Best Snowboard Brands to Buy

Snowboarding is a beloved sport that has seen massive growth over the past few decades. It has gone from being a non-mainstream sport for a very small niche of riders to being one of the most popular winter sports worldwide. With that growth has come an explosion of brands specializing in snowboards and gear.

Let’s take a look at some of the top snowboard brands, what they are best known for, and why their products might be the right choice for you!

What about cottage brands and local options?

If it seems like an interesting option, we by all means encourage you to check them out! Using brand name equipment is by no means necessary in order to have a great time or be an excellent rider. Who knows – you might discover the next best thing.

Top brands have a given level of expertise and often their own specialties. Not only that, it is almost certain that you will encounter equipment from the top brands whenever you are looking to add to or upgrade your snowboard setup. The big name brands have big reputations for a reason, so let us acquaint you with what the world’s leading snowboard companies have to offer.

Burton

burton logo

Who are they?

Founded on a farm in Vermont in1977, Burton is one of the oldest snowboarding brands – seeped in history and credited with helping snowboarding become the sport it is today. Not only is it the oldest, but it is the most popular snowboard brand worldwide. With decades of experience, Burton is known for quality, style and constant innovation as well as ethical, environmentally friendly production.

Best known for

Producing a wide range of equipment for pros, beginners and even kids. Burton has something for everyone and a ton of selection.

Specialties

The Burton Channel – a system in which bindings can be positioned along a slider as opposed to mounted in alignment with specifically drilled holes – is arguably the most popular and customizable snowboard binding system on the market. Burton is also one of the most popular brands among professional riders.

What’s missing

Low budget options – Burton products don’t tend to be cheap. While the quality may be worth the extra dollars, if you are looking for something especially affordable you may want to look elsewhere.

Other products

Burton pretty well does it all: snowboards, bindings, jackets, pants, casual wear and protective padding. They are also known for producing some of the best snowboard boots as well.

K2

k2 logo

Who are they

Originally known as an alpine ski company, K2 started to produce snowboards in the late 1990’s. More than 25 years later and they are well-established as one of the major snowboard manufacturers.

Best known for

Having a lot of selection: with nearly 30 different snowboard models Not only do they have a wide variety or boards, K2 has 18 bindings to choose from as well, making it seems likely that you might just find your best snowboard bindings here.

Specialties

K2’s most recent flagship model, the K2 Alchemist Snowboard packs new technology and might just be the best freeride snowboard ever made.

What’s missing

While K2 hasn’t got much selection in their snowboard apparel lines, in terms of equipment they have it all covered.

Other products

Along with snowboards and bindings, K2 has a decent selection of snowboards boots as well as bags and a small apparel collection.

GNU

gnu logo

Who are they?

Handmade in Washington State, USA, GNU snowboards having been pushing the forefront of snowboard technology and design since 1977. They are also the self-proclaimed most environmentally friendly snowboard company with a production process that creates zero waste and uses 100% renewable energy sources.

Best known for

Affordability and innovation. Better yet, GNU offers a full line of women’s snowboards and sponsors some of the top female pro-riders in the world.

Specialties

Freestyle snowboards! GNU is known for their banana board designs – that is the rocker profile of their boards – which deliver good maneuverability and float.

Other products

GNU offers a modest selection of bindings, but for the most part they stick to snowboards.

The Arbor Collective

the arbor collective logo

Who are they?

This American company was founded in 1995 with the specific goal of sustainable snowboard production. They soon began making skateboards as well and have been making high-performance boards from sustainable materials ever since.

Best known for

Having an excellent selection of snowboards for any skill level or riding style.

What’s missing

Since Arbor primarily focuses on boards, anyone who rides Arbor needs to do some mixing and matching in terms of having a coherent setup of boots, board and bindings. This is really no problem at all, but if you are new to the sport you need to be willing to invest a little extra time in making sure your gear is compatible.

Other products

The Arbor Collective has a rad collection of apparel and footwear alongside its snowboards, skateboards and a few bindings.

DC Shoes

dc shoes logo

Who are they?

This Californian skateboard company was founded in 1994. Shortly after its founding, DC Shoes crossed over into snowboard design and hasn’t looked back. Today they offer a wide selection of boards as well as other snowboard gear and are well represented on the slopes.

Specialties

Having a good selection of boards in a middle price range. Great quality equipment without the price tag of some of the more elite brands like Burton.

Other products

DC Shoes has you covered on the slopes and for all the life that happens in between with an extensive line of apparel including shoes and hats as well as bags and a small collection of snowboard boots.

Salomon

salomon logo

Who are they?

This French ski company was born in the heart of the French Alps in the 1950s. Today Salomon makes not only snowboards and skis, but a massive selection of high-end sports equipment making them the leading sports equipment manufacturer in Europe.

Best known for

Absolute quality and performance in a wide range of products. Solid snowboards can be paired with great boots and bindings as well as exceptional outerwear. Their snowboard options cover a whole range including some new youth boards this season.

Specialties

This season Salomon is making waves with their new Hillside board: an innovation with no bindings designed for surfing powder!

Other products

If it is standard apparel or equipment that you can wear in the mountains, then there is a decent chance that Salomon makes it: alpine skis, bindings, running shoes, sportswear, snowboards, Nordic skis, boots, bags… the list goes on.

Honorable Mentions

With so many awesome snowboard brands out there, it was pretty tough to narrow down the list to 6 – so here are a few more top brands that are well worth checking out!

Lib Tech – Here is another American snowboard brand with decades of experience under their boots and a strong commitment to creating sustainable products. They are known for the rocker profile – Banana Technology – as well as their unique Magne-Traction edges.

Ride – Innovative technology and graphic creativity at its best! Ride is known for pushing the limits of snowboard technology and being willing to try new things. We recommend checking out their boards – many of which are ultra-lightweight thanks to their special membrane technology.

Roxy – This brand takes the prize for being the top women’s snowboarding brand. They have an affordable selection of boards designed for women only (they don’t actually have a men’s line!).

Rossignol – This century-old, French snow sport company started making snowboards in 1987 and have earned their spot among the best with a wide range of high-performance boards as well as a variety of boards in a very affordable price range that are ideal for beginners and occasional weekend warriors.

There you have it – whatever brand you choose, breathe easy, there is no shortage of great options. Different brands do feature different specialties, innovative technologies and different style or rider-specific lines so take a little time to consider which company might meet your needs best.

About The Author

AthletePath Staff

We are a team of enthusiasts and professional athletes thriving to provide you with helpful advice on buying everything you may ever need to become a better athlete.

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