UPDATE: Check out our review of the 2018/2019 Salomon Pillow Talk here

The Details:

The pow-shapes trend is all the rage, and here’s a rare female-specific offering. A women’s version of the Derby, the Salomon Pillow Talk is a short and stubby floater that’s earned the seal of approval from backcountry dynamo Annie Boulanger.

The flat section between the feet and rocker rises at each end would give this away as a pow-friendly board, had the shape not already done so.

With this you get the same surface area as a conventionally-shaped stick, but with way more maneuverability and a smaller turning circle. If you’re looking to squeeze your way down a tight line or navigate through the trees, this will do the job.

On piste it’ll fare well too, the wide waist allowing you to get lower than ever in the carves. It’s nimble enough to chuck off side hits and medium freestyle features, although you might feel a little less stable than usual when you try anything requiring high speeds.

Don’t worry about that, though – this is for cruising both pow and piste, finding as many natural hits as possible, buttering to your heart’s content and really working those turns. Leave the speed freaks to it, and have a blast on this instead.