A butter is a press or spin on flat snow, done by bending the nose or tail of the board. Any board can butter, but a soft, twin board with some rocker makes it far easier. Here are our picks, then what makes a board good for buttering.
Best Snowboards for Buttering
- Lib Tech Skate Banana: A rocker twin that is easy to press and hard to catch an edge on. Great for beginner and intermediate riders. Check price
- Rome Mechanic: A true twin with Rome's Contact Rocker profile. Loose and playful, built for butters and jibbing. Check price
- Capita Outerspace Living: A hybrid camber board that butters well but still carves and handles jumps. Good if you want one board for the whole mountain. Check price
- GNU Headspace: Forest Bailey's pro model. A cambered freestyle twin with GNU's asymmetrical sidecut. Pick it if you want more pop than a full rocker board gives you. Check price
What Makes a Good Butter Board
Flex: Soft
A soft board bends with less effort, so presses are easier to start and hold. Look for a flex of 2 to 4 out of 10 (1 is softest). Very soft boards feel unstable at speed. If you also carve fast, a 4 or 5 is a better middle ground.
Shape: Twin
- True twin: The same from tip to tail, so riding switch (backwards) feels the same as riding forward. Most butter boards are true twins.
- Directional twin: Twin shape with a slight setback or a different flex in the nose and tail. More stable at speed, still playful.
- Directional: Built to ride one way. Skip these for buttering.
- Asymmetrical: The heel and toe edges have different sidecuts. Some riders find edge control easier for butters.
Profile: Rocker or Hybrid
- Rocker (reverse camber): Curves up between your feet. Easy to press and less likely to catch an edge.
- Camber: Arches up in the middle. Strong edge hold and pop, but harder to butter.
- Hybrid: Usually rocker in the tip and tail for easy presses, with camber underfoot for pop and stability. A good all-round choice.
- Flat with rocker: Flat between your feet, rocker at the ends. Stable and easy to turn.
Base: Extruded or Sintered
- Extruded: Cheaper and needs less waxing, but slower.
- Sintered: Faster and tougher, but needs regular waxing.
Stance: Centered
Mount your bindings in the center of the board. That gives you the same balance on the nose and tail, and makes switch feel natural. A setback stance helps in powder but makes switch harder.
Tips for Learning to Butter
- Start on flat ground. Practice nose and tail presses before you try them moving.
- Bend your knees. A lower stance gives you more balance and control.
- Use your arms. Hold them out for balance and wind them up to start spins.
- Look where you want to go. Your board follows your eyes and shoulders.
- Watch tutorials, or take a park lesson. An instructor can spot what you're doing wrong in one run.
The Bottom Line
For buttering, get a soft twin with rocker or a hybrid profile. If you mostly want to butter and play, get the Lib Tech Skate Banana or Rome Mechanic. If you want a board that also carves and jumps, get the Capita Outerspace Living.