Updated April 24, 2025
Spend five minutes looking for a new snowboard setup online and you’ll find yourself knee-deep in “game-changing tech,” flex ratings, and boards described as “responsive yet playful” with “unmatched edge hold and float.”
Sounds great, right?
But here’s the problem: for the average rider, even one with a few seasons under their belt, most of it doesn’t actually help.
In fact, it creates more confusion, not less.
I’m not saying brands are evil or trying to mislead people. I love this industry. Probably a little too much. But as someone who actually rides, tests gear, and talks to confused friends on a weekly basis, I can say this with confidence:
The way snowboarding is marketed right now isn’t serving the people who ride.
Buzzwords Are Replacing Actual Info
Some real descriptions I’ve seen in the past week:
- “Forgiving but powerful”
- “Optimized camber zones for adaptive terrain control”
- “Poppy yet damp”
- “Locked-in feel with a surfy ride”
- “Powerful and aggressive, but great for beginners too” (this one kills me every time)
These sound cool. But they also sound like they were written by a marketing intern… after their third oat milk latte and one Travis Rice YouTube edit.
The reality? These phrases are everywhere, and they don’t actually tell you how a board feels.
What’s the taper? What’s the sidecut radius? What kind of camber profile is it really using? Does it chatter? How does it land?
Most riders would rather know those things. I can’t be the only one, right?
Flex Ratings Mean Nothing Without Context
Every board has a flex rating. 4 out of 10. 7 out of 10. Medium-stiff. Medium-playful. Cool.
Except here’s the thing: there’s zero consistency between brands. A 6/10 from Bataleon might feel like an 8 from Arbor. A “stiff” park board can be softer than an all-mountain freeride board. And some boards even flex differently nose to tail, torsionally, or underfoot—which no chart tells you.
And boots? Even worse. A “7/10” boot from one brand could feel like a 4 in another. Add in lacing systems, liners, and break-in time, and the numbers mean even less.
If flex matters—and it does—it needs context. Not just a number.
The YouTube Affiliate Era Isn’t Helping Either
Let me preface this by saying: we use affiliate links too. It’s how we support the site, and we only link to gear we’ve personally tested or would happily recommend to friends. Affiliate programs can be done ethically.
But let’s be honest—YouTube gear reviews are a mixed bag right now.
Half the time, it’s someone unboxing a board they haven’t ridden. Or reviewing ten boards in one video, each for a couple runs, then giving all of them glowing reviews with a handy list of retailer links in the description.
You start to notice the same boards popping up over and over. The same talking points. The same vague “rides everything well” summary. It’s hard not to wonder who’s actually reviewing the board—and who’s just trying to rank for it.
The People Who Actually Lose Here? Riders
This is where it stings. A new rider drops $700 on a “quiver killer” that’s supposed to do everything. But it’s too stiff for them, or it doesn’t float in pow, or it chatters on their local hill’s hardpack. They think maybe I just need to get better, or worse—maybe snowboarding isn’t for me.
It’s not their fault. They didn’t get bad gear. They just didn’t get the right info.
Buying gear shouldn’t feel like a gamble.
Riders deserve better than marketing buzzwords and paid hype. They deserve real-world insight from people who’ve actually ridden the stuff in real conditions, with honest pros and cons and an understanding of how gear feels.
Brands Are Making GREAT Gear—Let’s Talk About It Properly
Here’s the thing: I’m not anti-brand. I’m not anti-affiliate. Some of my favourite gear comes from big brands—and I buy plenty of it.
But when brands build genuinely great gear, I want to know why it’s great. What makes that powder board feel effortless in tight trees? Why is that binding so good for buttering? What’s the trade-off between that stiff boot and one with a bit more give?
Tell me that, and I’m in. Glossy words don’t build trust. Real info does.
Final Thoughts
Snowboarding doesn’t need more clever marketing. It needs more honesty.
Most of us aren’t pros. We’re weekend warriors, storm chasers, park rats, side-hit obsessives, or just people trying to have a good day on snow. And we’d rather buy gear that works for how we ride, not just what sells in a catalogue.
So let’s stop pretending every board is perfect. They’re not. Let’s talk about gear the way we talk about riding—with some nuance, plenty of personal bias, and a little humility.
That’s what helps riders. That’s what builds trust.
Not flex charts. Not buzzwords. Not paid reviews pretending to be real. Just experience, honesty, and a little common sense.
If that makes us the grumpy ones in the corner of the internet—fine by us.
