Women's Snowboard Guide - Winter 2021-2022
Alright, we have to say off the bat that finding the right snowboard has more to do with the rider’s size, weight, and riding style than anything, but for the sake of keeping these blog posts from turning into novels, we’ve grouped our winter 2021-22 boards into Men’s Boards and Women’s Boards.
We’ve sorted our boards based on shape instead of brand, so they are grouped loosely by taper, from ture twins, to mildly directional “twins”, to fully directional all-mountain boards (most of our stock falls in this category), to heavily directional pow slaying shapes.
Swing by our downtown Fernie shop any time to chat with us about these boards and check them out in-person!
All Mountain “Twins” & Mildly Directional Boards
These boards are for the playful freestyler who uses the whole mountain rather than just the park. These are not true twins, but “directional twins” with a slightly set back stance and/or longer nose than tail, and zero to very mild taper (0-4mm).
Although they are slightly directional, these snowboards are suitable for riding switch some of the time, and great for anyone whose season goals include more creative riding and learning that next steezy trick.
Nidecker Venus
The Nidecker Venus is one of our top sellers - Fernie snowboarders love it! Its highly versatile shape makes it a true all mountain ride that can be the 'one board quiver' for riders of all ability levels.
Notably, the Nidecker Venus also comes in wide waist widths - which is great news for people with larger feet! About:
- Zero taper, 10mm setback
- Available in sizes 143 N, 147 M, 151 M, 155 M, 155 L
- Camber between the feet with long early rise tips means the Venus has great edge grip without losing float.
- The Venus’s tight turning radius paired with a long early rise section will keep it nimble.
The 2022 Nidecker Venus is a great snowboard choice for strong beginners through to advanced riders. Talk to staff member Meg about this board - it’s her winter 2021/22 shop ride!
K2 Outline
The K2 Outline has been a staple for a long time. Its shape originates in the former K2 Wow Pow, but now comes with camber! About:
- No taper, 19mm setback
- Available in sizes 146, 149, 154
- The Outline’s mellow early rise makes it float really well for a directional “twin”.
- The flex is on the stiffer end, making the K2 Outline ideal for an experienced intermediate to advanced all mountain ripper.
- Featuring a longer nose than tail, camber with early rise tips, and no taper
- Slightly tighter radius than comparable directional boards make it nimble under foot.
All in all, the 2022 K2 Outline is a great all-rounder for the strong intermediate to expert rider who wants some float in pow, to rip down groomers, and to keep things playful on the whole mountain.
K2 Cold Shoulder
The K2 Cold Shoulder is a super versatile freeride shape for beginners through to advanced riders. Its mid-range stiffness makes it a beginner friendly board, while still being plenty of fun for intermediate and advanced riders. About:
- 3mm taper, and 20mm set back stance.
- Available in sizes 144, 147, 150, 153
- The Cold Shoulder is a camber board with a mellow early rise in the nose and tail that makes it float really well.
- 5/10 stiffness
The 2022 Cold Shoulder is a great board for riders of all levels, and is great value for what you get. Staff member Ada and team rider Lucy have both had great experiences on this board - talk to them about how it rides!
Lib Tech Dynamiss
The Lib Tech Dynamiss is a super playful all-mountain board that suits a lot of riders, and is not overly directional. About:
- 3mm taper, 25mm set back, mildly directional flex
- Available in sizes 142, 145, 149, 153
- Very little early rise nose with camber all the way into the tail, floats well when ridden faster
- 6/10 stiffness
The Dynamiss is a fun and playful board for intermediate to advanced riders who love to get creative but don’t shy away from the occasional charge or switch session. Talk to staff member Sara about the 2022 Lib Tech Dynamiss - she rode last year’s model all season and loved it!
Nidecker Thruster (NEW!)
The Nidescker Thruster is a new “unisex” board this year. For the all-mountain freerider who wants a board that can go anywhere. About:
- 3 to 4mm taper (depending on length), 20mm set back
- Available in sizes 147N, 150M, 153M, 156L, 159L, 162W
- Full camber, fairly stiff board
- Relatively wide turning radius adds stability at speed.
- A new ‘do anything’ board for strong intermediate to more advanced riders
Touted as a “do anything” board for strong intermediate to advanced riders, our crew is excited to try this new Nidecker board out!
GNU Barrett
Just like its namesake Barett Christy, who has been head of product design for Gnu’s female-specific products since the get-go, the 2022 Gnu Barett is an all-mountain freeride sensation. About:
- 3 to 4mm taper (depending on length), 38mm set back
- Available in sizes 146, 149, 152, 155
- Medium-stiff flex
- Very little early rise in the nose, with camber all the way into the tail
- Floats well especially when ridden fast
- A sintered base means this board slides super fast on snow.
- The Barett’s relatively wide turning radius (8m!) is one of the larger radii in the women-specific snowboard world, and provides a more stable ride and higher speeds.
- With its aggressive camber and medium-stiff flex, the Barett is a great board for intermediate to advanced riders who want a stable ride at higher speeds. Talk to staff member Jeni about this board - she rode last year’s model all last season!
Fully Directional All-Mountain Freeride Boards
For the rider who wants to fuse groomer carving with pow turns and loves dropping off cliffs more than hitting kickers in the park.
These boards are more strongly tapered and directionally shaped, with directional flex. Most of the snowboards we carry fall into this category since they’re perfect for snowboarding in Fernie’s rugged, snowy off-piste terrain, but can still handle groomers with ease.
Burton Hideaway
The Burton Hideaway is a stable, flat topped directional board that’s an ideal introduction to directional riding for beginner to intermediate riders. About:
- 5mm taper, 25mm set back
- Available in sizes 144, 148, 152
- Flat camber and soft flex make the Hideaway an ideal introduction to directional riding.
- A tighter turning radius makes the board feel responsive under foot, and easy to maneuver.
Nidecker Odyssey
The Nidecker Odyssey won the 2019-2020 Whitelines Choice award for best women’s powder board. It has also earned accolades from our staff and team riders. About:
- 6mm taper, with only 10mm setback - very unique!
- Available in sizes 143N, 147N, 151M, 151L, 155M
- Camber with an early rise nose gives it a surfy feel
- The nose extends far past the front contact point, which adds tons of float in deep snow.
- The relatively slight set back means this board rides switch very well!
- This shape also handles turns/carves well.
- Comes in standard and wide waist widths
- Mid-stiff, suitable for intermediate to advanced riders.
Stranda Descender Women’s
Very much a true freeride board, the “women’s” Descender is the smaller length of the same tech and geometry “men’s” Descender, both of which have really impressed our staff. About:
- 9mm taper, 30mm setback, mildly directional flex
- Available in 148 (new size this year!), and 152.
- 7.6m - 7.8m radius is toned down from the men’s version and actually tighter than boards of equivalent size, making it feel super responsive.
- Camber profile with early rise in the tips. Long mellow rockered nose. Floats exceptionally well!
- The camber stays high under the back foot due to Stranda’s parabolic camber curve tech, which maintains the pop despite an early rise tail.
- One of the lightest boards in the shop, but still effectively dampens any chatter.
- Fairly stiff, suitable for strong intermediate to expert
K2 Wildheart
The K2 Wildheart embraces the “shorter but wider” volume shift philosophy with huge success. A super fun, surfy ride in pow that’s no slouch on groomers! A staff favourite here at Edge. About:
- 10mm taper, 20mm setback, heavily directional flex
- Available in sizes 141 & 146 (with the advice to shift at least 5cm down from your normal board length)
- Camber profile with early rise tips; very long, mellow transition from the camber section into the nose makes for effortless float and forgiving turn entry
- Good carver, but not ultra aggressive due to medium stiffness
Burton Story Board
The Burton’s Story Board is a serious freeride board great for advanced to expert riders. It’s also a staff favourite at Edge among our hard charging staff members. About:
- 10mm taper, 35mm setback
- Available in sizes 142, 147, 152
- Pulled from Family tree to regular boards (same with flight attendant)
- Camber with an early rise nose
- Carbon ibeam in a “backbone” position for torsional flex without losing pop
- The Story Board has a very tight turning radius, which means it is better suited to advanced and expert riders who don’t need to draw large arcs.
- Hard charging and fairly stiff.
Burton Family Tree Show Stopper (NEW!)
New this year, the Burton Family Tree Show Stopper is touted as a unisex board, with sizes ranging from 142 to 162. About:
- 15mm taper, 38mm setback
- Comes in sizes 142, 148, 154, 158, 162
- Extra wide for tons of float
- Lots of camber for power, response and edge control
- Twin flex in the nose and the tail mean this board can handle riding switch
- Binding centered with sidecut
- Very tight turning radius (6.3m in the 148 length option)
- Pointy tail for quick turn maneuverability
- I beam makes it snappy lengthwise but softer torsionally for turns
- Intermediate to Advanced
Stranda Shorty
The Stranda Shorty is a surfy freeride powder board. The “women’s” version is the equivalent 153 and 159 lengths of the longer “men’s” version, with equivalent geometry and tech. It’s known for being as fun on the groomers as in the backcountry and is a staff favourite. About:
- 13mm taper, 22mm set back
- Available in 153, 159 (and 164, 169 in “mens”)
- Very directional flex (soft nose!)
- Mellow camber with very long early rise nose and short early rise tail
- Medium-high stiffness
- Relatively long effective edge for great carving performance
- Suitable for intermediate to expert riders
Surfy Directional All Mountain Freeride / Pow Boards
- For someone who lives for surfing pow, but likes the occasional carve – not much switch riding here!
GNU Free Spirit
The 2022 Gnu Free Spirit is a volume-shift design that effortlessly floats through powder while still handling the groomers well. A seriously surfy freeride board. About:
- 17 to 18mm taper, 76mm set back
- Available in size 143
- The huge set back makes this a floaty dream in powder
- A camber dominant profile
- Medium-high flex
- Super tight turning radius (6m) makes it very responsive and playful.
- Jamie Anderson’s ‘Short / Fat’ pow slayer
- Suitable for intermediate to advanced riders.
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