I went to a snowboard demo at  Welch Village, MN in February. I rode 7 different snowboards from 4 companies and, despite my initial biases, I was pleasantly surprised. There really aren’t any bad snowboards out there. These days, manufacturers are all making quality equipment. The question is less about which snowboards are good or bad, but what’s the right snowboard for specific riders.

Here are my initial impressions on a few of the boards I tested. We will be creating more detailed video reviews for each board  in the near future on SnowProfessor.com.

My biases: Having been a sponsored Burton rider, I have only ridden Burton snowboards…and only ONE type of snowboard at that: directional all-mountain. I am very boring. I rode the FeelGood for a few years, upgraded to the FeelGood ES a couple seasons ago and recently got a Malolo. I’ve never tried a twin or park board.

Demo methodology: To keep things consistent, I used my boots, bindings and stance for each new board. I rode each one as a beginner, intermediate and advanced rider would to understand how the snowboard performed for different ability levels–not just for me. I threw in switch riding, butters and 180s to gauge its park potential and dinking-aroundness.

My stats:

1. 5′ 3″, 110 pounds, size 6.5 boot
2. Ability level: Expert
3. Natural riding style: Aggressive carving
4. Stance: 20″ wide, +21/-18
5. Bindings: Burton Escapade
6. Boot: Burton Supreme

Snow conditions: Groomed snow.  32 degrees in the morning, warmed up to 41 and sunny. Snow stayed relatively firm.

K2 Luna (143)

Pros: The twin shape made riding switch easy. It has a bit more flexibility to make landings more forgiving. Butters were fun, but not quite as easy as a more flexy jib board. The board was soft enough for beginners to learn on but held up to high speed carving surprisingly well with a smooth turn shape. I really really like this snowboard and am considering adding the Luna to my quiver as my dink-around-Minnesota park board.

Cons: Buttering wasn’t as easy, so hard-core jibbers may want a softer set-up. It didn’t go between regular and switch as easily and I had a harder time with surface 360s. It was a touch slower edge-to-edge than my stiff all-mountain directional board.

Who should buy this board: Beginners though expert female riders looking for an all-mountain twin. Riders who know they will divide their time between the park and groomers will have a great time. If riding powder or layed-out agressive carving is your thing…keep looking.

Rome Vinyl (149)

Pros: Great directional all-mountain snowboard. It rides very similar to the Burton FeelGood (but it’s cheaper!!!). The Vinyl is a great beginner snowboard because it’s forgiving enough to learn on, but has the versatility to last as your riding  improves.  It held and edge well going pretty fast and would be good on a variety of terrain. Since it’s a softer all-mountain snowboard, it was forgiving when landing jumps and spins but still made solid turns.

Cons: It is a bit too soft for serious high-speed carves and didn’t feel as stable when I got ripping. Riding switch was smooth, but not quite as fluid as a twin shaped board–still very solid and easy.

Who should buy this board: A beginner through advanced intermediate rider looking for one snowboard to tackle the mountain. Really agressive carvers may prefer a stiffer all-mountain board and devoted park riders should find a twin. Since it’s good all over the hill, this is a great board if you are unsure of what terrain you want to ride most. If you are watching your budget but want the Burton FeelGood, Rome’s Vinyl is a very very good alternative.