If you're just starting out on your snowboard journey and are looking for a board that will help you progress as fast as possible and help you to build confidence on a snowboard, then this is the list for you.
We've narrowed down to what we think are the best 10 snowboards for beginners for the 2024-2025 season.
Why these boards were chosen?
These boards are all easy to turn and perform well at slower speeds, so you don't have to try to learn while hurtling down at breakneck speeds (which can lead to a crude technique, which is developed more as a survive-the-hill technique than a smooth, efficient technique.
And having a good foundation technique will then allow you to build on top of that much more easily. These boards have been selected to suit that early development and help you to learn good technique at slower speeds, so you can build on that in the future.
Tldr: The boards are all great for starting out your snowboarding Journey.
With that out of the way, let's get into the top 10.
#10=: GNU GWO
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Soft (3/10)
*HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
Starting off the list at #10 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 but still want a looser feeling, easy going board.
Score Breakdown for the GWO
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 5 | 20/20 |
| Stability | 4 | 16/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 4 | 8/10 |
| Versatility | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 5 | 5/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 89.5/100 |
#10=: Ride Agenda
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: 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.
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.
Score Breakdown for the Agenda
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 5 | 20/20 |
| Stability | 5 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Price | 4 | 8/10 |
| Versatility | 3 | 9/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 5 | 5/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 89.5/100 |
#9: Burton Ripcord
Beginner Board Rating Score: 89.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: Soft (2/10)
Any beginner should have an easy time building confidence on Burton's Ripcord. And it's even better for those that see their snowboarding going down the freeriding direction and/or for those who see powder in their near future.
Score Breakdown for the Ripcord
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 5 | 20/20 |
| Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 2 | 2/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 89.5/100 |
#8: YES Basic
Beginner Board Rating Score: 90.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: Freestyle
Flex: Medium-Soft (3.5/10)
*TOP TIER 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 up to moderate speeds.
It’s also a great option for those that often ride in harder or icy conditions and is very versatile. It's the kind of board that can take you beyond the beginner stage and even beyond the intermediate stage, if you're riding takes a freestyle dominant path.
Score Breakdown for the Basic
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Stability | 5 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Price | 4 | 8/10 |
| Versatility | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 5 | 5/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 90.5/100 |
#7: Burton Instigator
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 boards going around.
Score Breakdown for the Instigator
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 5 | 20/20 |
| Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 4 | 8/10 |
| Versatility | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 91.5/100 |
#6: Salomon Sight
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: Freeride
Flex: medium-Soft (4/10)
Like the Ripcord above, the Sight is great for anyone who sees powder/freeriding in their future.
The sight is also great for anyone looking to progress a little deeper into their intermediate level without having to change boards.
And also makes a really good option for those a little bigger than average physically or those who are physically stronger/fitter than normal, with it's flex being a little stiffer than the average of this list.
Score Breakdown for the Sight
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Stability | 5 | 20/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 4 | 4/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 91.5/100 |
#5: Nidecker Play
Beginner Board Rating Score: 91.5/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: medium-Soft (4/10)
At #5 we have Nidecker's Play. A really versatile option for those who want to keep their options open with regards to how they develop their snowboarding style or those who have no clue what their snowboarding journey is going to look like or what one could even look like!
Or just for those who only ever see themselves just casually cruising down groomers at moderate speeds. It has all avenues covered, as well as being an easy board to learn on, of course.
The Play brings with it a nice combination of a friendly flat-to-rocker profile, an easy going flex and a friendly price-tag.
Score Breakdown for the Play
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 5 | 10/10 |
| Versatility | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| Base | 4 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 91.5/100 |
#4: K2 Standard
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (2/10)
In at #4, we have the K2 Standard, a mainstay in this list for several years, and for good reason.
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. This is a great option to start your snowboarding journey out on.
Score Breakdown for the Standard
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 5 | 20/20 |
| Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 4 | 8/10 |
| Versatility | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 4 | 4/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 92/100 |
#3: Rossignol Ampage Mind Expander
Beginner Board Rating Score: 92/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: FREESTYLE
Flex: Soft (3/10)
The Ampage Mind Expander from Rossignol is new for 2025, but it's very similar to the outgoing District and picks up where the District left off - only with a friendlier price-tag, which is always good!
Like the District was, the Ampage is a freestyle oriented board, but for is also very good for learning the basics on. And then you can either sell it when you upgrade or keep it in your quiver as your park board, if you get into that side of riding.
Score Breakdown for the Ampage Mind Expander
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 5 | 20/20 |
| Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 5 | 10/10 |
| Versatility | 3 | 9/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 5 | 5/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 92/100 |
#2: Nitro Prime
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 equal cheapest board (along with the Nidecker Play (#5 above) and Rossignol Ampage (#3 above)) on this list too, so if you're a beginner snowboarder on a budget, this is definitely worth considering.
Score Breakdown for the Prime
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 5 | 10/10 |
| Versatility | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 4 | 4/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 92/100 |
#1: Rossignol Evader
Beginner Board Rating Score: 93/100
Ability Level: Beginner-to-Intermediate
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Flex: Soft (3/10)
And finally in the #1 position for our 2025 list, we have Rossignol's Evader, for the second year running.
The Evader has a very friendly camber profile, a nice easy soft flex and provides a very versatile, catch-free ride that allows you to progress into which ever area of snowboarding you want. It also comes in at a friendly price tag.
Tldr: ticks all the boxes as a beginner board.
Score Breakdown for the Evader
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Flex Score | 5 | 20/20 |
| Stability | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Turning Ease | 5 | 25/25 |
| Price | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Versatility | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shape & Stance | 4 | 4/5 |
| Base | 5 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 93/100 |
Over To You
So there you have our top 10 snowboards for beginners for the 2024-2025 season. Hopefully this has helped you in choosing your beginner snowboard.
For more information and current prices, check out the links above, under each board (in the flag tabs).
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