10 Excellent Park Snowboards of 2023 – 2024: The Freestyle Decks That Rip

Best Beginner Friendly Park Snowboard

Capita Pathfinder Reverse Snowboard 2023

The Capita Pathfinder Reverse snowboard is the latest version of what was previously called the Capita Horroscope. This is Capita’s award-winning true twin park board. The Pathfinder Reverse is a forgiving freestyle twin snowboard that can also be used as a “do it all” type all-mountain snowboard. This snowboard has Capita’s Park V2 board profile. It looks like this.

The board’s profile can be described as being flat between the feet and reverse camber just outside of the bindings to the contact points. The shape makes the deck feel stable and surfy without being overly aggressive. The reverse camber near the contact points will make the board less catchy and help you land tricks if you are slightly off-axis. The deck features a combination of laminates consisting of Special Blend Fiberglass and Magic Bean Resin. The combination is a park snowboard with a lot of torsional flex (flex from edge to edge). In the deck, there is a wood core called the FSC Dual Core. The dual-core gives the deck added power, extra pop, and durability. The flex rating of this is a 4/10. However, it is on the softer side, so you should consider it closer to a 3/10. This is a deck that will help you with butters and presses. Overall, this is a lightweight, playful, skate-like, and a maneuverable park snowboard at an excellent price.

P.S. There is a camber version of this deck called Pathfinder Camber. You can check that version out here.

Also check out our best beginner snowboards of 2022 – 2023 award list too.

Pros

• The v2 park profile shape
• The soft flex for deep presses.
• Eco friendly build
• Skateboard-like feel

Cons

• The combination sintered and extruded base will need some wax and maintenance.
• Pop can feel soggy if timed wrong.

Sizes Available: 145, 147, 149, 151, 151 Wide, 153, 153 Wide, 155, 155 Wide, 157, 157 Wide, 162 Wide

Flex: Soft 4/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Union Flight Pro

The Best for East Coast & Icy Conditions

Jones Tweaker Snowboard 2023

The Tweaker is a brand new freestyle / park Jones snowboard for the 2023 season. While it does have a park-specific focus, it also includes a many other tech features that make it versatile enough to be your daily driver in all types of conditions.

The Tweaker has a traditional camber profile with a blunted nose and tail. The blunted shape keeps the weight of the board down while hitting jumps without hindering how this snowboard performs while carving in any way.

One feature that stands out against other park boards is how well of an edge hold you can get on the Tweaker. This board features Traction Tech 2.0 edges. This feature is what makes the Jones Tweaker the perfect snowboard for riding in icy conditions. Traction Tech 2.0 means there is a waved serrated edge that you carve with on this snowboard. The serrated edge adds additional contact points and grip to this snowboard. The waved edges work with the camber profile of this board to offer a firmer grip to the snow as you turn edge to edge.

This image shows the additional contact points in the Tweaker. The additional contact points are highlighted in orange.

The Jones Tweaker is a medium flexing snowboard in the center with a stiffer flexing nose and tail. The hybrid flex gives the board an additional level of pop while making it stable enough to stomp your landings off of larger kickers.

This board also has a 3d spoon-like curvature in its nose and tail. This image shows the spoon-like curvature to give you an idea of how this looks when rested on a flat surface.

This 3d feature combines with the camber board profile to help the board butter, float in powder, and give this board a catch-free feel while still being incredibly responsive.

Jones added a poplar wood core to keep the board lightweight and durable. The base of Tweaker is a fast sintered base. It will remain fast for you if you wax it regularly.

If you’re looking for a versatile board that will rip it park while being all-mountain / all-conditions ready out of the park, check out the Jones Tweaker snowboard.

Also check out our in-depth Jones Tweaker review.

Pros

• Twin shape with blunted tips – helps jumps and spins
• 3d profile – Helps with landing off axis
• Traction Tech 2.0 – Helps improve its edge hold even while carving on ice
• Eco friendly materials
• 3 year warranty

Cons

• It might be too stiff and aggressive for some riders who want a softer, jib board

Sizes: 151, 154, 156, 157 Wide, 159

Flex: Medium (6 out of 10)

Bindings to Pair With It: Jones Meteorite Snowboard Binding

Best for Jibs

GNU Headspace 2022 – 2023 Snowboard

The GNU Head Space is a freestyle asymmetrical twin snowboard. It is the pro model board for GNU team rider Forest Bailey. Here is an overview video where Forest Bailey describes all of the important features of this board.

This deck has the c3 profile shape to help give it a ton of pop, maintain control and precision, and still remain flexible for jibs and rails. The c3 camber profile shape is described as a camber dominant snowboard. It has a mild rocker between your feet and camber under your feet to the nose or tail. The profile gives this board a playful feel while still maintaining the responsive feel of camber right under your bindings. The Head Space features Magne-Traction Serrated Edges giving it a few extra contact points to help it grip down in ice and firmer snow. The Gnu Head Space snowboard has a designated heelside and toeside edge to help make it easy to ride, pliable, and still maintaining a fierce edge hold. This board is excellent for park features, and it still packs a lot of technology into it that will help you outside of the park as well. The flex rating of this snowboard is around a medium 5/10. It will offer stability and be playful if you put some effort into your butters and presses. Overall, if you are looking for a freestyle snowboard where you can be confident going sideways into nose and tails slides and catch-free if landing slightly off-axis on jumps, this is the deck for you. 

Pros

• The c3 profile shape
• Magne-Traction™: Unreal edge hold
• This is easy to ride – The asymmetrical shape makes this board easier to carve and hold your balance on.
• Fast sintered base

Cons

• Limited 1-year manufacturer warranty (some of the other warranties are a little longer)
• Might not be the best in deeper conditions. (Intended for park)
• The base will require some waxing and maintenance to keep it fast

Sizes Available: 146, 149, 152, 155, 155 Wide, 158

Flex: Softer Side of Medium 4/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Bent Metal Transfer

One Extra Note About the Gnu Head Space: There is a true twin version of this snowboard available too. It is a collaboration between Gnu Snowboards and Worble Skateboards. This is GNU pro rider Forest Bailey’s tribute edition to his Vermont skate friends, the Worble Crew. The only real change from the normal Head Space is that this edition is a true twin board with this excellent alternate graphic.

Most Durable Park Snowboards

Capita Ultrafear 2024 Snowboard

The Capita Ultrafear is one of those twin shape freestyle snowboards that can do it all. The Ultrafear snowboard was named after that little bit of fear you get right before hitting the jump line in the park. This snowboard deck is highly resilient. The Ultrafear will hold up to all of the demands of hitting rails in the street or park riding.

Every year, Capita makes small, incremental improvements to its boards. The main difference between the 2024 Ultrafear from the 2023 version is that it went back to an extruded base. Here is an overview image showing the details of the construction and some info about the new base.

If you have been watching this board closely, that is the primary change from the 2023 to the 2024 Ultrafear. The extruded base will be fast, won’t require a lot of wax, and will be easy to repair should you scratch your board on a rock or rail.

It is worth noting that the Ultrafear was upgraded last year to include a positive camber board profile. The Ultrafear 2024 has kept that upgraded profile. Here is a quick image to show the difference in the board profile from the 2021 version.

The board profile now has a positive camber between your feet, flat under your feet, with a slight reverse camber (rocker) right before the tip and tail. Before 2022, the Ultrafear was primarily flat between your feet, and now there is some camber to give it more pop.

So how does the Ultrafear feel now that it has a camber profile?

The new Capita Ultrafear has retained its flexible and snappy nature.

The Ultrafear’s change to a postive camber profile has not decreased its jib friendliness either. It compliments it. The new profiles’ flatter “WAH-POW” nose/tail sections make it easy to press and butter. While at the same time, the camber section between the bindings adds to the board’s pop and response.

The new profile helps this board with hitting jumps too. The Camber adds extra pop off the jump while the flatter nose and tail make landings easier and catch-free.

The core of the 2024 Ultrafear is made of Poplar and Paulownia wood. The combination makes this an incredibly light, durable board with a predictable feel. The perimeter of this board is incredibly durable thanks to its Carbon Aramid Body Armor™. If you accidentally hit your nose or tail on a feature in the terrain park, this board was specifically designed to take the impact where most other snowboards would chip or crack. Capita also added cork near the edges of this deck. The added cork helps give the Ultrafear to absorb the chatter of rough terrain and make the impact of jumps feel softer.

Overall, the Ultrafear is the perfect freestyle snowboard for beginner to advanced park riders who want a durable, playful, and fast deck.

Want to learn more about the 2024 Capita Ultrafear? Read our full review of the Capita Ultrafear.

Pros

• Durable – Kevlar sidewalls
• Profile of board is both playful and aggressive when you need it to be
• Base is durable and easy to repair
• New updated camber profile to give it more pop than previous versions
• 360 Edges

Cons

• Flex is on the stiffer side
• Base won’t be the fastest

Sizes Available: 147, 149, 151, 153, 153 Wide, 155, 155 Wide, 157

Flex: Softer Side of Medium 4/10 (Capita Says it is closer to a 6. It isn’t that stiff.)

Bindings to Pair With It: Union Strata

Best 3D Shaped Park Snowboard

Bataleon Evil Twin 2023 Snowboard

The Evil Twin is a true twin shape freestyle board that Bataleon has been perfecting since 2003. This board has a full camber profile with Bataleon’s 3BT™ (Triple Base Technology). This video does an excellent job of describing what that means as well as covering the call out features of this snowboard.

The Evil Twin’s camber profile gives the deck its stability for both carving and hitting jumps. However, what makes this board truly unique from others on freestyle boards, is its 3BT™ with SideKick™ technology. That means the deck has an uplifted side base. If you were riding the Evil Twin flat on its base, its side edges would curve upwards towards you. The benefit is that it makes it board stable, yet surfy, and extremely catch free. You will notice the 3BT™ makes this board easier to carve, butter, and hit rails. The balance of the camber’s stability mixed with the catch-free playfulness of 3BT™ makes this an excellent freestyle board for your quiver.

The core of the Bataleon Evil Twin is made of 70% Swiss paulownia and 30% poplar wood blend for an incredibly balanced strength to weight ratio. Like some of the other boards on the list, the Evil Twin has carbon stringers running through its core to give it an added layer of pop and stability. The sintered base of the Evil Twin will remain fast and durable as long as you maintain and wax it. Altogether, if you are looking for a playful, positive camber snowboard that can butter and still be stable enough to hit jumps, this is the park board for you.

It is here! The 2023 Evil Twin just became available. This deck sells out fast, so get your order in early to ensure they have your size.

The 2023 Bataleon Evil Twin is expected to ship around September 30th 2022.

Pros

• Medium/ Soft flex makes it easier to press and butter
• Playful and stable feel perfect for park riding
• Catch free ride thanks to 3BT™
• The true twin shape

Cons

• You have to be more precise with your edges (due to the 3BT™)
• Can slide on jump landings due to 3BT™ (Just land bolts)

Sizes Available: 149,151,154,156 Wide, 157, 159, 159 Wide

Flex: Medium 5/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Bataleon Blaster

One Extra Pro Tip About the Bataleon Evil Twin:There is a higher-end version of this snowboard available for only $80 more. It is called the Evil Twin Plus. The higher-end version has all of the primary features of the standard Evil Twin, along with a faster base and more carbon fiber added into its core. The result is a super-charged park board with enough pop and response to launch you off larger jumps while offering enough stability to be your daily all-mountain driver too.

Here is a quick overview video that covers all of the upgrades found in the Bataleon Evil Twin Plus. If you’re considering the Evil Twin, check out the Evil Twin Plus.

This is the park board I will be riding all season. Check out my full Bataleon Evil Twin Plus review to learn more.

Most Versatile

Burton Free Thinker 2022 – 2023 Snowboard

The Free Thinker is one of the most versatile true twin freestyle decks you can buy. This deck is built on a traditional camber profile. If you were to look at this board on its side, it would look like this.

The traditional profile is what gives this board a predictable feel, added response, and a ton of pop. This is one of the stiffer boards on this list. If you’re looking for a park board that would be perfect for jumps as cruising through the rest of the resort, this is that deck. Check out this overview video to learn more about this snowboard’s main features.

Pros

• The balanced feel and flex of this deck
• light weight
• The board comes pre broken in.

Cons

• This might be too stiff for some beginner and intermediate riders
• The board uses Burton Snowboards Channel® Mounting System. This let’s you fine tune your stance. However, you need to make sure your binding plates can fit into it or get buy a disc plate that is adaptable to it.

Sizes Available: 150, 154, 157, 160, 160 Wide

Flex: Medium to Stiff 6.5/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Burton Cartel EST

Best Volume Shifted / Wide Freestyle Snowboard

Ride Twin Pig 2023 Snowboard

Ride Twin Pig is a true twin shape freestyle snowboard that can be a lot of fun carving outside of the board park as well. The board profile is a hybrid camrock. It has a camber section under your feet with reverse camber outside your bindings in the nose and tail. The Twin Pig has an asymmetrical sidecut. There is a little bit of a deeper sidecut on the heels to help you balance out your turns.

There is a wood core in the Twin Pig made of Aspen and Bamboo. The balance of using both strong and lighter, more resilient wood gives the Twin Pig its sturdiness and damp riding feel. You won’t feel the chatter under your boots if riding on uneven terrain. The sidewalls are made with the same material as skateboard wheels to protect your deck against dents while jibbing in the park. The sidewalls were one of the major updates in the 2023 version. They are now thinner while still increasing the durability and shock absorption of the deck. You can learn more about the 2023 season updates in this Ride Twinpig overview video.

The unique feature of the Twin Pig is its waist width. The Twin Pig is a volume shifted snowboard. It is meant for you to ride a shorter board than you normally would because it comes wider than most other park boards. The wider width makes for more stable jump landings and virtually no toe drag as you are carving around. Being that you can go a few sizes down on this snowboard, you will be able to spin easier and have an overall more maneuverable feel. You can use our snowboard length calculator to gauge which sized board to buy.

The flex of the Twin Pig is on the softer side of medium. Thanks to its rocker sections in the tip and tail, the Twin Pig can butter and press easily. However, the board itself is on the medium to stiff side. It is a useful feature blending a flexible nose in a more stable board. The camber section of the board prevents the deck from being over flexible while jibbing. You will be able to hang on to nose and tail slides easier than some other park boards.

The Twin Pig has a durable sintered base. It will require wax to maintain and is fast enough. Ultimately, the board’s wider dimensions make it a slower option than some of the others on the list. However, the benefit here is that it has a wider, more stable feel that also helps it float better in deeper snow than most other park boards. All in all, if you are looking for a volume-shifted park board that is the perfect blend of playful, damp, and sturdy properties, then the Twin Pig is for you.

Pros

• The wider / stable feel in a playful freestyle board
• Pop is great for jumps
• Flex makes it easier to butter or press
• The true twin shape makes it easier to ride switch
• Flex makes it easier to begin presses and not overly flexible (soft flex in the tips and medium in the center)
• Excellent option if you have large feet

Cons

• Not the best option for steeper or technical terrain
• Not the fastest board on the list (due to its wider shorter intended size)
• Not a beginner friendly deck due to its shape

Sizes Available: 136, 142, 148, 151, 154, 156 Wide, 157

Flex: Soft 3/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Ride C-6

Best for Presses

Yes Dicey 2023

The Yes Dicey snowboard is the perfect board for nose and tail presses because of its midbite profile technology. Yes made a unique indention in the sidecut of this snowboard. Here is a close-up of what it looks like.

This indention in the sidecut adds a ton of stability to the board. So you get the maneuverability benefits of a more narrow board combined with the stability benefits of having a wider nose and tail. This feature makes balancing tall nose presses feel like a breeze.

Additionally, the wider nose and tail give this board a wider platform to land spins with, while the more narrow waist helps the Dicey get a faster edge-to-edge response while carving in between park features.

Here is an overview video of all the tech found in the Yes Dicey snowboard.

Check out our full in-depth Yes Dicey snowboard review.

Pros

• A very pressable yet stable park board with a true twin shape
• Yes’ MidBite helps give this board a stable feel. It has a narrow waist width a wider nose and tail.
• Snappy pop – Camber between the feet / Rocker in nose and tail
• This is a forgiving ride that is great for riders of all experience levels
• It is a good deal. This board is cheaper than a lot of comparable boards.

Cons

• No smaller sizes than a 152cm.
• Might be too playful for some riders.

Sizes: 152, 154, 156, 158

Flex: Soft-Medium (4 out of 10)

Best Freestyle Snowboards for Butters

Gilson Undead 2023

The Gilson Undead snowboard is the perfect freestyle board for butters and jibbing. The Undead has a unique base where its edges are risen by a few millimeters off of the snowboard’s base. Gilson calls this feature their soft edge. Here is an example of what it looks like when you flip this board over.

Imagine what butters you could do if the risks of catching your edges were eliminated altogether? These edges make for an extremely catch-free feeling while riding in the park. On the Gilson Undead, you can even swivel around on boxes and rails with no issues. The steel edges engage to help you make a turn when you need them. You just need to lean a little more. The whole process of learning to ride this became second nature after only a few runs. The board doesn’t have that loose feeling. It just feels catch-free and playful while remaining stable.

Here is quick video that describes Gilson’s edge technology in more detail.

The Undead is built on a hybrid rocker profile. There is a slight rocker between your feet and two camber zones underfoot. The benefit here is that you blend the playful, easy-to-ride feel of a rocker with the response and pop of a camber deck. If you were to look at this snowboard on its side, its profile would look like this.

The last call-out feature is that the Undead is insanely light and pressable. The board has a softer flex rating of a four out of ten. Additionally, Gilson built this deck so that you can ride it six centimeters smaller than your normal park board. The nose and tail on this snowboard have been blunted, while Gilson kept the same effective edge of larger board size. The benefit to the shorter nose and tail and larger effective edge is that you get the stable feeling of a longer snowboard with the lower swing weight and added maneuverability of a smaller, lighter deck.

If you’re looking for a playful board that was built for butters and jibbing, then check out the Gilson Undead.

Also check out our full in-depth Gilson Undead Snowboard review to learn more about this board.

Pros

• Butter pad base – the edges of this board are risen so you will not catch an edge while jibbing or buttering
• Can size down by 3-6cm / Lowering swing weight / Easier to spin
• Made in the USA
• 5 year warranty

Cons

• The butter pad and edges will take some time to get used to while carving in steeper terrain. (It is insanely catch free for jibs though.)

Sizes Available: 144 (150 equivalent), 149 (155 equivalent), 154 (160 equivalent)

Flex: Softer Side of Medium 4/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Union Strata

Pro Tip: Over on the Gilson Snowboards website, you can use the coupon code BOARDOFTHEWORLD for a 10% discount on your order.

Best Do It All Freestyle Snowboard

Nitro T1 2023 Snowboard

For 20 years, the Nitro T1 has been getting refined to make it one of the best freestyle snowboards on the planet. The T1 is a true twin shape freestyle snowboard known for its stability, durability, and overall performance in the park.

Here is a quick preview video of the Nitro T1 snowboard.

For the 2023 season, the Nitro T1 has been upgraded to include Ureshred Sidewalls. This means Nitro added in the same polyurethane material that skateboard wheels are made out of directly into its sidewalls. The combination of polyurethane sidewalls with the T1’s impact-resistant Rail Killer edges make the board one of the most durable park snowboards out there.

The T1 is a camber dominant snowboard with a smoother transition into the tip and tail. Its board profile looks like this.

The smooth transitions make this board easier to lock into presses while the medium flex and camber shape gives the board its responsiveness. This deck can turn on a dime and take the landing impact of huge kickers.

The Nitro T1 has a specialized sintered base that is designed to be fast while being more resistant to scratches than other park snowboards. The core of the snowboard is made of Poplar and Beechwood. What makes the wood core of the T1 unique is that it has a reduced thickness between your bindings while being thicker outside your bindings. The varied thicknesses in the core give the T1 added energy for pop and a consistent flex for nose and tail presses.

If you are looking for a park board that can take abuse, this is the snowboard for you.

Pros

• Durability built into sidewalls, edges, and base
• Lots of pop
• Stable ride
• Twin shape makes it easier to ride switch
• Designed to have a slightly stiffer medium flex that will be perfect for jumping and hitting rails

Cons

• Might be too aggressive for beginners

Sizes Available: 149, 152, 152 Wide, 155, 155 Wide, 158 Wide

Flex: Medium 5/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Union Force

Best Bang for Your Buck

Rome Artifact 2023 Snowboard

The Rome Artifact is a true twin freestyle snowboard with a softer, four out of ten pressable softer flex. The deck is perfect for hitting jumps, jibbing, and doing presses while still being insanely durable. Rome says the Artifact was created for “total park annihilation,” and they made good on that promise.

The Artifact’s shape is a true twin with a positive camber board profile. What makes the 2021 Rome Artifact unique is its new “double kick” nose and tail. There are two angles in both the nose and tail that look like this.

The benefit is the new shape makes the board more pressable than most other camber decks. Having the positive camber profile gives this board additional pop and stability to hit massive jumps.

The core of the snowboard was made with 100% poplar wood. There are bamboo hot rods running from the board’s center through the nose and tail, which give the board additional pop. To increase the board’s torsional flex, Rome used a Biax fiberglass set on two different axes.

The Artifact has additional impact plates to reduce chatter, add shock absorption, and make this deck durable. When boards break, it is usually right in front or behind one of your bindings. That is where these impact plates are placed. Rome focused on making the deck durable in the areas that take the most impact while you are stomping your landings.

The base of the deck was upgraded to an ISOSPORT 4400 base for the 2020-2021 season. This is primarily an extruded base, so it is durable, holds wax well, and will not require a lot of maintenance.

If you are looking for a camber park snowboard that can press and jib incredibly well, this is the deck to get.

Pros

• Pressable Positive Camber Profile
• Double Kick Nose and Tail
• Durable – has added impact plates

Cons

• Not the fastest base

Sizes Available: 147, 150, 152 Wide, 153, 155 Wide, 156

Flex: Softer Side of Medium 4/10

Bindings to Pair With It: Rome Vice

Looking for the best women’s boards? Check out the best women’s snowboards of 2023 list. It is filled with solid freestyle options to ride in the park.

These are the 2023 – 2024 best freestyle park snowboards. Capita Pathfinder Reverse 2023 Bataleon Evil Twin 2023 Salomon Huck Knife 20234 Burton Free Thinker 2023 Capita Ultrafear 2023 GNU Headspace 2023 Jones Tweaker 2023 Ride Twin Pig 2023 Yes Dicey 2023 Gilson Undead 2023 Nitro T1 2023 Rome Artifact 2023

• Salomon Assassin Pro 2023
• Signal Park Platinum 2023
• Lobster Freestyle Halldor Pro
• Nidecker Sensor Plus

Steve Weber

Steve Weber is an avid snowboarder and skateboarder. He has been snowboarding for 26 years, skateboarding for 20, and is always looking for a new board sport to try out. When he is not riding or skating, he runs a marketing agency. Board of the World is Steve’s blog for skateboard and snowboard gear reviews. The blog’s goal is to help people find the right board for them and encourage people to have fun outside.