The Top Freeride Snowboards: My Top 10

Board: Capita Black Snowboard of Death

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 85.3/100

>>See Full Review

To start the list at #10= we have the Capita Black Snowboard of Death (BSOD). 

The BSOD is one of those boards that's hard to say if it's all-mountain or freeride. I've chosen to categorize it as a freeride board, but it's a freeride board with a very all-mountain feel. 

But it's a better carver, better at speed and better in powder than the average all-mountain board, so it fits in - and to boot, it's also a great jumper and better than average at riding switch compared to the average freeride board. 

Learn more about the Black Snowboard of Death in the video below

Score Breakdown for the BSOD

Board: Lib Tech Ejack Knife

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 85.3/100

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Next up we have the Lib Tech E-Jack Knife.

The Ejack Knife is a great freeride board - and also one that you can enjoy jumps on - and isn't bad riding switch for a freeride board. 

So, if you're looking for something that's hard charging and freeride oriented but also a little more versatile, the Ejack Knife is worth checking out further. 

Learn more about the E-Jack Knife in the video below

Score Breakdown for the E-Jack Knife

Board: Niche Maelstrom

Flex: Stiff (8/10)

Rating: 85.9/100

>>See Full Review

Another new freeride board for 2020 is from Niche - the Maelstrom. 

Now this is a more traditional freeride board. It's a stiff, tough, hard charging beast. If you like you're riding aggressive and you want to be able to charge both groomers and powder and smash through crud, the Maelstrom should be on your radar.  

Score Breakdown for the Maelstrom

Board: Never Summer Chairman

Flex: Stiff (8/10)

Rating: 86.4/100

   >>See Full Review

In at #8, we have the Never Summer Chairman.

This board is a bomber and made to charge the mountain hard, whether on the groomers or in the deep stuff. 

It's stiff and has plenty of camber and loves to carve - loves to be railing that edge - but at the same time finds a way to float really well in powder. And it's not half bad on a jump - or riding switch, for a freeride board. 

Learn more about the Chairman in the video below

This video is a couple of years old now – but the Chairman hasn’t really changed for a good few years, apart from the graphic. 

Score Breakdown for the Chairman

Board: GNU Essential Service

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating: 86.4/100

   >>See Full Review

 *HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION

The Essential Service (formerly called the Mullair) is 1 of 4 boards in this list that has rocker between the feet - though the Essential Service has GNUs C3 camber profile, which is pretty much all camber with just a touch of rocker between the feet. 

Whilst this profile doesn't suit powder quite as well as something with rocker in the nose, the Essential Service floats surprisingly well in powder. 

But where it really shines is on a carve. This board can really lay down a carve. But it's also something that you can actually maneuver quite easily at slower speeds and is very agile - so you can happily take this through the trees. 

All this plus it's ability to bomb at speed, make this a great freeride option. 

Learn more about the Essential Service (Mullair) in the video below

Score Breakdown for the Essential Service

Board: Rossignol XV Magtek

Flex: Stiff (8/10)

Rating: 87.0/100

  *HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION

Coming in at #6 is the impressive, ever reliable Rossi XV Magtek..

The XV Magtek is quite stiff so not for the faint-hearted!

That stiffness will bring with it some awesome responsiveness but will also be very unforgiving of errors.

This board is definitely a big mountain bomber that will float effortlessly over powder, cut straight through the choppiest conditions and grip even the hardest ice (due largely to its magne-traction edges). It is also super fast and super stable at high speeds.

Check out the video for more

Score Breakdown for the XV

Board: Capita Kazu Kokubo Pro

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 87.5/100

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The Kokubo Pro is an awesome option for anyone who wants to be jumping in the backcountry/sidecountry and loves to ride the trees, but at the same time can carve well on groomers, when the powder is tracked. 

Surprisingly nimble at slower speeds, despite how good it is riding fast. And floats really nicely in powder. 

Learn more about the Kazu in the video below

Score Breakdown for the Kazu

Board: Burton Flight Attendant

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 88.0/100

   >>See Full Review

In the #4 spot, we have Burton’s Flight Attendant.

The Flight Attendant has everything you want out of a freeride board. It floats beautifully in powder, carves hard without even the hint of even getting close to washing out and is super fast and super stable at high speeds.

It's also above average for jumping for a freeride board, so if you're looking to rock some freestyle off those natural hits then the flight attendant is a good way to go. It's got a slightly more forgiving flex than a traditional stiff freeride board. This is more the trend these days, but the FA has been doing it for a long time now. 

Check out the Video below for more on the Flight Attendant

Score Breakdown for the Flight Attendant

Board: Jones Flagship

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating: 88.6/100

   >>See Full Review

The Flagship underwent a number of changes for the 2020 model - and retains those changes for the 2021 model. It's a changed board, but still keeps some of the same character from the 2019 and previous models. 

It's not as hard a charger for straight line bombing as it was, IMO. But it's an improved board for trees, maneuverability and jumps but can still carve and bomb - and for powder, if anything floats even better. 

It's a slightly more mellow flex and overall a slightly more mellow ride, but also super fun (even more so, in this rider's opinion) and still a charging freeride machine overall. It's more mellow than it was, but it's still not a mellow ride overall.     

Check out this video for more on the Flagship

Score Breakdown for the Flagship

Board: Never Summer West Bound

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 90.2/100

>>See Full Review

And coming in the #2 spot, we have the Never Summer West Bound.

The Westbound is a great mid-stiff, super smooth/damp freeride crusher. This thing absorbs the bumps better than most - and all round has the balance just right between being hard charging and forgiving. It's more forgiving than you're average freeride board when you're riding it slow, but can bomb when you need it too. 

It also achieves an allusive combination of being lively yet damp at the same time. 

Learn more about the West Bound in the video below

Score Breakdown for the West Bound

Board: Yes Pick Your Line

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating: 91.8/100

 *HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION

   >>See Full Review

The YES Pick Your Line is a hard charging, big mountain machine, that is also agile & maneuverable.

A well deserved taker of the # 1 spot in this list.

With equally good float in powder, speed and carving abilities the Pick Your Line can take whatever you throw at it in the backcountry or on the groomers. It has an uncanny ability to switch between hard snow and powder and still be great on both. This is down partly to the unique tapered underbite. 

But besides all of that, the PYL has something that can't be described that just made me a better rider.

My carves were better, I had more confidence bombing at speed, whether out in the open or through the trees (where it is surprisingly agile). That, and the fact it can handle all terrain well, makes this a very versatile and super-fun freeride deck. 

Check out the Video below for some more info on the PYL

Score Breakdown for the PYL