Whitelines Choice: All-Mountain Winners

These are your ride anywhere, do anything snowboards. There’s an abundance of all-mountain decks on the market that claim to do it all, but only a handful that truly deliver. It’s a tricky balance to strike: creating profiles that can deliver pop, whilst floating in powder; or carve aggressively and still inspire confidence to take a couple laps in switch. For riders looking for that one “quiver killer” to pull out of the locker every day of the season this is your category.

Check out our full list of the best all mountain snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Salomon Assassin Pro Snowboard 2019-2020
PRICE: £560
Welcome back to the premium version of the all-mountain ace, the Salomon Assassin, it’s the Assassin Pro. This is truly a weapon. To the untrained eye, there might be not much to distinguish between the two Assassins but the Pro is the beefy meathead brother.

Just like its namesake, the Assassin Pro also carries a camrock profile, directional twin shape and quadralized side cuts. What tells these two apart, in the main, is the core. The Assassin Pro’s core is made out of lightweight paulownia, a core type that Salomon likes to call the Ghost Green Core. Paulownia is one of the newer woods used for snowboard manufacturing, and one of its signature traits is that it is light yet strong.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Salomon Assassin Pro here

Check out our full list of the best women’s all mountain snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Capita The Equalizer Women’s Snowboard 2019-2020
PRICE: £440 / €480
With a mid-body camber, flat tail and reverse cambered nose the Equalizer allows for both pop and stability. The nose extends further on while the tail becomes blunt, which makes for a perfect powdery float.

New for this season is the dual blaster ashpop core, which means that the already durable board now has an even more dense and powerful core for increased board control.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Capita The Equalizer here

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Whitelines Choice: Freeride Winners

These are your hard and fast charging vehicles. Taking the odd detour through the park or dabbling in a couple switch turns isn’t entirely off the cards, but freeride snowboards come to life when they’re pointed in their preferred direction. Directional shapes and flexes allow for easy float and smooth turn initiations, and a stiffer tail will deliver control right to the end or the arc when you’re reaching top speeds.

Check out our full list of the best freeride snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Bataleon Omni Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: £429 / €500

The Bataleon Omni epitomises what freeriding is about. A base that absolutely flies and a rock-solid core that holds steady at warp speed? Tick. A board that floats on the deepest powder days without so much as an inch of back foot lean? Tick. All packaged up with a profile that not only delivers power and aggression running its entire length but does so in a way that won’t T-bone you the second you take your eye off the ball? Yep, one more big massive tick.

It’s the omnivorous juggernaut that goes full hog across the mountain and still gets you home in one piece.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Bataleon Omni here

Check out our full list of the best women’s freeride snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Jones Mind Expander Women’s Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: £529 / €600
This directional beauty of a board is made for the creative freeride and freestyle rippers. The Surf Rocker shape allows for an insanely floaty feel in powder and keeps the nose pointed skywards without an ounce of effort. Its short tail also allows for easier turns and surfing your way through whatever snowfields you may encounter will feel effortless.

Despite the Mind Expander’s home being in powder, a spin on the piste is definitely enjoyable too. It might not be the smoothest board to ride on the piste with, with a stiffer nose which dampens the ride, in the right conditions it’ll rail a carve like the best of them. Worth keeping in mind when dealing with a shape like this (blunted nose, squared off tail and tight sidecut), you might want to choose a shorter model than you’d usually go for.

BUY DIRECT FROM JONES

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Jones Women’s Mind Expander here

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Whitelines Choice: Carving Winners

This category is purely for on the edge. There’s been a recent trend, from brands like Nidecker and Korua, in producing boards built for honing the art of the turn. Camber profiles will dominate on a carving snowboard, and extra width underfoot allows riders to get their lean on without the dreaded boot drag. Not all carving boards are one-trick-ponies, but their unforgiving nature will find less experienced riders getting quickly bucked off.

Check out our full list of the best carving snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Amplid Pentaquark Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: €840

The Pentaquark sits among a series of three boards in what Amplid call their ‘Centrifugal Collection’. Everything about it screams high-speed, high-angle riding on the line. It features a fully positive camber, reinforced with carbon stringers in the tail. It won’t be a forgiving or intuitive ride for many snowboarders and it essentially comes with a ‘minimum entry requirement’. However, for those who’ve been honing the craft of turning for years, even decades, this is your ticket into the big leagues.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Amplid Pentaquark here

Check out our full list of the best women’s carving snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Korua Pencil Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: €449

Good news ladies, at long last the boys at KORUA have broadened the line to include a couple of new female-friendly sizes. The Pencil hits the shelves in an all-new 147 size and is primed for ripping up the groomers. The red and white cult classics have never been known for sticking to convention, and the pencil epitomises the brand’s raison d’être – yearning for turning.

As with any snowboard built for tipping and gripping, it’s shaped around a directional outline with a sizeable taper from end to end. It’s a tale of two halves with the pencil, the nose of the board rolls easily into the turn but, as soon as you’re in, the dials crank up and pull you round the arc. Buckle up, you’re very much on for the ride with the Pencil. Thankfully, it’s one you’ll never want to get off.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Korua Pencil here

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Whitelines Choice: Newcomer Winners

Here’s one for new kids on the block. Recent years have seen brands become increasingly experimental in their shapes and constructions, often fusing the styles of pre-existing models in the line or supercharging some of their fan favourites. If you’re after the kind of rider who likes to stay on the frontline of innovation, here’s your category.

YES Hybrid Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: £489
What happens when two of YES Snowboard’s most prolific freeride decks bump uglies? You get the Hybrid. On the 420 side of the family, the board gets its short and fat genes which paved the way for a revolution in powder specific shapes. Then, from its PYL heritage, it has that extra kick up the arse for charging harder, steeper lines. An unlikely romance, for sure, but the by-product has the look and feel of a modern-day classic.
BUY DIRECT FROM YES

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 YES Hybrid here

Check out our full list of the best new women’s snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Ride Psychocandy Women’s Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: £445 / €500
It is here – the female addition to the infamous Ride Pig snowboard line, the Psychocandy.

The Ride Psychocandy is designed to ride like the men’s version of it, the Ride Warpig. The Psychocandy is a directional all-mountain charger with a tapered directional shape, a fully flat profile and rocker at both ends. It’s an absolute animal- and we love it.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Ride Psychocandy here

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Whitelines Choice: Splitboard Winners

Once the weird, creepy uncle of snowboarding who occasionally showed up at the party, splitboards have firmly cemented their place in almost every brand’s line-up. Some have been in the game for years; others are making an appearance for the first time this season. When choosing a splitboard, there’s two things to consider – efficiency on the way up (how you’ll be spending 90% of your day) and performance on the way down (where you’ll get 90% of the enjoyment from your day).

Jones Mind Expander Splitboard 2019-2020

PRICE: £799

Surprise, surprise, Jeremy’s topped the splitboard podium. Five years ago, this would have been close to a one-horse race. These days, every brand worth their salt haven’t just dipped their toes but cannonballed deep into the business of earning your turns. All the more reason then that the Mind Expander Split offers something pretty special to stand out from the competition.

Whitelines Choice: Value Winners

Snowboarding’s an expensive hobby, but the right tool for the job needn’t be. There’s fierce competition in this sector of the market. Brands often ‘trickle down’ much of the technology from their higher end snowboards to produce results that defy their seemingly impossible price points. If you’re on a budget, but don’t want to risk rolling the rental shop dice on each trip to the mountains, these snowboards have you covered.

Burton Kilroy Directional Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: £380 / €440
Remaining true to the Kilroy line, the Kilroy Directional is a camber board through and through, just like its softer brother, the Kilroy Twin.

With a medium flex you can be sure to get the best out of both worlds riding the Kilroy Directional. It’s just soft enough to fool around with, but firm enough to be responsive.
BUY DIRECT FROM BURTON

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Burton Kilroy Directional here

Check out our full list of the best value women’s snowboards for 2019-2020 here

Head Everything Women’s Snowboard 2019-2020

PRICE: £300 / €370
Head have created an easy-to-control ride that will help riders looking to progress across every area of their riding on whatever terrain the mountain throws at them.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Head Everything here

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Whitelines Choice: Boots Winners

Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV Snowboard Boots 2019-2020

PRICE: £330

The Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV is an upgraded version of the traditional Adidas Tactical boot. This new version has had a Gold Level liner and a nice 90s design added to it, so it was a no brainer for us to put this badass boot in the Whitelines 100.

The gold level liner is there to keep your feet securely placed within the boot. The dual-density liner is tailored to curve around your feet in the most comfortable and customised way, adding just the right amount of security to your ride.

With a Footbed boost you can be sure these boots will let you charge through whatever comes your way. They’ll suck up the hard landings and absorb the choppy snow, so you can expect a solid ride when wearing these.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Adidas Tactical Lexicon ADV here

Deeluxe Team ID Lara Women’s Snowboard Boots 2019-2020

PRICE: £255 / €275
This beauty of a boot made its debut on the market only one season ago and has already become a firm favourite with quite a few fierce females out there.

Thanks to the two separate flex zones in the ankle part of the boot, you’ll have impeccable control over the flex of the boot with your heel staying put. Not only are you certain to stay locked into the boots, but their thermo block will ensure your feet are kept warm and cosy throughout the whole day.

Making the Team ID Laras even more female friendly is the “Girl Power Handle”, a feature that’s been specially designed for women’s hands to make tightening the boots a breeze.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Deeluxe Team ID Lara here

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Whitelines Choice: Bindings Winners

Rome Katana Snowboard Bindings 2019-2020

PRICE: £330 / €380

Few bindings come close to the levels of innovation and customisation that Rome provide. The Katana maybe exemplifies this better than all of them. This is right up there as the best all-mountain binding in the world. Whether you’re looking to spend days, maybe even weeks dialling in the perfect fit, or screw them to your deck before you’ve even left the shop, they won’t disappoint.

The kind of riders the Katanas are aimed at should be generating hefty levels of torque and leverage on the straps – whether that’s out in the backcountry or lapping slush laps through the park.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Rome Katana here

NOW Brigada Women’s Snowboard Bindings 2019-2020

PRICE: €250

The Brigade’s little sister makes its debut for this season and delivers the missing piece in the NOW puzzle – a performance, all-mountain, freestyle focussed women’s binding. The long-awaited addition to the NOW army didn’t disappoint. This one’s got mass appeal written all over it but will definitely find its calling in the park.
The all-new women’s specific FM Highback features here, too. It has a lightweight, minimalist designed to make tweaking and creative, freestyle riding way more achievable, but has an asymmetric outline, with a higher medial side, to follow the natural angle of your riding stance and deliver more contact and support to the boot.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 NOW Brigada here

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Whitelines Choice: Splitboard Bindings Winners

Spark R&D Arc Pro Snowboard Bindings 2019-2020

PRICE: $540
By using 7075 aluminium in the heel hoops, they’ve created an even lighter alternative to the Arcs. The ladders, adjusters and straps also get an upgrade with tougher materials that hold their shape for lasting durability. They are, are 20% lighter than the originals.

For those who felt that the Arc highbacks may have been a little on the soft side, torsionally, the Pro puts things to rights. Using carbon-reinforced nylon, they’ve not only made them stiffer but (starting to see a pattern here?) lighter, too.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Spark R&D Arc Pro here

Spark R&D Arc Women’s Snowboard Bindings 2019-2020

PRICE: $385

The binding features a narrower baseplate, lower and more compact heel hoops, and custom moulded straps designed to accurately fit the most common boot brands out there. The aluminium baseplate is cut out to drastically shave excess weight off without compromising the binding’s overall stiffness. There’s another advantage to this: Metal conducts the cold. The less of it underfoot, the better the chance your toes have of staying warm when you’re out on a dawn patrol.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 SPark R&D Women’s Arc here

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Whitelines Choice: Goggles Winners

Giro Method Snowboard Goggles 2019-2020

PRICE: $130
It’d be fair to say that Giro products have been more commonly found in the heart of the peloton than the drop-in of the super pipe. This year’s all-new Method goggle signifies a change of direction for the brand. With the helping artistic hand of legendary skater, snowboarder and artist, John Cardiel, they’ve gone straight for snowboarding’s jugular and launched a goggle “designed with the core rider in mind”. Hands down, this was our test team’s favourite looking goggle of the year, with a lens that could just about make a dog see colour.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Giro Method here

Dragon NFXs Snowboard Goggles 2019-2020

The NFXs is the smallest goggle in the NFX family, and shares much of its DNA with its relatives, including the use of Dragon’s Lumalens technology. Lumalens is designed to enhance contrast between colours, making it easier to distinguish between lumps and bumps in the piste. The lens makes it easier on your eyes by improving your depth perception, so you’re not left straining to see what’s in your path.

Marks on your goggles aren’t the end of the world, but they are super annoying, so Dragon have made these lenses water repellent, and they also don’t absorb the oils from your fingers. The less goop on your lenses, the less you’ll have to clean them and risk scratching them.

Take a closer look at the 2019-2020 Dragon NFXs here

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