We often talk about powder and backcountry snowboarding, but let’s be honest, what we have here in Quebec are smaller mountains with bomb snowparks. Hence the importance of choosing a board that will allow you to take full advantage of this situation.
That said, our snowparks are really good. The proof: a large number of Quebec riders who grew up snowboarding these snowparks are now recognized worldwide. Quebec is an important player in the snowboard industry and the countless snowparks we have certainly helped make this happen.
Before going into details, you need to know just what kind of board is the best for the park. If you spend most of your time in the snowparks doing jumps, rails and half pipe, you simply need a Freestyle type of board.
Freestyle boards are shorter, lighter and, above all, more flexible, allowing better control so you can learn all these new tech and progressive tricks. These boards are very often "symmetrical", meaning that the front and the back of the board are identical making it possible to ride on both sides.
Now that you know what you need to be able to jump or slide on your local mountain’s obstacles, here are five snowboards that, we believe, will make you feel like a pro in the park this winter.
The Burton South Parkitect x South Park 157
With its cambered profile, twin shape, smooth style and special features such as the Squeezebox Low offset system and the offset Frostbite edges, this snowboard is a perfect choice for the snowpark. It goes without saying that with this epic collaboration between a snowboard giant and a cartoon giant like South Park, you will not just make improvements in the park, you will also make heads turn while waiting for the chair lift.
The Ride Burnout 155 x Sketchy Tank
Winner of a GoodWood 2015 award, the RIDE Burnout is at home anywhere on the mountain. Big jumps? Yes. High speed turns? Of course. Boxes, rails and even street? Yes, yes, and yes. With the help of its "Popwalls", this board designed for the park is also recognized as a secret weapon when it’s time to ride the pow. It's simple, the Burnout has been tested, loved and approved. It's a sure shot.
The Nitro T1 155W
The T1 is the number one choice for park riders all over the world. Nitro demonstrates its confidence in today's park riders with this ultra-pleasant board that is also reactive. With a camber made for a better pop and RailKillers, you will slide freely and gently throughout the season. To describe this board in a few words, it is a "park killer".
The Bataleon Evil Twin 157
The Evil Twin has been the most sought-after Bataleon twin snowboard for 12 years now. The construction of the board allows for a level of reactivity and power that just a few are able to give. This well balanced blend of features makes it one of the most reliable boards, Period. Guaranteed to never let you down, no matter what snowpark obstacle is in the way.
The Capita Pro Scott Stevens 153
Often imitated, but never duplicated, Scott Steven's style and precision impresses us every year. As the industry leader in new tricks and creative progression in snowboarding, Steven needs a reliable park board. This resistant, versatile dual-purpose park shredder is exactly what Scott uses, and he's not ready to change that anytime soon.