3 Hot Snow Park Snowboards for 2012
If snowboarding is more or less just a way for you to skateboard once the weather turns cold, you’ll want to check out one of these three hot snow park snowboards for 2012. All snowboards are not created equal, and unlike freeride boards, which are designed to work best on backcountry terrain, snow park boards are all about grinding rails and doing other tricks. All-mountain boards will perform adequately in a terrain park, but snow park snowboards are specialized. Also called freestyle snowboards, snow park snowboards are lighter, shorter, and more flexible than other types so that they won’t interfere with jumps, spins, or whatever else you want to pull off. Here are three that are worth having a look at.
K2 ‘Happy Hour’
Designed by K2’s International Snowboard Team, the ‘Happy Hour’ takes over where the recently discontinued ‘Believer’ left off. After you get past its distinctively pointed true twin shape, you’ll fall (though not literally) for the stable ride the Flatline technology offers, and you’ll flip for the pop from the pre-loaded Ollie bar. Hybritaper construction, with materials narrowing towards the tip and tail, makes for an ultra lightweight board, and the 4000 sintered base will move super fast and last forever. Check it out online at K2Snowboarding, where it’s selling for $459.95.
Never Summer ‘Evo’
Fans of last year’s ‘Evo’ from Never Summer will be pleased with the updates to the 2012 model. A blunt tip and tail mean less material and weight to get in your way, and the Press Flex Core with two softer points between your feet offers you plenty of flexibility and responsiveness for Ollies and pressing. The EDS damping system gives a ride that’s still got plenty of stability, more than you’d expect from a snow park board.
Beyond the 4501 sintered base, the ‘Evo’ also boasts sintered P-Tex sidewalls, which you won’t find anywhere else but on Never Summer’s boards. Sintered sidewalls offer extreme crack-free durability, even in extreme temperatures. State-of-the-art fiberglass and Never Summer’s Carbon VXR System offer a durable, powerful ride that’s never too stiff, so that even though this advanced-level board is great for snow parks, it’s still a bit on the versatile side. The ‘Evo’ sells for around $500.00; check it out online at NeverSummer.
DC Ply
DC is a snowboarding company with an exclusive focus on freestyle boards, and the ‘Ply’ is designed to move and feel exactly like a skateboard for snow. A longer, flat-fronted nose and short tail make this snow park board a “skate twin” rather than a true twin, so that you’ll whip and twist through powder just as if you were on wheels. Lightweight and with a new take on traditional camber, the lengthened, catch-free contact points offer a smooth, stable ride with loads of flexibility and pop. The Structurn base technology uses the same principles as a golf ball, with divots for tension-breaking speed, and DC’s signature True Base design offers loads of speed without loads of maintenance. Good torsional flexibility and a good price round out this sweet deal. Selling for only $380.00 online at DCShoes, you’d better move fast before they’re all gone.
