UPDATE: Check out our review of the 2018/2019 K2 Cool Bean here

The Details:

If this isn’t the widest board on the market this season, it’s a definite contender. With its massive spoon nose and stubby swallowtail, few boards released this year are quite as unapologetically directional as the K2 Cool Bean. Taking it to the park can be done, but really this is for snorkel days.

The shape will take some getting used to on the piste, especially when you try and pop an ollie. However, once you’ve accepted that it’s not your common-or-garden snowboard, that’s when the fun really starts. Thanks to that wide waist, even those with mega-hooves can get the toe edge dug in for a hard carve.

It’s not an all-rounder by any means (nosebutters are fine, until you try and ride away switch…) but this is one terrific piste cruiser. It goes without saying that it belongs in powder, though, and sure enough it floats effortlessly.

It really has to be ridden to be believed; kill all your speed on a mellow gradient with a ten-pence-piece turn, and it’ll still get going again without any danger of sinking. Take it out on the right day and you’ll find that it’s nimble, maneuverable, forgiving and – most importantly of all – damned good fun.