Two Curated Snowboard Experts tested this product, and we have compiled their unbiased reviews below to give you the definitive take.

Expert Takes on the K2 Party Platter

Eric Schulteiss: The K2 Party Platter is just flat-out fun! This is the third one I have owned, and it is my main daily driver. I work for White Pass in WA and run their terrain parks. I was very fortunate to have the K2 crew up for some demos and got to show them around. They knew how much I loved the Party Platter I had and let me have the new 22-23 year!

I have more than 30 days on it and have ridden it in all conditions. When it comes to an all-mountain fun board, this is it! This board does everything exceptionally well! I have park-specific boards in my quiver but this has since replaced them as my park board. It loves to butter and has a very user-friendly snap for ollies. Ripping turns is a blast! It is a wide board but it doesn't ride like one. I never had issues getting it to turn, and it loves to dig trenches! The Party Platter is very fun in powder but when gets over a foot, I do prefer my pow board. The K2 Party Platter is one of the best boards I have ever ridden and just makes my snowboarding more fun for me!

JJ Young: The Party Platter is ready for the ultimate shred all over the mountain. The world of trees will open up like never before. Jump in the park, and the party will never end! Use it for some hot laps to catch up with your partygoers, and spray some hard carves on your skier friends. It's a buffet of F-U-N.

The wide nose and mid-section along with the downsized length will keep floating in the deepest of powder all day long.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Ripping turns
• Freeriding freestyle
• Pop and riding switch on a directional twin stance
• All-mountain fun - great in trees, groomers, park, and powder

Weaknesses

• Volume-shifted board so may feel wide for some
• Super nimble and quick so best for experienced riders
• This board will downsize 4 -5 cm smaller than a typical snowboard
• Has an up-lifted nose so contact point in the front can be swirly if not weighted down

Review Ratings

(Averaged between the two Expert reviewers)

• Eric: I am still amazed at how easy this board turns! The flex and the side cut just work perfectly with each other. Being a volume-shifted board and getting to size down from my normal 160 to 152 makes this great on the steeps when you need to jump turn or navigate tight trees.

• JJ: Uplifted contact points where the camber meets the rocker spins and turns with grace. A nice quarter-inch camber under your foot for that bite in the snow.

• Eric: I've spent 30 days or so on it, and it still looks great. I had it on rails and ran over lots of stumps, and the base still looks solid. Even before I got it, it was a K2 demo board for a rep so I am going to give it an A+ on durability. No big surprise there, because all my K2 boards in the past have held up super great.

• Eric: If you are looking for a board that can charge through anything, this is not the board. This board is very stable at high speeds, but it wants to play down the run with carves, butters, presses, and ollies. Again, you can do that all with confidence at speed. I have never noticed chattering out on me and have always felt solid on it at speed.

• Eric: This board can carve!

• JJ: Amazing edge hold underfoot with an honest positive camber. A quarter inch of camber bites into these carves and makes it surprisingly powerful for a freestyle board.

• Eric: I am not looking for a board that can do it all. In the past, I have picked different boards from my quiver that I thought would be the most fun for the snow conditions. That said, I find myself riding this board primarily as my daily driver. It rips in the park, and I choose it over my dedicated park board. It does great in harder conditions, rips up the slush, and is super fun in snake runs or trees. When it comes to powder, it does just fine. If I was looking for one board, this would be my choice. It just makes riding everything more fun.

• Eric: It does great in the powder—it’s wider and has a rocker nose that stays above the snow just fine. When it comes to deeper days, I do prefer my powder board. I do ride my Party Platter more centered, and I am guessing if I set back my stance on deeper days, it would be better. Bottom line is that it's still awesome in the white stuff.

• JJ: The big wide nose and the wide width under your feet on the Party Platter float all day long. It's slightly tapered to surf on powder even while riding switch.

Q&As

Why did you choose the K2 Party Platter?

Eric: When I am choosing a board, I look at all the stats and decide what seems like it would be a great board for me. "It’s wide enough," "I want that style camber," "the flex is right," and so on…. When it comes to my favorite boards over the years, they all have one thing in common—FUN! This board is fun, and that's why I chose it!

JJ: This is kind of a one-and-done board for the price point! You won’t be disappointed if this is your only board. Call me crazy, but I think you could even learn to snowboard on the Party Platter.

What is the value for the money vs. other options?

Eric: For what this board offers, I think it is one of the best boards for its price out there. You get all the features you want when buying a board—rocker in the nose, volume-shifted, sintered base, bamboo, aspen, paulownia wood core, and 3-year warranty. That’s a lot of value for how much fun this board is.

What was your favorite moment with this board?

Eric: My oldest enlisted in the Army in May. She and her sister basically grew up at ski resorts, and we have always had a great time riding together. (I did fail as a father in one aspect—they both ski lol.) We decided to go to Timberline in July and get one more day on the hill, not knowing when we would get to go again. We had so much fun! The Party Platter was on fire just ripping the slush. It would not have mattered what board I was on that day, but the Platter sure put the icing on the cake for that memory!

JJ: Some of my favorite moments on this board are the ones I keep trying to relive again and again. Like bombing down the Berrys run at Vail or surfing through aspen trees in Beaver Creek. So much fun every day on the Party Platter!

Final Impressions

• Eric: The Party Platter makes riding more enjoyable for me. I have more fun on this board than on any other boards I have ridden. For me, it checks all the boxes because it makes the hill more fun!

• JJ: I love the fact that this board is short and takes the pressure off my rear leg and allows my front foot to do a lot of the steering. I feel well-balanced all around. There is no denying it, this is my go-to board for most of the season. It's really hard to peel away from this ride. There is a reason K2 named this the Party Platter. I feel like it's a party all day—zipping, spinning, and carving 'til the last lift closes. It's also light enough to carry if you want to do a little side-country hike for some fresh powder tracks!