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Best Volume Shifted Snowboards For 2022-2023

If you’re the kind of rider who likes to stay on the frontline of innovation, here’s list of our favourite volume shifted snowboards for this season

Although not an entirely new concept, over the last decade volume shifted snowboards have boomed in popularity. Pretty much every brand now has a short fatty on the roster and you’re just as likely to see one in a lift queue as you are a more ‘traditional’ outline.

So, what are volume shifted snowboards, and why would you buy one? Well, the clue’s in the name here- they’re boards that shift their volume by trading in length for width to amass the same surface area. In the past, snowboards gained volume by getting longer and stretching out the tip-to-tail plane, whereas this current trend sees snowboards become much shorter and wider to achieve the same goal.

The result is a snowboard that’s far more manoeuvrable than a traditional powder cannon, but with the same capacity to float in deep snow. These shorter boards are more nimble, which makes them ideal for packed tree runs, or for a more surfy, playful feel.

While it makes sense for powder, the width pays dividends in other areas, too. Volume shifted boards often moonlight as trench digging carving boards as you’re less likely to catch your toes when you’re getting down and dirty into turns.

As always, we’ve reached out to our extensive team of ex-pros, retail staff, park crews, coaches, instructors and dedicated shred-heads to test and review as many 22/23 products as possible. After weeks of trade shows, catching up with brands and pro riders, and scrutinising every product’s innovation, sustainability, originality and functionality, we believe we’ve compiled a list of this season’s best volume shifted snowboards.

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Best Volume Shifted Snowboards 2022-2023


CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher 2022-2023

Whitelines Choice Winner: Best Volume Shifted Snowboard
PRICE: £385 / €419 / $430

Why do we go snowboarding? Cos’ it’s fun as hell, right? Corey Smith’s fleet of party wagons are a staple in the CAPiTA line, fully embracing the weird and wonderful side of snowboarding, they bring creative shapes and experimental thinking very much to the forefront.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of riding the Spring Break Slush Slasher before, then saddle up buddy because this is pure, unadulterated good times. With a more responsive profile and a deeper sidecut for 22/23, we already loved the board but the updated Slush Slasher had our team of testers raving.

Who Is The CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher For?

You’ve been around the block a few times, this is by no means your first rodeo and you’re looking for something a little different to inject some joy into your days on the hill. Powder is preferable, but you’ll happily settle for a warm spring day blasting around with your crew.

MORE INFO:
CAPITASNOWBOARDING.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 CAPiTA Spring Break Slush Slasher here

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Amplid Kill Switch Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: €590, $590

No changes to the Amplid Kill Switch for 2022/23, or indeed any of the brand’s head-turning ‘Future Shapes’ subdivision of boards. Amplid’s two-season approach is sustainability done right.

It’s something Amplid can easily afford to do, given how ahead of the curve it usually is on board design. Everything about the Kill Switch screams ‘cutting edge’, even without the racing-car-grade materials you’d expect to find in such a board. It’s also a hell of a lot of fun.

Who Is The Amplid Kill Switch For?

If you’re browsing in Amplid’s Future Shapes line, our guess is that you want something atypical and exciting. The Amplid Kill Switch certainly fits the bill, but is a little less radical than some of its shorter, stubbier brethren. It’s also one of the more versatile models in the range, even if it is primarily designed for powder.

MORE INFO:
AMPLID.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Amplid Kill Switch here

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Bataleon Cruiser Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: £400 / €460 / $460

Bataleon’s calling card is of course Triple Base Technology, and while there are obvious benefits for park riding (less chance of hooking up on rails and more forgiving landings) the original concept was all about more efficient turns. That’s what they’ve tapped into with the new Cruiser – a long-nosed, set back freeride weapon that corners like it’s on rails even at warp speeds. It’s no slouch in the pow either.

Who Is The Bataleon Cruiser For?

If your park days are largely behind you but you’ve still got the minerals to go fast and tackle steep stuff, you’ll find a lot to love about the Cruiser. Don’t be fooled by the name: it sounds like a mellow entry-level board but it’s got a pretty stiff flex better suited to experienced shreds.

MORE INFO:
BATALEON.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Bataleon Cruiser here

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Bataleon Party Wave Twin Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: £400 / €460 / $460

The lines between resort and backcountry boards are often blurred, not so much the lines between freeride and freestyle- and this is where the new Bataleon Party Wave Twin muscles its way into the crowd. The OG Party Wave made…well, waves, when it was released a while back and short, fat powder boards have been all the rage since. But why stop there? The bods at Bataleon have taken it upon themselves to alter their winning formula and produce a true twin powder board that loves to pop, butter and spin in the sidecountry and beyond.

It may look super niche, and juuust a little bit weird but the Party Wave Twin is the product of the consummation of the long awaited marriage between park and pow. Don’t be afraid to size down, the width is making up the surface area you’ll be losing in the length, and in turn gives you a more agile and nimble ride.

Who Is The Bataleon Party Wave Twin For?

You love powder, buuuut you also find yourself drifting off to the park whenever you get a spare lap. Why not combine the passions? If lofty back 1’s off pillows and big slashes on windlips make your nipples tingle then you’re sure to love what’s on offer here.

MORE INFO:
BATALEON.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Bataleon Party Wave Twin here

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Drake Battle Rusty Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: €440, $510

Has it really been a decade since the Rusty Toothbrush crew burst seemingly out of nowhere, and gave the fledgling ‘web edit’ format a much-needed boot up the arse? With more creativity and invention in one of their mini-vids than you’d find on most full-length megabudget DVDs of the time, they soon became the delinquent posterboys of the internet age.

The Drake Battle Rusty snowboard is the third iteration of the collective’s signature model, and the shared Italian heritage has cooked up another winner.

Who Is The Drake Battle Rusty For?

This one prides itself on being a multi-purpose tool that doesn’t sleepwalk into bland, beige utility. Whether you’re in the streets or the backcountry, you’ll feel like you have a specialist tool under your feet. The list of boards that can genuinely do both well is not a long one, so if you’re a fan of both then snap this up.

MORE INFO: NORTHWAVE.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Drake Battle Rusty here

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Jones Mind Expander Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: £540 / €600 / $600

When the Jones Mind Expander first appeared, it was hard to say whether or not it would have staying power. The quality and fun factor were undeniable, but it cut right across the rest of the Jones brand’s identity – a brightly-plumed parakeet amongst a pack of padding snow leopards.

Fortunately for us all, it found its audience and spawned more variants than a certain infamous airborne virus. While we’d encourage you to check out the twin, split, youth, women’s and ‘Ultra’ versions, this year we’re singling out the original and best.

Who Is The Jones Mind Expander For?

The best way to get out of a rut is to dig new ones! If your standard all-mountain board isn’t doing it for you anymore, take this out on a slushy day and see if you can’t rediscover your joie-de-vivre in amongst all the carving and slashing.

MORE INFO:
JONESSNOWBOARDS.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Jones Mind Expander here

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K2 Special Effects Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: £525 / €600 / $600

Okay, so it might not look like the most versatile board in your locker, and while it can do more than you potentially give it credit for, there’s no denying that the Special Effects is a quiver board. One of the special ones you wait anxiously for the best conditions to pull it out, and when you do, boy oh boy, is it worth it.

Short, shapely and extremely bodacious, the Special Effects has our pulses racing. We’d classify the Special Effects as primarily a freeride snowboard, but not in the sense that you’d ride it down Corbet’s Couloir, think less ball shrinking descents and more undulating hills covered in fluffy white gold. You’ll want to size down significantly with this one, but just trust the process!

Who Is The K2 Special Effects For?

The Special Effects is admittedly possibly more of a special occasion board, surfy turns on blower pow days or party laps slush slashing in the spring sun, but pretty much any rider who wants something specific to suit those occasions will find a chum here. It might be a bit much for a complete newbie, but otherwise you’re hot to trot.

MORE INFO:
K2SNOW.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 K2 Special Effects here

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Lib Tech Lost x LIB Rocket Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: £555 / €630 / $630

The flagship board in Lib Tech’s Lost x Lib Collection, the Rocket was dreamed up by legendary surf shaper Matt Biolos. Our favourite place to ride the Rocket was in the spring slush, but that’s not to say it can’t handle firmer conditions or steeper terrain. The profile and construction of the Rocket mean it’s a veritable demon in deeper snow and it’ll dig a trench with the best of them – just as any great freeride focussed snowboard should!

Who Is The Lib Tech Lost x LIB Rocket For?

You’re a strong rider who wants a powder board that can be taken out of the locker any day of the season. You’ll ride a bit of anything, but your park rat days are probably behind you. Surfy turns and eurocarves are more your bag than front boards and down-flat-downs.

MORE INFO:
LIB-TECH.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Lib Tech Lost x LIB Rocket here

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Moonchild Malibu Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: €579

Moonchild Snowboards was borne out of creative frustration. After churning out boards for other brands, two experienced shapers resolved to make their own. And they didn’t hold back.

A browse of the ‘Skunkworks’ range on their website shows just how far they’re prepared to go in search of a new snowboarding experience: reverse camber meets reverse taper, various “experimental holes” (including a full-on kitchen spatula design), and even a powsurfer with a real denim topsheet. Bonkers, yes – but endearingly so.

Who Is The Moonchild Malibu For?

If you need a break from the norm (but are still hopeful for a hell of a lot of pow days) then the Malibu has your name on it. Ideally you’ll have already had some experience with unconventional boards that have noses bigger than Cyril Sneer, but it’s not a requirement.

MORE INFO:
MOONCHILDSNOWBOARDS.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Moonchild Malibu here

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Nidecker Mosquito Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE:

Of the three models in Nidecker’s ‘Snow Surf Quiver’, the Mosquito is our number one pick. It’s a great example of a modern volume-shift design that can be ridden around 10 centimetres shorter than your standard deck. An updated silhouette for 2022/23 sees slightly more angular corners but, honestly it’s more of a cosmetic change. Performance remains much the same – and that’s a good thing. With that stubby tail and extended nose it’s a dream to ride in powder, but the beauty of this one is just how well it carves and slashes across the whole mountain. Unleash your inner John John!

Who Is The Nidecker Mosquito For?

Riders who are happy to swerve the park and try something a bit different. They love greybird days in the trees, and agile turns on the piste. And they probably own a wetsuit.

MORE INFO:
NIDECKER.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 Nidecker Mosquito here

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YES. Warca Snowboard 2022-2023

PRICE: £540 / €600 / $600

Ripping off the rip offs. A decade ago, YES. launched the now iconic 420. A weird and wonderful shape that totally subverted the paradigm of powder snowboards. Sure it wasn’t the first to do it, but it certainly brought the stubby shape to the forefront once again.

Understandably, the 420 spawned a wave of imitators, and now YES. are turning the tables with the Warca. A portmanteau of two of their biggest rivals within the sphere, and a real competitor for one of our favourite boards of the season, the YES. Warca is primed for ripping powder, charging groomers and bringing freestyle flair into the backcountry.

Who Is The YES. Warca For?

You’re an advanced rider looking for a board that you can rip around the whole mountain, but your heart really lies with surfy turns and wide open powder bowls. If you’re used to a bigger deck- don’t be afraid to size down here!! The shape more than makes up for it and in turn offers you a more nimble and agile ride than you might be used to.

MORE INFO:
YESNOWBOARD.COM

Selected for the Whitelines 100 – take a closer look at the 2022-2023 YES. Warca here

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