4. Burton T6 159
ALL MOUNTAIN
Burton updates its top-end T6 with padded inserts under the bindings at both the toe and heel. The technology, called Smooth Ride, takes the edge off when you need it (flat landings and cruddy snow) but is completely invisible when you don't, allowing you to ride faster and go bigger with less pain and fatigue. The T6 still has its trademark ultralight honeycomb core, which allows it to cook down groomers and powder stashes while maintaining the pop and balanced swing weight for the park. And the even power distribution along the edges means no second-guessing on sketchy turns. $800; burton.com

5. Rossignol Jones 162
ALL MOUNTAIN
This directional gun delivers all the freeriding prowess you'd expect from a board named after big-mountain pro Jeremy Jones. Rossignol split the poplar-and-fume core into three sections and overlaid strips of carbon and Kevlar on the outer two to deliver tremendous stiffness. The result is a board so versatile that it felt at home dropping the chutes of Jackson Hole, cruising the groomers at Brighton, and taking a lap through Copper's park. This ride also comes with a karmic bonus: One percent of each sale goes to Jones's environmental organization, Protect Our Winters. $530; rossignol.com

6. Atomic Rapture 156
FREERIDE
One tester summed up the Rapture in five words: "Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun." No one disagreed, as this deck quickly became a crowd favorite. A reverse-camber design, which lifts the tip and tail when weighted, makes the board feel shorter and buttery when flat but lengthens the effective edge for better turning on hardpack. With lightweight material at the ends, this all-wood-core board is easy to spin in the park, while titanium strips in the rear give it added pop. And thanks to tight tip-and-tail radii, it maneuvers deftly through the trees. $499; atomicsnowboarding.com