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

My take

The Salomon Dancehaul is a volume-shifted, tapered, directional snowboard with Salomon’s Rock Out Camber profile. While this board lives for powder and trees, I found it to be versatile enough to be classified as an all-mountain option. This board is for the intermediate to advanced rider looking to tackle powder and backcountry without losing out on freestyle or resort riding.

About the gear

• Model: 2022 Salomon Dancehaul
• Size: 152

About me

• Height: 5’9”
• Weight: 170 lbs
• Experience: 10 years

Test conditions

• When I bought these: January 2022
• Days tested: 12
• Mount position: Regular stance; +18˚ in the front, 0˚ in the back; 21” stance width
• Boots: 2022 Rome Bodega Hybrid
• Boot Size: Men’s 10.5
• Bindings: 2022 Burton Cartel
• Where I’ve used it: Brighton Resort (Utah), Snowbasin Resort (Utah), Vail Resort (Colorado)
• Terrain: Trees, Groomers, Powder, Park

How it performs

What I was looking for

I was looking for a directional, swallow-tailed board that could be used across the whole mountain. I also wanted a volume-shifted board for quick-turning performance in the trees and powder, with the ability to hit the park and ride switch when needed.

Why I chose this gear

I spent several months researching snowboards in order to find a board that fit my needs. I wanted something volume-shifted as I like a shorter board, directional, swallow-tailed, and camber friendly. I ultimately decided on the Dancehaul because most volume-shifted, directional boards offer a rocker-dominant or setback camber profile, whereas the Dancehaul features the fairly symmetrical Rock Out Camber that gives it much more versatility.

I had initially purchased the 2022 Rome Stale Fish in hopes that it would be the board I was looking for, and while I was impressed with it initially, (it’s a monster of a board!), its setback camber and extended rocker in the nose made it much less versatile than the Dancehaul.

What I love about it

• Speed: Although this board isn’t meant for speed, it FLIES. Salomon’s sintered base on this bad boy exceeds expectations; I was hoping it could keep up with the pack and was pleasantly surprised to find myself at the front despite its added width. The flat section in the middle allows for added stability at those higher speeds too.
• Turns: Because this board is volume-shifted, the slow speed edge-to-edge performance is a bit lacking, but at anything higher than bunny slope speed, it is very responsive and controlled in turn initiation. Plus, there’s a bit of rocker in the nose and tail gave me extra comfort when throwing downturns.
• Groomers: You’ll often find me in the trees and powder when I’m at resorts but the Dancehaul handles groomers really well. It’s got great pop for ollies and flatground tricks, plus a lot of play in the nose, making buttering on groomers a blast.
• Powder: It’s made for powder with its tapered, directional, volume-shifted shape. It floats absolutely effortlessly, and the Rock Out Camber provides added pop and thrust in extra deep pow.
• Trees: Trees are where this board shines. Because of its shortened, volume-shifted shape, I was throwing this around trees, and turning on a dime is like slicing butter: easy, smooth, and feels right at home. This board should live in the trees.
• Moguls: Similar to tree runs, this board handles moguls well due to its shortened length and surprising edge-to-edge speed.
• Backcountry: Its directional shape and swallowtail make it a stellar backcountry board. Its responsive mid-flex and nimbleness make it very easy to throw around trees and stay afloat in the deep stuff.
• Durability: The durability of this deck proved well. I definitely put this deck through the wringer, and it held up really well to trees, branches, rocks, and hard landings. The Dancehaul proved its worth in this category with no scratches, dents, or dings.
• Weight: One of my favorite aspects of this board is how light it is. I’ve ridden many directional volume-shifted boards (K2 Excavator, K2 Party Platter, Rome Stalefish, Never Summer Harpoon, GNU Gremlin, etc.) and this is one of the most lightweight options out there, coming very close to the Harpoon in terms of weight and nimbleness.
• Stability: This board sits at a 6/10 flex according to Salomon, though it felt softer than that to me. Still, despite a bit of chatter in the nose, it holds up well at high speeds. I like to bomb groomers often and this thing flies without too much noise.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Edge hold: The edge hold on this board is one of its weaknesses. With a standard radial sidecut and no special edge tech, it holds an edge fine, but I wouldn’t ride this in icy conditions.
• Park: This is definitely not a park board! This snowboard is obviously not designed for freestyle or terrain park riding, however, I was VERY surprised at how well it handled the park. Switch riding can be done but it’s not great with that swallow tail but jumps, boxes, jibs, and especially buttering is fantastic. A great option if you only venture into the park every once in a while. Rides park just fine but don’t buy this board if you plan on spending all day in the terrain park!
• Switch riding: Not ideal for switch riding because of its tapered directional shape and swallow tail. However, because of its relatively symmetrical bend profile, it handles switch much better than I would imagine. I’m not much of a switch rider but when I’m feeling up to it, it can handle it with no real issues. Just no switch riding in pow. While the Dancehaul is capable of riding switch, it doesn’t shine in this category.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment with this gear was on the first day that I got to ride the Dancehaul. I had just gotten the board in the mail and headed up to Brighton resort. One thing to know about how I like to board is that I often bomb runs, trying to get back to the lift as quickly as possible. So, I hopped on the Crest lift, strapped in, and found my favorite steep line and could not believe how quickly the Dancehaul picked up speed. Going 40+ mph with a huge smile on my face and the thought of, “who says a volume-shifted board can’t be a speed demon”. On top of its impressive speed, I was blown away by its edge-to-edge response despite its massive waist width. I felt as if this board could float in the deepest powder while simultaneously providing an unmatched toe-to-heel response. I continued to have the single most enjoyable resort day.

Value for the money vs. other options

I’ve had the chance to test plenty of volume-shifted directional boards—the Rome Stale Fish, Bataleon Party Wave, K2 Party Platter, and many others— and the Dancehaul meets or beats the quality and durability of all of them while providing even more versatility. Out of the Never Summer Harpoon, GNU Gremlin, Bataleon Party Wave, Rome Stale Fish, and others, the Dancehaul is actually on the cheaper end of those options and is WELL worth the money.

Final verdict

The Salomon Dancehaul is an extremely fun volume-shifted directional board that thrives in powder but doesn’t stop there. It hits big lines, flies down groomers, lands big jumps, and butters like a dream. Salomon really outdid themselves with this deck! This is definitely my new daily driver.