UPDATE: Check out our review of the Best Women’s Snowboards for 2020/2021 by clicking here.
What makes a good park snowboard? Like most things in snowboarding it’s quite subjective. When you bear in mind the term fact that ‘Park’ spans a really broad range of activities it becomes even more difficult to discern what characteristics make a board appropriate. Are you an all-out rail rat? A big ol’ booter shooter? Or do you like a quick top to bottom hitting a multitude of features? Take Shaun White and Eiki Helgason for instance- both are world class freestylers but the snowboards that they ride are complete opposite ends of the spectrum.
In general, a park board will have a true twin shape so you can land or take off switch without any nasty hang ups. Is there anything more embarrassing than a big fat scorpion before you even hit the lip? Depending on your stance the twin shape can also equal out the swing weight of the board making everything feel a bit more uniform in the air. (Although Zeb Powell does put paid to the notion that you can’t ride park on a super directional monster)
“Take Shaun White and Eiki Helgason for instance- both are world class freestylers but the snowboards that they ride are complete opposite ends of the spectrum”
A lot of park focused boards will have a bit of camber as well, to keep them feeling snappy and responsive. The camber profile allows you to spring load the board resulting in some explosive pop. If you’re looking to send it in the pipe or boost off the pro line an aggressive camber profile will certainly help with stability and grip but can sometimes hamper your riding if you’re a jib kid. For more playful riding you might want to consider a bit of rocker in the nose and tail to mellow out the ride a little, or even look towards a flat board which gives a real skate-style feeling.
The flex of the board is also completely up to you, stick with a stiffer board to stop it flapping as you’re mach 10 on the in-run and to help you stomp meaty landings. A softer flexing board might be more your cup of tea if you love flatland and buttering. A more mellow board will have your back a bit more if you’re just dipping your toes into the freestyle pond and won’t kick your arse as much as you’re learning.
There’s absolutely no right or wrong with it, so we’ve put a whole bunch of boards to the test in an array of conditions. We’ve narrowed down our choices of the sickest snowboards for riding park of 2019-2020. They’re not all ‘Park Specific’ snowboards, but they’re all boards that our test team frothed over when riding freestyle. Whether you’re a knuckle hucker, a kicker queen or an urban street destroyer there’s something in here for you. Scroll down to see the whole list or skip to a particular board using the links below.
Best Women’s Park Snowboards 2020
- GNU Pro Choice
- Bataleon Distortia
- Lib Tech No. 43
- Ride Psychocandy
- Rome Lo-Fi
- Salomon Gypsy
Scroll down to view all the best women’s park snowboards, or skip to a particular model using the links below
Gnu Pro Choice | Bataleon Distortia | Lib Tech No.43 | Ride Psychocandy | Rome Lo-Fi | Salomon Gypsy | Bataleon Disaster | Bataleon She-W | Burton Talent Scout | Capita Birds of a Feather | Gnu Ladies Choice | Jones Airheart | Jones Twin Sister | K2 Limelite | Lobster Eiki | Ride Saturday | Salomon Oh Yeah | Slash Happy Place | Yes Emoticon
