You can toggle (by clicking the "+" sign) each year below to see the lists from past season's.
The following 15 snowboards have been carefully selected as our top snowboards for beginners for the 2022-2023 season.
Many factors have been taken into account, not just price. Ease of ride, confidence building, catch free and a boards versatility have all been taken into account, in addition to price.
This list has now been updated for the 2022/2023 season.
Right, no time to waste, let’s get straight into the top 15.
BEGINNER BOARD #15=
Board: GNU GWO
- US
- CA
- UK/EU
Beginner Board Rating Score: 88.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
Starting off thel ist at #15 we have GNU's GWO.
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 | 3.5 | 7/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 88.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #15=
Board: K2 Raygun
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 88.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
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: Bataleon Chaser
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 88.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
In at #14, we have Bataleon's Chaser.
The Chaser is a super easy going, soft flexing ride that's just super easy to turn. Zero hang ups on this thing. If catch-free is what you're looking for, this thing is the definition of it with Bataleon's 3BT and a soft flex.
Score Breakdown for the Chaser
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 20/20 |
STABILITY | 3.5 | 14/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5.0 | 25/25 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 88.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #13
Board: Burton Ripcord
- US
- CA
- UK/EU
Beginner Board Rating Score: 88.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: Soft (2/10)
It's not often that a freeride board is also a beginner board, but this is the case for the Ripcord (the only other one in this list being the Salomon Sight - which only became more freeride oriented for the 2023 model).
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 | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 2.0 | 2/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 88.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #12
Board: Nidecker Score
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Advanced
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium (5/10)
The Score is stiffer than any other board in this list, but it still manages to make this list despite not scoring well for flex. This makes the Score a great option for those beginners that are heavier or really strong/athletic.
Not for the average beginner - for the average rider this would make a great intermediate board, but for the bigger/stronger beginner, this would be a great beginner option.
Score Breakdown for the Score
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
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 AND STANCE | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
BASE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL | 89/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #11
Board: Ride Agenda
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
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.
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 | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 89.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #10
Board: YES Basic
- US
- CA
Rating Score (as a beginner board): 90.5/100
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 | 4.0 | 8/10 |
VERSATILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #9
Board: Salomon Pulse
- US
- CA
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.
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: Burton Instigator
- US
- CA
- UK/EU
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
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, such is it's versatility.
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 #7
Board: Salomon Sight
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
The 2023 Sight is quite a different board from it's predecessors. It went through quite an overhaul.
But whilst it did get subtly stiffer, it's still a very good option as a beginner board.
For 2023, the Sight gets a tapered directional shape, more setback and a subtly stiffer core, in addition to other changes like its effective edge.
It's now what I would consider a mellow freeride board (on of two freeride options in this list, the other one being the Burton Ripcord) where previously I categorized it as an all-mountain board. So, if you're looking to take on freeriding/powder early in your snowboarding life, but want a board that won't be too hard to ride, then the Sight is a great option.
Score Breakdown for the Sight
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 | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHAPE AND STANCE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #6
Board: Nidecker Play
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
At #6 we have Nidecker's Play.
The Play is a great option for anyone new to snowboarding.
It combines a friendly flat-to-rocker profile, an easy going flex and friendly price-tag. Not only that, but it's also nice and versatile, allowing you to go in whatever direction you want to go with your snowboarding progression.
Score Breakdown for the Play
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 | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
BASE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL | 91.5/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #5
Board: Rossignol Evader
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
The Evader picks up where the Circuit left off. They're not the exact same board, so it's more than a name change, but they are very similar, particular when it comes to assessing them as beginner boards.
The Evader has a very friendly camber profile, a nice and easy soft flex and provides a very versatile ride that allows you to progress into which ever area of snowboarding you want.
Score Breakdown for the Evader
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 | 4.0 | 4/5 |
BASE | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL | 92/100 |
BEGINNER BOARD #4
Board: Arbor Foundation
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
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 | 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 #3
Board: Rossignol District
- US
- CA
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 #2
Board: Nitro Prime
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
At #2 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 cheapest board on this list too, 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 #1
Board: K2 Standard
- US
- CA
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
*FAST PROGRESSION
And finally at #1, we have the K2 Standard.
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 #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 hybr