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Best Beginner Snowboards For 2020-2021 | Our Pick Of This Season’s Best Snowboards For Boosting Confidence and Learning Skills

Need a snowboard to hone your skills? Here's a list of our favourite beginner snowboards for this season.

It’s no secret that learning to snowboard can be a bit of a daunting experience and taking the plunge to purchase your first snowboard can be downright overwhelming. Snowboarding is meant to be fun, and choosing the right board can be a major factor. Although it might take you some time to lock in your decision, once you make your choice and you start getting used to the same piece of kit, the easier it becomes to start progressing.

“These days there’s a myriad of options on the market that cater specifically to newer riders”

Gone are the days of waltzing into a shop to be handed a 190cm freeride cannon to strap into for your first day on the slopes. These days there’s a myriad of options on the market that cater specifically to newer riders, to help make your first foray into snowboarding as easy and pleasant as possible.

Our team spent last winter testing hundreds of snowboards, picking out our choices for the best beginner models. This list is full of our favourite options for confidence boosting snowboards that offer gentle learning curves and steady progression.

One snowboard to do it all. Rider: Henry Shackleton (Pic: Ed Blomfield)

What To Look For When Buying An Entry Level Snowboard

Shape

There’s no cut and dry shape for an entry level snowboard, although it’s probably best to steer clear of something super directional, especially if you want to get your switch riding on lock. You’ll find most snowboards in this list take on a directional twin shape as they offer the most versatility, which is ideal if you’re still figuring out which riding style or terrain suits your best.

Profile

There’s a lot of choice in this category, and each brand claims they’ve found the magic formula for the best profile. It’ll largely come down to preference and riding style and figuring out what works for you is part of the fun.

Cambered snowboards, while powerful and grippy, can be quite aggressive and have a tendency to hook up around the contact points while you’re still getting to grips with riding. Fully rockered boards on the other hand are less likely to catch edges but they can be unstable and loose at speed. Most brands these days offer some form of hybrid profile, combining camber, rocker and even flat sections for a versatile and adaptable ride.

“Beginner snowboards tend to be a lot more wallet friendly than some of the advanced models”

Flex/Construction

The majority of entry level snowboards are on the softer end of the spectrum, these will be a bit easier to manage as you get to grips with sliding sideways. Softer boards are also more forgiving, so you can have a few wobbles and make mistakes without it kicking your arse every time.

Beginner snowboards tend to be a lot more wallet friendly than some of the advanced models, generally using cheaper materials in the manufacturing process. As your skills progress, you can upgrade to a stiffer, more aggressive, faster model, but until then you’ll save yourself a lot of time, effort, and money by sticking to a more basic option.

Every snowboard in this list has the Whitelines Test Team seal of approval and they’re our top choices for anyone looking to boost their confidence, lock in new skills and make their journey into snowboarding as pleasant and fun as possible. Happy shopping!

Best Women’s Snowboards 2020-2021



Whitelines Choice Award Winner: Best Men’s Freestyle Snowboard
PRICE: £350 / $400

Rome have completely redesigned and rebuilt their boards, boots and bindings collection from the ground up for 2021. A pretty bold move, for sure (we’re picturing some late nights and Pepe Silvia moments), but it looks to have massively paid off. This season’s snowboard lineup is stacked with newcomers, as well as some reimagined classics. The Artifact maybe encapsulates this best of all. Their original park board gets a complete facelift and stomps right in to claim the Whitelines Choice top spot as the best freestyle snowboard of the year. Pure. Park. Perfection.

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Rome Artifact here

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Amplid Ticket Twin Snowboard 2020-2021

Best for: A price point freestyle snowboard from the masters of premium tech
PRICE: €390

Amplid have, for most of their 15-year history, catered to those with more refined tastes. To those who value the finer things in life. To those who don’t simply equate good value to low-cost. They are, to an extent, the connoisseur’s choice of snowboards. But who says you need to be a world-class sommelier to get completely shit faced off a bottle of Chateau Lafite? Based on their best selling Stereo snowboard, the all-new Ticket Twin ushers in a new era for Amplid – one that combines award-winning construction at a price point to rival the most affordable snowboards on the market.

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Amplid Ticket Twin here

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YES. Dicey Snowboard 2020-2021

Best for: Any and all aspiring freestyle riders
PRICE: £379 / $430

When you use the term dicey you’re generally referring to something that’s risky or unpredictable, but the YES. Dicey is absolutely anything but. New for 2020/21, the Dicey is your friendly neighbourhood freestyle snowboard that’ll take you from zero to 360 hero in no time. Those who are looking to dip their toes into the daunting waters of park riding would do well to check out this playful little party stick.

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2020-2021 YES. Dicey here

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YES. Hello Women’s Snowboard 2020-2021

Best for: Bang for your buck and a banging all mountain shredstick
PRICE: $450

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “Hello”? You might have visions of a moustachioed man crooning sweet nothings in your ear, but Lionel Richie eat your heart out, this is the Hello giving us special tingles now. Brand spanking new for 2021 and already making waves in the industry, the Yes Hello is a playful all-mountain maverick serving piles of steaming hot fun on a platter, and bringing a helluva lot of bang for your buck.

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2020-2021 YES. Hello here

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Bataleon Fun.Kink Snowboard 2020-2021

Best for: A great value, great all rounder
PRICE: £370 / $430

The Bataleon Fun.Kink adopts an almost identical construction to the Whatever, save for the carbon stringer in between the inserts and the few extra quid on the price tag. It boasts the same all-mountain versatility as the model up, but with a slightly softer longitudinal flex and a little less snap in the camber, making it a great choice for progressing riders and those looking for a mellow, cruisey snowboard as their daily driver.

Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Bataleon Fun.Kink here

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Bataleon Spirit Women’s Snowboard 2020-2021

Best for: Boosting confidence and growing your skills
PRICE: £329

Surely everyone can agree that the worst part of snowboarding is actually learning to snowboard. The bruised tuchus, endless faceplants and your first encounter with the dreaded scorpion… The Bataleon Spirit is a friendly all-mountain snowboard that offers quick and easy-going progression from blustering beginner to confident cruising. No fuss, no frills, just fun.

Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Bataleon Spirit here

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Borealis Botanica Women’s Snowboard 2020-2021

Best for: Those looking for progression across the hill
PRICE: £409 / €449 / $522

It was only a matter of time before Borealis took their skimboard inspired Origins and scaled a version for the female shredders out there. The Botanica a carbon copy of its big bro and is best suited to snowboarders looking for an easy-going ride that still packs a superlight and performance-driven core under the hood.

Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Borealis Botanica here

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Gnu Gloss Women’s Snowboard 2020-2021

Best for: A forgiving and fun ride
PRICE: £340 / $380

Jibs, sidehits and having fun, goofing around. Sound like your style of snowboarding? Then the Gnu Gloss is your style of snowboard. A true twin freestyle deck that wants to be taken for sunny park laps and down sidehit heavy home runs. Beginner snowboarders will find the Gloss a worthy companion as its medium flex and forgiving profile are well suited to riders needing a little more wiggle room for avoiding punishing mistakes.

  • BUY ONLINE
  • Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Gnu Gloss here

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    K2 Dreamsicle Women’s Snowboard 2020-2021

    Best for: Dreamy laps
    PRICE: $400

    Sometimes we all need a little helping hand, a gentle nudge in the right direction as you’re learning new skills, the K2 Dreamsicle is the mellow partner in crime you’ve been waiting for. An easy going all-mountain snowboard to make every day on the hill positively dreamy.

    Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 K2 Dreamsicle here

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    Lib Tech Glider Women’s Snowboard 2020-2021

    Best for: Smooth progression and an easy-going feel
    PRICE: £445

  • BUY DIRECT FROM SURFDOME
  • Snowboarding is meant to be fun, and spending all day sat on your bum and then hobbling over to the car covered in fresh bruises isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of fun, right? Cue the Lib Tech Glider- designed with gentle progression and growth in mind. The Lib Tech Glider is the snowboarding equivalent of stabilisers on your push bike- it’ll make it heaps easier for you to get to grips with riding without punishing you for every little mistake.

    Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Lib Tech Glider here

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    Lib Tech Skate Banana 2020-2021

    Best for: Rocker fanboys and potassium junkies
    PRICE: £445

  • BUY DIRECT FROM SURFDOME
  • Over the years, the Skate Banana has had a few nips and tucks, but it remains wholly the same snowboard aimed at anyone and everyone who’s looking for butt loads of fun on the hill. The hybrid Banana Technology profile spawned a whole generation of rocker dominant snowboards and potassium fuelled fanboys.

    Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Lib Tech Skate Banana here

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    Nidecker Elle Women’s Snowboard 2020-2021

    Best for: A gentle learning curve at a wallet friendly price
    PRICE: £240 / €250 / $270

    The Elle’s got life pretty worked out – it’s happiest when it’s giving first-timers the confidence to improve on everything they’ve learned in snowboard school with its easy-to-use, forgiving ride. And it’s got all the characteristics you’d expect to do just that. Its twin directional profile makes for a board that’s easy to control and do precisely what you tell it, whilst delivering a lot of forgiveness in switch, whether you meant to get there or not.

    Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Nidecker Elle here

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    Salomon Pulse Snowboard 2020-2021

    Best for: A traditional feel to explore the mountain
    PRICE: $300

  • BUY DIRECT FROM SURFDOME
  • The Salomon Pulse is a long standing member of the Salomon fleet. This entry-level men’s all-mountain snowboard has welcomed many into the sport and been a trusty friend throughout the learning process. It’s a no fuss, no frills snowboard that will take beginner riders and give them a proper introduction to the mountains.

    Take a closer look at the 2020-2021 Salomon Pulse here

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