Brands are lining up some serious heat for winter 2025/26, and it’s all about refining performance across freeride, all-mountain, and park. Here are the snowboard decks getting riders hyped before the first snowfall.
A few themes tie this batch of boards together:
Refined freeride: Brands like Jones and K2 are dialing shapes for the steeps and pow without making them overly niche.
Price-point performance: Decks like the CAPiTA Dark Horse prove you can grab legit tech without a $700 price tag.
Retro-with-tech: Spring Break’s Stairmaster shows how heritage vibes and modern construction can meet in the middle.
All-mountain versatility: Boards such as the Never Summer Proto T3 series target riders who want one daily-driver to rule the resort.
Never Summer Proto T3 Series
Never Summer went all-in with a brand-new Proto T3 family: Ultra, Eclipse, FR, and Women’s FR. The boards blend Never Summer’s trademark damp ride with snappier cores and updated profiles. Whether you’re hunting side hits, cruising groomers, or chasing pow, there’s a T3 tuned for it.
Jones Howler
A true newcomer to the line, the Howler is a collaboration between freeride powerhouses Victor de Le Rue and Elena Hight. Think mild taper, hybrid camber, and just enough rocker for float without losing edge bite. It’s aimed at riders who want confidence when the slope gets steep.
CAPiTA Dark Horse
CAPiTA built the Dark Horse as a budget-friendly twist on the Outsiders. Same lively, freestyle-meets-all-mountain DNA, just trimmed to essentials so you don’t torch your paycheck. Expect snap, pop, and a versatile waist for everything from slush laps to park hits.
GNU Wagyu
Cannon Cummins’ latest design, the Wagyu, is an aggressive freestyle machine with bold graphics. Tuned for jumps, rails, and spring sessions, but with enough backbone to handle sidecountry stashes.
K2 Sky Pilot
This one’s flying a little under the radar. The Sky Pilot is a big-platform directional deck built for carving and float. If you’re eyeing deep days or want a stable charger for open terrain, it’s worth a look.
CAPiTA Spring Break Stairmaster
Spring Break and CAPiTA reimagined the old Stairmaster with retro flavor and modern guts. It’s built for riders who mix pow slashes with park laps and don’t take themselves too seriously.
Ride Deep Fake
Ride’s new Deep Fake is a directional carver aimed at riders who love laying trenches. A fun pick for resort groomers and banked slaloms, with a cheeky name to match.
How to Choose
Match it to terrain.
Backcountry & steeps → Jones Howler, K2 Sky Pilot
Park & freestyle → GNU Wagyu, CAPiTA Dark Horse
All-mountain versatility → Proto T3
Groomer carving → Ride Deep Fake, Stairmaster
Consider flex & profile.
Softer boards (Wagyu, Dark Horse) favor playful laps, while stiffer profiles (Howler, Sky Pilot) thrive in fast or technical conditions.Don’t sleep on limited runs.
Some of these decks will sell out before mid-season, so preorder now if one speaks to you.
The Final Word
The 25/26 snowboard lineup isn’t chasing gimmicks, it’s about smarter shapes, better materials, and wider access to premium performance. Whether you want to charge big lines, keep your park game on point, or own a single shred stick that does it all, this winter’s releases have your back.
Which of these new boards are you eyeing? Drop a comment and let us know.
