The Present and Future of Women’s-Specific Snowboards in 2015

Halina Boyd throwing out a proper layback hand drag with style and grace. Ryan Dunfee photo

In its third year, the Jackson Hole Powwow, presented by Rob Kingwill and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, continues to prove that freeriding is alive and frothing in the Tetons. The Powwow is simply an invaluable chance for the industry to come together as a community to celebrate the pure joy of sliding sideways with amazing people. While I could write a 10,000 word essay recapping the entire lively weekend, I’ll stick to one of the event's more compelling highlights: the ladies.

The unbelievable stoke the women brought to the event was, finally, matched by a plethora of new women's-specific shapes that were tested and slain on every transition at JHMR. What better assignment can a guy have than catching up with three babes that absolutely rip? So without further ado, I bring to you the ladies of the Jackson Hole Powwow…

Jenelle Johnson, all smiles slashing loose groomers during the Powwow. Ryan Dunfee photo.

This year we saw the strong influence that females have on snowboarding at the Powwow. According to local freelance illustrator and talented rider Kelly Halpin, “Since the first Powwow, I have seen more women's-specific big mountain and powder boards, which is phenomenal because I can ride a bunch of different styles and brands and then give them direct feedback.” Halpin, who has participated in all three Powwows, finds it crucial for women to share beta with designers in this growing market. 

Big mountain rider and Jones Snowboard team member Halina Boyd agrees. “There were a lot more female riders and women’s shapes,” Boyd noted. "The female presence grows every year!” This fresh stoke brought on by the women was contagious, and helped to fuel an already rowdy Powwow. Local soulrider Jenelle Johnson found “a really good sense of community and positivity amongst the crew at the Powwow,” especially with the all lady crew. “I had so much fun riding with Halina, Sara Steinwand and Robyn Vincent, who were just so eye opening with the lines they chose and how they rode them,” Johnson said.

The women keeping it loose at this year's Dick's Ditch Banked Slalom. Micah Hawthorne Photo

The Powwow has an undeniable knack for building friendships and creating close bonds that will last a lifetime. 

“Last year,” Boyd said, “Kelly Halpin and I got to know each other through the Powwow, and our friendship has blossomed ever since, so much so much that she has become a super close friend and solid shred partner.”

“I typically ride with the same group of people, so it was awesome to branch out,” Johnson added. “Now I feel that I have a huge group of new riding partners to get after it with.”

For Boyd, the Powwow is a place to reconnect. “It’s such a cool gathering for the Jackson Hole community, and really the entire industry as a whole. We all spread out in the winter season, and then the Powwow brings everyone back together again to ride. It was super fun!” 

Halpin also finds this event as a great way to play catch up. “It’s great to see these designers and riders come back year after year to ride together. Everyone is so busy, but they make it back here and we all reconnect. Through the Powwow, I have gotten to know a lot of great people from around the world.”

Boyd sending it into the 'darkside' in search of the elusive powder beyond the backcountry gates of the resort. Seth Lightcap photo.

With the Powwow being hosted at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, these ladies were stoked to show their excellent hosting skills honed as Teton ambassadors. Halpin was more than stoked to play tour guide. “This is what it’s all about, shredding together as a crew.”
Acting as Teton ambassadors, the local riders were often seen leading the pack of huge groups of riders, and were excited to share the amazing terrain that Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has to offer. “I love showing people from out of town my little stashes and lines,” said Boyd. With all the local shred talent and shared terrain knowledge at the Powwow, there was no shortage of fun banks, wiggles, trannies, halfpipe sessions and choice lines out the gates to put these boards through the ringer.

This year, the Powwow ended with a bang: the annual Dick’s Ditch Banked Slalom, where Boyd and Halpin showcased the art of banked turning and gully shredding, along with the science of pure quad stamina.

See Also: The 5 Funkiest Shapes I Rode at the Powwow

“Dicks Ditch is competitive by nature, but I think my focus was on having fun studying an extraordinary course and sharing laughs, hugs and high fives with my best friends! We’re all soulriders, and it was all about keeping it real and fun,” said Halpin. With the lack of snow this season in the ditch, the park crew did an amazing job shaping a more dialed back and traditional banked slalom course compared to years past. Boyd agreed, “The course was so much fun!”

Halpin tweaks a method on a postcard bluebird day. Manny Umanzor Photo

The ladies’ ability to provide feedback after every run was most impressive. Each and every rider was so responsive and in touch with the shapes, it blew me away! Of course, I was riding with some experienced gear testers… Boyd will be participating and bringing the stoke for her fourth year to Backcountry Magazine’s splitboard test in Crested Butte, Colorado this March.

“The many cutting edge shapes kept things very flowy and surfy," Boyd recalled from the Powwow. "It was so cool to see how each girl would express themselves on each board differently.” Halpin, in her third year at the Powwow, is also no stranger to gear testing, “This year, with the abundance of women’s boards, we had a rare opportunity to try out so many shapes. We all could immediately share beta and compare notes.”

Boyd finding the flow on one of the many 'wiggles' found at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Ryan Dunfee photo.

Swallow tails absolutely dominated the Powwow this year. From conservative half-moon tails to deep fish tails, it was obvious that the “snowsurf revolution” as Taro Tamai of Gentemstick puts it, has landed in the United States and is here to stay.

Halpin later divulged, “I have found a whole new appreciation for swallow tails. When I was riding Franco Snowshapes' Swallows, or surfing them rather, it was so much fun to have that short tail and be able to maneuver like that.” The phrase, “more nose, less tail” really held true here.

Another trend seen at the Powwow was the big mountain gun, a board meant to dominate the entire mountain at hellish speeds. Throw into this mix a few asymmetrical designs, and it’s clear that many of the most successful shapes were reminiscent of the boards of many moons ago. As Johnson said, “Looking at the history of boards at the Shred-X talk, it was cool to see these shapes reverting back to the old school styles. Very cyclical!”

#1: Gentemstick's 151cm Mermaid

Both Halpin and Johnson enjoyed this playful shape; with a thin waist, it was easy to turn and maneuver in tight terrain. Johnson found the Mermaid’s setback stance, taper, and deep swallow tail to manifest “a surfy feel on groomers. I had never quite experienced that feeling outside of powder.”

Later on, Johnson would hook up with Alex Yoder, team rider for Gentemstick, where she got the sense that he was communicating and being one with the snow in every turn turn. “It wasn’t about getting sick off huge jumps but more about a fluid way of riding. Very peaceful!” Halpin dug the Mermaid’s ability to rail turns as well, finding a solid balance throughout with its traditional camber.

#2: Gentemstick’s 148cm Baby Mantaray

Halpin loved the fluidity of this shape and the ease that it manifested while carving. Similar to the Mermaid, the Baby Mantaray also featured a thin waist width, s set back stance, and taper with a more conservative, half-moon swallow tail. The camber on this shape is nearly flat, making it very fast.

#3: Franco Snowshapes' Women’s 152cm Swallow Tail 

Franco Snowhshapes Women's Pintail on the left and Women's Swallow Tail on the right. Franco Snowshapes photo.

This shape was the end all, be all favorite amongst the ladies. The Woman’s Swallowtail features a “surf-rocker” profile, setback stance, thin waist width, softer torsional flex and a damp yet poppy combination of a maple/ash core. Johnson found the Swallowtail to have the perfect amount of torsional flex and tip to tip flex. “When I look back on the Powwow, I think of Franco’s Swallowtail… that board just blew my mind! It was passed around from each girl and it was like, ‘you gotta try this board!’, and I finally got on it and understood how amazing it really felt. I was thrilled to ride a shape that could get rad on any condition,”
Halpin found this shape to be super fast, reliable and easy when railing edge to edge on groomers.

#4: Franco Snowshapes' Women’s 147 Pintail
Mikey Franco designed this board with Halpin specifically in mind. It rides a little stiffer than the Swallow Tail, but still harnesses a softer torsional flex. Many women of the Powwow found the green dyed Koto topsheet to be visually awesome, too. This Pintail was described as “fast and chatter free” by Halpin.

#5: GNU's Zoid Asymmetrical

Johnson enjoyed carving this funky shape, “this board was made for carving and it was a blast. It felt really intuitive on hard turns which was super cool.”

#6: Jones Snowboards' 147cm Storm Chaser

This short and wide fish was a popular board at the Powwow amongst men and women alike. Legendary surfboard shaper Chris Christenson had a heavy hand in the design of this pow slayer and it shows in its fun profile. Jones rider Boyd had a chance to take The Storm Chaser for a spin. “I was shocked how well this shape rode on the hard pack and even park! Chris Christenson and Jones have created a tool you can truly 'surf the earth' with. Surprisingly quick edge-to-edge, this ultra wide swallow-tailed powder hungry beauty will keep you frothing for those double overhead days."

#7: Jones Snowboards' Women's Solution

Jones has been perfecting the splitboard since they entered the industry in 2009. It's so rad to see as many boards in the women's lineup as are in the men's. For Boyd, this splitboard is her go-to shape for outside of the resort. "The Jones Solution is the reason I ride for Jones Snowboards. I discovered this gem at the Backcountry Magazine Gear Guide test last year, and knew I woudn't be able to tour on anything else ever again. It's lightweight Ultra Core and Quadrax Carbon construction keeps your legs fresh on the uphill and ready to lap a zone for days. The directional rocker also stomps landings in pow or on firm low tide days. Definitely the best woman's specific split-board on the market!"

#8: Never Summer's Aura

Johnson found the Aura to be THE all-mountain board. “That board ripped! It was fast, stable, damp and chatter-free, even in choppy conditions at the end of the day. I’m looking forward to picking up the Aura as my ‘go-to’ resort board next season.”

As the third Jackson Hole Powwow comes to a close, it is quite apparent that women are making a profound impact on snowboarding as we know it. With the market for big mountain and powder-specific female shapes growing exponentially, so does the importance of female gear testers and the positive vibes they manifest on and off the mountain. Riders like Kelly Halpin, Halina Boyd and Jenelle Johnson are pushing the boundaries of how much fun can be had sliding sideways. Hats off to these women and to all female riders. Great stoke, ladies!

Talented freelance illustrator and seeker of all things awesome outdoors, Kelly Halpin is one rad chick. Follow Kelly's expressions in art, on and off the mountains on Instagram @KYEHALPIN

Two-time women's pro champ of the Dick's Ditch Banked Slalom, big-mountain whisperer and positive vibe warrior Halina Boyd can be found digging in the dirt or slashing pow ever so elegantly in the Tetons and Jackson Hole valley. @HBOMBTHEORIGINAL