Salomon Snowboards is one of the most popular companies on the market today that produces both skis and snowboards. Their boards are known to be reasonably priced, good quality and accessible for any skill level and riding style.

Hello! My name is Gaelen, and I’ve spent over half my life snowboarding! Over the past 11 years, I’ve had the privilege of snowboarding 50+ days yearly in locations such as Vermont, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska. In addition to this, I’ve worked in a dedicated snowboard shop where we carried Salomon snowboards. I’ve also worked with thousands of customers on Curated.com, during which I’ve become quite familiar with many large snowboard brands including Salomon!

Today I want to try and provide a complete guide to Salomon snowboards including a brief history lesson on the brand, common questions about Salomon, the different styles of snowboards that Salomon produces, and which of the boards they produce might be right for you! Let’s do it!!

Who Is Salomon Snowboards: A Brief History Lesson!

Salomon started as a ski brand in Annecy, France, in 1947, way before snowboarding existed. While they had success with ski gear, they saw snowboarding become increasingly popular through the ‘80s and ‘90s and released a whole snowboard collection in 1997, which saw success immediately. Salomon Snowboards went on to produce many iconic snowboard videos and sponsor well-respected riders, establishing themselves as a core brand in snowboarding. Fast forward to the present day, their headquarters are still based in France, where they were originally founded, and they continue to sell their skis and snowboards to an international market.

What to Consider When Buying Salomon Snowboards

Are Salomon Snowboards Good?

This is by far the most common question I get from Curated customers and customers at the snowboard shop I work at. I’ll give you the same answer I give everyone else: Yes, but they’re not necessarily for you.

At a very basic level, yes, they are good snowboards. However, I’m confident that any “professional level” snowboard company (companies that sponsor pro riders) on the market today is good. Sure, you may have had a bad experience with one specific board from “X” brand or heard that “Y” brand doesn’t make durable products. But at the end of the day, if professional athletes are riding a brand’s gear and it meets their standards, it’s safe to say that the brand is good overall.

Now are Salomon snowboards good for you? Well, that’s a whole different story. To explain this, I will use a car analogy (because I’m a huge car nerd). I think most people would agree that the Honda Civic is a good car. They’re cheap, reliable, and have been around forever. But if you’ve got a family of seven and your driveway is steep and snowy in the winter, a Honda Civic might not be the right car for you. The same is true for snowboards. So while Salomon (along with most brands) makes great gear, this doesn’t automatically make it great for you.

So just like how it’s important to pick a car that suits your needs, for a board brand to be good for you, you need to choose one of their board models that suits your needs, mainly your skill level and riding style! Of course, this begs the question, who does Salomon cater to with their snowboards?

Who Does Salomon Make Snowboards For?

I’m not saying that Salomon makes every type of snowboard imaginable, but I will venture to say that they make a snowboard model for just about everyone. So whether you’re a man or woman (or a kiddo), a total beginner or an expert rider, someone who wants to spend all day in the terrain park or all season in the woods, chances are Salomon makes a board model that’ll suit your size, riding style, and ability level! We’ll cover some of their most popular all-mountain, freestyle, and freeride boards later in this article!

Are Salomon Snowboards Expensive?

No, Salomon boards are not particularly expensive relative to other snowboard brands. That said, they aren’t cheap compared to similar brands either. Salomon boards are priced anywhere between $350 for their entry-level all-mountain boards and $650 for highly specialized expert boards. Of course, the amount you should expect to pay depends on what type of board you’re looking for, but most of their boards fall into the $400-$500 range, so that would be a reasonable expectation.

What Are the Different Types of Salomon Snowboards?

In this section, I’ll cover the different types of snowboards Salomon produces and their most popular models for each type of terrain. Salomon categorizes their snowboards into all-mountain, freestyle, and freeride. So we’ll start there!

All-Mountain

All-mountain boards from Salomon can ride just about anything on the mountain. These snowboards will be good at everything but not the best at anything; that’s the trade-off of an all-mountain board. Most riders should consider an all-mountain board if they only want to own one snowboard, as it’ll give them the most versatility possible to explore everything a ski resort offers. Luckily, Salomon makes all-mountain boards for all skill levels!

Salomon’s Most Popular All-Mountain Snowboards

For beginners, the Salomon Pulse (men’s) and Salomon Lotus (women’s) are Salomon’s two entry-level boards on the more affordable side and offer a great introduction to snowboarding. Climbing the progression ladder, the Salomon Sight (men’s), Salomon Assassin (men’s), Salomon Rumblefish (women’s), and Salomon Highpath (unisex) are popular boards for riders who have mastered green circle trails and need a board that can keep up with them as they conquer the entire mountain!

Freestyle

Freestyle boards from Salomon have been designed to excel in the terrain park and help you become the best freestyle rider you can be. So, if you spend most of your time in the terrain park, consider a freestyle board from Salomon!

Salomon’s Most Popular Freestyle Snowboards

For riders looking for well-balanced freestyle boards, the Salomon Huck Knife (men’s), Salomon Abstract (unisex), and Salomon No Drama (women’s) are hard to go wrong with, as they can ride rails, boxes, jumps, and anything else you might find in a terrain park. For riders looking for very jib-friendly boards (think soft flex for butters), the Salomon Sleepwalker (men’s) and Salomon Oh Yeah (women’s) are some of the softest boards Salomon makes. Finally, for riders looking to go big, the Salomon Huck Knife Pro (men’s) is the way to go!

Freeride

I’ll be the first to point out that Salomon doesn’t have the biggest selection of powder-specific snowboards compared to a brand like Arbor or Jones. However, they still have several (very fun) snowboards that can crush it on the days when you’re getting off the groomers and into the woods, backcountry powder fields, or any other off-piste adventures!

Salomon’s Most Popular Freeride Snowboards

Without a doubt, Salomon’s most popular freestyle snowboard is the Salomon Dancehaul (unisex). It’s truly a unique board with a directional shape, a volume-shifted design that’s meant to be sized down on, and soft flex, making it quite playful despite being able to crush it on pow days! It was one of the most popular boards we carried at the snowboard shop I worked at, as it worked well as a daily driver despite its “freeride” classification.

If you’re looking for a more traditionally shaped powder board, the Salomon Super 8 (men’s) and Salomon Bellevue are great options for versatile freeride options. Finally, for the advanced riders who need a board for only the deepest powder days, look no further than the HPS-Wolle Nyvelt Fish (men’s) or the HPS-Annie Boulanger (women’s) snowboards!

Features to Look Out for When Buying Salomon Snowboards

Every snowboard brand likes to incorporate its own “special spice” into its boards, technology that makes them unique in some way. Salomon is no exception and has several unique or semi-unique pieces of technology they use on their boards. In this section, I’ll cover these technologies and their implications for your snowboarding.

Rocket Science

A Salomon board with “Rocket Science” technology means the board has a wider waist width and a narrower tip and tail design. Benefits:

• Extra maneuverability for precise riding (such as in park or trees)
• Extra stability and response

Be Aware:

• May require an adjustment period as most boards are narrowest at the weight width

Popster

Salomon boards with a “Popster core” contain strategically placed bamboo or carbon rods. Benefits:

• Gives the board a more lively feel when carving
• Increases the pop a board has when doing ollies

Be Aware:

• Poppier than the average board and can be dangerous for riders inexperienced with airtime.
• Boards with bamboo and/or carbon rods come at a premium cost.

BiteFree Edges

Salomon boards with “BiteFree Edges” incorporate detuned edges at the board's contact points. Benefits:

• More forgiving for beginner riders learning to turn

Be Aware:

• Not suitable for more aggressive riding, won’t grip snow well at speeds

Power Steering

Salomon boards with “Power Steering” feature an asymmetrical sidecut with a deeper heel edge radius, allowing for easier turns and better edge hold, especially for heelside maneuvers. Benefits:

• Easier turns and better edge hold for heelside carves

Be Aware:

• May require an adjustment period for riders who have never ridden an asymmetrical sidecut snowboard

ABC Wrapper

Salomon boards with “ABC (Advanced Bamboo Construction) Wrapper” blend bamboo and carbon laminates in the board's construction, providing a lightweight and responsive feel with excellent edge-to-edge control. Benefits:

• Lightweight board
• More responsive board feel

Be Aware:

• Sounds good on paper but may not have noticeable benefits in practice

How to Choose the Right Salomon Snowboard for You

Below are several examples of riders with specific needs and wants for their next board, features they should look for, and Salomon boards that would meet their criteria.

Jessica

Jessica is an intermediate rider looking for a snowboard that can help her progress to an advanced level. She likes riding a bit of everything but enjoys trees and powder, so she wants something that can excel in those conditions.

Features Jessica should look for:

• A board with a directional twin or directional shape for powder performance
• A board that contains partial or full camber in its profile for edge hold and stability
• A board with a medium/stiff flex for stability and power through carves

Possible snowboards for Jessica: Salomon Rumblefish, Salomon Highpath, Salomon Bellevue

Brad

Brad is a total newbie at snowboarding, only having been a few times. That said, he’s a fast learner and is already sick of rental snowboards. He wants something beginner-friendly as he’s mastering his turns, but he’s okay with a bit of a learning curve.

Features Brad should look for:

• A board classified as “all-mountain,” so he has maximum versatility as he explores what he likes to ride
• Partial camber board, so it has stability and edge hold but is still approachable
• Soft/medium flex for a forgiving and easy-to-turn experience

Possible snowboards for Brad: Salomon Sight, Salomon Assassin

Tommy

Tommy is your typical park rat who spends all day, every day, in the terrain park. He has little interest in riding outside the terrain park (unless it’s on trails that lead to a park), and he wants a park-specific board that’ll help him get super stylish on rails and boxes.

Features Tommy should look for:

• A true twin or directional twin board for easy switch riding in the park
• A full camber or partial camber board, camber equals pop in the park
• A soft/medium flexing board for easy presses and butters

Possible snowboards for Tommy: Salomon Sleepwalker, Salomon Abstract, Salomon Huck Knife

Making Your Final Decision

Hopefully, this guide has given you an idea of what Salmon is all about and what products would suit you! Don’t forget they also produce bindings and boots, so you can get a full Salomon set-up if you're a Salomon superfan! The last thing to do is decide on the best Salomon board for you, and luckily with Curated.com, this process can be an easy one.

Here at Curated, there's a Snowboarding Expert ready to help! You can message them in real-time (totally for free) and get unbiased and experience-based advice on whatever sort of snowboard gear you’re looking for. The process takes only a few minutes and is the easiest way to avoid analysis paralysis and buyer’s remorse when choosing your next snowboard!