The following 10 boards are what I consider the best snowboards for intermediate riders for the 2020-21 season.
These boards have been chosen as boards that are still not too difficult to ride, but at the same time offer a little more performance, for those that are high-end beginners to intermediate riders that are looking for a board that can stick with them for longer than a beginner board.
Each board is given a rating out of 100 for easier comparison.
Price has not been considered in the ratings.
NOTE: This is a past seasons top 10. For the latest season's Top 10 Intermediate Snowboards list, check out the link below:
>>TOP 10 INTERMEDIATE SNOWBOARDS (Latest Season)
Of the 37 different intermediate boards that I rated:
O.k. let’s get started with the top 10.
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #10
Board: Ride Wildlife
Price: $459
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Smart rating score: 89.5/100
Starting off the list in #10 is the Ride Wildlife.
The Wildlife is an easy riding board, but won't limit you in your progression. Given that you could probably describe it as part all-mountain, part easy going freeride, this would be a great option for anyone who see's freeriding in their future, but isn't ready for a stiff, aggressive freeride board.
Check out the video for more about the Wildlife
Score Breakdown for the Wildlife
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5/5 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4/5 | 16/20 |
VERSATILITY | 4/5 | 8/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 82.1/100 | 41.1/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.5/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #9
Board: YES Dicey
Price: $429
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Style of Board: Freestyle
Smart rating score: 89.7/100
The Dicey is new from YES for 2021, and is like a mellowed out Jackpot.
A great option for those who are starting to ride freestyle/park or think they'll want to in the near future.
This is a bona-fide quality freestyle board in it's own right, but it's also easy enough to ride to make a great progression board too.
Check out the video for more about the Dicey
Score Breakdown for the Dicey
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4/5 | 16/20 |
VERSATILITY | 3.5/5 | 7/10 |
Performance score as ALL-MTN-FREESTYLE snowboard | 88.5/100 | 44.3/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.7/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #8
Board: Endeavor Ranger
Price: $450
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Style of Board: Freestyle
Smart rating score: 90.0/100
In at #8 we have the Endeavor Ranger.
Like with the Dicey above, if you are looking to incorporate freestyle/park riding into your repertoire or think you will pretty soon, then the Ranger is a great option. It will still help you to continue to refine the fundamentals of riding, but will be a great tool to take you into the park when you're ready.
Score Breakdown for the Ranger
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 5/5 | 20/20 |
VERSATILITY | 3/5 | 6/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 83.0/100 | 41.5/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.0/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #7
Board: Rossignol Templar
Price: $449
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Smart rating score: 90.3/100
At #7 we have Rossignol's Templar.
A versatile, all-mountain deck that is a great option for that next level, once you've started nailing your turns and starting to get more comfortable riding at a faster speed.
Can pretty much do it all, so if you want that versatility, or aren't sure what style of riding you'll get into, this is a nice choice to cover everything.
Score Breakdown for the Templar
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5/5 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4/5 | 16/20 |
VERSATILITY | 5/5 | 10/10 |
Performance score as ALL-MOUNTAIN snowboard | 79.6/100 | 39.8/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.3/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #6
Board: Slash Brainstorm
Price: $449
Flex: Medium (5.5/10)
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Smart rating score: 90.7/100
A great option for those who want just a bit more stiffness compared to most on this list. Still a mid-flex, but just a touch stiffer than most here. If you're quite an athletic rider, you might like that extra rigidity.
But it's not stiff by any means and it's not super technical to ride or anything. It's got very subtle camber between the feet and a really easy turning board particularly for it's flex.
So, if you think you want to step it up just a touch bit more with the flex, but still want something that's easy enough to turn and is otherwise a really high performance board, this could be a good option for you.
Score Breakdown for the Brainstorm
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4/5 | 16/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4/5 | 16/20 |
VERSATILITY | 5/5 | 10/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 88.3/100 | 44.2/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.7/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #5
Board: YES Basic
Price: $399
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Style of Board: Freestyle
Smart rating score: 90.8/100
Next up we have the YES Basic. A great option as a strictly beginner deck but also works well as an intermediate-to-advanced board, if you're looking for something that's freestyle focused.
Something that you can use as your dedicated park board, if you end up going in another direction for freeride or all-mountain riding - or simply as a mellow groomer cruiser.
Score Breakdown for the Basic
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
VERSATILITY | 4/5 | 8/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 84.6/100 | 42.3/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.8/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #4
Board: Burton Process Flying V
Price: $499
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Smart rating score: 91.6/100
The Process Flying V is one of the more versatile boards going around for those that want a playful take on all-mountain riding.
Also, great for that next level for the progressing high-end beginner and intermediate rider.
Score Breakdown for the Process Flying V
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
VERSATILITY | 5/5 | 10/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 82.1/100 | 41.1/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 91.6/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #3
Board: Never Summer Snowtrooper
Price: $549
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Smart rating score: 92.3/100
The Snowtrooper is a very easy going and versatile ride that can take you anywhere/do a bit of everything.
Great for anyone who wants something that's a little more casual/surfy but that can still progress with them, anywhere and everywhere on the mountain.
Score Breakdown for the Snowtrooper
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
VERSATILITY | 5/5 | 10/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 83.3/100 | 41.7/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 92.3/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #2
Board: Capita Outerspace Living
Price: $419
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Style of Board: All-Mountain-Freestyle
Smart rating score: 93.7/100
One of the most versatile boards going around, this all-mountain-freestyle bordering on all-mountain deck has the performance you'll need once you're more advanced, whilst still being easy going enough not to stunt your progress now.
Score Breakdown for the Outerspace Living
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5/5 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4/5 | 16/20 |
VERSATILITY | 5/5 | 10/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 86.0/100 | 43/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 93.7/100 |
INTERMEDIATE BOARD #1
Board: YES Typo
Price: $449
Flex: Medium (4.5/10)
Style of Board: All-Mountain
Smart rating score: 95.6/100.
And finally at #1 we have the YES Typo.
The Typo is a souped-up version of the YES Basic (see #6 in this list).
You get a bit more stiffness and a bit more of a camber dominant profile and a faster base, with a small setback stance, giving you that little bit more performance and a board that's on the all-mtn freestyle end of all-mountain but more all-mountain oriented than the Basic.
Score Breakdown for the Typo
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5/5 | 20/20 |
TURNING EASE | 4.5/5 | 18/20 |
VERSATILITY | 4.5/5 | 9/10 |
Performance score as FREESTYLE snowboard | 87.7/100 | 43.9/50 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 95.6/100 |
Over To You
So there's my top 10 Intermediate boards for 2020-21. Hopefully it helps those who are bordering beginner and intermediate to find a good deck that they won't outgrow too soon.
The scores above have been derived taking 3 factors that I see as important to a beginner friendly board, and giving 50% of the score to that. The other 50% of the score goes to how well that board performs in it's given category (i.e. all-mountain).
NOTE: This is a past seasons top 10. For the latest season's Top 10 Intermediate Snowboards list, check out the link below:
>>TOP 10 INTERMEDIATE SNOWBOARDS (Latest Season)
Buying Past Season Models
Often models don't change that much from year to year so if you can find a past season model, it will likely be close enough to the latest model but you can get it cheaper, if available and in a suitable size for you. For past year's models check out the links below to see if they still have any left.
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