Top 10 Freeride Snowboards 2020-21 (Past Season)

Board: Capita Black Snowboard of Death

Price: $629

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 85.3/100

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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. 

Score Breakdown for the BSOD

Board: Lib Tech Ejack Knife

Price: $599

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. 

Score Breakdown for the E-Jack Knife

Board: Niche Maelstrom

Price: $569

Flex: Stiff (8/10)

Rating: 85.9/100

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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

Price: $629

Flex: Stiff (8/10)

Rating: 86.4/100

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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.  

Score Breakdown for the Chairman

Board: GNU Essential Service

Price: $599

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating: 86.4/100

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 *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. 

Score Breakdown for the Essential Service

Board: Rossignol XV Magtek

Price: $649

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.

Score Breakdown for the XV

Board: Capita Kazu Kokubo Pro

Price: $579

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. 

Score Breakdown for the Kazu

Board: Burton Flight Attendant

Price: $549

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 88.0/100

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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. 

Score Breakdown for the Flight Attendant

Board: Jones Flagship

Price: $649

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating: 88.6/100

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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.     

Score Breakdown for the Flagship

Board: Never Summer West Bound

Price: $599

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating: 90.2/100

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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. 

Score Breakdown for the West Bound

Board: Yes Pick Your Line

Price: $599

Flex: Medium-Stiff (7.5/10)

Rating: 91.8/100

 *HARD/ICY SNOW OPTION

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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. 

Score Breakdown for the PYL