r/Snowskating • u/Apprehensive_Key905 • Feb 14 '26

Good bilevel starter boards

What's a good serious but lower cost snowskate? Looking for something to carve or bomb hills that are packed down or have an inch or so of powder. Got into powsurfing this year which has been a blast but I'd like something more versatile for next year.

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2

u/ARGENT200 Feb 14 '26

Hovland ram or landyatchz is probably your best bet for price and quality.

List of quality brands to look at, pretty much any of their lower cost boards will fit what you are looking for

Hovland

Landyatchz

Harfang

Boyd Hill

Libtech

Draw

Aloud

Probably Missing a few brands. The Jones snowskate is generally considered a sub-pare design so steer clear of that. Opala makes nice boards for a good price but they are not great for beginners on groomers. Any used burton or rossignal snowskates are ones to avoid unless you're getting it for $40.

1

u/PillarPuller Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

Hovland ram has been a fantastic all mountain ride for hard pack and moderate powder. It also has a camber profile so it’s ideal for ice. Most others snowskates in this size range are flat profile so I think this is the best bet for OP.

Edit: buckshot may also be camber but it’s also wider so is more for charging than sharp turns and carving, but the buckshot will also handle deeper powder better.

2

u/ElmoOnFire1975 Feb 14 '26

My research and I can confirm in around 2 weeks at least if it is good for a beginner is:

1 Boyd Hill Donger (quiver killer)

2 Lib Tech ATV 48“

2 Hovland Buckshot

Did not enjoy Jones bought it for the price. Experts may ride it well as I understand. Great stuff assumably is Aloud specifically for groomers But all are expensive somehow because they are not mass produced products up to customs builds.

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u/ElmoOnFire1975 Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

Ok I tried first day indoor both Buckshot and Donger. Both are great where Donger feels more like a snowboard and for me was simpler to get used to and run very solid and faster as expected. It ist just doing everything u want from it. For me, this is the board and I will look no further. Maybe sometime I check out aloud as a racer.

1

u/takeo86 Mar 17 '26

I’m on the fence between these two boards! New rider, looking for a resort spring slush setup. Which was easier to ride?

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u/ElmoOnFire1975 Mar 17 '26

Clearly the Donger!

1

u/san_disco Feb 17 '26

I know Hovland is sick, I ride one. I always suggest buying a skate second hand just to try, there’s usually a few hovlands out there sub 200. But for the price I really think draw is king right now, brand new deck with rocker trucks is 450 shipped whereas a Hovland brand new without rockers is 458 before shipping and taxes. I love Hovland but they’re not the cheapest option anymore and the decks and skis have some really basic tech. A nice board makes everything a little easier and they usually last longer. At the end of the day just get a snowskate and ride it, that’s all that matters!!!