• Price: £410 / €520
• Sizes: 154, 158, 162
• Flex: 8
• Profile: Camber
• Shape: Directional Twin
• dcshoes.com

This is year two for the DC Space Echo, and little has changed. Fans of classic directional twin snowboards with tons of camber and a good stiff flex will be pleased about that, whereas more timid riders need not apply.

“Snapping it would be a Herculean task, so you don’t need to hold back when hitting features both man-made and natural”

On the surface it may seem like a throwback, but there’s nothing old-fashioned about the way the DC Space Echo has been put together. The poplar core is enhanced with strips of beech wood running down the middle, following the lines made by the binding inserts. Snapping it would therefore be a Herculean task, so you don’t need to hold back when hitting features both man-made and natural.

And hit features you should; it’s not a pure park board, but it’ll still feel right at home on the XL line, or in the pipe. Those who equate freestyle with pressing ride-on boxes and buttering a freshly-groomed piste will be at odds with this. There’s not much give, so it’s far more suited to loading up for big-time booter hits. The same goes in the backcountry; the DC Space Echo is the perfect accompaniment for clearing gap jumps, airing off spines and dropping the biggest cliffs you can find.