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Salomon Huck Knife Pro snowboard review: Now I know why I see this board all over the X Games

Is the Salomon Huck Knife Pro too much snowboard?

Nate Swanner
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Salomon Huck Knife Pro snowboard
Salomon Huck Knife Pro snowboard Nate Swanner / Nate Swanner

The Salomon Huck Knife Pro is a top-end snowboard from a top-tier ski brand. Skis and snowboards share a lot of commonalities when it comes to construction, but the acts of each sport are unique. We wanted to know if one of the best – perhaps the best – ski companies on earth also makes one of the best pro-level snowboards.

Spoiler alert: Salomon does make one of the best pro-level snowboards around, and there’s a lot to unpack with the Salomon Huck Knife Pro.

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Conditions for testing

We tested the Salomon Huck Knife Pro in Breckenridge, Colorado, on a bluebird day and a blustery, gloomy day with snow falling at a steady rate. We experienced dry, light powder, and slushier packed base. We tested a Salomon Huck Knife Pro 159W with Union Force bindings.

Salomon Huck Knife Pro and Union Force bindings
Salomon Huck Knife Pro and Union Force bindings Nate Swanner / Nate Swanner

What we like about the Salomon Huck Knife Pro

  • It’s a carving machine. If you’re on edge, the Huck Knife Pro is happy. We’ve tested many boards this season, and the Salomon Huck Knife Pro is easily the most capable at deep carving, especially at speed. Even when runs are tracked out and a bit slushy, the Huck Knife Pro slices the piste up.
  • It’s responsive. You turn, it turns. You ollie, it lifts you. The Huck Knife Pro is a rigid, cambered board with very little torsional flex. Whatever you want the board to do, it will do – just be mindful that you have to control the show. The Huck Knife Pro is a precision tool and deserves to be treated like one.
  • Contact points are precise. You don’t get much in the way of transitions or clever flex with the Salomon Huck Knife Pro. It’s a straight-up, no-nonsense, pro-level cambered snowboard. Contact points at the four corners of a board (before the nose and tail rise, of course) hit the snow and immediately transition into a camber between your feet or rise in the nose and tail.
  • It’s light. The board is both light and feels substantial underfoot. Salomon didn’t weave any clever technology into the Huck Knife Pro, it’s just a really good snowboard. We are surprised by its weight, or lack thereof.
  • There’s plenty of pop. This board returns energy to you in a big way. Salomon engineered the core with carbon beams for stiffness, weight reduction, and performance. It shows. Give this board energy, and it returns it with interest paid. If you’ve ever felt your board was a bit “damp” on jumps or side hits, try the Huck Knife Pro.
  • The Huck Knife Pro is stiff. Don’t butter with this board, and don’t expect to do any ground tricks. This board is good in the park on some features, but it’s meant to carve and meet jumps head-on and deliver results if you’re an accurate snowboarder.
  • It’s great with speed checks. Park riders and side-hit seekers need a board that is great with speed checks. Not all snowboards are. The Salomon Huck Knife Pro’s blend of stiffness and light weight makes it incredible with speed checks. Plot your run accordingly, including where to speed check, and the Huck Knife Pro lets you hit the brakes whenever you need to – with ease.

What we aren’t crazy about

  • It demands an edge. This board is pretty catchy if you’re not on edge. We got a bit lazy coasting to the lifts, and the edges grabbed the snow. Be mindful of weight shifts, even on slow runs or flat terrain. This board demands that you perform, too.
  • It’s made for a specific snowboarder. We spent a little time in the park hitting jumps and most of our time carving. The Huck Knife Pro wants to be in the park and was designed for park riders. If you’re going to buy this board, you should at least be park-curious. It carves beautifully, but it wants to play in the park. It is, after all, a freestyle board.
  • Really catchy in powder. Even at higher speeds, we had some difficulty riding in 4-inch deep powder. It had nothing to do with the board’s shape, per se, it just seems the Huck Knife Pro is more comfortable on groomers where you can really deliver some speed and power. Powder might provide too much area for the edges to catch.

Verdict on the Salomon Huck Knife Pro

I’ll admit I was skeptical about this board. I’m generally skeptical about pro endorsements. Anyone who is paid to use a thing earns a raised eyebrow from me – but I get it now. The Huck Knife Pro is perhaps the most pro-level board I’ve ever ridden, particularly for the X Games wannabe.

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It demands speed and an edge. It’s firm but light. It doesn’t have a lot of torsional flex, but it doesn’t fight you, either. It’s a fun high-speed carver, but really wants to go play in the park and hit features.

You need to be a strong intermediate or advanced rider to take full advantage of the Huck Knife Pro. Your carving needs to be on-point, and you need to be the type of rider that really holds an edge no matter what. If you spend a lot of time in the park, even better.

If that’s you, the Salomon Huck Knife Pro is a snowboard you should give strong consideration to. It’s a true “pro” snowboard and has a zero-compromise approach to snowboarding. The Huck Knife Pro will give you no quarter, and it expects you to ride it hard and fast in return. Laziness is not tolerated with this board.

It’s sensational in the park, but that’s not where we ride most often. We think it’s best for jumps; if you like hitting rails, boxes, or other similar features, it also does great there, that’s just not where we spend most of our time. And when you hit jumps, we suggest being mindful about landing on an edge, never flat. This board doesn’t play around.

If you ride blues and blacks and like side hits, this board will feel like a Bugatti on the hill. At only $629, it’s fairly priced, too. If you get out there to get at it, give the Salomon Huck Knife Pro strong consideration as your next snowboard. (And hit some jumps, will ya?)

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Topics
Nate Swanner
Nate Swanner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nate is General Manager for all not-Digital-Trends properties at DTMG, including The Manual, Digital Trends en Espanol…
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