It’s that time of the year. We’re all itching to get back on the slopes, and it’s time to grab the gear we need.
Whether you’re a complete beginner, intermediate, or a seasoned pro, our guide to the best snowboard brands covers everything you need to know when it comes to buying your next snowboard.
Below we’ve created a detailed guide to the top snowboard brands, and we’ve even offered up some recommendations as to which board from which manufacturer we’d be buying (if we had the cash).
This Year’s Best Snowboard Brands
If you log onto your favourite ecommerce store, you’ll see a tonne of different snowboard brands on offer. The problem is, the “best sellers” aren’t always the top brands…they’re usually just the cheapest.
Our snowboard brand list only includes reputable snowboard companies in the industry that have been around for years. And they’ve been around for years because they produce the best snowboards that money can buy.
1. Burton
Burton are one of the innovators when it comes to the snowboarding industry. They’re known not just for boards, but for protective and general ski and snowboard gear.
The company has already passed it’s 40th birthday, being founded in 1977. They’re a company that support some of the world’s best riders, which is where they get a lot of the feedback from for their product development.
Essentially, when you buy Burton, you’re buying products that have been trialled and tested by riders that don’t just have a passion, they know what they’re talking about when it comes to improving products.
Alongside feedback from their riders, they have a dedicated R&D facility that’s sole aim is to improve the durability and quality of the full burton range.
Whether you’re a beginner or intermediate, investing in Burton Snowboards isn’t going to put you far wrong.
What do we like?
One of the best snowboards from the company is the Burton Snowboards Flying V. It’s all terrain board suited to beginners through to experienced riders. It’s directional shaped, meaning you get plenty of pop at the tail, whilst Twin Flex provides plenty of manoeuvrability on the slopes.
2. CaPitTa
Although CaPiTa snowboarding isn’t as well established as Burton, it’s still over 20 years old. Like Burton, you don’t run a company for that long in such a small industry and succeed, without being one of the best snowboarding brands on the market.
CaPiTa are one of the few companies that pride themselves on running a 100% clean manufacturing plant, with all of their boards being made at their state of the art Mothership facility in Austria.
And, like Burton, this is one of the few snowboard companies that invests heavily in R&D, meaning the quality and durability of their boards are generally ahead of the curve.
If CaPiTA snowboards are the brand for you, which board should you choose?
We like the CaPiTa Horroscope. Not only is it one of the coolest snowboards on the market, it’s jam packed full of features meaning you get pop from the Select Core, durability from the fiberglass blend and magic bean resin, not to mention the Superdrive Ex Base that improves glide and versatility on the slopes.
3. Gnu
Gnu might not be one of the most well known snowboard brands, but their certainly one of the best. They’ve been manufacturing boards since 1977, so like Burton, are already over 40 years old as a company.
The focus from Gnu is certainly using technology and testing to create the best board possible. For instance, they have a team of engineers focusing on improving the contour of their snowboards to create a smoother but more precise feel on the slopes.
Most of their boards are designed to cope with any terrain. So, whether you’re ripping park or powder, you’ve got everything you need with a Gnu board.
Need a suggestion for your next trip? We like the Gnu Antigravity board.
It’s new for this season. And it’s perfect for riders of any level thanks to the Aspen/Paulownia I core which is lightweight, strong, but still provides plenty of pop.
4. Jones
Jones Snowboarding is one of the youngest companies on this list, having only been founded back in 2010, by Jeremy Jones.
Like all the best snowboard manufacturers on this list, the aim of Jones is to provide products that don’t just offer balance, precision, and pop, but are incredibly durable and are likely to stand the test of time.
Like Burton, many of the employees at Jones are experienced snowboarders. And that means that alongside R&D, rider feedback allows them to consistently refine and further tweak their boards. That means they can and sometimes outrank competitors such as CaPiTa in terms of both quality and price.
Got your heart set on a Jones snowboard and don’t know which one to choose?
Whilst it’s certainly not cheap (so probably not suitable for someone just getting into riding), it’s certainly one of the coolest snowboards out there; the Jones Flagship.
5. K2 Snow
If you’re into any kind of boarding or inline sport (skating, skiing, snowboarding and more), I’d be surprised if you’ve not heard of K2 Sports; one of my first pairs of skates for park were from K2.
K2 Snowboards are a branch of K2 Sports. And K2 Sports are one of the longest serving manufacturers on this list, being founded back in 1962 by Bill Kirschner. They’re journey started by producing skis, and they were a smash hit. Since then, they’ve been the leader in producing ski and snowboard and gear, which is why they’ve made it onto our best snowboard brands list.
One of our favorites, and brand new for this year; when I think cool, I of think the K2 Snow Broadcast. The directional camber baseline allows precision when carving, and the BAP Core, combined with Sintered 4000 base means this board is going to last you a lifetime.
6. Lib Tech
The foundations of Lib Tech Snowboards were already being laid back in 1977, when Mike Olson created his first snowboard. Since then, the brand has been synonymous with all kinds of extreme sports including ski, snow, wake, skate and wake surf.
And it’s easy to see why. Their products aren’t just high quality, they produce some of coolest snowboard designs on this list.
If Lib Tech is for you, and you’re looking for a specific product recommendation, look no further than the Lib Tech Skate Banana Brandon Reis. It’s mid-high end in terms of price but check out the specs and reviews at snowboard shops and you’ll see it’s well worth the money.
The board comes complete with setup for all-mountain, but it can also double up as a freestyle board too. It’s inclusive of a 75% Aspen and 25% Paulownia core for strength, and a Eco Sublimated TNT base meaning it’s easy to maintain. Typically, this board is aimed at an intermediate rider.
7. Nitro
Nitro are a brand that go under the radar in comparison to the likes of K2 and Burton; which is surprising given their product quality is similar, and so are their prices.
Nitro Snowboards having been manufacturing snowboards and accessories since 1990, so are already over 30 years old. They’re considered to be one of the coolest snowboard brands on the market today and they also produce bindings via their sister company, Nitro Bindings.
Sold on Nitro, and looking for a specific board recommendation?
All things considered (design, price, online reviews via ecommerce stores and functionality) and combined, we’d be going for the Nitro Snowboards Dropout.
With the Nitro Dropout you’ll get a directional shape from the board and the camber is cam out, meaning you’re going to have improved control over the board on the slopes. So, the Dropout from Nitro is going to suit beginner to intermediate riders riding across all sorts of terrain (park, powder and off-piste).
8. Ride
Ride are one of my top snowboard companies. They’ve got you covered on the full package, as they manufacture, produce, and sell not just snowboards, but boots and bindings too. They’re reasonably priced, top of the line, and offer some of the most stylish riding gear of any of the snowboard brands on this list.
Ride Snowboards were only founded back in 1992. For such a young company, they’ve made good inroads into the snowboard manufacturing industry. And it’s easy to see why.
I mean just take one of their most popular snowboards for instance, the Ride Snowboards Warpig. Cool name, and cool design. More importantly, the package comes complete with a strong directional rocker for control, and a sintered stone ground base for stability and durability.
Better still, it’s mid-range in terms of price. Check out the price of the Ride Warpig here.
9. Rossignol
Another worthy mention on our top snowboard companies list is Rossignol. The company had won medals for Olympic skiing by 1936, but it wasn’t until 1987 that they got themselves involved with snowboarding. And they’ve not looked back since.
Like a couple of the brands on this list, they don’t necessarily have the biggest marketing budget, or the biggest product range, but that’s what I like. They focus on producing the world’s best snowboards and improve their range year on year.
Better still, many of their products are in the low-end in terms of price, yet still manage to get extremely good reviews, perfect for the beginner or intermediate rider.
The Rossignol Circuit is one of the cheapest and most popular boards on this list, and well worthy of your cash.
It’s AmpTek Auto Turn Rocker sets you up for easy turning, meaning a ton of fun. And that’s combined with a directional shape, providing plenty of flex, but at the same time, the stability and control that every rider needs.
10. Salomon
No list of top snowboard companies is going to compete without Salomon. In fact, for any of you guys and girls that are involved in multiple outdoor activities and sports, you’ll know Salomon produce some of the best gear across multiple industries.
Over the last few years, Salomon’s prices have dropped, which represents excellent value for money, given that the quality certainly hasn’t.
If I were buying a Salomon for my next board, I’d be heading straight for the Salomon Pulse snowboard.
The Directional Twin Shape makes riding in freestyle and on the slopes easy and fun, and it’s the flat out camber that doesn’t just provide stability, but pop and response when turning. If you’re on a budget and looking for the best snowboard for the money, the Salomon Pulse is where you should be looking.
What’s Next?
Thanks for reading my guide to the best snowboard brands this season.
Like what you’ve read and still learning about riding? Check out our full guide covering how to snowboard here.
