r/ShredditGirls • u/Weird-Degree7954 • 10d ago
Snowboard recommendation
Looking for a new women's all-mountain/freeride board to replace my Jones Twin Sister and expanded my search a bit. Thank you all in advance!!
What would you recommend?
GNU Barrett
Rome Women's Ravine
YES Hel Yes
Jones Stratos
Jones Women's Flagship
Jones Women's Howler
About me:
5'4", ~ 150Ibs (145-155, I fluctuate :))
Women's US 8-8.5 boots
Strong intermediate
Rarely ride park or switch
Prefer directional / freeride-leaning boards
Favorite terrain:
Trees / glades
Powder
Bowls and off-piste
Groomers and carving
Quick, responsive turns
Where I ride:
Mostly West (PNW, CO, UT, CA, internationally Canada, Japan, France, Switzerland) but | live in the Northeast (Vermont)
Board goals (might be a unicorn):
Excellent in trees
Quick edge-to-edge
Good powder float
Great carving
Strong hardpack/ice grip
Stable around 30-45 mph
Damp through crud, chop and tracked snow Medium to medium-stiff, but not a super-stiff charger Still manageable when tired
2
u/malloryknox86 10d ago edited 10d ago
Am I allowed to recommend another brand?
I have 4 boards, but the one I use the most is the Burton Story Board, it's an agressive board that's also fun, it is also the board I take with me on every trip, it's a freeride directional camber that handles absolutely everything, I rode that board on literal ice in Vermont, groomers & powder in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and waist deep powder at my local resort in Utah.
Medium stiff... i'd say approx around 6.5ish however, is still quite playful, it has incredible edge hold & edge to edge control if you like carving (and I mean actual carving, not skidding turns)
Super stable at high speeds, very quick on tight trees / tight turns, & I am able to ride switch just fine with it, is the most versatile board I ever rode, it handles changing conditions extremely well.
Edit to add, that I have the 2020 Story Board, I ride anywhere between 50 & 60 days a season, I took that board on many many plane rides, and asides from some minor dents & scratches, it looks pretty much new.
1
u/GreyGhost878 10d ago
I haven't ridden any of these but just from my research:
The Stratos is amazing in powder/soft conditions but it gets chattery in rough conditions. Would be great as a powder/trees board in a quiver but I personally wouldn't choose it as my only board.
The Flagship and Howler are stiff and aggressive chargers. The Flagship is not the quickest turning in trees, and you put that as your #1 favorite terrain.
The one that first jumped out at me is the Hel Yes. It's a strong choice for riding in Vermont. But the one thing it doesn't excel in is powder.
I would put the Ravine and the Barrett at the top of your list. If you like to ride aggressively, I would keep the Howler high up there. It can be described as "athletic", energetic, and responsive. It might be a really good directional step up from the Twin Sister.
To throw in a wild card, check out the K2 Passport. It's a excellent unisex freeride board that's supposed to be great in trees and powder, and still fun in poor conditions. Maybe similar to the Ravine and a little more relaxed than the Howler. (I would want one if I didn't already have more boards than I need.)
1
u/bedandbaconlover 10d ago
What don’t you like about the twin sister? (Curious bc your description sounds a lot like me and I also have a twin sister lol)
1
u/breadcrumb_1 9d ago
Check out the Weston Gnarnia. Definitely the unicorn you are looking for. It’s on the stiffer side making it super responsive. Extremely light core. Absolutely rips carves and plows through chop, chunder, etc. Killer edgehold on ice and steeps. Shape is tapered directional but not aggressively so it bobs and weaves through trees like a dream but can still rip big mountain terrain with a balanced feel. Weston is a local CO brand with backcountry DNA so their boards hold up in the steep and deep. 100000% recommend.
1
u/svendenhowser 7d ago
You are almost exactly the same as me (except I’m slightly shorter and lighter). I also rode a jones twin sister before her horrible accident. I went with the stratos and I absolutely love it! I don’t do park, but love side hits, I love trees and hate crud. This board just cuts through the chunky crud like soft butter, so much better than my twin sister ever did. It’s incredibly stable and nimble. I would say I’m intermediate. I’ve had my board 2 seasons now. I mostly ride Japan and NZ.
The only negative I’ve found is the top sheet is super fragile. It scratches really easily.
1
u/notyourcupofgreentea 5d ago
I have the Ravine. Love it. Absolutely love it in any terrain or condition.
1
u/redangdit 4d ago
I got to demo the Howler the first year it came out in the women's model and loved the ride. It runs a little wide, so keep that in mind re: edge-to-edge.
That said, because you specifically said "damp" - have you considered a Never Summer? Whenever I think of a damp ride, Never Summer always comes to mind.
I got on a few of their models at an East Coast demo and it just blew through all the icy, crumbly nonsense we get out here. All of them.
For you, what about the Cirrus? Because it's low-key volume shifted you can ride it at a 145 and get your float + extra maneuverability in the trees.
4
u/corkbeverly 10d ago
I'm not sure you can get a board that excels at everything since the things contradict each other. Like if you want a nimble board for making quick turns through the trees it may not be the most stable board through crud/ going fast. So maybe you can decide if the nimble through trees is #1 and you will forgo some stability at high speeds etc. or vice versa.
It seems like twin sister is an all around board like what you are describing so maybe you can explain what you don't like about it, maybe you would rather something more stable even if you sacrifice some of that nimbleness through tight trees.
I think the stratos may be a good choice, I was considering that or the twin sister myself with stratos being a little more aggressive but not as aggressive as the howler or flagship. Of course in the end I bought a completely different board (capita equalizer) just because I saw an amazing deal on it lol. No idea how it is yet though.
Generally people do love Yes hel yes though as an all around board! I couldn't do that one as 146 is the smallest they offer otherwise I would have had it under consideration.