Best Freeride / Powder Snowboards 2025/26

Built for deep days, steep terrain, and big-mountain confidence: here are our top choices for this winter’s freeride boards.

When it’s dumping, you don’t want a board that just survives powder — you want one that devours it. A true freeride board should float like a dream, charge through chunder, and stay locked in when you point it down something steep enough to make you rethink your life choices.

“A true freeride board should float like a dream, charge through chunder, and stay locked in when you point it down something steep enough to make you rethink your life choices.”

So we took this year’s freeride and powder decks to Åre, Sweden, and let our test crew do the judging. From surfy swallowtails to aggressive big-mountain weapons, these are the boards built for the riders who chase the storm and always know where the stash is.

Best Freeride and Powder Snowboards 2025/26

Arbor El Camino

Profile: Camber
Shape: Directional
Sizes: 155, 158, 161
Flex: 8/10
Gender: Men’s
Ability: Intermediate → Advanced

Who’s it for? Built like a brick and engineered to launch you off anything, the El Camino is equal parts freight train and Formula 1. This pro model is Jared Elston’s masterpiece: fearlessly fast, brutally stable, and poppy enough to stomp anything. Parabolic camber and Grip Tech give you powerful, precise edge hold and control at speed. Double carbon stringers and the ultra-light Highland III core ensure explosive pop and landing durability, while keeping it strong and responsive.

Bataleon Thunderstorm

Profile: 3BT Camber
Shape: Directional 
Sizes: 144N, 148N, 152N, 154, 156, 158, 161, 156W, 159W, 162W
Flex: 6/10
Gender: Unisex
Ability: Intermediate → Advanced

Who’s it for? The ThunderStorm is a mellow freeride powerhouse that handles everything from pow laps to high-speed groomers with style. Its traditional camber core gives you edge hold and pop, but 3BT adds the float and smooth transitions you didn’t know you needed. Built with poppy yet light construction and dampening sidewalls, this board invites creative freeriders to send terrain features, drop lines, and still feel confident blasting groomers without losing its mellow touch.

Head Day LYT

Profile: Hybrid Camber
Shape: Directional
Sizes: 143, 147, 153, 156, 161
Flex: 6/10
Gender: Unisex
Ability: Intermediate → Advanced

Who’s it for? The Day LYT is built for steep, deep days and riders chasing effortless float. Its Hybrid Camber profile and long, wide nose keep it on top in powder, while the short pintail and setback stance add agility. A Hexagonal Core cuts swing weight for easier maneuverability, and the split-ready bamboo center stringer means you’re set if you decide to venture out of bounds.

Jones Howler

Profile: Camber
Shape: Directional
Sizes: 152, 155, 157W, 158, 160W, 161, 163W
Flex: 8/10
Gender: Men’s + Women’s
Ability: Intermediate → Advanced

Who’s it for? The Howler is the creative freerider’s favorite: a directional board built to turn steep, technical terrain into a playground. Its minimally tapered shape and powerful camber profile deliver explosive pop, stability, and edge hold, making it as confident carving as it is stomping heavy landings. Co-designed with Victor De Le Rue and Elena Hight, the Howler floats down spine lines, charges couloirs, and stomps huge airs with authority.

Korua Dart

Profile: Hybrid Camber
Shape: Directional
Sizes: 140, 147, 152, 156, 160, 164
Flex: 5-7/10
Gender: Unisex
Ability: Intermediate → Advanced

Who’s it for? Featuring Korua’s Float Camber profile, wide frame, and tapered shape, the Korua Dart floats effortlessly in powder while still letting you dial in precise turns on groomers. Built for riders who want to refine their turning style, it delivers speed and drive out of every carve while staying playful in soft snow. The swallow tail adds surf-inspired release in pow and helps tighten up your turns, making this board as fun in tight tree lines as it is on open faces.

K2 Sky Pilot

Profile: Hybrid Camber
Shape: Directional
Sizes: 148, 151, 154, 157, 160, 163
Flex: 6/10
Gender: Unisex
Ability: Intermediate → Advanced

Who’s it for? The Sky Pilot is for riders chasing steep lines and deep snow who still want a board nimble enough for natural freestyle hits and high-speed piste laps. Developed with Sage Kotsenburg, it’s designed to pivot and flow through pillows, trees, and technical descents. A wider, Volume Shift™ shape reduces swing weight and toe/heel drag, allowing you to downsize 3-5 cm from your usual snowboard length for a more playful and responsive ride.