The snowboard gear we love this season!
Rob Kingwill’s Shaper Summit Board Test is held annually at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. A motley crew of shredders assembles for three days and tests hundreds of boards. This event is the proving grounds for our Rated Radical board recommendations. We sift through the results after the test to find boards that stand out. We keep the riders’ opinions in their own words, so you get an unvarnished take on what’s Rated Radical this season.
Women's Rated Radical
Rossignol Jibsaw
TESTER
Jess Goucher
SIZE
153
“I had one of the best lay-down toe-side turns of my life on this thing. It basically turned in a full circle. So fun on terrain park jumps and lets you ride the entire mountain like a park. I’d 100% add this to my quiver. Seriously one of the most fun boards I’ve ever ridden. ”
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Arbor Veda Marie
TESTER
Kelly Collado
SIZE
145
“Stable, quick to maneuver. Had strong turn initiation and drive. Felt stable in the hard pack and had great edge hold. Was able to plow through anything. Didn’t have enough time on it! ”
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Moonchild Popsicle
TESTER
Valerie Black
SIZE
148
“I’ve been waiting for a chance to try the Moonchild snowboards and I was NOT disappointed. The Popsicle was pretty much as fun as it gets for me. ”
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Franco Jenney
TESTER
Camilla Brown
SIZE
151
“This board is as nimble as it gets! Turns effortlessly and absolutely attacks tight trees. The shape cuts through variable conditions, carves groomers beautifully, and really shines in the pow. The swallow tail had a really nice release when you slashed a wall. I could place a turn wherever my heart desired at a moments notice. The medium flex is forgiving but it still super stable at high speed and has nice pop. This board is so freaking fun!!!!”
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Men's Rated Radical
Wonder Alpine Belleaire
TESTER
Olaus Linn
SIZE
156
“So quick and fun! Incredibly lightweight, scrappy board with a great fun shape. Initiates turns really nicely. Wonder Alpine is super interesting snowboard brand: they are actually part of a biotech company developing renewable materials based on microalgae. Those materials have made their way into the core and sidewalls of this board, replacing some of the unfortunately nasty stuff that’s in traditional polyurethane Go check them out!
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Winterstick Swallowtail
TESTER
Rob Kingwill
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SIZE
183
“I love the OG Swallowtail! It truly outperforms just about every other board on the planet, and it literally elevated my consciousness in Alaska. I rode the 173 with plastic topsheet as well, and that one wasn’t quite as satisfying. Not sure why.”
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Notice Pin Not
TESTER
Eric Doyle
SIZE
160
“Super fun, super stable, this thing wants to have fun! I would love to see a twin version based off the nose, seems like that would be the dream”.
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Lib Tech Steely D
TESTER
Eric Odlin
SIZE
167
“The Steely D is an automatic landing machine. It’s taper, spoon nose, and overall vibes were amazing in powder and jumping. It rode smaller then it size suggest, and was quick edge to edge. I was a little sad to see the solid BRD go in LIB’s lineup for 24’, as I have been having a blast on that as my daily pow driver, but the Steely D will have to be in my quiver for the deepest days and when it’s time to jump off stuff!!”
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Arbor Candle
TESTER
John Reed
SIZE
160
“This is one of the few standouts at Shaper Summit this year. While the Gnu Hyper had pulled me back to the dark side of the traditional vs. whoopty camber debate, this board brought me back. I think too many full camber boards are super stiff too, but this one’s mellower flex allows the traditional camber to work perfectly. Need to add one to quiver.”
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Moonchild Malibu
TESTER
Kyle Freuddenberg
SIZE
155
“One of the coolest powder boards I’ve ridden, the exaggerated tapered directional shape was a blast to ride on when the snow was deep. ”
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GNU Banked Country
TESTER
Rob Kingwill
SIZE
159
“I love the Banked Country! Temp and Cannon definitely know how to design a snowboard. It is a little softer between the feet, so you can twist the board and foot steer really well. The next generation magnatraction doesn’t grab too much, but is nice to have when it is icy. The tail was solid and strong for stomping. My only negative is that it has a bigger sidecut than I am used to, so not as turny as some other boards I like. Rated Radical!”