Jackson Hole ShaperSummit Snowboard Test: Inside Snowboarding’s Most Influential Demo Event

What’s the ShaperSummit All About?

The Jackson Hole ShaperSummit was founded by Rob Kingwill almost a decade ago with the help of Teton Gravity Research. The event takes place annually at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. What makes the event unique is it provides valuable and honest feedback from a variety of board testers known as Mountain Warriors. This feedback is then shared with each snowboard brand, and in theory with their designers.

One thing to keep in mind is all of these shapes from the major snowboard brands are  the following years production models. So feedback can go into the design phase for boards 2 years out.

These days the Jackson Hole ShaperSummit is more of an event to see friends, ride some boards, listen to talks and just be snowboarders for a few days. Perhaps it will be the new “tradeshow”.

What’s interesting about Jackson Hole these days is how snowboard culture increasingly overlaps with broader mountain lifestyle, wellness and outdoor brands too — something seen recently through partnerships like Kiehl’s x Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has increasingly evolved into a year-round mountain culture destination too, with everything from the Bike Park and adaptive mountain biking progression to freeride snowboard events like the ShaperSummit helping redefine what life in the Tetons looks like outside of winter

It seemed the brands that get the most out of the ShaperSummit are smaller brands, the ones where the owner is the designer and can take feedback and make it instant.

That independent spirit is a huge reason events like the ShaperSummit still matter. Smaller rider-owned brands often move faster, experiment more aggressively and maintain tighter feedback loops between riders, shapers and manufacturing. Jackson Hole’s own Mikey Franco of Franco Snowshapes represents that exact mindset — handcrafted freeride snowboards built in the Tetons for steep terrain, deep snow and surf-inspired mountain riding. Riders interested in learning more about independent snowboard brands still shaping boards closer to home should also check out our guide to North America’s Greatest Snowboard Manufactures Built by Hand featuring brands like Franco Snowshapes, Venture, Prior, Winterstick, Donek and Mervin Manufacturing.

Or in the case of Telos Snowboard, they came to the show unknown to most. Even the brands Telos was making snowboards for in their GP87 Factory in China had no clue who Ben and his team where.  Now everyone is talking about Telos Snowboards and Telos Splitboards.

What to Expect?

There’s a big old tent with lots of brands, lots of boards and at times lots of beer. Did I say lots of boards? This is a private event, as the majority of “testers” are involved in the snowboard industry. Even if some ride boards from other brands that rip, the brand representatives have a hard time publicly talking about how great their competitors boards ride.

One thing I found about testing boards in a format like this is Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is a burly mountain

When the snow’s super deep and untracked you can get away with riding a board with a huge tail or some funky surf-inspired shape. This is why the event was formally called the Jackson Hole PowWow.

There’s a reason Jackson has built a reputation as one of the most intimidating ski resorts in North America — something we joked about in our 10 Reasons NOT to Ski Jackson Hole article. When conditions line up during the ShaperSummit though, the mountain transforms into one of the best snowboard testing environments anywhere in the world.

There have been years Jackson Hole ShaperSummit went off with 6 feet of snow in 5 days at the legendary as Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. And there have been years of high pressure drought like we are seeing now.

The dates for the 2022 event have already been set for early March.  If it snows the event is classic Jackson Hole, real snowboarding, freeriding powder with old friends and new like minded friends. However, there have been years it didn’t snow during the former powder board test.  So the the name of the event was changed from the PowWow, to something a little more politically correct and more inclusive of all the boards, not just powder boards.

Here’s something I learned, if the snow’s not deep and untracked during the ShaperSummit you may want to stay safe and ride a snowboard with a more traditional shape (think non powder design).

If it doesn’t snow the event becomes a groomer trenching event as Jackson Hole is not really a mountain to ride off piste in hard pack. Everyone wants to get their snow surf on. As an actual surfer with decades of experience as a waterman first and foremost and as a snowboarder second it’s easy to take offense to this new “fad” in snowboarding. Hell skiers are using the term “surfy” now. But that’s my rant, on my blog.

ShaperSummit Snowboard Ratings

These are the Top snowboards reviewed the last time I attended the ShaperSummit Snowboard Test. With the Telos being the stand out, all around.

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