Top 10 Snowboard Brands

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Snowboarding has long gained recognition, capturing more and more people. But to enjoy the ride you need to be able to stand correctly on the board. It is not only your abilities that allow you to learn this, but also the correctly chosen sports equipment. In this article, we will tell you how to choose the optimal snowboard in terms of width, length, stiffness and other parameters.

Our experts have also prepared a rating based on a market analysis that includes the top 10 brands that sell great snowboards.

What to look for when choosing a snowboard

Appointment. It is worth knowing exactly what the board is being purchased for. There are several groups:

1. Rigid (carving) – suitable for high-speed skiing on specialized slopes. These snowboards should only be used by high-level athletes with extensive experience.
2. Universal – ideal for both freeriding and slopes on tracks specially prepared for this. It is these options that are best preferred by snowboarding beginners.
3. Freeride boards are specially made for rolling down deep snow and unprepared slopes.
4. Freestyle boards are soft and versatile. It is convenient to slide down on them both with your face and with your back forward.

Lenght and width. These parameters are selected based on a person's height, leg size and purpose. Carving and universal ones should be 15 cm shorter than the height. Freeride boards – by 10 cm.To pick up a snowboard for restyle, you need to subtract 8 or 10 cm from height.At the same time, take into account the weight: thin ones should subtract another 5 cm from the obtained value, and people with an impressive package, on the contrary, add the same amount . Many large manufacturers have special tables by which you can determine the optimal size. Look for the chart on the board, on stickers, or on the manufacturer's website. By width, snowboards are divided into 4 groups: wide (waist 26 cm), medium (waist 25-26 cm, ends from 30 cm), standard (waist 25-26 cm, ends up to 30 cm) and narrow (waist up to 25 cm) . With a leg size of 44 or more, you should choose wide and medium ones.

Materials and construction. There are three designs:

1. Cap. The core is covered at the bottom with a sliding part, and at the top with a sturdy decorative cover. These boards are the most budget-friendly as they are easier to manufacture and repair. But during falls, these are the snowboards that most often fall apart.
2. Sandwich. The cover, sliding surface and core are pressed together under pressure. This gives the board reliability and strength. Therefore, they break less often, but if, nevertheless, a breakdown has occurred, then it will be quite difficult to fix the snowboard. All this is reflected in the price, which is too high compared to the first design option.
3. Combined. Such snowboards have a center made using cap technology, which makes the board lightweight, and the ends are pressed in layers, which guarantees strength.

The cores are usually made of oak, beech, pine, spruce, poplar, ash, and also use foam, which makes the product cheaper. However, elasticity with vibration resistance decreases in such models. The sliding surface of snowboards is made of sintered polyethylene, which gives porosity, which means that it improves the absorption of ointment and glide. In addition, scratches and damage to such a board are not terrible. Cheaper snowboards have an extruded polyethylene sliding surface. It does not require any special maintenance and complex expensive repairs.

Deflection. Ease of management depends on this parameter. There are 4 groups:

1. Classic, where the central part is raised. This board is suitable for experienced athletes.
2. Zero, where the ends are raised, and the center is absolutely flat. Choose such a snowboard for freestyle or for simple beginner riding.
3. Rocker where the ends are curved and the center point touches the ground (arcuate shape). Ideal for training, jibbing, freestyle, freeriding and big air.
4. Combined, where hybrid bends are used. This allows you to improve some specific characteristics of the snowboard, for example, speed, ease of control, etc.

Geometry. The difference here is in the placement of the mortgages. There are three types:

1. Twin type. Allows you to ride in any direction due to the same length of the tail and nose, as well as rigidity. Suitable for park riding.
2. Directional. They differ in the offset of the mortgages, which makes the tail or nose slightly longer. They allow you to drive in only one direction, for example, from a mountain.
3. Directional twin-type. Such snowboards have a difference in the stiffness of the tail and nose, as well as a slight offset of the mortgages. Influences stability and provides benefits when driving on virgin soil. Such boards are suitable for high-speed piste skiing and freeriding.

Rating of the best snowboard manufacturers

Nomination	a place	Name of product	price
Rating of the best snowboard manufacturers	1	Burton	4.9
	2	Head	4.8
	3	Flow	4.8
	4	Lib Tech	4.7
	5	Atom	4.7
	6	Nitro	4.6
	7	Never summer	4.6
	8	GNU	4.5
	9	Arbor	4.5
	10	Salomon	4.4

Burton

Rating: 4.9

The first place is deservedly occupied by the most famous brand. Burton focuses mainly on snowboards and accessories. The manufacturer is rightfully considered the king of the industry and the founder of snowboarding as a sport. The US-based company is the world's largest board design and manufacturing firm. Developers are constantly introducing new technologies, which are subsequently copied by others. The best woods are selected for snowboards, and the combination of hard and soft woods provides the best combination of power and lightness. The Channel's bindings technology is Burton's proprietary technology that distinguishes the brand's boards.

Advantages

• cores with variable thickness;

• special system of factory testing (Infinite Ride);

• carbon rods;

• double, lightweight fiber is used;

• combination of wood EGD and T6 aluminum structure;

• ideal geometrical parameters of wedges;

disadvantages

• high cost.

Head

Rating: 4.8

On the second line is the no less popular global premium brand. The main production is located in Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic. The company's snowboards are of the highest quality. Only selected materials are used for their manufacture. Head experts are improving technology to make the boards as comfortable as possible for riders. It should be noted that the most titled and famous athletes prefer the snowboards of this particular brand. At the last Winter Olympics, Head won the most gold medals of any brand.

Advantages

• innovativeness of developments;

• The optimum ratio of price and quality;

• a wide range of;

• snowboards are easy to operate;

• amplification due to the use of graphene, the lightest material;

disadvantages

• on some models the mounts may become loose.

Flow

Rating: 4.8

The third position goes to a brand that has been on the market for over 15 years. Since its foundation, the company has gone through a difficult path from obscurity to recognition at the global level. In 2002, experts release a line that includes 14 models of boards with a solid wood core that runs from nose to tail. And since 2004 the company has been gaining popularity among snowboarders. Today the company occupies a well-deserved place among the best manufacturers of boards. Flow designers have pioneered the way snowboarders think about what bindings should be. It was this brand that made them lighter for the first time, allowing riders to feel 'barefoot'. Now Flow has the strongest freestyle team winning various kinds of competitions, contests, Olympics.

Advantages

• fundamentally new design of fasteners;

• acceptable prices.

disadvantages

• not found.

Lib Tech

Rating: 4.7

A well-known American brand becomes the fourth in the ranking. It has existed on the market for 20 years, but to this day it manages to retain its leadership not only in Canada and the USA, but throughout the world. Snowboards are manufactured at the Mervin factory. He is famous for the high quality of the products it produces. Lib Tech uses the latest technology to ensure a safe and economical production process. The innovative designs used to create the boards guarantee users of all levels of functionality, strength and durability. The range includes snowboards for men, women, children, as well as for beginners and professionals, including high-level athletes.

Advantages

• pronounced style;

• a large number of lines for any request;

• design features of snowboards;

• verified geometry for easy riding;

disadvantages

• high cost.

Atom

Rating: 4.7

The Russian brand closes the top five. On the market since 2000, then bicycles were produced under the brand, and in 2004 the production of the first snowboards began. The priority for the company is to achieve a consistently high level of product quality. Unlike many competitors, Atom does not reduce production costs by placing orders only from the world's best factories. Modern technological solutions are constantly being improved. The company collects information, taking into account the requests of ordinary people who are fond of snowboarding at different levels.

Advantages

• wooden vertically laminated cores;

• perfect value for money;

• the availability of boards;

• eye-catching design;

• high functionality;

disadvantages

• not found.

Nitro

Rating: 4.6

The rating is continued by the oldest brand, which is in sixth position. It has been on the market since 1990. The company's success is possibly due to the fact that the founding fathers were two professional riders who were deeply disappointed with the quality of snowboards that existed at the time. All models are developed in Canada and the USA, and manufactured in Austria. It was Nitro that became the first brand under which a women's freestyle board was released, characterized by increased rigidity. Lava laminate flooring and ultra-lightweight materials provide excellent performance for all models. Besides snowboards, the brand makes stylish sportswear and great snowboarding accessories, including boots.

Advantages

• three-section fastenings for freestyle boards;

• technological implementations of the deflection;

• for each board, its own cores are developed for the purpose;

• asymmetrical twin-type;

disadvantages

• not found.

Never summer

Rating: 4.6

The seventh place in the ranking goes to the brand, which is one of the few today who retains one hundred percent quality hand-built from the beginning to the final stage of snowboard production. The company has been on the market since 1991. Never Summer is a brand that has become famous not due to advertising and strong management, but precisely to the quality of its products. The company's boards are favorites among many analogues, even in stores that are selective in the selection of products for sale. For example, in most of Denver's board shops, only two snowboards are on display, including Never Summer.

Advantages

• cores made with a cutter, having an ideal thickness;

• careful quality control of the boards;

• high stability;

• a separate person is responsible for each assembly step;

disadvantages

• high price.

GNU

Rating: 4.5

The eighth position is occupied by the brand that manufactures all models with a rocker deflection (Banana). According to experts from GNU, it is this structural structure that is the best, as it provides excellent gliding smoothness, high speed and complete control over the board. For the manufacture of snowboards, the company uses exclusively selected materials, for example, wood, polymers, metals, which are distinguished by their strength and, just as important, lightness. Despite the high prices, according to experts, snowboards are worth every penny spent. The brand produces boards for everyone: women, men, children, adolescents, amateurs, beginners and professional athletes. The list of riders choosing GNU is full of stars: Mikka Backstrom, Travis Rice, Jamie Lynn, Victor Teymurov and others.

Advantages

• reliable fasteners;

• excellent quality;

• high driving stability;

• strong cores;

disadvantages

• high cost.

Arbor

Rating: 4.5

The ninth is a brand whose history has been written since 1995. From the very beginning, the company focused on the production of environmentally friendly sports equipment – snowboards and skateboards. Experts believe that the company has achieved great success in the field of snowboarding, since the boards produced have become reference ones. The company's specialists monitor all current trends and technological development. The design of the Arbor snowboards deserves a special mention. The firm works closely with like-minded artists who create unique stylish designs for the brand, many of which later become works of art.

Advantages

• special design, which is a business card;

• many price segments;

• correct geometry for all boards, depending on the purpose;

• stability and ease of management;

• required core thickness;

• design features that distinguish snowboards from analogues;

disadvantages

• not found.

Salomon

Rating: 4.4

The ranking is completed by a brand founded in France in 1947. True, the company began to make snowboards only in 1997. Today the company occupies a leading position, entering the top brands, under which the best boards in the world are produced. Strict requirements and scientific and technical potential provide the snowboards produced for sale with excellent quality, functionality, practicality and a long service life. Many users who choose Salomon note that training on these boards is especially comfortable, since they are simple to operate, and reasonable prices make it possible, with any budget, to purchase a whole set of sports equipment. A careful approach to development, professionalism and corporate identity are three principles that guarantee a perfect product at the end.

Advantages

• high flexibility;

• affordability;

• cores that enhance the desired characteristics of boards for various purposes;

• correct geometry;

• excellent dynamism;

disadvantages

• not found.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.