• Price: £360
• Sizes: 141, 146, 151
• Flex: 5
• Profile:Hybrid Camber
• Shape: Directional
• K2SNOWBOARDING.COM

Downsizing isn’t just for dudes; the K2 Wildheart is, like the CarveAir and Party Platter, another exercise in ‘Volume Shift’ from the fine folk at K2. It’s a short, nimble stick that’s been specifically designed for females who want to surf the earth.

Despite being something that you’d look to ride between 5 and 7 centimetres shorter than your usual snowboard, the K2 Wildheart still has plenty of nose. Not only is your stance slightly set back, but the overall shape is also tapered. When you’re in the powder you can afford to drop your speed and snake those turns, safe in the knowledge that you won’t get bogged down.

“Despite its smaller size, no-one should be afraid to get aggressive with the K2 Wildheart”

The board is further buoyed by the ‘Tweekend’ sections at each end. The rocker gradually rises right to tips to provide extra nsurface area, which make floating, pressing and buttering far easier. Between the two there’s a prominent camber bend that is unbeatable for edge hold on hard-pack, and gives you penty of pop when you find a launch-pad.

The core features strategically placed strips of bamboo. As any panda knows, bamboo weighs next to nothing but is still super strong – this particular core comes with a two-year warranty. Bamboo is also fast-growing, making it one of the most renewable natural materials around.

Despite its smaller size, no-one should be afraid to get aggressive with the K2 Wildheart. Any wider board will feel a little slower from edge to edge, but this features thin carbon strips that run from the inserts to the area of edge nearest the contact points, ensuring that the board responds to your commands in a hearbeat. There’s also more carbon weaved into the fiberglass layer, slightly stiffening the board from end to end and increasing its potential ollie performance.

You can point this, but really the K2 Wildheart is a board to be savoured rather than rinsed. Use it to seek out the best banks and sidehits that the resort can offer, slicing up the pistes that lie between. Then when it dumps, get out after it.