Hello and welcome to my Salomon Ultimate Ride snowboard review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Ultimate Ride as an aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Ultimate Ride a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
Note: The 2021 model of the Ultimate Ride changed quite a bit - to a point that I believe it belongs in a different category now, so this review is representative of the 2020 model (which was largely unchanged from 2017-2020). When I test the new model, I will replace this review
Overall Rating
Board: Salomon Ultimate Ride 2020
Price: $599
Style: Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 87.9/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 17 men’s aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
Overview of the Ultimate Ride’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Ultimate Ride’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle |
Price: | $599 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Feel: |  |
Turn Initiation: | Medium-Fast |
Edge-hold: |  |
Camber Profile: | Hybrid Camber - But Mostly Camber - Salomon's Quad Camber |
Shape: | |
Setback Stance: | Centered |
Base: | Sintered |
Weight: | Lighter side of Normal |
Sizing
LENGTH (cm) | Waist Width (mm) | Rec Rider Weight (lb) | Rec Rider Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
150 | 250 | 110-155 | 50-70 |
153 | 252 | 120-165 | 55-75 |
155 | 254 | 120-190 | 55-85 |
158 | 256 | 145-200 | 65-90 |
161 | 258 | 155-230 | 70-105 |
Who is the Ultimate Ride Most Suited To?
The Ultimate Ride is best suited to advanced to expert riders you like to bomb and carve hard. Even more ideal for those who do so with a freestyle twist.
Not great for powder, but otherwise very versatile if you're looking for an aggressive ride.
Definitely not for beginners - or the faint hearted!
The Ultimate Ride in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Ultimate Ride is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Salomon Ultimate Ride 2020, 158cm (256mm waist width)
Date: March 10, 2019
Conditions: Mostly sunny and perfect vis.
Groomers were on the firmer side, but not overly hard - and really well groomed - especially first thing, was smooth going and could really confidently bomb and lean into some deep carves.
Got a little cruddy as the day wore on, but was never too bad.
Off-groomer was tracked, but there'd been recent fresh snow a few days prior and there were still some good patches of untracked fresh snow.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 570mm (22.4″)
Stance Setback: Centered
Width at Inserts: 264mm (10.39")
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 185lbs
Rider Boot Size: US10 Vans Aura
Bindings Used: Burton Malavita M
Weight: 2780grams (6lb 2oz) - according to Salomon (I didn't weight this one myself)
Weight per cm: 17.59 grams/cm
Average Weight per cm: 18.45 grams/cm*
*based on a small sample size of 51 boards that I've weighed in 2019 and 2020 models. Lighter than the average board - and felt a little lighter on snow, but only just on the lighter side of normal.
Powder
It's not awful in powder. But also certainly not ideal. What rocker is in the profile is very subtle - and whilst it has a slightly longer nose than tail, it's otherwise not that directional. Certainly doable for shallow powder, but if you're going out after a storm, not going to be the best in deep powder.
Carving & Turning
Carving: This thing was a carving machine! Just gripped and ripped. Once you got it on edge, this thing was super fun to carve up the groomers on.
Maneuverability at slow speeds: It's not amazing at slow speeds, and not designed to be, to be fair. But it's also not that bad either. It's not like some boards that just feel heavy and almost un-rideable slow. The Ultimate Ride is actually OK.
Skidded Turns: For how aggressive it is, you'd think it wouldn't be something you can skid your turns on. But you can. Definitely not great for it, but also certainly not the worst for it either.
Speed
This board is a bomber! It felt so good to ride fast. Really stable and just felt really confident opening it out.
Uneven Terrain
It did pretty well in uneven terrain. Not the most forgiving in there and not ideal. But it holds it's own.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Jumps
This board can really stomp landings and has oodles of pop.
Pop: Really good pop. Some of it's relatively easily accessible without having to wind it up, but then there's a good bit more you can get out of it, when you do load it up.
Approach: Nimble enough for trickier, slower approaches but not ultra-nimble. But for faster, approaches it's really stable.
Landing: Stomps landings! On any kind of jump you can just really stomp it.
Side-hits: Really fun for side-hits. Again for trickier approaches it's fine, without being ideal.
Small jumps/Big Jumps: Has no issues with smaller jumps, but really comes into it's own when the jumps get bigger.
Switch
Really good for riding switch. Even though the nose is a little longer, I really didn't notice it. This board, so long as your switch riding is decent, rides really well switch.
Spins
Not the easiest to get a spin around - there's a reasonable amount of torsional stiffness there. But great pop and really good landing and taking off switch. So overall really decent for spins - especially for bigger tricks.
Jibbing
Just OK. Not ideal, IMO. Doable, but I prefer something softer and a little more nimble when riding slower.
Butters
It's not ultra buttery. But it's also not impossible to butter either. It's middle of the road in terms of butterability.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | Contribution to Final Score | |
|---|---|---|
JUMPS | 4.0 | 16/20 |
CARVING/TURNS | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SPEED | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SWITCH | 4.5 | 9/10 |
UNEVEN TERRAIN | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SPINS | 3.5 | 7/10 |
BUTTERING | 3.0 | 3/5 |
POWDER | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
JIBBING | 2.0 | 2/5 |
PIPE | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 87.9/100 |
Overall, the Ultimate Ride will be just that for someone who's looking for all the qualities that it possesses. It's stable, poppy, fast and carves like a dream.
It's aggressive and prefers to ride fast, but it's not a tank at slower speeds either.
Did I mention that it stomps landings!
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Ultimate Ride, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboard options, or if you want to compare how the Ultimate Ride compares to other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboards, then check out the next link.
How does this compare to Salomon Super 8? I live on the east coast so it’s typically groomers but I do go out west once a year. Looking for an all mountain board. I’m getting too old for the park?
Hi Joe
Thanks for your message.
If you’re looking at the 2021 Ultimate Ride, it’s a different Beast to 2020 and earlier models. The Ultiamte Ride I rode was more all-mtn-freestyle oriented than it is now. The 2021 Ultimate Ride is more freeride oriented. When I rode it it was a directional twin with a centered stance, and now it’s tapered directional with a setback stance. Probably more suitable for what you’re looking for if you’re phasing out more freestyle riding.
Assuming the Ultimate Ride has kept some of it’s personality but in a more freeride way, then I would say it’s a little stiffer and certainly overall a more aggressive ride than the Super 8. Quite a lot of camber there. Based on specs, it looks to have kept the same camber profile and core and everything, but with a completely revamped shape. If you want to keep things a little cruisier, then the Super 8 is likely the better bet – it’s still not soft or anything, and not devoid of camber or anything like that – still a fairly precise riding board, but the Ultimate Ride, assuming it keeps some of it’s old personality, is a step up in terms of how aggressive it rides.
Hope this gives you more to go off
Do you think the 2020 model would be too stiff for me if I am an intermediate level rider in regular stance, but trying to work more at switch and buttering? I am a little concern the stiffness might make butters hard to learn and switch riding less forgiving but would love to hear your input because the 2020 model is now on sale. I am looking for an all mountain freestyle type board that is good at ripping on turns, but playful enough to goof around on bumps on the trails and buttering moves. Never park. I would sooo appreciate your thoughts on the 2020 ultimate ride, or any current model suggestions. Seems most all mtn freestyle boards are really park oriented. I want the one that is carving and cruise oriented, with enough flex or whatnot for some light freestyle around the slopes.
Thanks!
Hi Mike
Thanks for your message.
The 2020 Ultimate Ride is fine for switch if you’re switch game is already dialed in, but it’s not that easy to progress with switch, just because of how aggressive a ride it is. It’s also not that easy to butter. It’s not terrible either, but again, if you’re just getting started with that side of things, it’s not the easiest one to start out with those things. I would check out the following:
>>My Top All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards
>>Top 5 Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards
And focus on the score breakdowns. There are some good options in there that I think would suit your needs well in terms of carving but be more suitable for progressing butters and switch.
Hope this helps