About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the snowboard, which I purchased with my own money in January of 2022.

My take

The 2022 Salomon Assassin is a directional twin, all-mountain, freestyle snowboard geared towards the intermediate or advanced rider. With a medium flex and Salomon’s Rock Out Camber profile (rocker to camber with a flat section in the middle), this deck has so much potential and can ride any part of the mountain with comfort — especially the park.

About the snowboard I own

• Model: 2022 Salomon Assassin
• Size: 156 cm

About me

• Height: 5’9”
• Weight: 165lbs
• Experience: 10+ years of snowboarding

Test conditions

• When I bought these: January 2022
• Days tested: 8
• Mount position: Regular, +15 in front, 0 in back, 21-inch stance width.
• Boots: 2022 Rome Bodega Hybrid
• Boot Size: 10.5
• Bindings: 2022 Burton Cartel
• Where I’ve used it: Vail Resort, CO, Brighton Resort and Snowbird Resort, UT.
• Terrain: Trees, powder, park, groomers, ice

How it performs

What I was looking for

When I purchased the 2022 Salomon Assassin, I was on the hunt for an ultra-versatile, all-mountain/freestyle board that could perform very well in the trees and groomers, at high speed, and in the park. I already own the Salomon Dancehaul that I used more often, but I wanted something that I could rip down the mountain in a similar fashion while also being able to hit the park. It also helped that the Assassin has a strong reputation and generally great reviews among the snowboarding community.

Why I chose this gear

First, I have a history with Salomon snowboards and have been very happy with them because of their beautiful designs and overall performance. To me, Salomon boards always feel very well made. Second, the Assassin's reputation as an ultra-versatile and agile all-mountain/freestyle board was enticing; and finally, it’s hard to say no to that topsheet and base design! Other boards that I considered buying include the Rome Stale Crewzer, Burton Process FV, Arbor Shiloh Camber, Lib Tech Cold Brew, and Ride Berzerker. I stuck with the Assassin because of its versatility and strong reputation.

What I love about it

• Speed: I was extremely surprised at how quick this board is. The Rock Out Camber profile gave me supreme stability at high speeds. And for how much I like to bomb the mountain, I was super happy at how well this thing held up! The sintered base is very strong, and I didn’t need to wax it more than necessary.
• Turns: The Assassin has a pretty standard waist width, but my 10.5 shoe size is on the border of needing a wide board. However I felt it was the perfect width to give me excellent edge-to-edge transition speed without toe/heel drag. The directional twin shape and Rock Out Camber both allow for super-easy turn initiation, even at high speeds. Great for turning on a dime.
• Groomers: I love buttering while I’m on groomers, and this board is excellent for just that. Plus, tossing it in switch is very easy despite its directional twin shape. Really fun to bomb groomers as well, and I didn’t have too much trouble with keeping up my speed on catwalks.
• Trees: While this board isn’t made for tree-riding, it handles itself very well. I spend an odd amount of time in the trees, so I put this thing through the ringer. Overall it was really agile and responsive while giving me enough play to throw it around.
• Park: I don’t frequent the park very much, but I wanted a board that can execute whenever the urge to hit a box or a rail arose. The Assassin is perfect for just that. I think it deserves more than only park riding, but if someone bought this specifically for freestyle, it would do just fine. Excellent pop, especially off the back, and really fun for jibbing.
• Durability: The Assassin — and most other Salomon boards I’ve used — hold up very well in terms of durability. Every board will eventually get topsheet, base scratches, and dents, but I think the Assassin is just as, if not more, durable than the average deck.
• Weight: For a standard directional twin board, the Assassin is surprisingly balanced between sturdiness and lightweight. It’s agile and easy to throw around but doesn’t feel flimsy. I really enjoyed the weight of this board, especially while at high speeds. It’s still a mid-flexing board, so for extra performance at high speeds, I would consider getting the Assassin Pro, which is basically the same board but stiffer!
• Switch riding: I don’t ride switch very often, but I found zero problems when I did so with this board. The directional twin shape gave me a good balance of versatility and switch capabilities.
• Stability: I was very pleased with the stability of this board. I love to fly down groomers, and there was very little chatter underfoot. The nose does flap a bit but that’s not too surprising because of the added size on the nose from its directional shape. The flat section between the bindings really aids in stability at high speeds, and I really enjoyed the cork layer for added dampening.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Edge hold: The edge hold on this board is probably my biggest issue with it. It definitely felt a little jumpy on my edge when riding in icy conditions. The Quadralizer edge performs well for edge-to-edge carving and transitions, but when trying to slow down quickly, it can slip pretty easy.
• Powder: In powder, this board performed fine but not spectacularly given its shape. For deeper stuff, I really had to lean back. Not surprising considering that this board was made more as an all-mountain/freestyle board, so its flex pattern and profile don’t help in float. But, the added size in the nose because of its directional twin shape does help a bit.
• Moguls: Quite agile but, overall, snowboards just suck for moguls. I avoid moguls at all costs. This board has a layer of cork underneath the bindings that help with absorption over smaller bumps and chunder.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment with the Salomon Assassin happened over the New Year’s weekend earlier this year. I was at Vail Resort with a buddy and his family, all of whom are skiers. They are the type of skiers that like to get from top to bottom of the line in as little time as possible, so keeping up with them was a challenge. This was still one of the first times I used the Assassin, and one of the first runs we hit was a very steep but wide black diamond — it’s basically a straight shot down, no wonder it’s their favorite run. So, I strapped in, dropped in behind them, and immediately caught speed. About half way down and cruising at easily 40–50 mph, a massive smirk latched onto my face as I was comfortably keeping up with them. Being a snowboarder and keeping up with the speed of skiers can be difficult, so I was super stoked with this deck!

Value for the money vs. other options

The value of this board compared to some other options is really excellent. I would compare this to boards such as the Lib Tech Cold Brew, Burton Process, and Ride Benchwarmer. In terms of cost, the Assassin sits at $499.95 — which is actually lower than those other options. Plus, I think the Assassin is more versatile in its category. I absolutely believe that this board is worth the money relative to similar options.

Final verdict

Overall, the 2022 Salomon Assassin is the perfect do-it-all snowboard with some freestyle finesse. It allows the intermediate or advanced rider to tackle the park with full confidence without sacrificing versatility and performance on other parts of the mountain. Assassin for the win!