All Mountain Board Suggestions

Hey guys,

I’m in the market for a couple of new boards for my partner and I. There are a lot of choices out there and I’m not quite sure what board to get so I was hoping for some help.

I would consider myself between an intermediate to advance rider, able to ride most black slopes comfortably. Mainly focusing more on powder and carving with a slight jump here and there. Looking to progress into more backcountry in the future. Don’t think I would ever hit the park and if I do I wouldn’t be doing very advance tricks. I’ve been doing some research online and think I would be more suited towards an all mountain board with traditional camber or hybrid?

I’ve got a list of boards that I think would be quite similar, just hoping to get an opinion on which board would be more suited towards my riding style. I’m 185 cm tall and weigh around 80kg without equipment. I rode a Burton Progression LTR board 161cm previously and found no problems with it, so I’m not sure if I should stick to the same length or go down a few cm.

Arbor Bryan Iguchi Pro Camber
Capita Defender of Awesome
Jones Mountain Twin
Jones Ultra Mountain Twin
Jones Explorer
Yes Standard

As for my partner she just picked up snowboarding this season. She’s 170cm in height and weigh just under 50kg. Previously rode a Burton LTR board 147cm. Not sure if that’s too heavy for her as the rental company just went by height and not weight. Not sure what’s a good beginner board that will progress with her? I just did a brief research and came up with these:

Bataleon Feelbetter
Yes Emoticon

We mainly will be riding in Japan and probably Europe and Canada later on. Don’t think will be spending much time riding in Australia.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to BW, @Mr J!

The two boards in your list that stood out for me are the Arbor Iguchi Pro and the Jones Explorer. Both of these boards are directional and will float better in powder for various reasons. Based on what you’ve said you’re looking for, I feel either of these will be most suitable for you. The other boards you listed are excellent, but a bit more geared to the freestyle side of things (while still being versatile for all-mountain). The Iguchi Pro and Explorer I view more as all-mountain/pow boards with freestyle capabilities. The Iguchi Pro will be more aggressive due to the full camber profile.

For your partner, both the boards you listed are good options. I would also consider the Rome Lo-Fi Rocker... a really fun and easy board to ride. But you’re on the right track for sure. Any of those boards would be suitable to learn on. One thing to keep in mind, however, is float for Japan. She’ll probably be on the groomers as she continues to progress, but will no doubt want to join you in the deep stuff as her ability allows. So, I’d be looking at full rocker (or close to) profiles, which are both easy to ride and progress on, but also float really well in powder (I like the Rome Lo-Fi Rocker for this reason).

Please let me know if you have any questions.