• Sizes: 90, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125
• Flex: 6
• Profile: Flat
• Shape: True Twin
• Price: £169 / €199

The number of kids’ snowboards continues to increase, as more brands cotton on to the fact that the groms are legion, and demand a good stick. You could roll the dice with an unknown quantity, but if you’re after a sure thing then check out the Rome Mini Shred kids’ snowboard.

Our test team loved the Rome Mini Shred last year, so it’s good to see that it’s essentially unchanged for 2017/18. That includes the learner-specific profile, which uses a slightly tweaked flat base to create an easier platform for those first turns.

“The extruded base can take a battering, and the true twin shape is ideal for those first days in the park”

When going straight it’ll feel like a common-or-garden zero camber snowboard; stable, if a little lifeless. Then when the grom starts to initiate a turn, the convex nose and tail will make a nasty edge catch (with potential for scorpion) a lot less likely.

Despite the newbie-friendly base design, the Rome Mini Shred is no noodle, so once your kid is a bit more accomplished then it should handle the next stage too. The extruded base can take a battering, and the true twin shape is ideal for those first days in the park.

There’s also a set of Rome Mini Shred bindings, as well as boots – and with such a wide range of sizes, it’ll suit just about all of the youngest shredders out there.