TESTERS CHOICE – 10 Best Freeride Snowboards 2015/16

UPDATE: See our review for the 2016/2017 K2 CarveAir here.

The Details:

The brainchild of backflipping fun-haver Tim Eddy, the CarveAir is another of this year’s shape experiments from the good folk at K2 (see also: the K2 Cool Bean). It’s shorter and wider than your average board, but unlike most of the breed it’s not as pow-specific as you might expect. Yes, you’ll get plenty of good days in the deep stuff on this, but (as the name suggests), it’s made for carves.

With its wide waist and directional shape, the K2 CarveAir has been highly praised by fans of the recent turning renaissance. For such a stubby stick it holds an edge remarkably well, with the advantage that it’s nimble enough to get spontaneous with all over the mountain.

The ‘Precision Lifted’ profile has a long long raised section and mellow contact points, offering plenty of pop with minimal chance of catching an edge.

It’s just as suited for slushy snow too; launch it off a side hit then fire it straight into a butter, before getting the elbow down when you find something firmer. So that’s ‘carve’ and ‘air’ taken care of in one neat, goodtime-focused little package.

If you have the most fun within the resort boundaries, buying this will upgrade those days from ‘good’ to ‘ruddy brilliant’.