Price: $319
Beginner Board Rating Score: 95/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Foundation is about the ideal beginner board.
The only thing is that it's a little on the looser side, which can make it more difficult to one-foot off the lift. But it's certainly not super-loose. Not as loose as other continuous rocker boards tend to be, due to Arbor's System Rocker approach.
All-round it's a super easy going, catch-free, easy to turn ride that is confidence inspiring.
Score Breakdown for the Foundation
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 4.5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 95/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #2
Board: Rossignol Circuit
Price: $319
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
This freestyle oriented all-mountain board is a great starter board. It’s nice and forgiving, with easy turn initiations but also with a stable enough feel, when riding at slower speeds.
Whilst, it would need to be upgraded once you graduated from an intermediate level – it’s versatile enough to take you in the direction you wanted to go, up until that time.
Score Breakdown for the Circuit
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 96/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #1
Board: Salomon Sight
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
And the #1 beginner boards this year - the Salomon Sight.
It's one of the easiest boards out there to progress on – it’s nice and forgiving, catch-free, easy to initiate turns on and nice and stable underfoot at slow speeds.
Whilst there is a reasonable amount of camber there - it's still really forgiving - and gives you a great introduction into more camber dominant boards, if that's where you're headed to.
It’s also a very versatile board being an all-mountain board – so no matter which style of riding you get into as you progress, you’ll have a board that can take you there.
The only thing that drags down the versatility score (and overall score) and stops it from being a completely perfect score, is that that you’ll probably want to upgrade once you progress beyond an intermediate level. But it will be one of those boards that you can use to progress to beyond that intermediate level faster than most boards out there.
On top of all of that, it’s a really reasonably priced board – helping to make it Snowboarding Profiles’ all-round #1 beginner snowboard.
Score Breakdown for the Sight
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 5.0 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 96/100 |
Over to You
So there you have my top 15 snowboards for beginners for the 2019/20 season. Hopefully this has helped you in choosing your beginner snowboard.
NOTE: This is a past seasons top 15. For the latest season's Top 15 Beginner list, check out the link below:
>>TOP 15 BEGINNER SNOWBOARDS (Latest Season)
BEGINNER BOARD #15
Board: GNU Carbon Credit Asym
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
GNU's Carbon Credit Asym is one of the easiest boards to turn going around, so if you're still trying to link your turns, this is one board that will make it easy to do.
It's quite a loose feeling board - which can be a little tricky when it comes to getting off the lifts but otherwise a great board to learn on.
And if you're looking at getting into riding freestyle/park, then this will be a great investment for that style of riding.
Also a great option for those that encounter hard/icy conditions often.
Check out the video for more about the Carbon Credit Asym
This is for the 2018 model but it's all relevant to the 2019 model.
Score Breakdown for the Carbon Credit Asym
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 4.0 | 16/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 4.0 | 8/10 |
Versatility | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #14
Board: Capita Horrorscope
Price: $379
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-advanced (for jib/park riding)
Style of Board: Jib/Park
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Whilst being first and foremost designed as a park/jib/street board, the Horrorscope is also great as a beginner board.
If you think park riding is ultimately what you want to get into, including jibs, then this board would be a great investment – will be great to progress with as a beginner deck but then will serve you as a park board for years.
Even if you ride other styles too, you’ll always have a great park/jib board in your arsenal.
Learn more about the Horrorscope in the video below
Score Breakdown for the Horrorscope
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 4.5 | 18/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
Versatility | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #13
Board: Burton Ripcord
Price: $379
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
It's not often that a freeride board is also a beginner board, but this is the case for the Ripcord.
So, if you're looking to get into the powder in your early days riding, but don't want a super agressive hard to ride freeride board, then this might be a good pick for you.
Not something will help if you want to learn to ride switch from the beginning or if you think you'll get into riding freestyle but great for the budding freerider.
Check out the video for more about the Ripcord
This video is pretty old now, but not much has changed with this board over the years.
Score Breakdown for the Ripcord
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
Versatility | 3.0 | 9/15 |
Shape & Stance | 2.0 | 2/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #12
Board: Ride Agenda
Price: $359
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The only thing that really stopped this board from getting a perfect score was the versatility. It’s very much a freestyle snowboard – so if you were to go into something other than that once you progressed past the beginner phase, you would need to upgrade.
Otherwise it has an easy going hybrid rocker profile (new for the 2019 model - was previously flat-to-rocker) with a camber section under the feet for stability and rocker sections towards the tip and tail for easier turn initiation plus a nice easy soft flex rating of 3 out of 10.
Note, confusingly Ride refer to it as a hybrid rocker profile, but by my definition it's hybrid camber (because the rocker is tip and tail, rather than between the feet).
Learn More About the Agenda in the Video Below
Ride Agenda Score Breakdown
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
Versatility | 3.0 | 9/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #11
Board: Salomon Pulse
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
The only downside to the Pulse as a beginner board is that there isn't any rocker to speak of in the camber profile. This would usually cause me to cross it off the list straight away.
But the Pulse scores so well outside of that, that it still makes this list. A great option if you want a versatile all-mountain ride and think that you might want to go for a traditional camber board down the line - an easier gateway to trad camber than going straight to trad camber.
Check out the video for more about the Pulse
Score Breakdown for the Pulse
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 4.0 | 20/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 4.0 | 4/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #10
Board: YES Basic
Price: $399
Rating Score (as a beginner board): 91.5/100
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Advanced
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
The YES Basic is a great little all-mountain-freestyle board that is also well suited to beginners.
It has a nice forgiving medium-soft flex, is easy to turn on but still feels very stable underfoot.
It’s a great option for those that often ride in harder or icy conditions, is very versatile and is a board that can take you beyond the beginner stage and even beyond the intermediate stage.
Check out the video for more on the YES Basic
The Basic’s Score Breakdown
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 4.5 | 18/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #9
Board: GNU Hyak
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
Like the other GNU option in this list (see #15) the Hyak is quite loose feeling. That loose feel is great for initiating turns easily but can make it a little trickier one-footing it off the lift, if you're not used to it.
But past that it's a great option for a first board that will have you linking (and ripping) turns before you know it!
Also like the other GNU in this list, the Hyak is great option for hard/icy conditions.
Check out the video for more about the Hyak
The video below is for the 2018 Hyak. I will try to remember to upload a 2019 video once available.
Score Breakdown for the Hyak
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 4.0 | 16/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #8
Board: Rossignol District
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Basically perfect for the beginner, except for being slightly above the soft flexing range. But for most, this will still be a very easy board to learn on that should ensure fast progression.
If you're a lighter rider or not that strong, then maybe going softer flexing for your very first board, but otherwise, this is a great board for most absolute beginners and for those who have a little bit of experience under their belts but are still looking for their confidence.
Also (along with #12 and #3) it is the cheapest board on this list.
Check out the Video for More on the District
The Districts Score Breakdown
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 4.5 | 18/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 3.0 | 9/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #7
Board: Rossignol Sawblade
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Jib/Park
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Sawblade is a new board in Rossignol's line and offers a really easy going ride that, like the other Rossi boards in this list, features their "Auto-Turn" camber profile, which offers both ease of turn initiaion but also enough stability.
This is a really park/jib oriented board. So, if you think that's something you'll get into later, then this is a great investment that you can keep even when you upgade to something for riding the rest of the mountain.
Check out the video for more about the Sawblade
Score Breakdown for the Sawblade
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 3.0 | 9/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL | 93/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #6
Board: Arbor Formula Rocker
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
The Formula Rocker offers an easy going rocker profile that is catch-free and easy to initiate turns on. But Arbor do their rocker in such a way (called their System Rocker) in such a way that it's not as loose feeling as all rocker boards tend to feel).
It's still on the looser side (something that makes it easier to turn on but can be tricky one-footing it off the lift) but not as loose as other continuous rocker boards.
It's also a little stiffer than some boards on this list - which can make it more difficult but will also mean that it can be ridden further into the intermediate phase.
Check out the video for more about the Formula Rocker
Score Breakdown for the Formula Rocker
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 4.5 | 18/20 |
Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 93/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #5
Board: Burton Instigator
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 94.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Instigator was new from Burton for 2018 (and continues in 2019) but is essentially an evolution of the Burton Clash which dropped out of their line-up last year.
This is a great board to get your snowboard learning underway and whilst you’ll probably want to upgrade once you’ve surpassed the intermediate phase, it can take you into any type of riding you would want to go.
Learn More About the Instigator in the Video Below
Score Breakdown for the Instigator
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 94.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #4
Board: Arbor Foundation
Price: $319
Beginner Board Rating Score: 95/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Foundation is about the ideal beginner board.
The only thing is that it's a little on the looser side, which can make it more difficult to one-foot off the lift. But it's certainly not super-loose. Not as loose as other continuous rocker boards tend to be, due to Arbor's System Rocker approach.
All-round it's a super easy going, catch-free, easy to turn ride that is confidence inspiring.
Check out the video for more about the Foundation
Score Breakdown for the Foundation
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 5.0 | 5/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 95/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #3
Board: Rossignol Circuit
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
This freestyle oriented all-mountain board is a great starter board. It’s nice and forgiving, with easy turn initiations but also with a stable feel.
Whilst, it would need to be upgraded once you graduated from an intermediate level – it’s versatile enough to take you in the direction you wanted to go, up until that time.
This is also the equal cheapest priced board on this list (along with #12 & #8).
Learn More About the Circuit in the Video Below
Score Breakdown for the Circuit
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 4.0 | 4/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 96/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #2
Board: K2 Standard
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
This is a great option to start your snowboarding journey out on.
Like most here, it’s an up-to-intermediate level ride but it’s definitely a do-it-all kind of board – so you won’t have to worry about knowing the type of riding that you think you'll like.
More importantly, it’s a board designed to be very easy to ride and to build confidence on.
Learn More About the Standard in the Video Below
Score Breakdown for the K2 Standard
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 4.0 | 4/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 96/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #1
Board: Salomon Sight
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
The Salomon Sight is one of the easiest boards out there to progress on – it’s nice and forgiving, catch-free, easy to initiate turns on and nice and stable underfoot.
It’s also a very versatile board being an all-mountain board – so no matter which style of riding you get into as you progress, you’ll have a board that can take you there.
The only thing that drags down the versatility score (and overall score) and stops it from being a completely perfect score, is that that you’ll probably want to upgrade once you progress beyond an intermediate level. But it will be one of those boards that you can use to progress to beyond that intermediate level faster than almost every other board.
On top of all of that, it’s a really reasonably priced board – helping to make it Snowboarding Profiles’ all-round #1 beginner snowboard.
Check out the video for more on the Sight
Score Breakdown for the Sight
FACTOR | rating (OUT OF 5) | contribution to final score |
|---|---|---|
Flex | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Stability | 5.0 | 20/20 |
Turning Ease | 5.0 | 25/25 |
Price | 5.0 | 10/10 |
Versatility | 4.0 | 12/15 |
Shape & Stance | 4.0 | 4/5 |
Base | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 96/100 |
Over to You
So there you have my top 15 snowboards for beginners for the 2018/19 season. Hopefully this has helped you in choosing your beginner snowboard.
NOTE: This is a past seasons top 15. For the latest season's Top 15 Beginner list, check out the link below:
Changes to this year’s Top Men’s Beginner List
There were some bigger changes between the 2016-17 and 2017-18 lists, which you can learn about here.
The changes this year (2018-19) are more subtle and just some small tweaks really.
Adjusted Flex Rating Scores
Previously I was awarding 5/5 for any flex that was up to 4/10 in terms of stiffness. For 2018-19 I have given subtly more points to boards with 2/10 or 3/10 flex (rarely does anything rate 1/10) compared to boards with 4/10 flex.
This is a subtle change but reflects my desire to make this a list of boards that are the best for beginners/learning on. Whereas previously I put some emphasis on boards that would be suitable for more advanced riding as well as beginners.
The new scoring is to reflect that the softer flexing boards (2/10 or 3/10) are easier to learn on/ride than something that's closer to Medium (4/10).
High-End Beginner/Intermediate Boards
For the 2017-18 list, I included a number of boards that were not as good for those just starting out and were more suitable for those who had a bit of experience (high-end beginner to low-end intermediate).
As with the flex rating scores, this list is now designed to purely cater to beginner riders. I will be creating a new list for high-end beginner to intermediate riders, looking for their first board.
Men’s Beginner Board #15
Board: Rossignol Templar
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft bordering on medium (4.5/10)
- HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
Whilst Rossignol rate this as a 6/10 on their flex scale, it’s closer to more like a 4.5/10 or 5/10 in reality – so it’s still easy going enough in terms of flex for a beginner.
But if you’re a light rider or consider yourself non-athletic, then you’ll probably want something slightly softer. Otherwise, it’s a great board for a beginner.
And it’s even better for a beginner that’s going to be encountering hard and icy snow regularly – the edge-hold in this type of snow is really good on the Templar (as it is with a lot of Rossi boards).
Also being an all-mountain board, it’s very versatile, so if you’re not sure of the style that you are heading in, it can take you in any direction.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| Base: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #14
Board: Capita Outerspace Living
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Expert
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Medium (5/10)
The Outerspace Living is first and foremost and all-mountain-freestyle snowboard – and a very good one at that.
But it’s so reasonably priced and so nice and easy to ride, that it also makes a good beginner board – in some instances.
I say some instances because it’s a medium flex board, which is usually stiffer than what I recommend for beginners. However, for anyone who is on the heavy side, this is a great option that you can ride and still be able to ride a shorter length. The reason for this is that if you are over the weight recommendations for a board, the flex of the board will feel softer for you.
Also, if you are very athletic, then a medium flex is ok to learn on.
So, if you are looking for a great board to learn on, want to keep the length down (to make it easier to learn) but are finding yourself over the weight recommendations of a lot of boards, then this is a great option because it will feel like medium-soft and everything else about this board is great for a beginner.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 3.5 | 14/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #13
Board: Capita Horrorscope
Price: $369
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-expert
Style of Board: Jib/Park
Flex: Medium-Soft
- FAST PROGRESSION
Whilst being first and foremost designed as a park/jib/street board, the Horrorscope is also great as a beginner board.
If you think park riding is ultimately what you want to get into, including jibs, then this board would be a great investment – will be great to progress with as a beginner deck but then will serve you as a park board for years.
Even if you ride other styles too, you’ll always have a great park/jib board in your arsenal.
Score Breakdown for the Horrorscope
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility: | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #12
Board: Burton Process Flying V
Price: $499
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Advanced
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft
The Process Flying V is a super versatile snowboard – so no matter what direction you end up in, this board can take you there – and take you there to a reasonably advanced level too.
But, most importantly for the beginner, this board is also great for learning on – it’s forgiving, easy to turn and really hard to catch an edge on.
It’s more of an investment than a lot would make as a beginner but worth it, if you’ve got the cash.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Stability: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Versatility: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| Base: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #11
Board: YES Typo
Price: $449
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Expert
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
- HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
Like the Process Flying V, the YES Typo is an extremely versatile board that can handle any kind of terrain and any style – and it’s also a board that you could have forever and keep getting better on.
But unlike the Process Flying V, the Typo has amazing edge-hold in hard/icy conditions, making the terrain versatility of this board even better.
It’s also a bit more stable overall than the Flying V and a little cheaper.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Price: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| Base: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL | 92.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #10
Board: Never Summer Snowtrooper
Price: $519
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Expert
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
If you’re willing to invest more than your average beginner board (this is the priciest on this list) to get quality that will last and performance that will keep you going well into your snowboarding progression, then the Snowtrooper should be high on your list.
It’s also extremely versatile and a really easy going to ride that will have you linking turns with ease and building your confidence every time you ride it.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Versatility: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| Base: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL | 92.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #9
Board: YES Libre
Price: $369
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Advanced
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft
- HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
The Libre is new to the YES line for 2018 and is the lowest priced of all the 3 YES boards in this list.
It’s a very versatile, very stable and very predictable ride, that will help you to boost your confidence, even in harder conditions.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 93/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #8
Board: Ride Agenda
Price: $359
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
- FAST PROGRESSION
This board is ideal for the novice rider.
The only thing that really stopped this board from getting a perfect score was the versatility. It’s very much a freestyle snowboard – so if you were to go into something other than that once you progressed past the beginner phase, you would need to upgrade.
Otherwise it has n easy going flat to rocker profile with a flat section under the feet for stability and rocker sections towards the tip and tail for easier turn initiation plus a nice easy medium-soft flex rating of 3 out of 10.
Overall Ride’s Agenda will be near perfect to start learning the snowboard trade on.
Ride Agenda Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 93/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #7
Board: YES Basic
Price: $399
Rating Score (as a beginner board): 93.5/100
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Advanced
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10 with 1 being the softest and 10 the stiffest)
- HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
The YES Basic is a great little all-mountain-freestyle board that is also well suited to beginners.
It has a nice forgiving medium-soft flex, is easy to turn on but still feels very stable underfoot.
It’s a great option for those that often ride in harder or icy conditions, is very versatile and is a board that can take you beyond the beginner stage and even beyond the intermediate stage.
The Basic’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 93.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #6
Board: Rossignol District
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 94/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Beginner
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
- FAST PROGRESSION
This is truly only a beginner board and you will want to upgrade once you hit the intermediate phase – and it’s a freestyle board, so it’s not a great option for other styles of riding outside of the beginner phase.
But this is the fastest way to progress in my opinion – get a board that is super good to progress on – then sell it and upgrade to continue your progression.
And the Rossignol District gets a perfect score otherwise. So it’s one, if not the easiest board to learn on and one of the lowest priced boards out there as well. Last year, when I didn’t include versatility in the scoring system, this board had a perfect 100/100.
The Districts Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Versatility: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 94/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #5
Board: Burton Instigator
Price: $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 94.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft
- FAST PROGRESSION
The Instigator is new from Burton for 2018 but is essentially an evolution of the Burton Clash which drops out of their line-up this year.
This is a great board to get your snowboard learning underway and whilst you’ll probably want to upgrade once you’ve surpassed the intermediate phase, it can take you into any type of riding you would want to go.
And all for a really reasonable price.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 94.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #4
Board: Rossignol Circuit
Price: $299
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
- FAST PROGRESSION
This freestyle oriented all-mountain board is a great starter board. It’s nice and forgiving, with easy turn initiations but also with a stable feel.
Whilst, it would need to be upgraded once you graduated from an intermediate level – it’s versatile enough to take you in the direction you wanted to go, up until that time.
This is also the equal cheapest priced board on this list.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 96/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #3
Board: Rome Mechanic
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
- FAST PROGRESSION
This is an all-mountain board with a freestyle flavor, like the Circuit above. Also like he Circuit, the Mechanic is the kind of board that’s versatile enough to take you in any direction you naturally head in.
But it’s also something that you’ll want to upgrade from once you progress through that intermediate phase.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 96/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #2
Board: K2 Standard
Price: $329
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft
- FAST PROGRESSION
This is a great option to start your snowboarding journey out on.
Like most here, it’s an up to intermediate level ride but it’s definitely a do-it-all kind of board – so you won’t have to worry about the direction you go in.
More importantly, it’s a board designed to be very easy to ride and to build confidence on.
Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 96/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #1
Board: Salomon Sight
Price: $349
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
- FAST PROGRESSION
The Salomon Sight is one of the easiest boards out there to progress on – it’s nice and forgiving, catch-free, easy to initiate turns on and nice and stable underfoot.
It’s also a very versatile board being an all-mountain board – so no matter which style of riding you get into as you progress you’ll have a board that can take you there.
The only thing that drags down the versatility score (and overall score) and stops it from being a completely perfect score, is that that you’ll probably want to upgrade once you progress beyond an intermediate level. But it will be one of those boards that you can use to progress to beyond that intermediate level faster than almost every other board.
On top of all of that, it’s a really reasonably priced board – helping to make it Snowboarding Profiles’ all-round #1 beginner snowboard.
The Sight’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Versatility: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 96.5/100 |
So there you have it – that’s my top 15 snowboards for beginners for the 2017/18 season. Hopefully this has helped you in choosing your beginner snowboard.
Changes to this year’s Top Men’s Beginner List
If you had seen my top 5 beginner snowboards list for the 2016-17 season (which you can still find here) you’ll realize that the 2017-18 list has a very different feel about it.
Of all the 2018 top 5/10 lists, the beginner list has been changed the most and I am very confident that this is a very strong list of beginner snowboard options and 99% of people should be able to find something suitable from this list. Last season’s list still provided some great options (all of which are in this list) but there weren’t enough of them.
Expanded List
The biggest and most important change in this list is the expansion to 15 boards.
I was always going to expand this list to 10 this year, but as I went through the boards, I realized that there are so many good beginner options and to show a good range of quality choices to choose from there really needed to be at least 15.
Change in Emphasis
I also tweaked the scoring system this season so that there was less emphasis on shape and stance and more emphasis on versatility.
Versatility
The addition of versatility as a factor was to reflect the reality that most people buying their first snowboard want a board that can stay with them for at least a couple of years and that doesn’t restrict the type of snowboard that they can get into when at a more intermediate or advanced level.
The following are my top 5 snowboards for beginners for men. This list has now been updated for the 2016/17 season.
Men’s Beginner Board #5
Board: YES Basic
Price (USD): $399
Beginner Board Rating Score: 96.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Expert
The YES Basic is the most expensive on this list – but still really reasonably priced for a snowboard. But it’s also the best on this list if you want a board that you can keep riding for years and years – it’s great as a beginner deck but it’s also great as an all-mountain-freestyle board for more advanced riders – it even made my top 5 all-mountain-freestyle snowboards list.
This is also the best option on this list if you tend to ride in icy snow conditions regularly – it has the best edge hold in hard conditions of all the boards in this list.
Camber Profile: The YES Basic has a Hybrid Camber profile. The Camber between the feet is a great for stability and the rocker towards tip and tail makes it easier to initiate turns without catching an edge.
Flex: It has a medium-soft flex for that easy maneuverability and a forgiving ride.
Sizing: It comes in 9 different sizes between 146 and 163W with the 3 wide options (156W and 159W and 163W). This is a really good range of sizes.
| Size (Length) | 146 | 149 | 152 | 155 | 156W | 158 | 159W | 161 | 163W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 247 | 248 | 250 | 251 | 259 | 253 | 261 | 254 | 263 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 105-145 | 110-150 | 125-165 | 135-175 | 145-185 | 150-190 | 160-200 | 170-210 | 180-220+ |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 48-66 | 50-68 | 57-75 | 61-79 | 66-84 | 68-86 | 73-91 | 77-95 | 81-100+ |
Price: Its biggest downfall is the price – $399 is not bad for a snowboard but may be quite a lot for a price conscious beginner. If you’ve got a good budget, then this would be a great investment and a board that can stay with you for years to come.
Stance & Shape: It has a centered stance and a true twin shape, which is great for beginners.
Base: Extruded – low maintenance and not as much speed and acceleration as other base types – which is a good thing for beginners – it also keeps prices lower.
The Basic’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Shape: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Stance: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 96.5/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #4
Board: Salomon Sight
Price (USD): $329
Beginner Board Rating Score: 97/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Camber Profile: The Sight has a hybrid camber profile, like the YES Basic – which is great for a combination of stability and ease of turning.
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10 with 1 being the softest and 10 the stiffest)
Sizing: There are 9 different sizes for the Sight, including 3 wide sizes.
| Size (Length) | 147 | 150 | 153 | 155W | 156 | 158W | 159 | 162W | 166W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 244 | 245 | 246 | 256 | 248 | 258 | 250 | 260 | 262 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 100-145 | 110-160 | 125-165 | 125-180 | 125-180 | 145-200 | 145-200 | 145-210 | 155-230 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 45-65 | 50-70 | 55-75 | 55-80 | 55-80 | 65-90 | 65-90 | 65-95 | 70-105 |
Price: This is one of the cheapest snowboards going around – but it’s also really well suited to a beginner not even taking price into account.
Shape and stance: True twin shape and centered stance
Base: Extruded
The Sight’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Stability: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Shape: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Stance: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Base: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL | 97/100 |
Men’s Beginner Board #3
Board: Capita Horrorscope
Price (USD): $369
Beginner Board Rating Score: 98.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-expert
And the #3 spot belongs to Capita’s Horrorscope. Whilst being first and foremost designed as a park/jib/street board, the Horrorscope is also great as a beginner board.
If park riding is ultimately what you want to get into, then this board would be a great investment – will be great to progress with as a beginner deck but then will serve you as a park board for years. Even if you ride other styles too, you’ll always have a great park/jib board in your arsenal.
Camber Profile: The Horrorscope has a flat to rocker profile. The flat section underneath helps with stability and the rocker sections towards the tip and tail assist with turn initiation and helps to reduce the chances of catching an edge.
Flex: The Horrorscope ticks the flex box with a Medium-Soft flex which means it should be easy to maneuver and very forgiving of errors.
Price: A great price on this board makes it even more appealing for a beginner.
Sizing: The Horrorscope comes in a whopping 13 different sizes! There are 9 regular width sizes and 4 wide sizes ranging from 141 to 157.
Regular Widths
| Size (Length) | 141 | 143 | 145 | 147 | 149 | 151 | 153 | 155 | 157 |
| Waist Width (mm) | 243 | 244 | 246 | 248 | 250 | 252 | 254 | 256 | 258 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Weight Range (kgs) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Wides
| Size (Length) | 151W | 153W | 155W | 157W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 258 | 260 | 261 | 263 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | – | – | – | – |
| Weight Range (kgs) | – | – |