BEST FOR: Hard-charging powder fiends.
THE TEST: It may look bizarre, with its swallowtail and tapered nose, but Burton’s new Cheetah, developed by freerider Terje Haakonsen, works like a fish surfboard does on waves. It floats like butter on every snow surface, no matter how uneven. And its traditional camber (a big downward bend at the chest of the board) gives it tons of horsepower. It felt space-age light underfoot but still left deep heel-side trenches without getting squirrelly. For a powder board, the Cheetah beat expectations on hardpack.
THE VERDICT: Unleash the Cheetah for snowcat sessions, heli laps, and deep days in-bounds.