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The Best Ski and Snowboarding Gear You Can Buy in 2023


There are a lot of factors that contribute to a good day on the slopes. Weather, terrain, and ability level are all important, but having the right equipment can mean the difference between having a comfortable, safe, and thrilling day, and tumbling down a mountain while freezing your ass off. Here then, are my picks for the best gear for winter fun, of the downhill variety.

Best of all, it has been an absolute banger of a year for snow in the western U.S. Several resorts have broken their all-time record for snowfall, including Mammoth, which has received more than 73 feet of snow on the summit this season. Absolutely bonkers. Many resorts are extending their seasons, and Mammoth specifically will likely be open well into the summer, so yes, April is a perfect time to release a roundup of the best snow gear, obviously.

Some caveats! I’m just one person, and while I have been extensively testing a wide variety of gear for the last decade-plus, I have my own preferences/style/ability level/Seinfeldian-manias. There’s also only so much I can test in any given season, though I do thorough amounts of research before I decide what to try out. It’s also worth noting that the same supply-chain issues that have impacted every industry seem to have hit the snow-sports industry particularly hard, for reasons I do not fully understand. That’s partly why this guide is coming out in April instead of December or January, and it’s why some of these items have been and continue to be tough to find. It’s also worth noting that while I’m a high-level snowboarder, I am a very mediocre skier. The vast majority of the gear in this guide can be used for either sport, but I haven’t included recommendations for skis or ski boots, because frankly I’m not qualified to speak on their nuances. That said, when we update this piece (hopefully early) next season, we’ll be tapping an expert skier or two to weigh in on those categories as well.

Oh, and in case any of this is too jargony for you, we’ve included a glossary down at the bottom.

Okay! Let’s get to it.

The Best Snowboards

K2 Excavator

Image: K2

K2 Excavator – $550

This year’s standout board was the K2 Excavator. It does two things really, really well: float and carve. You can tell just from looking at it, that this board is a powder specialist. It has a directional shape with a built-in setback, a big, fat nose, a wide overall profile, and a shallow swallow tail that sinks your back foot and keeps your nose up. It’s high volume, so you can ride it on the shorter side, and you’ll still be able to glide through thigh-deep powder effortlessly. It really excels in the trees, but it’s no slouch on the groomers, either. This board is fantastic for really sinking your edge in and drawing out a deep scar in the corduroy. It has enough tail that it’s great for landing jumps, too. The one place where I’d hesitate to use it would be when things get really steep and icy (or if I wanted to ride switch). It’s not the most technical board out there, but it’s the most fun I’ve had on a new board in a long time.


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