expert picks
Advanced Snowboard Kit
For experienced, all-mountain rippers who need gear that can keep up with their riding.
If you’re a dedicated rider who has seriously considered dropping all life obligations to snowboard every day, this is the kit for you. We’ve curated high-quality, performance gear for expert riders who crave steep and deep riding—and need gear that can keep up. Focus on finding that hidden powder stash or stomping the cliff you’ve been eyeing; when it comes to great gear, we’ve got you covered.
Jones Stratos ($670)
Burton Photon ($480)
Union Force ($350)
Burton Hover Gore-Tex 3L Stretch ($720)
Burton Freebird Gore-Tex 3L Stretch ($700)
Patagonia Nano Puff ($229)
Anon M4 MFI ($340)
Smith Vantage 2 MIPS ($295)
Rab Khroma Freeride Gore-Tex ($180)
Smartwool Intraknit Thermal Merino ($150)
Smartwool Intraknit Snowboard OTC ($35)This nimble, all-mountain charger strikes the perfect balance for high-speed ripping and technical, off-piste turns. The Stratos is playful enough for freeriding, floaty enough for powder, and stable enough for confidence at speed, making it an impressive do-it-all daily driver.
A medium-stiff boot with a double-Boa closure, the Photon (women’s Felix) offers a secure fit, great adjustability, and a supportive flex for high-speed riding. Still, a little bit of give lets you keep your riding playful, and the boot’s confidence-inspiring Vibram rubber outsole will feel great in the bootpack (or icy parking lot).
The Force (women’s Trilogy) is a popular, versatile binding featuring a medium-stiff flex. Like our Beginner and Intermediate picks, it doesn’t feature the newest bells and whistles—but it’s an ultra-dependable, all-mountain binding, designed to handle any type of terrain with snappy responsiveness.
Advanced riders looking for mobility, breathability, and serious storm protection will love the Hover (women’s Kimmy), a premium, 3-layer stretch shell with bombproof Gore-Tex waterproofing. This bib is a standout choice for dumping snow, backcountry missions, and bell-to-bell comfort (no matter what tricks you’re pulling out).
These slightly stretchy, full-featured Gore-Tex bibs will keep you dry, comfortable, and protected from the elements all day. They sure don’t come cheap, but if you want to ride from first chair to last with high mobility (while keeping your base layers dry), these steezy, confidence-inspiring bibs will do the job.
The Nano Puff Jacket is a sleek, synthetic midlayer that adds plenty of warmth with limited bulk underneath your 3-layer shell. It’s our go-to for chilly resort riding with just enough insulation to keep you cozy on the lift without overheating on the downhill.
Warmth
Comfort & Mobility
Breathability
Versatility
Durability
Sustainability
The M4 Toric MFI delivers premium optics and a best-in-class magnetic lens-change system (so you can focus on riding, not swapping lenses). It’s a great choice for advanced riders looking for a comfortable, well-ventilated goggle with durable, high-quality construction.
Optical Quality
Field of View
Lens-Change System
Comfort
Ventilation
Sustainability
Category-leading comfort, adjustability, and ventilation make the Vantage 2 MIPS a top choice for the dedicated rider looking for a standout helmet for resort laps, hike-to terrain, and everything in between. Unfortunately, this versatile lid comes with a high price tag.
Comfort
Warmth
Ventilation
Weight & Bulk
Durability
Sustainability
Advanced riders will benefit from the added dexterity that gloves offer for tightening screws and unzipping pit vents on the hill. The Khroma Freeride gloves offer a premium fit, reliable Gore-Tex waterproofing, and durable leather palms, making them a great choice for riders seeking a long-lasting, high-performance glove.
The Intraknit Thermal features a polyester-merino wool blend, offering solid durability (for merino) and an excellent balance of warmth and breathability, making it a great choice for high-output riding or venturing into hike-to terrain. Still, some may want a warmer base layer, and others won’t like the fit.
Warmth
Breathability
Durability
Comfort
Odor Resistance
Sustainability
The Intraknit Snowboard Targeted Cushion Over the Calf socks feature a 53% merino wool, 43% nylon content, and 4% elastane, offering a good balance of warmth, breathability, and durability. Plus, you get merino’s moisture-wicking and odor-reducing properties.
How We Built the Advanced Snowboard Kit
Advanced riders have the stoke and skill to have fun in any conditions the mountains throw at them. Whipping winds? Ride steeps in wind buff. It’s raining at 10,000 feet? Carve some rain corn groomers. As an advanced snowboarder, you’ll ride in all types of terrain, weather, and snow conditions—and we found you great equipment to keep you dry, comfortable, and enjoying the ride in the best and worst conditions. This top-of-the-line gear comes with a high price tag, but if you’re the kind of rider who rips expert lines in chattery crud, blows through a pair of boots a year, and begs your friends to take one more lap on the wettest storm day, this is the kit for you.
Advanced Snowboard Boots
Burton’s Photon boot (women’s Felix) strikes the balance between high responsiveness and a playful feel. Compared to lower-end boots on the market, the Burton Photon ups the game with a double-Boa closure system to help you micro-adjust your fit. The medium-stiff flex keeps things fun when you’re freeriding, and snug, heat-moldable liners help you find a great fit. It also holds its shape well once it's broken in, rather than degrading into a mushy, sluggish boot.
Plus, the Photon features a Vibram rubber outsole for added security in the bootpack. As a result of its relatively stiff flex and the burly outsole, we also think it's a reasonable choice for splitboarding (though it’s not specifically designed for backcountry use). If the Photon isn’t quite the right fit, we would recommend taking a look at the ThirtyTwo TM-2 Boot, which offers a similar flex and features. It’s another great boot that comes in both a double-Boa and laced model, depending on what you’re into.
Advanced Snowboard Bindings
The Union Force (women’s Trilogy) is a popular binding, and we can tell you why. The flex is stiff enough for excellent responsiveness in any terrain, but soft enough to keep things snappy and fun. Plus, its medium-stiff flex makes it a versatile choice for jibbing, high-speed carving, and ripping powder. The Union Force doesn’t feature all the latest bells and whistles in the binding world (like the FASE fast entry system or step-in technology), and we think that’s totally fine. But it does include a shock absorption system to dampen your ride, tool-less forward lean and strap adjustment, and a confidence-inspiring toe strap. Because of its durability, reliability, and responsive yet fun flex profile, we think this binding is an excellent all-mountain pick.
For riders looking to save a few seconds between laps, consider a binding with the FASE fast-entry system, which uses a hinged highback and a locked toe strap to let riders step in and out of their bindings quickly. While we can’t say this system is strictly necessary, many advanced riders appreciate its added convenience. In this category, we think the Jones Mercury FASE is a good choice for advanced riders seeking a FASE binding. Like the Union Force, the Mercury features a mid-stiff flex to balance hard-charging responsiveness and playfulness.
Advanced Snowboard
It’s hard to hold back on our obsession with the Jones Stratos. For advanced riders in search of a new daily driver, the board strikes an impressive balance of a nimble, responsive feel and confidence-inspiring edge hold, thanks to its rockered tip and tail and underfoot camber profile. You can rip this thing at speed, thread your way through steep trees, charge bumps, and hit side hits with ease. A short sidecut radius makes the Stratos easy to turn quickly in technical terrain, and the medium taper and rockered nose add float in powder. Still, it holds an edge well on steep, firm groomers. And with two years and well over 100 days on this board, we still haven’t experienced any durability issues. Still, freestyle riders and those who like to ride switch won’t be into the tapered, directional shape of this board. Most expert shredders will love the strongly directional shape, but we wouldn’t recommend it to an intermediate rider who’s still learning to ride switch. And at $670, the Jones Stratos ain’t cheap. For a versatile and fun all-mountain board, though, it’s a tough one to beat.
Stepping Up Your Shell Game
Because advanced riders will show up in the worst weather conditions in the name of powder, we chose top-tier outerwear to keep you seriously dry, without sacrificing breathability for high-output, top-to-bottom shredding.
If you’re looking for a premium shell jacket with a snowboard-specific design, look no further than the Burton Hover 3L Stretch (women’s Kimmy). Snowboarders need a greater range of motion than their skier counterparts, especially if they’re getting into a deep carve or pulling out some new tricks. We love that this 3-layer jacket features a Gore-Tex C-Knit stretch backer, helping you move freely on the slopes (and in the bootpack). While less crinkly than your typical 3-layer Gore-Tex jacket, it offers the same level of bombproof waterproofing you expect when spending up for Gore-Tex. It’s not a featherweight backcountry-specific shell, but it’s plenty light enough to stuff in your pack if you do choose to take it out on a tour. The $720 price tag will make most riders think twice (and maybe a third time), but if you seek unmatched mobility, waterproofing, and breathability, it doesn’t get much better than this. Plus, we love that this jacket is sleek, stylish, and versatile. As they say, look good, feel good, ride good.
Because advanced riders will show up in the worst weather conditions in the name of powder, we chose top-tier outerwear to keep you dry without sacrificing breathability for high-output shredding.
If you crave a Gore-Tex jacket but don’t feel inclined to drop $700, we’ll point you toward the Burton Cyclic 2L (women’s Upshift). What do you lose? The Cyclic lacks 3-layer construction (which will save precious ounces if you’re going beyond resort boundaries), C-Knit stretch, and the high breathability of a 3-layer jacket. But at $485, the price is much easier to stomach. It’s a fine choice if you exclusively ride inbounds and don’t need best-in-class breathability and weight savings.
Other than on toasty, spring days, you’ll need to add a midlayer or two underneath your shell. Midlayer preferences come down to how warm (or cold) you run, but on brisk days, we typically rock a technical fleece (like a Patagonia R1 Air) and a synthetic midlayer (like the Patagonia Nano Puff) underneath a 3-layer shell. The Nano Puff adds the perfect amount of warmth to your kit on chilly days without feeling cumbersome and bulky. Additionally, the synthetic fill ensures it remains warm even when it gets wet.
Keep Snow Out and Stoke High
Bibs are comfortable and steezy—plus, they keep snow out on deep days better than pants ever could. And especially for the ladies out there, it can be tough to find snowboarding pants with just the right fit (think too-big waist, too-tight thighs). Bibs offer a little bit more wiggle room on sizing, since they’re held up by suspenders. Still, we know they’re not every rider’s jam, so we’ll highlight a few high-performing pants to check out.
For our Advanced Snowboard kit, we picked the Burton Freebird Gore-Tex 3L Stretch Bibs (women’s Kimmy) for similar reasons as the matching Hover jacket. Standout waterproofing, somewhat-stretchy fabric, and excellent breathability make these bibs a great choice for the advanced rider working up a sweat on the slopes. The 3-layer construction keeps these bibs sleek and lightweight, and inner and outer thigh vents help you dump heat on warm days.
Like the Hover, the Freebird bibs will cost you a pretty penny at $700. Bibs, on average, run more expensive than pants: bibs typically cost between $270 and $850, while pants start around $160. Still, for advanced riders, we think a great set of bibs is the way to go. Still, if you’re not sold on bibs and want a premium pair of pants, take a look at the Burton Tuvak Gore-Tex C-Knit Pants, which come in at $730. If you typically ride inbounds and want to save some cash, you could consider the Burton Cyclic Gore-Tex 2L Pants (women’s Summit), which cost $440 (and are also available in a bib model).
Gloves We Love
For advanced riders, we chose a pair of super durable, dexterous gloves. Why? When it comes to on-slope binding adjustments, tightening screws, and quickly strapping into bindings, we think gloves are a better bet than mittens. As an advanced rider, you’ll be making these adjustments more frequently than in your intermediate days (and won’t want to take mittens off to fiddle with screws). Rab’s Khroma Freeride glove offers the dexterity we sought, along with high durability and a premium feel. It lands in the middle of the pack on insulation, featuring 133-gram Primaloft Gold on the back of the hand and palm. As a result, they’re not as warm as many gloves on the market. We found them comfortable enough for most days on the hill, but for seriously frigid temps, they’re a little bit light. Still, we think they’re a great choice for the rider who likes to adjust their stance and forward lean to suit the conditions and terrain.
For those who struggle with perpetually frozen hands, there are better choices out there (like the Black Diamond Mercury Mitt, which features a 340-gram fill at a more affordable $140 price tag). Still, if you’re looking for high durability and a great fit, the Khroma Freeride gloves are where it's at. And we absolutely love the integrated wrist leashes (no need to fret about dropping your gloves off the chairlift!).
Don’t Forget About Base Layers
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: for snow sports, we love merino wool base layers. Our pick, the Smartwool Intraknit Thermal, is a premium base layer featuring a merino-polyester blend. It’s a breathable, comfortable base layer for high-output, cold-weather activities (like hard-charging snowboarding). For this reason, we think it’s a great base layer for riders who shred for bell-to-bell, especially if you frequently find yourself sweating on the slopes. And if you love the Intraknit Thermal Crew, you'll also want to check out the matching socks.
Still, the Intraknit Thermal has its downsides: some riders won’t be into the skin-tight fit, and others may prefer warmer base layers. We love that the merino-polyester blend offers greater durability than merino wool alone, while still providing merino's natural odor resistance. If you prefer a more relaxed fit, though, we’ll steer you toward Ridge Merino’s Aspect top (featured in our Intermediate Snowboard Kit), which also features a synthetic-merino blend.
Helmets are a must for anybody on the slopes, but an advanced rider arguably needs a helmet more than a beginner rider. Crashes might be getting less frequent, but they might be higher-speed or bigger in amplitude. At this point in your snowboarding career, you might consider upping the game on safety tech, comfort, and features. We picked the Smith Vantage 2 MIPS, which offers this high-performance triad at a $295 price point. But let’s talk safety first: MIPS (Multi-Directional Impact Protection System) was a must in every helmet we considered. Still, the Vantage is a step above the rest, featuring Koroyd: a honeycomb-shaped material sandwiched between a helmet shell and cushioning to absorb the impact of a hard blow. Put more simply? It crumples on impact to help keep your skull from doing the same.
A well-ventilated and comfortable helmet will be the one you still want to wear on warm days in the park, so if you’re out on the slopes frequently, we think investing in a good helmet is worth it. For this reason, we picked the Smith Vantage 2 MIPS, which will cost you a steep $295. The cost is high, but after three seasons and 100-plus days per year, we still have no real complaints about its comfort. Despite not being the cushiest helmet on the market, the Boa fit adjustment, supportive padding, and excellent ventilation make it plenty cozy for all-day ripping. And although it's not the lightest lid on the market, it’s still a reasonable choice for backcountry use. The dual-zone vent system is a real selling point: It’s easy to add some airflow during a high-intensity top-to-bottom lap or batten down the hatches on a cold lift ride.
Dedicated riders want to shred, not mess around with their goggles. Anon’s M4 Toric MFI goggles feature an intuitive, fuss-free lens-swap system that helps you transition between sunny days on the slopes to night skiing laps without skipping a beat. Despite the easy-to-change system, the lenses stay remarkably secure in the frame (even during crashes). Plus, the M4 Toric features comfortable, 3-layer foam and excellent ventilation, thanks to its large, foam-covered vent across the top of the goggles. Finally, love that these goggles keep your vision sharp with exceptional optical quality and a broad field of view. While there are other great options to consider (like the Smith 4D Mag), we think the M4 Toric is an excellent bet for most advanced riders seeking a premium goggle.
Is the Advanced Snowboard Kit for You?
If your riding skills and stoke have outpaced your gear, the Advanced Snowboard Kit is the one for you. The gear in this kit will help you level up your skills with ultra-responsive yet playful hardware and performance outerwear to keep you dry and comfortable all day.
If you’re not ready to spend up for the highest-performing gear on the market, or are just dipping your toes into advanced terrain, take a look at our Intermediate Snowboard Kit. In our intermediate kit, we curated great gear at a mid-range price point to keep you stoked on the slopes without draining your bank account. It also features playful, softer-flex hardware for riders who prefer to spend more time practicing tricks than plowing through chop at Mach 10.
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