Gallery: Behind the Scenes at 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 2024 Snowboard Test
Mother Nature provided for ideal testing conditions for 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 2024 Snowboard Test at Sugar Bowl in Tahoe. Our test squad did the rest.
When powderhounds picture the perfect storm, we envision opportune temperatures, moisture levels, wind directions, and clashing fronts, a meteorological medley that produces deep, dry, light, and stable powder snow. It doesn鈥檛 happen often, but when it does, it鈥檚 magic鈥攁nd it offers those who chase it the opportunity to make some of the most memorable turns of their lives.
A perfect snowboard test also requires an amalgamation of factors. First up, you need a mountain with mouthwatering freeride terrain, crispy groomers, radical sidecountry access, a fun terrain park, and an utter lack of crowds鈥攚hich is why we returned to Tahoe鈥檚 for the second year running for our annual rendezvous last spring. Of course, you can鈥檛 have a snowboard test without snowboard gear or testers, so we called in boards, boots, and bindings from boutique and bigshot brands alike and invite a diverse, diehard squad of riders to put said gear on the chopping block. Last but not least鈥攁nd this is where we rely on Mother Nature鈥攚e pray for a variety of conditions, ranging from groomers, slush, hardpack, and chop to the dreamy blower pow described above.
If you checked out our snowboard, splitboard, or snowboard essentials reviews already, you know that this past year鈥檚 test was as good as it gets. We were blessed with ideal review conditions, as a historic Tahoe winter led Sugar Bowl Ski Patrol to drop the ropes to the independent mountain鈥檚 puckeringly steep, spine-featured zone. Not only that, but the overall snowboard quality was arguably higher than ever before鈥攖o the point that selecting which gear made the cut for the magazine was truly tough. But our all-star tester squad rose to the occasion and went hard four days running to pick the best of the best. All of which is evidenced here, in a gallery of saliva-inducing shred shots pulled from the SD cards of ultra-talented, Tahoe-based lenswoman . Case in point: the above cover shot of Jenna Shlachter leaning into some fresh powder.
Long story short? We hope sharing these shots showcase why you can trust our board reviews鈥揳nd get you stoked for winter.
Jenna Shlachter earned the 鈥淭ester of the Week鈥 award for racking up shots just like this one. You鈥檒l be seeing a lot more of her below.
Anthony Santos, a local shop tech, indiscriminate ripper, and first-year tester, fills out a board review form, referencing notes taken between laps on the chairlift.听
We ask testers to score each board on a quantitative scale, pinpointing aspects like performance at speed, carving chops, stiffness, pop, butterability, and more. Then, the review form dives deeper, asking riders more qualitative questions, including:
- Would you buy this board and why?聽
- What conditions or terrain does this board excel in? What conditions or terrain threw this board off?聽
- Does the board have energy and pop for ollies? What about the landing gear鈥攊s it a stomper?聽
- Were there any moments from testing that inspired sheer joy or utter terror?
Our tester crew purposefully consists of riders from different backgrounds and skill levels, as this helps us determine which boards are best for various rider profiles. However, all testers share an inextinguishable stoke for shred鈥揳 fact that鈥檚 clear as day in this shot. Here, our squad enjoys a sidecountry adventure testing splitboards outside of Sugar Bowl鈥檚 .
Tester Alec Tandara-Kuhns analyzes the Euro-carving capacity of a new stick鈥揳s well as Sugar Bowl鈥檚 corduroy caliber鈥搊n a knuckle-dragging turn.
A wizard of a bootfitter, lifelong gear nerd, and veteran board tester, pokes one out in the Sugar Bowl terrain park on the , one of our favorite freestyle boards of the test.
Wasatch couloir crusher and all-around fun-hog opens up a session on Tahoe鈥檚 storied train tunnels with an epic tomahawk that earned him the 鈥淏est Bail鈥 award for the week.
Test director Drew Zieff attempts the same drop on the splitboard. He stomped it, which helped this versatile shape earn the coveted Editor鈥檚 Choice award.
, a first-year tester and splitboard guide for local outfit , grins through a beard full of blower after scoring sidecountry powder turns just outside of Sugar Bowl boundaries.
Allisandratos on the line that earned him the beard above.
Tandara-Kuhns jibs the , a collaboration between storied snowboard builder YES and John John Florence鈥檚 longtime shaper, Mr. Jon .
Funnily enough, you can usually find rookie tester behind the camera, filming ski and snowboard content. However, when he steps out from behind the lens, he鈥檚 an extremely talented rider and articulate snowboard tester with a bag of tricks to prove it. Here, he targets a fresh landing on the .
From backflips to backcountry, first-year tester Tandara-Kuhns was throwing down left and right.
Lauer gives the new an old-fashioned butter test.
Mammoth freestyle coach and first-year tester puts her money where her mouth is.
Oink, oink. Powder piggy Lauer exits the breakfast buffet with traces of powdered donut on his snout.
We test splitboards in-bounds and out. Chairlifts help riders put boards through maximum vert, while testing in the backcountry showcases durability, touring chops, and real-world performance. Here, testers Shlachter, Santos, and test director take the bootpack up and out of Sugar Bowl for a couple of sidecountry laps. Splits, from left to right: the , , and the Editor鈥檚 Choice-winning .听
Party lap! Local riders Anna Weber, Santos, and Jon Chin groove down a classic Sugar Bowl groomer, testing board edgeability and carving acumen.听
Santos throws a surfy slash on a white wave in the Sugar Bowl sidecountry.
Sugar Bowl鈥檚 Palisades are steeper than they look here. Santos hop turns above a waterfall choke in proper freeride terrain.
Shlachter jibs on the . We鈥檙e seeing more and more unisex boards these days, as gender is less important than rider weight, skillset, preferences, etc. We鈥檙e here for it.
Freestyle boards have to press well to impress our testers. Shlachter puts a deck鈥檚 jib skills to the test in the Sugar Bowl Terrain Park, which is located on Mt. Judah.
Snowboard coach and watercolorist Claire Lawrenson explores Sugar Bowl鈥檚 snow-caked trees, on the hunt for a fresh canvas.
Anna Weber slices corduroy with the speed and skill of a seamstress.
Utah-based fireman and 鈥淩ookie of the Year鈥 tester Jackson Webber sets the forest to flame on the .
Tandara-Kuhns with a billboard-worthy elbow drag. Notice the spiny, steep, and completely caked Palisades cliffs in the background.
Location, location, location. Shlachter explores Sugar Bowl鈥檚 lakeside real estate and stunning panoramas.
Gourmet chef and longtime board tester Cody Buccholz cooks up a tail grab on his way into the looker鈥檚 right flanks of Palisades while ski patrol looks on approvingly in the background. Shout out to patrol for safely and expeditiously opening this epic terrain.
Scenic to say the least. Bathurst, toeside, on a big mountain barrel in the Sugar Bowl sidecountry.
Lauer is a simple man. He loves his wife, Joanna, and his bad dog, Wendy. And he loves to get absolutely pitted on a carbon-injected speed demon of a rig like the .
Test director Zieff lays into a heelside slash at an in-bounds, hike-to stash late in the afternoon.
Bathurst pops the cork on a hastily built hip.
Zieff off the lip at the bottom of a classic Sugar Bowl tube.
This steep, technical terrain is just a few turns outside of the Sugar Bowl backcountry gates. Shlachter puts on a clinic while testing the .
Shlachter, exiting through the drift shop.