We have carefully compiled our scores for the 2024-2025 freeride snowboard category and below have selected our top rated freeride snowboards.
Each board is given a rating out of 100 for easier comparison. Price has not been considered in the ratings.
Quick Stats
Of the 35 current model freeride snowboards that we tested:
O.k. let’s get into the top 10.
#10: Capita Kazu Kokubo Pro
Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
RATING: 86.4/100
Starting off the list, in the #10 position, we have Capita's Kazu Kokubo Pro model. The Kazu has been a mainstay in this list over the years - and for good reason.
It can really rip carves, holds it's own at speed and in powder and is one of the better freeride board for jumping - and if you've seen any of Kazu's videos, you'll understand why.
Score Breakdown for the Kazu
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4 | 20/25 |
| Speed | 4 | 16/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 4 | 8/10 |
| Jumps | 4 | 4/5 |
| Switch | 3 | 3/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 86.4/100 |
#9: Jones Hovercraft 2.0
Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
RATING: 86.4/100
Next up we have Jones' Hovercraft 2.0. With the introduction of the 2.0 version of this board a couple of years back, this board got an upgrade that made it even better than it was before.
It's one of those boards that could be used as your specialized powder board, when you get the deep stuff, but it's more than just a powder board and handles groomers really well. It's not great for anything freestyle, but it's the kind of powder board that when then pow is tracked, it's still super fun to rip groomers on.
Score Breakdown for the Hovercraft 2.0
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 5 | 25/25 |
| Speed | 4 | 16/20 |
| Carving | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Turns | 4 | 8/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 4 | 8/10 |
| Jumps | 3 | 3/5 |
| Switch | 1 | 1/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 86.4/100 |
#8: Jones Storm Wolf
Flex: Stiff (9/10)
RATING: 87.0/100
The Storm Wolf is new to this list this year and makes on the back of being a really hard charger and superior to most boards in powder.
This one isn't for the faint hearted, as it's really stiff, at least I found it to be so. But that means you can really let this thing fly and it remains super stable, smashes through crud like it's nothing and can really hold on to a carve.
So long as you don't expect it to be an easy turning board at slower speeds or want to do anything freestyle or ride switch and you like your riding hard charging, this board will let you go to levels that not many others can.
Score Breakdown for the Storm Wolf
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 5 | 25/25 |
| Speed | 5 | 20/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 2 | 4/10 |
| Crud | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Trees | 3 | 6/10 |
| Jumps | 1.5 | 1.5/5 |
| Switch | 1 | 1/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 87/100 |
#7: Capita Black Snowboard of Death
Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
RATING: 87.0/100
Capita's BSOD is our next selection, at #7.
As well as being a very capable hard charger for high speed and deep carves, the BSOD will also have you covered for those unexpected (and expected) powder days.
Score Breakdown for the BSOD
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4 | 20/25 |
| Speed | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Jumps | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Switch | 3 | 3/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 87/100 |
#6: GNU Banked Country
Flex: Medium-Stiff (6.5/10)
RATING: 87.5/100
*TOP TIER HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
At #6, we have GNU's Banked Country.
I found this board to be remarkably agile at slower speeds, given how good it is at handling speed and how good it is on a carve. It's also one of the better jumpers on this list and is really consistent across everything - it's even pretty decent for riding switch.
Score Breakdown for the Banked Country
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4 | 20/25 |
| Speed | 4 | 16/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 4 | 8/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 4 | 8/10 |
| Jumps | 4 | 4/5 |
| Switch | 3 | 3/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 87.5/100 |
#5: Rome Ravine Pro
Flex: Stiff (8.5/10)
RATING: 87.5/100
Now we return to another hard charger. The Ravine Pro (formerly known as the Ravine Select) is a take no prisoners board that likes to charge hard and carve trenches.
But that's only on a non-pow day or when the pow is tracked. It may not be at home in the park or when riding at lower speeds, but it's equally as adept at bombing groomers as it is at floating in powder.
Score Breakdown for the Ravine Pro
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Speed | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Jumps | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| Switch | 2 | 2/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 87.5/100 |
#4: Capita Mega Death
Flex: Stiff (8/10)
RATING: 88.6/100
Another new entry this year, at #4, is the Mega Death - the big brother of the BSOD at #7. Feels a little strange that big brother was born after little brother, but there you have it!
The Mega Death likes nothing more than to bomb and carve, but give it a powder day and it while it won't be the powder board to end all powder boards - it will give you enough float that you can enjoy those deeper days.
And should you come across any crud, give that crud a yell and warn it that you're coming - it's the humane thing to do!
Score Breakdown for the Mega Death
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4 | 20/25 |
| Speed | 5 | 20/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 3 | 6/10 |
| Crud | 5 | 10/10 |
| Trees | 3 | 6/10 |
| Jumps | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Switch | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 88.6/100 |
#3: YES Pick Your Line
Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
RATING: 90.2/100
*TOP TIER HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION
Another staple in this list for many years, we have the YES PYL at #3.
This board is remarkable in so many ways. The way it finds that rare ability to be good at both fast and slow speeds. How it can handle so much being thrown at it, yet be able to ride more casually without being fatiguing.
And then, just when you weren't already gushing enough about this board, you look at the price and have to do a triple take. I mean seriously, there should be a picture in the dictionary of this board under value-for-money!
Score Breakdown for the PYL
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Speed | 4 | 16/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 4 | 8/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 4 | 8/10 |
| Jumps | 4 | 4/5 |
| Switch | 3 | 3/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 90.2/100 |
#2: Never Summer Valhalla
Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
RATING: 90.8/100
The 3rd and final new entry to this list, coming in at #2, we have Never Summer's Valhalla.
This board was seriously fun to ride and seemed to be able to change feel to suit any situation. When you want to be aggressive it can handle it, but when you want to slow it down or when things get tight, it once again handles it. And not only handles it, but makes it fun.
Really very few weaknesses on this board, and I can't wait to hopefully get on it again soon!
Score Breakdown for the Valhalla
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Speed | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 4 | 8/10 |
| Crud | 4 | 8/10 |
| Trees | 4 | 8/10 |
| Jumps | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Switch | 2 | 2/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 90.8/100 |
#1: Jones Flagship
Flex: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)
RATING: 91.3/100
Finally, coming in the top spot at #1, we have Jones' Flagship snowboard.
The Flagship has been ever present in this list for a long time - and it's not surprising, given the performance and quality of this board. It's evolved with the times over the years, but it's always been near the top of the heap when it comes to bombing the mountain, floating in pow, carving up the groomers and eliminating the crud.
And while charging is the Flagship's forte, it's got just enough forgiveness to it, that you can ride it slow when needed without it feeling like a tank.
Score Breakdown for the Flagship
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Powder | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
| Speed | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Carving | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Turns | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Crud | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Trees | 4 | 8/10 |
| Jumps | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Switch | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 91.3/100 |
Over To You
Hopefully this list has provided you with some great freeride snowboard options.
We have thoroughly tested and compared all the boards in this list and those that didn't make the list and every year I go into some pretty deep analysis to determine which I consider to be the best going around.
That doesn't guarantee that you'll feel the boards exactly the same and it also doesn't mean that the order of the boards would be the same for you. So, I encourage you to pay close attention to the score breakdowns, as well as the descriptions, to give yourself the best chance of finding the board which is most suited to you.
Honorable mentions
The following came close but didn't quite get in, but are worthy of a mention:
>>YES PYL Uninc (review coming soon)
If you want to learn more about any of the boards in this list check out the full review links above or the retailer links (in the tabs with the flags). Note that we may receive a small commission if you order through our retailer links - no extra cost to you, of course - and we really appreciate the support!
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