Roam Chronicles
Your snowboard quiver, just like in most other board sports, is really determined by the type of riding you do, the location, the general conditions, and most of all what just feels fun.
That being said, winter in the mountains throws a lot at you.
While it can be your goal to have a one-board snowboard quiver, and I love this simplicity, there are advantages to having a range of boards to choose from depending on the conditions.
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For me, as someone who now lives in Colorado and gets a fair amount of days on the hill in all sorts of conditions and locations (not to mention different types of other riders – the kids, the newbie, the out of towner, the other expert), I think I’ve got my snowboard quiver pretty dialed.
Three-Board Snowboard Quiver
My snowboard quiver at this point comes down to three main boards – the powder board, the splitboard, and the all-arounder (that could be a one-board quiver for most people).
Let’s start with the powderboard. It is probably used the least, but is seriously fun to ride and always gets comments in the lift line.
The Powder Board – Spring Break Slush Slasher
Despite the name, the Spring Break Slush Slasher is a great powder board. At just 147cm in length but super wide with a short, swallowtail, the Slush Slasher rips powder with its floaty, wide surface.
These types of dedicated shapes are also great for crushing tree runs. After all, with no tail they can just squeeze through spaces and tight turns you might have trouble making on your longer all-mountain board.
As the name suggests, this board is really a lot of fun in slushy spring conditions as well. I think what the snowboard community found out in general when these shapes became more popular a few years ago is that they’re just fun to ride on groomers as well.
The only thing holding these boards back is the lack of glide. You don’t want to get stuck on the flats with this board, and it can be hard to keep up with others in your group if they are straight-lining on 163s.
But then again, they’re missing out on all the powder stashes you are hitting.
The Splitboard – Venture Paragon 161 Splitboard
While splitboarding has gained in popularity, especially with resorts beginning to open up-hill access and crowded slopes pushing more people into the backcountry, it is still niche by any standards.
I bought my Venture Paragon 161 Splitboard a few years ago after having the chance to meet Klem and the rest of the Venture team out in Silverton. Coupled with Spark R&D bindings, this board is a truly bulletproof backcountry machine.
I’m not the most hardcore backcountry snowboarder out there by any stretch, and the Colorado snowpack certainly keeps me on my toes. However, I really love the ability to get away from the resorts and just cruise around in the mountains. It’s a dose of exercise and solitude at the same time.
Just what the doctor ordered.
The One-Board Quiver – Weston Backwoods 160
My all-around, all-mountain, and potential one-board snowboard quiver is the Weston Backwoods 160.
I bought this board last season, but this year I feel I have really come to appreciate it.
Weston is a backcountry centric company. And one of the things they really push is that they seek out the fastest base surfaces for their boards. This is important for clearing flats, gliding through trees, and making deep powder sections without getting stuck.
All I can say is that this board lives up to the hype.
I was recently riding a crazy powder day at Steamboat. The board crushed the conditions. And at the end of the day when we needed to blaze down the long, flat cat track to the front of the mountain, I was literally passing whole crowds of skiers and riders through the powder on the side of the run.
It was crazy.
The next day I got stuck on the wrong side of a ridgeline from my crew. This board was able to track through thigh-deep snow with just a little speed to get me back in the right spot.
It was amazing.
I can’t vouch for this board enough.
So that’s it, my snowboard quiver and why I can seriously recommend all of these boards.
Good shredding everyone!
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The One-Board Snowboard Quiver
