17 Awesome Beginner Snowboards Perfect for Those Starting Out
Haven’t spent a ton of time hitting the slopes before? No worries! that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy getting outside–that powder isn’t going to last forever! Fortunately, there are a lot of beginner snowboards for those who might not have spent a ton of time on the mountain. Here are the ones I would recommend!
[lwptoc hideItems=”1″]
What should I look for in a beginner snowboard?
First of all, you need to figure out your riding stance, which can be either goofy or regular-footed. Goofy is when your right foot is in front at the top of your board. Regular is when your left foot is in front. You should consider so many details before your first vacation: how to dress, what to pack, the hotels, the snowboard school, how to navigate the resort, and more. You can find all the beginner’s snowboarding tips in this comprehensive article.
Starting off on the right foot will make it easier to transition to switch riding. This means you will be able to carve down the mountain using both regular and goofy stances.
You will want to make sure you get one of the top beginner snowboards and be sure it is properly sized. Size is based on your height and weight.
Directional and directional twin boards are ideal. There are a few different options for styles when it comes to beginner boards. You will want to consider:
- Board camber (curvature outward)
- Rocker (curve up from the center)
- Edge (outside traction)
- Pop (amount of spring for when doing jumps)
- Float (lift in powder)
- Flex (flexibility – soft to firm).
What should I expect to pay for top beginner snowboards?
It might go without saying, but be prepared to pay a decent amount of money with any of the best beginner snowboards. They run between $400 and $700, respectively.
Sometimes, it truly pays to spend a little extra cash on something high-quality, especially when it is sports equipment you plan to use frequently. You may actually end up saving money because you won’t need to buy a new board as often.
After you read the product descriptions below, you will find that it is worth the price for a beautifully designed, durable snowboard.
Beginner snowboards ideal for the basics
Here are some good beginner snowboards that are perfect for your first runs!
Burton Hideaway Women’s Snowboard
Price: $439.95
First of all, this board is pretty with a nice ombré pink to purple design on the bottom and a gorgeous purple and pink mountain on top. There are black accents which makes it not too girly, but girly enough if that’s how you like to express yourself.
Additionally, the board is a flat top, twin-tipped board designed for all-terrain snowboarding to create the best beginner to intermediate snowboard in mind. This is because of its sintered base. It will glide across the snow even without waxing.
It is a wonderfully stable board that will make your experience fun and memorable.
While this might not be the cheapest board out there, it is still a pretty good deal in cheap beginner snowboards.
Specs and features:
- Biax fiberglass
- 5mm taper
- Soft flex
Arbor Swoon Rocker Snowboard
Price: $549.95
The Swoon Rocker has a sleek design with their “Rise Above Plastic RAP top sheet,” making it sustainably produced. This means the board is plastic-free and made with the health of our planet in mind.
I don’t know about you but sustainability is one of my top criteria for buying outdoor gear. How can you love the outdoors and not care about one’s environmental impact?
This board is another twin-tipped all-terrain board. It runs right down the middle when it comes to flexibility. They boast that it provides a surfy ride with natural float and cleaner tracking. You will experience a smooth ride and do well learning on it.
Specs and features:
- 3-year warranty
- Entropy Bio Resin
- Fully-wrapped sidewalls
NICHE Nightshade Snowboard
Price: $479.00
This is a great board for those of you that want to learn tricks in addition to carving down the mountain. One of the reasons for this is the basalt x stringers which create a lightweight and awesomely stable ride.
It is also stable and lightweight due to a flatter camber with a medium flex. It has plenty of pop if you want to learn how to jump and do ollies on this snowboard for beginners.
This twin-tipped board is excellent for any setting and has excellent acceleration due to its sintered base. The sintered base makes this board durable and smooth as well.
Additionally, NICHE makes its boards with the planet in mind, making this beginner snowboard a winner.
Specs and features:
- Traction bumps
- Rocker in the nose
- Wood core
Lib Tech T. Rice Orca Snowboard
Price: $1,199.99
One of the major bonuses to this board is that it carves excellently. It is designed to make it easy to change directions due to the “whale tail” and the strategically placed serrated edges.
Seriously, this board does it all. Those serrated edges mean it will cut through ice. However, it may not be the best purchase for your first day of snowboarding due to the speed this thing has!
It is worth the investment if you are looking for a board you can use anywhere and for everything. It has a long nose to make your ride “floaty,” while medium flex brings versatility, along with the hybrid camber and rocker feature.
Specs and features:
- Long nose
- Core made partially of recycled bottles
- Trench-gouging sidecut
Weston Rise Backwoods Snowboard
Price: $624.00
The Weston Backwoods snowboard is another board with a pretty design. The burnt orange mountains and black accents make this board super appealing to the eye.
In addition to good looks, this board can give you a versatile ride through any terrain. The sintered base makes this another durable and stable rider. Medium flex also makes this the best of beginner snowboards.
It has great edge hold and ideal pop. With its twin design and multi-radial twin camber, you will be learning to ride switch in no time.
Specs and features:
- 10 trees planted for each board purchased
- 4-year warranty
- Wide nose
Capita Paradise Women’s Snowboard
Price: $449.95
This snowboard is manufactured with adaptability as the focus and made with 100% clean energy. They did well making this a board that can handle all conditions.
Medium flex allows for great control, while a longer tail camber allows for more power. The flat tail also makes this a board with excellent pop and stellar float.
Not to mention, the artistic details on the board itself are also badass. It looks super cool with its misty mountain landscape and a person on horseback at the top of a mountain.
Specs and features:
- Rockered nose and tail
- Wood core
- Camber underfoot
NICHE Ember Snowboard
Price: $479.00
The NICHE Ember snowboard is made with recycled materials and a sustainable wood core. It has a sintered base for that great acceleration and speed. It also contains a bio-resin that gives this board a snappy feel.
It has a more stiff flex than some of the other boards on this list, yet it is still a directional flex. It allows for great control in icy conditions due to the double traction bumps on the edge. A back-seat camber and rocker nose gives this board great float while making it easier to navigate groomers.
Specs and features:
- Traction bumps
- Wood core
- 2-year warranty
Rossignol XV Sashimi Snowboard
Price: $499.95
Rossignol has come up with a solid intermediate snowboard with stellar artwork. Plus, the wood core contains wood from 100% sustainable forests.
They describe this board to have “explosive pop” due to its hybrid camber. That’s 60-100% camber and the possibility of rocker towards the ends.
A reverse directional flex creates a prime ability to maneuver and control the board. There is also an awesome shock absorption feature due to Rossignol’s L.I.T.E. grip. This grip also allows for additional edge pressure front and back. You will be able to conquer mountains of all sizes with this board.
Specs and features:
- Camber with rocker
- Reverse directional flex
- Full-length shock absorption
Capita Mercury Snowboard
Price: $599.95
You need a killer board for backcountry snowboarding. So, you’re going to want this board if you’re planning on navigating powder slopes.
The Mercury is another cool board from the environmentally friendly brand, Capita.
It has a user-friendly medium directional flex, which gives you the ability to cut across the landscape effortlessly. A longer camber in the tail makes bombing down the mountain your forte.
The rocker nose is wider than some other boards. Match that up with a parabolic (a geometric shape) edge with a tail that narrows out, and you get a badass float on that sweet, sweet pow.
Specs and features:
- Environmentally-friendly
- Antifriction properties
- Stainless steel 2×4 inserts
Burton Skeleton Key Snowboard
Price: $579.95
Burton’s Skeleton Key snowboard is not really a beginner’s snowboard, but it is so great for shredding trails that we had to mention it. Plus, the twin shape makes it a potential board for a beginner. So, it’s worth buying if you’re looking to snowboard for years to come.
The board is ideal for powder and all-mountain terrain. It has a longer and rockered nose with a taper and a shorter tail for fantastic float. Plus, it has its “Directional Camber Bend” underfoot for outstanding steadiness with sharp turns and anything the mountain might throw at you.
You’ll also love the inspiring graphic on this board. It was designed intentionally through a collaboration of hand-painted artwork and analog photography. It is true art.
Specs and features:
- Flexible
- Rideable in any weather condition
- 3-year warranty
GNU Ravish Women’s Snowboard
Price: $499.99
The GNU Ravish Women’s Snowboard is one of the best boards on this list. It’s an all-mountain directional board, which means it’s great for riders who cannot ride switch.
This eco-friendly board has a soft medium flex which gives you the ability to easily steer through any terrain and type of snow/pack. It also has their “Magne-traction” technology which means it has serrated edges in well-thought-out places to help you cut through icy conditions.
GNU is a solid brand. Plus, they are a green company which is always nice for the ethical shopper. Regardless, this board is not the best in beginner women’s snowboards. It is more intermediate but will get the job done with proper training.
Specs and features:
- Medium flex
- Edge serrations for control
- Wood core
Burton Instigator Flat Top Snowboard
Price: $439.95
I like how the designers of this board were very intentional about making finessed navigation through icy and forested areas easier. They did this through experimentation and then made an awesome board.
The “Dualzone EGD engineered wood grain” is methodically designed to allow for better “edge-hold, response, and strength.” It has twin flex which makes the board symmetrical from nose to tail. The tapered tail allows for great float in powdery conditions.
It’s super lightweight and has masterful pop due to the wood core, their Super Fly 800G Core. It has a sintered base infused with wax to create one of the most durable, badass boards on the market.
Specs and features:
- Hard and soft wood core
- 3-year warranty
- Soft flex
Burton Feelgood Flying V Women’s Snowboard
Price: $479.95
They describe the Feelgood V on their site like this. “Make every turn a metaphorical thumbs up with the versatility and catch-free control of a board that’s built to expand your horizons.” That sentence was just too good not to share.
It is an all-mountain and powder-friendly board with a playful feel. They turn up the playful vibes with rocker and camber for float deliberately placed throughout. This enhances your ability to manipulate your board with ease.
Burton takes pride in developing the artwork for their boards which is why this board looks spectacular. It was designed with input from a women’s ski team. This thoughtfulness has me seriously appreciating Burton.
Specs and features:
- Women-specific design
- Carbon highlights
- Directional shaping
Weston Range Splitboard Snowboard
Price: $438.99
The Range Splitboard is at the top of Weston’s free-ride line. It is best for steeps, open bowls, freeride, and all-mountain snowboarding.
This is another sintered board with a sleek design. It features a directional multi radial camber-rocker giving you ultimate control. The longer sidecut gets you a nice float while allowing for a crucial ability to maneuver on icy slopes by keeping the taper at a minimum.
Another great feature is the sustainably acquired wood core. You know I love environmentally-friendly brands.
Specs and features:
- Wood core
- Rooted inserts
- Boltless bases
Arbor Ethos Snowboard
Price: $399.95
Here we have a directional board for all-mountain use. It was designed with input from Marie-France Roy, a prolific snowboarder. Her knowledge proves to be invaluable in the engineering of this board.
Plus, the “Aromatic Cedar Powerply Core” is made with sustainably harvested trees. The topsheet is “R.A.P. (Rise Against Plastics) Topless technology,” another sustainable bonus.
You’ll find your ability to ride with confidence and style to rise. It will build you up and enhance your passion for snowboarding with this killer design.
Specs and features:
- Fully-wrapped sidewalls
- Recycled steel edges
- Natural wax
Capita Super D.O.A. Snowboard
Price: $499.95
Goodness, the reviews on this board are astounding. The snowboarding community loves it. However, it does not make for a starter snowboard. This board is better for when you have advanced your skillset.
The traditional camber, zero camber, and reverse camber hybrid design will create top-notch pop, enhancing your ability to succeed in tricks of all kinds. It’s incredible for clearing some gnarly jumps with its firm, mid-level flex. Plus, the maneuverability will keep your stoke levels high.
We’re also going to give a shout-out to the sustainable business practices of Capita. We love that they use recycled plastic bottles for their wood hybrid core.
Specs and features:
- Carbon-fiber boosters
- Steel edges
- Metallic underlay
Bataleon Spirit Women’s Snowboard
Price: $429.95
I’m all about this board. They put a lot of attention into making a stellar women’s board, right down to the graphic concept, which is pretty cool. It appears to show the Vayu mudra (a yogic hand gesture). The Vayu Mudra is the air mudra, which I feel is good to have on your side if you’re trying to “catch air.”
It is a twin-directional all-mountain model, which we love for its steering capabilities. The “Side Kick” tips have an excellent foundation, making turns smooth and bringing about stellar float.
It has medium flex to give you a malleable board without too much flexibility. If you want more control on powder, more pop, more speed, and less edge, this is the board for you.
Specs and features:
- Sintered base
- Lifted contact points
- Fiberglass weave
Have you ever tried out these beginner snowboards? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Like this post? Save it for later!
Want more recommendations on outdoor equipment?? Check out these articles:
