Jibbing around the mountain is one of the coolest things you can do on a snowboard. You can do many jib tricks, from ollieing and buttering to jumping onto rails and boxes in creative ways. Jib tricks are incredibly satisfying and impressive to anyone watching, but not all snowboards are suitable for jibbing.
The best jib snowboards have to be maneuverable and fun. But they should be durable enough to take the punishment of park riding. Therefore, we recommend the Never Summer Proto Slinger Snowboard for its fun factor and versatility. However, check out the Capita Ultrafear Snowboard if you want something budget friendly.
With this in mind, we have compiled a list of our favorite jib snowboards. We have based a decision on butterability, maneuverability, versatility, tech, and price.
The Best Snowboards For Jibbing
- Ride Twinpig Unisex Snowboard
- Capita Ultrafear Snowboard (Budget Buy)
- Never Summer Proto Slinger Snowboard (Top Pick)
- YES Jackpot Snowboard
- GNU Head Space
Compare Top Jib Snowboards
| Snowboard | Overall Score | Bottom Line | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Ride Twinpig | 76 | Versatile and exciting | Check Out On Amazon |
Capita Ultrafear | 76 | 
Forgiving and predictable | Check Out On Amazon |
Never Summer Proto Slinger | 78 | 
Super easy to butter and surprisingly versatile | Check Out On Amazon |
YES Jackpot | 66 | An all-mountain snowboard with a freestyle bias | Check Out On Amazon |
GNU Head Space | 78 | A fantastic freestyle snowboard that allows you to have fun out of the park | Check Out On Amazon |
Detailed Analysis Of The Best Jib Snowboards
Stiff snowboards make initiating jib tricks challenging; however, a stiff snowboard will allow you to hold the position easier if you are good at this type of trick.
More flexible snowboards make it easier to learn how to jib, and shorter snowboards are easier to throw around. You may also want to consider a wider snowboard that provides extra stability while buttering.
1. Ride Twinpig Unisex Snowboard
Overall Score: 76
Advantages
- Versatile and interesting snowboard
- Excellent for buttering
- Forgiving when trying new things out
Disadvantages
- It seems a little sluggish in powder
Butterability
The Ride Twinpig is a popular snowboard for freestylers who love jibbing. It follows the modern trend of being a directional twin volume-shifted snowboard.
If you’re unaware about the specifics of a directional snowboard, do check out my article on the pros and cons of directional snowboard.
This means it is designed to be ridden slightly shorter than your regular snowboard size. It is also slightly wider than regular boards, which makes it more stable while buttering.
My article on the advantages and disadvantages of a shorter snowboard will help you understand whether this type of snowboard is for you or not.
You’ll find it easy to get into a nose or tail press, and you’ll like the nice even feeling of it being a twin. You will need to put some effort into your butters, but it feels great once you’ve got it locked in.
Maneuverability
This snowboard is pretty easy to initiate turns and slash.
The extra width may take some getting used to at slow speeds, but you’ll find going from edge to edge quickly reasonably easy once you’ve picked up some speed.
Versatility
The Ride Twinpig is an all-mountain snowboard with a freestyle bias, meaning you can ride anywhere aggressively and have a serious amount of fun wherever you are on the mountain.
It performs well wherever you ride but has a more sluggish temperament when in deep snow.
Therefore, to make the most out of it in powder, you need to really work it, commit to your turns, and keep your speed up.
Tech
Ride has brought more technology to their snowboards in the past few years, and the Twinpig benefits from it exceptionally. It has a hybrid camber profile which improves stability and edge hold.
The quadratic side cut enhances the grip when carving, while the sintered base is fast and durable.
Price
This is quite a high-end board, but its versatility makes it pretty good value for money. You’ll find it will do the job of several snowboards, but you may want something more powder-focused for deep days.
2. Capita Ultrafear Snowboard
Overall Score: 76
Advantages
- A forgiving snowboard, wherever you ride it
- Predictable handling characteristics
- Allows you to pop tricks all over the mountain
Disadvantages
- Doesn’t perform well on ice or choppy snow
- Not great for carving
Butterability
The Capita Ultrafear is incredibly easy to butter thanks to its medium flex rating that is constant throughout the length of the board.
This makes the Ultrafear predictable and easy to stay on your nose or tail. The design also makes it easy to approach and pop on and off features in the park.
Maneuverability
You will love how effortless this snowboard is to maneuver, as it has a playful and agile feeling even at low speeds.
Transitioning from edge to edge is super easy, and riding switch is predictable thanks to its twin shape and forgiving nature.
However, this is not the type of board you buy for its carving prowess. It significantly improves previous models; however, you wouldn’t want to perform high-speed carves.
When it comes to skid turns, and slow-speed carves, you’ll like its easy turn initiation and how catch-free the edges are.
Versatility
The Capita Ultrafear is a pretty versatile snowboard, but it is best suited to snow parks, rails, boxes, and jibbing. It will work all over the mountain, but this is not what the Ultrafear is designed for.
Also, it wouldn’t make a good powder board, so it’s best to take advantage of its playful nature on features, side hits, and flat ground.
Tech
Thanks to its tech, the Ultrafear has won the Transworld Good Wood Award three times. It has a fancy core and cork running down the entire length of the edges to dampen vibrations from the snow.
It has an advanced construction that gives your ollies lots of power while adding durability to cope with the rough and tumble of the park.
Price
Capita has kept the price of the Ultrafear pretty reasonable. This means it’s one of those boards you can add to your quiver and bring out when feeling jibby.
Unless you are strictly freestyle oriented, you wouldn’t want this to be your only snowboard.
3. Never Summer Proto Slinger (One of the best snowboards for buttering)
Overall Score: 78
Advantages
- Lots of fun to ride
- Makes buttering and jibbing easy
- Ideal for park rats who want to take their tricks all over the mountain
Disadvantages
- A leg burner in deep powder
Butterability
The Never Summer Proto Slinger is one of the best snowboards for buttering. It is extremely easy to initiate and hold the position, even when spinning around the nose or tail.
This is surprising as it now features Never Summer’s new shockwave camber profile. But it’s incredibly soft flex rating makes getting onto the nose and tail effortless.
Maneuverability
This snowboard is incredibly forgiving, making turning at slow speeds super easy. You can go from edge to edge without much effort, and its snappiness makes turn initiation a breeze.
When it comes to carving, you’ll love performing short, sharp turns, but long carves at speed are less entertaining. This is because the soft flex makes it chattery when riding fast.
Versatility
Given the soft flex rating, this snowboard is surprisingly versatile. Even though Never Summer says this snowboard is great in powder, there are better choices than this one.
However, if you want to take on your favorite powder run in the morning and then hit the park in the afternoon, the Never Summer Proto Slinger will allow you to do so.
It really comes into its own when you want to jib around and hit jumps. Its low swing weight makes it perfect for spinning off jumps and side hits.
It may be a little bit too flexible for advanced freestyle riders who want to send massive jumps. But it is plenty good enough for the rest of us.
Tech
Never Summer has given the Proto Slinger some great tech to make it one of the best freestyle snowboards around.
It features a wood core surrounded by Carbon VXR, Bi-Lite Fiberglass, STS Pre-tensioned Fiberglass laminates, and a Co-Extruded Polymer top sheet for extra durability.
Price
As freestyle snowboards go, the Proto Slinger is quite expensive. However, its surprising level of versatility makes it good value for money.
This kind of snowboard will allow you to progress, and you’ll want to ride it every winter for many seasons to come.
However, if you ever get to a point where you want to hit bigger jumps in the park, you may want to go for something stiffer that can cope with heavy landings better.
4. YES Jackpot Snowboard
Overall Score: 66
Advantages
- Good in the park but also great everywhere else on the mountain
- Lots of fun when jumping and spinning
- Quite forgiving
Disadvantages
- It doesn’t perform that well in powder
Butterability
The YES Jackpot is a nice buttery snowboard. However, it differs slightly from its predecessor and has no rocker at the tip and tail.
It has a traditional camber profile, but it still manages to be an excellent board for jibbing, even with quite a stiff flex rating.
Maneuverability
As this snowboard is stiffer than the others on this list, it isn’t as maneuverable at slow speeds, but it is still agile.
Thanks to the nice level of snap, turning is pretty easy, but it holds an edge while carving very well for a freestyle snowboard.
The agility of YES Jackpot allows you to get out of trouble fairly easily and weave around moguls. However, it is stiff enough to just smash through most bumps in the snow.
Versatility
This snowboard is designed as a freestyle snowboard, but it could easily be regarded as an all-mountain freestyle snowboard.
It is best suited to a park rider who wants to bomb around the mountain, lay out some carves occasionally, and pick up some speed.
It’s not a great choice for beginner riders, but intermediate to advanced riders with a thirst for jumping will love it.
If you’re interested in more intermediate snowboards, I suggest you check out my recommendations for the best intermediate snowboards.
When it comes to riding powder, it works just fine, but your back leg will ache if the snow is deep.
Tech
YES doesn’t make a big song and dance about the tech they’ve used in the Jackpot, but they have given it their MidBite shape.
This sees a narrow waist and more width at the nose and tail to enable you to make tighter turns and have stable landings.
The board is built around a full poplar core, providing predictability from consistent flex. It also makes the Jackpot strong without adding weight.
The sintered base has plenty of glide and retains wax very well while being able to withstand the rigors of park riding.
Price
The price is comparable to most of the snowboards on this list, which is just about right for this kind of snowboard.
You need to decide if it checks enough boxes for you compared to the other options. Therefore, you must think about what you want to do on the mountain before purchasing.
5. GNU Head Space (Best for getting creative all over the mountain)
Overall Score: 78
Advantages
- Incredibly maneuverable
- A fast and durable base
- Versatile
Disadvantages
- It’s pricey
- Doesn’t work well in deep powder
Butterability
The Gnu Head Space has a medium flex rating and a hybrid camber profile. These characteristics make it easy to butter and hold a press on the nose or tail.
You can easily swing the board around while pressing, which is highly entertaining.
Maneuverability
We like how nimble the Head Space is at lower speeds, which is ideal for setting yourself up for a jib trick. Its carving ability is excellent, too, especially when doing short sharp turns.
This is great for carving into side hits. But, long, high-speed carves are less entertaining due to the shorter sidecut radius.
Versatility
The primary purpose of the Gnu Head Space is to get creative in the park and on side hits. It is an excellent board for jibbing, jumping, and spinning off everything in sight.
But you can still have fun charging around on the groomers when you feel like it. It’s not a great powder board, but it’s not meant to be.
Tech
There is a lot of tech built into the Gnu Head Space. It has the C3 hybrid profile and Magne-Traction edge tech, but it also has a fancy core made from a blend of Aspen and Paulownia, giving the Head Space great pop while being light and robust.
The sintered base is fast, retains wax well, and is strong enough to survive big days in the park. The asymmetrical design means the heel-side edge is shorter than the toe-side edge.
The idea is to compensate for the differences you experience when going from edge to edge.
Price
The Head Space is a high-end snowboard, so it doesn’t come cheap. But the fun factor and versatility will make you glad you paid the extra cash for such a great snowboard.
Final Thoughts
These snowboards are lots of fun and are the best options for getting creative around the mountain. But before you buy, it’s best to really consider the style of riding you want to do.
Some are great for park rats, while others offer more by making it possible to take your jib tricks to other parts of the mountain.