Why We Chose The Tur Bubo 

We got wind of the company a couple of seasons ago, but this is the first time we’ve had them beneath the feet of one of Whitelines test team. They sent us three models—the Falc, the Bubo and the Buteo—and this was the pick of the bunch.

The eye-catching artwork was the first thing our tester liked. Each board in Tur’s line is named after a different bird, with the topsheets illustrated by Stockholm-based artist Ragnar Persson. Falc is (you guessed it) a falcon in Swedish, Buteo means “buzzard”, and a Bubo is an Eagle Owl. Beyond the graphic, however, it’s this board’s combination of volume shift maneuverability and a mid-soft flex that will have you reaching for it in your quiver. 

“It’s a lot of fun to carve on the piste, but you’d be wasting its potential if all you ever rode was groomers.”

Who Is The Tur Bubo For?

The Tur Bubo is aimed at intermediate to advanced riders who spend a fair bit of time chasing powder. It’s a lot of fun to carve on the piste, but you’d be wasting its potential if all you ever rode was groomers. It’s not really one for park rats or beginners—there are other boards in the Tur line-up that would suit them better.

Shape, Profile and Sidecut

Short and squat looking, like the bird it’s named for, the Tur Bubo works on the same basic principle as all “volume shift” boards. These exploded onto the snowboard market a decade ago with the launch of models like the Yes 420, and revolutionised the way freeride boards were built. Previously, powder guns were always longer, with the added surface area at the nose particularly helping them float in the soft stuff.

Volume shift boards removed the extra surface area from the nose and tail and added it around the waist instead. Because they were shorter, they were more maneuverable, and while many people thought the first models looked too wide and unwieldy to feel good edge-to-edge, it quickly became apparent that they were fun to carve on piste too. A little different-feeling, perhaps, but with your toe and heel miles from the edge you could really crank into your carves.

This is certainly something our tester noticed while riding the Bubo, which comes in two very short lengths (a 150.4 and a 154.4) which have waist widths of 265mm and 268mm respectively. Our tester would ride a 158 normal width board on the piste, but opting for the ‘54.4 they remarked on how much fun the Bubo was to lean into when cutting it up on corduroy—a sensation no doubt enhanced by the Bubo’s directional silhouette and tapered tail, designed to make turn initiation easier. 

 
The mid-stiff flex means there’s enough snap for it to feel responsive, without you having to work too hard to pop an ollie. The sidecut radius is pretty standard for a board of these lengths and the profile is flat, meaning it feels solid underfoot, but with rocker at the nose and tail to help it float through powder. Our tester took it out on a very early season day in the Dolomites, and while the base wasn’t deep enough to go properly hacking around off piste they did manage to get it in some early season powder on the sides of the trails—where by all accounts it floated beautifully.

“This is a no nonsense, high end board, that will do the job required of it without making a fuss.”

Construction and Materials

Tur don’t publish loads of in-depth stuff  about the woods they use in their core (we dug a little deeper and discovered it’s a Poplar core + Bamboo laminates underfoot to help with impact rebound). But they are proud of their wooden veneer topsheets and their high quality sintered bases. Aside from what they call “Scando-Grip Technology,” which adds extra contact points along the edges (a little like Lib Tech’s Magne-Traction) they don’t make any huge claims about jazzy tech either.

Rather, this is a no nonsense, high end board, that will do the job required of it without making a fuss. What else would you expect coming from a country famous for its minimalist, functional, but good-looking design? 

Roundup

From the themed topsheets to the innovative shapes Tur Snowboards are clearly determined to carve out their own niche, and the Bubo, as one of their more unique designs, is leading the charge.

While it’s first and foremost a powder board, this stubby little nubbin proves that it’s not just built for the fluffy stuff. Based on what our tester said (see below) it’s just as much fun on piste as off.    

Pros:

It’s a really unique-feeling and unique-looking board. To ride, it feels fun and funky, but still enough of an all-rounder that it won’t alienate anyone willing to take a punt on it.

Cons:

If you’re the kind of person who needs to know about the specifics of triaxial fibreglass weaves, Tur’s lack of info on construction may put you off. Ditto the lack of details about the core or based (beyond “wood” and “sintered”).

Tester’s Verdict 2024/25

Tristan Kennedy, former Whitelines deputy editor

Size: 154.4

I tried out several of Tur’s boards in quick succession on a couple of runs in San Martino di Castrozza, in the Dolomites not far from where I live. The Bubo was definitely my favourite. It’s board that suits its namesake. Bubo means ‘owl’ in Swedish, and like an owl, this looks a little fat and dumpy at first. Once it gets flying, however, it cruises incredibly gracefully.

The conditions I tested it in were pretty good, for the time of year. It was early December, a few days after a dump. There wasn’t much of a base so I was wary about venturing too far off piste, lest I rip the guts out of the board on rocks. But there was just enough snow to venture off the side of the piste to get a sense of how this would float in powder—and i have to say, I cannot wait to try this again in the deep stuff. Give me a day when it’s puking, and a run with tight trees, and this would be my go to board. It turns on a dime, feels super responsive and is just fun to ride.

On piste, I was lucky enough to get freshly groomed corduroy and the Bubo felt amazing cranking out eurocarves. All in all, I was super impressed, especially as Tur is hardly a household name. At least, not yet!

Rating: 9/10