20 Best Snowboards For Intermediate Riders (2023 Updated)

Coming off my first season of snowboarding and was looking to purchase my first snowboard. Caught this guy on sale and was able to use it a few times before the season ended. Compared to the rentals I was riding this board was more responsive, lightweight, and an overall more enjoyable ride.

The board is more rocker-oriented so has a looser feel in snow, camber sections under the bindings provide good edge hold in medium-firm snow, which would probably not be good in harder-icy conditions.

Have not taken it into the park so can’t speak about its performance there. I have size 10. 5 boots with size large bindings and they fit the board, barely, any boot size above that would probably want to consider the 159 or even the wide version of this board.

An overall great snowboard that I’m looking forward to progressing on.

I have an older process flying v 155, and it has been my go to pow slayer. This season i went up to a 159W, which was a great choice to slay 60mph pow lines. The board was so epic i ordered another in 157W, for tighter lines.

Who can deny the graphics of a UFO abduction are the sickest of the sick? And that backside, beautiful BURTON af! I get compliments non stop with my 2019 hot pink mission bindings mounted. LOVE IT. Im running the two process flying v’s, and have two Free Thinker 160W’s, sickest, fastest boards there are.

Like riding mother natures rails!.

Stellar, nay EPIC company and team. Be it online, or the telephone the staff help in every regard professionally with cool snow surfer glee. The Pro deals/sponsorship SO helpful and easy to order. Burton gear keeps progressing and showing why they deserve to be top dog! Thank you so much! Even at 45 you guys make me feel like I’am 28 rocking your great gear! Cheers!.

Christmas came early! I recently purchased a 2022 Never Summer Snowtrooper. I admittedly invested more time in the search for my dream board than I do in buying a new car (my wife will attest to that).

That’s how much I relish carving the white surf. And the Snowtrooper is the reason it can’t snow soon enough in Northeast Ohio. And it’s why we’ve already booked a ski trip to Holiday Valley in New York.

First off, the Snowtrooper is visually exquisite. Vivid, art gallery-quality photography and head-turning imagery are splashed onto the canvas of the board. And based on the reviews and specs of the Snowtrooper, it will step up my groomer game considerably and max out my powder potential.

Can’t wait to ride this rocker camber winter horse. Giddy-up! Thank you from the innermost recesses of my glacial heart, Never Summer, for making me smile, for making me excited, and for making life exponentially better during these COVID times.

And a big shout-out to Bill at Sun Valley Sports in Akron for his first-rate customer service and for sagely matching me with my soulmate of a board.

Honestly, I LOVE this board. I first learned how to ride on my buddy’s Never Summer SL. After just one season, I decided to sell my very “well-rated”, Ride Algorythym in favour of the NS Snowtrooper.

Being from Montreal, QC, we tend to get a mixed bag of precipitation and conditions. This board is extremely versatile and has performed amazingly on groomers, in the trees (“sous-bois”), and in the park.

I have yet to try it in Powder but have no doubt i will float effortlessly. At the main hill i go to, Mont-Tremblant Resort, there are a LOT of skiers and a lot of “traffic”, so toward the end of the day, the conditions deteriorate quickly (i.

e. a lot of chunder, ice patches). It has AMAZING edge hold in hard snow/ice, making you feel LOCKED IN and gives the confidence to power through those tougher conditions. In addition, the graphic as well as the texture of the top sheet is pretty awesome.

So far, I have 3 full days of riding, and I couldn’t be happier. I paired my Snowtrooper with UNION Atlas bindings and Adidas Tactical ADV boots so it is extremely responsive. Highly recommended.

The SnowTrooper rips! Had my first day on the Trooper today and had to jump on here and give it a review (164X). Such a fun all around board. A bit about me: I’ve been snowboarding for 26 years. Expert level rider favoring powder (of course) and when there’s no powder around, I like to charge the crud as fast as possible and straight-line the groomers launching off whatever floaters I can find.

I’m 6′ 3″ tall but only 170 pounds, so I usually prefer longer wider boards on the softer side. Years ago I worked for a shop that sold Never Summer and rode the 164 SL and 172 Premier for years (back when only one camber profile existed).

The Snowtrooper does a solid job in the pow, helped out by the rocker between the bindings and a bit of setback. It won’t be quite as nice as a dedicated powder board, but does just fine. (I didn’t buy it for pow days anyway.

) The soft flex and rocker/camber bombs through chunder, and I was surprised by how composed the board was while straight-lining groomers, I was hitting 50-60 mph and only felt it get a touch squirrelly once or twice.

The flex and profile definitely make it playful, fun to butter and capable in the park, but I was so impressed by how fun this thing was to put on edge and fly. If you’re a heavier rider for your given board size, you might want to go with the proto or proto ultra.

If you’re light for your board size or want something a bit more chill, this is a killer board. Looks great and comes in at a bit lower price. Stoked. I’d love to get on the other camber profiles from NS and see how they feel.

Review of the Jones 2022 Frontier 159. Absolutely fantastic do anything all-mountain board, particularly for intermediate to advanced riders (really anyone after true beginners can ride and appreciate this board).

This board shreds the mountain a new one, anywhere and everywhere, from groomers and side-hits to the terrain park to glades and off-piste. I rode this 3 days at Whiteface (bluebird and powder days) with Flow Fuse rear step-in bindings and ThirtyTwo TM-2 Double Boa Wide boots (both highly recommended!).

This board did absolutely everything I asked of it and kept coming back for more. The camber provides pop and edge hold while the rocker and 3D-shaped tip and tail provide smooth edge-to-edge transition and playful handling for ollies, jumps, etc.

This has the Jones Traction Tech 2. 0 with a ‘mellow mag’ feel which really grips well in hard snow and icy conditions (very noticeable difference from standard edge boards). The Frontier is nimble enough for glades, side hits and park laps while also being stable and controlled for solid carving, bigger jumps and open-mountain / off-piste adventures.

The board feels stable but not 100% ‘locked-in’ like a traditional full camber board, and with rocker outside the bindings and 3D shaped tip and tail, it’s more forgiving and thus easier for landings and various ground tricks – ollies, pops, butters, etc.

Not to mention it floats well for an all-mountain board. I’m 175lbs so a bit above the midpoint for the weight range on the 159, and the mid-stiff flex (I’d rate 6/10) is playful and poppy while the board overall feels smooth, controlled, fast and nimble.

Riding switch feels great for a directional freeride board, which was a concern and I would say this gets the main benefits of a twin design with the more powder-friendly longer spoon tip. The design looks even sweeter in person (and yes I ruined it with a Dakine stomp pad!) and I got several compliments including a couple instructors who definitely know their boards.

About to commence my first base repair after some hard hits that didn’t cause much damage, actually, and overall I’m very pleased with the sintered base. All this plus Jones emphasizes using sustainable materials and Jeremy Jones founded POW and they contribute to 1% for the Planet, so it hits all the right marks there.

To me it’s basically perfect. Two minor nits: The reference stance at 23. 6″ is too wide for me at 6′ where I ride more like 22″, so I moved both the front and back bindings one insert closer to the middle, which also helps to stay in the middle of the sidecut.

Also the waist is on the slim side for me with size 10 boots, but so far it hasn’t been an issue (maybe someday if I master the “God” carve). And for a price under $500 it’s amazing, honestly. I just can’t say enough good things about the Jones Frontier and I’m thrilled to have it for my one-board quiver.

Board is absolutely great, it floats in the powder yet forgiving enough flex for when you’re taking it easy in the trees like I tend to do. I love the graphic! My biggest complaint is the hardware – the Karakoram Ultra Clip 1.

0s that ship on it don’t stay that tight, so I’m upgrading to the 2. 0s which is an additional $70. Also the tip clips are the very basic, non-active model, and when I tried upgrading to the Tip-Locks that actively join, I’ve had issues with them popping off and loosing them mid ride.

All in all I’m more than happy with the way the board rides, but I do think it’s worth it to get the more expensive Solution Split for the better hardware, and I imagine it performs much better in heavier / steeper terrain.

After a long hiatus from snowboarding I’ve been stoked to see how amazing all the new stuff rides. This is my first split and I wanted something that could still be a little freestyleish playful but float better than a traditional all mountain shape.

Struggled for awhile to deciding between this and the solution as I was worried the frontier would feel too soft. Where I think I would like it a little stiffer I am still super happy haven chosen this for the shape and playful aspect.

Got 8 days splitting this winter on this board, and I was very quickly comfortable on it. Being new to splitting I was interested to see how the two pieces worked together when in snowboard mode. I could feel them flex different but to be honest after a few runs I stopped thinking about it.

Only got to ride this in powder so I have no judgement how it rides in harder or chopped up stuff. -Has been was be guy who used to ride 120+ days a year for a long time.

I’ve only ridden a few times and never on a board for my build. Real easy board to ride and super forgiving when turning. Provides an enjoyable ride especially for new riders.

This board is sick! Great flex, great surface and flows great across the snow!! I was recently diagnosed with a slight issue with my heart which makes the graphic on it a little more special!!

This is my second Custom X, the first was a 2009 model. This one is much better, it is lighter, turns faster, has great edge hold – even on east coast hard pack (ice). I love the new shape. The base is awesome as well, holds wax really nice and shines up when you brush it with horse hair brushes.

Currently ridding it with Cartel Ltd from 2017. I am saving for step inns. Thanks Burton for updating the board!.

First 3 days on snow I learnt on old Custom X, and was linking turns after day 2. My girlfriend bought me the 2018 Burton Custom X and absolutely love it. Whilst it’s an expert board it’s taught me ultimate edge control and feels solid under foot.

Thanks so much Burton, an incredible job and won’t ever go for another board brand!.

I got the board with edge manufacturing defect. It was too thin in one place ~ 1mm, right near the bindings. Everywhere else edge is ~2mm thick. Contacted Burton, they said that it is normal, and do not want to replace it.

Do not agree with that. Such edge can break even from minor rock scratch.

This has been my daily driver for about a year and it held up a ton of riding. I can take it in the park, side hits, and even steep terrain. This is such a good board for intermediate riders and progression.

You won’t be disappointed when learning new tricks. The good think about this guy is, it can float in powder if you set your stance back. It’s had good mid flex and will lock in a press really well.

After taking some time off from snowboarding, I decided to get back into it. I just wanted an all-mountain board that I could get “back in the saddle” with and could also progress on. This board is easy to ride, very forgiving, has decent pop, and is still pretty quick.

Base picks up wax well. Overall very happy I went with this board.

Great all mountain board for beginners with room to grow into the board. I only got to use it 4 times as I bought it late in the season, but build quality is good. Feels responsive, yet forgiving. I love the channel system along with the use of EST bindings, makes fine tune adjustments super easy.

Great beginner/intermediate all mountain board. I was snowboarding late in the season and hit a massive rock that was hidden by thin cover, did pretty extensive damage to the board, but the core didn’t crack and was able to be repaired.

Came factory tuned with nice sharp edges.

You really need to decide if you want it more playful or the camber version. Switching from a camber the board feels very soft and moveable, somehow like getting on a skateboard with really soft tracks.

Very easy to ride and great carving also. Unfortunately the surface is very sensitive and you see strong use after just a couple of rides.

I bought this board for a trip to J-Hole and it performed so well – better than I needed it to. Kept me alive during some gnarly icy conditons. Thanks moosejaw! LTm~

This is a great all mountain board! It can ride everything. But if you tend to ride park or backcountry more, then you might want to look for a different board. But if you like to try it all, this is the right board.

Super easy process. Fast shipping. Thank you for an awesome purchase experience.

Matches my skis and is a good board for beginners to next level. Perfect for me this year.

This thing is built to go anywhere and everywhere on the mountain. Amazing float in pow, playful in the park, and overall just incredibly versatile. I am 5’5”, fluctuate between 145-155 lbs, and wear a women’s size 6.

5 boot. I normally ride a 149 and went with the 142 (XS) and was very satisfied with how fast the board still rides. Turning this board there is a noticeable lag edge to edge especially on hard pack, but is one of the more responsive tapered boards I have ever ridden.

It just takes a few laps to adjust to especially coming from a full camber profile! One of the better flat to rocker profiles I have ever ridden. Impressive pop, stability, and edge hold. Highly recommend this board to anyone who is at an intermediate-advanced level who is looking for one board to seriously do it all.

Hey. I’m here to inform you that you don’t have to be a master jibber to enjoy the Warpig. In all due honesty, I didn’t like how squirrely/loose it felt initially; it rode pretty differently from any other directional board I had tried.

However, time passed, and we became better acquainted (daresay, even close companions). We rode pow, tried exceedingly small sidehits, and panicked through some tight trees together. All this being said, you should get this board.

The rocker/flat/rocker profile makes it accessible for riders of all skill levels, and wherever life happens to takes you, you’ll (probably) have a pretty decent time on the Warpig.

After 2 years of researching and watching videos of this board online I finally broke down and pulled the trigger on it. Man I couldn’t be any happier that I made this purchase. I’ve only ridden it once so far this season but the day that I got to spend on it was EPIC! It handled the turns great even on a warm East coast NC mountain day.

I’m looking forward to riding again this week. I’m hoping to get 10 days under my belt before I head to Lake Tahoe in Feb/March. I’ll update my review if need be later this season. Stay Shreddy my friends🏂🏿💨.

Not sure yet how it’s gonna ride because I bought it for next season. I was told this is the chargingest of all boards by a ride rep. I’m hoping it lives up to it’s expectations. I’m surprised at the stance if it I thought the nose would be more burly and setback a little more.

It’s now 100 dollars cheaper then what I paid 1 week ago.

Used this board for the first time for a week at Big Sky and it was great! Handled groomers (held edges great to make sweeping hard turns), powder (didn’t get a lot but floated well) and tree runs phenomenally! Incredibly stable on runs you want to bomb too.

I have previously had the arbor westmark and the capita the outsiders. This is my favorite. Not at poppy as the outsiders but that is to be expected due to it being a softer board. Definitely not too soft.

The Channel system has the best adjustability however your bindings have a little more play when going from heel to toe. This is due to only having two points of security per bindings opposed to 4. I have the cartel est bindings but if you can find them in stock I would assume the step ons would have the most responsive performance.

Evo is the best place to purchase snowboards. They were extremely helpful to both of my boys are separate occasions. The employee are helpful & know how to treat their customers. My son got his snowboard, bindings put on, ski pants & was snowboarding at Mount Hood the same day.

Thank you!.

I haven’t used my new board yet as I bought it off season but I got to try it out as a rental this past season and really enjoyed it. The feel, control, was awesome – I experienced both powder and no.

Powder days and the board pleasantly surprised me.

This board does it all so well! The camber profile gives amazing pop in the park. I have been enjoying the extra flex as I press butters and ride on and off hard features. I can see why the Pros like Mark McMorris have been riding this all year! Perfect balance between stability and playfulness.

Highly recommend!.

A lot of people say that the custom is THE snowboard. Don’t get me wrong it’s nothing against the custom but most people don’t need all of that. The process is everything that you need in a board. It rails turns, has good pop, holds its own In any condition.

The only slight tweaks I could ever dream of Asking for would be a slightly lighter core. But that’s really digging for something to improve.

My riding style is mostly all mountain/powder riding and I mainly ride in one direction (regular). Conditions were hard pack crunchy snow. I weigh 145lbs, I am 5’9″ and I rode the 154cm. The 154 felt perfect for me.

This is a new board by K2. Solid directional twin right here. Lots of carbon in this board and you can see it through the clear top sheet! This is a powerful carving board. The tail is strong and when you flex into it out of a carve, the carbon rebounds and shoots you out of a carve fast.

While the tail and the nose of this board are are on the stiffer side, they stiff have a little give to them. In between the feet on this board is slightly more flexible than the nose/ tail which I really appreciated.

Makes for a fun and poppy board because of that. This board is very comfortable being taken off a jump and the camber profile provides really reliable “landing gear” off of a jump. The tight side cut on this board makes it incredibly nimble and would be awesome for someone looking to ride in between the trees.

On top of that, it is smooth edge to edge and you can be confident you won’t catch an edge while just riding around casually. My only criticism of this board would be that the nose feels like it could be just a tad narrower.

Although by narrowing the nose, it would not do as well in powder so I understand why it is the way it is. This board is for someone who wants a awesome daily driver. Someone who wants to ride in the trees, in the powder, rip on groomers, and even send it off of some backcountry booters! K2 killed it once again.

A lovely ride for your first entree level board to intermediate riders who love a playful ride down the slopes. This would be the perfect board for someone looking for an all mountain soft flexing freestyle board, who also loves to have a good buttery time.

The soft flex will give beginner riders a forgiving feel while learning on a camber profile. The soft flex allows you to be playful and jibby, while the solid camber to rocker profile offers good stability and edge control.

This was such a fun board to ride, the size was perfect for the conditions. I’m 5’6″ and 120lbs so I could ride the bigger size for powder but the 146 worked great for me. It is great for carving and hitting side hits.

There’s a little pop to it but it can still hold at the higher speeds and be stable. This is a great board for anyone in the intermediate to advanced range. It’s unisex so it works for anyone.

I ride the 166W (266mm wide). I am 85kg, 186cm tall and have boot size 11. I usually ride boards around 160-163 and 255 to 260 wide. That’s why especially width wise, it was quite a transition for me.

The first few days I had to pay attention transitioning edge to edge, but once you’re used to the wider board, it gets really fun carving with that thing on the slopes, it just feels solid. Park jumps, I felt like it was more stable taking off and landing, probably because there’s more meet to it, was really happy about that too, and that was somewhat unexpected for me.

Then, riding pow and pow landings at backcountry jumps, I felt like it made quite a difference. Slightly more float, I felt like it was more solid when landing jumps, putting the tail down. Anyone a bit taller and with boot size right where you ask yourself `regular or wide board`, I can only encourage you to get a bigger/wider stick, super fun.

Just make sure you pay attention the first days so you’re not catching an edge. Cheers, marco.

Great all mountain board. Has done everything I’ve asked it to do, even really stable at high speeds, which is really impressive for a mid level board. I’ve also noticed a lot more hottie snowboarder chics checking me out in the lift lines since I’ve been riding this board.

I mean more than usual. I know it breaks their hearts that I’m very happily married. So if you’re a single guy you definitely need this board, you probably won’t be single much longer. #sweepstakes.

Highly recommend for park and all mountain riding. Definitely for beginner or intermediate riding.

Just rode this board in telluride for 3 days and it was great. Board handled good through the trees still had decent flex and minor chatter at high speeds.

I bought the Dancehall off a recommendation from a Salomon rep I rode with last year. He has ridden about every board under the sun and said this board was one of the best he’s ever had. Before this I was a diehard true twin centered stance guy who never even considered a directional shape board.

I have about 20 days on the board so far in everything from pow, to park, to steeps and it has blown me away. I can’t recommend it enough. All my friends that have taken it for laps agree. Enough flex and forgiveness to be fun on jibes but still good edge control and predictability to rip down some steep hard runs.

Also great float. You won’t regret it.

I bought this board about a month ago and have put about 10 days on it. I really wanted to like it. First the good. The shape is great, even tho it is wide the side cut allows it to turn like a normal board.

I have size 9. 5 feet and am on the 157. It’s quite light and I like the graphic. The biggest issue I have with the Dancehaul is the flex pattern. I find it too soft overall, especially in the nose and the tail.

I’ve had the nose fold several times on deep pow days when hitting a bump, when it shouldn’t fold. And I wish there was some more snap in the tail. Like I said I really wanted to love it but it just came up a bit flat for me.

157W. Everything about this low budget board was something I was interested in for a new mess around board. It’s flex rating seems to be true. I’d call it a soft-medium. one step up from the softest of boards.

Easy butters for sure. The wide version is hardly wide but just right for me since I’m around 205lbs. The rock out camber turns well, and has good pop off the tail. The only complaints I have aren’t really fair considering this basically is a park board with a hint of all mountain in it.

It’s not stable at high speeds. The edge bite is fairly soft(good for not catching edges). And for true all mountain fun it’s a little soft. I’m basing this review off a groomed no new snow day and 42 degree temps.

Aka a slush day. For someone experienced like myself looking to just mess around with this thing on bad condition days it’s perfect. Could also be a great all mountain board for someone just learning the sport.

But for a day with 4″ or more of fresh snow, I won’t be riding this board. I’ll move to something stiffer and be hitting the steep runs.

I got myself the 150. I was contemplating 154 for a little bit more float, but decided on the 150 for some playful control. I’m a lower intermediate rider. I found this board to be close to the middle in terms of overall flex.

This is definitely a well balanced softer park board with some snap. The tip and tail are a bit softer which I found allowed for easy pressing and buttering. A nice go to board for everything at the resort.

This is a great entry-level board for those that want specs beyond the “entry-level”. For the price point, this board is well worth every penny.

This board is a blast. It’s classified as a park board but trust me, this thing can shred the entire mountain and make it all feel like one huge park. The advice I’d give to people considering this board is to get the right size based on your weight.

Do not size down like people say to do for park boards. Cuz if you do you will experience a huge loss in stability. The board itself isn’t very stable to begin with. But over all, it’s a great board for a laid back rider that likes to do a little bit of everything.

And if your a beginner, this is also a great option for you and it will save you money since this board won’t hold you back as you progress and reach the advanced level. Great bang for the buck indeed! (Also, the graphic on this thing is fantastic!).

Really like this board. Great for charging, without being too demanding. Feels damp but still has decent pop. Magnatraction grips well on ice. Good value. I wish gnu would put more structure in base.

Also would prefere metal edge wrap around whole board for durability. My last board was a ride berzerker, really loved that board. I think the gnu build quality isn’t quite as good as the berzerker. Still a really fun board, a little mellower, but capable of charging.

Havent ridden this yet but from the reviews this board appears to check all the boxes Im looking for in a mid-stiff free-riding daily driver thats good on icy groomers. I settled on the Essential Service after comparing boards by Burton, Yes, Lib Tech, Capita and Korua.

The 2021 Essential Service won out because of the sintered base, C3 camber and Magne-traction edges. Everything else I compared to didnt have my size (164W), was lacking in one of these categories, or if it hit all three, it was a $500+ pricepoint (often times $600+).

By the way- the “blem” sticker on my board was on the rear base and I couldnt even see what they were referring to.

First time riding a Season board and I am pleasantly surprised by how much I have enjoyed it! In contrast to the other Season models, this board seemed to suit my more playful riding style on paper and it did not disappoint when put to the test.

The board is a versatile all-mountain-do-everything board; from groomers, to park, to off-piste freeride – I took this board everywhere this season. The sidecut and camber profile allow for excellent edge control and pop complimented by a softer flex that keeps it a bit more forgiving and playful.

Although the site calls it a soft flex, it felt more like a medium flex for me (a smaller rider at 125lbs). I opted for the longer of the two size options nearest my preference and went with the 147cm but I do wish they made it in a 145cm (sigh).

Lastly, while I dig the minimal design: stealth matte black topsheet, and fast, easy-to-maintain black base, my only knit-picky complaint (hence 1 star deduction) is that the edges have not stood up very well for a single season of riding – I’ve got several, albeit small, chips along the edges of the board already.

Overall, I’m still really happy with the board and it’s performance and would definitely recommend it for those looking for a versatile daily driver.