K2 are back with a re-designed Party Platter, the original volume shift snowboard which squeezes all the greatness of snowboarding into a shorter, fatter footprint. Designed for maximum fun out on the slopes but without sacrificing performance or becoming a comedy piece, the Party Platter is nothing short of a blast.
The K2 pro team have had their say and this year's Party Platter is tweaked to offer a more stable ride and more hold in turns. And this can only be a good thing as although we loved the 2019 Party Platter it was let down by stability and edge hold in turns on hard pack and a chattery feel when ploughing through crud making it much more suited to freeride than all mountain fun. Although still marketed as a freeride board, ironing out some of these issues has put the Party Platter firmly into the ever growing all mountain camp.
Last year's directional rocker has been ditched in favour of a more carve friendly combination camber which helps the board really drive out of a turn. Increased edge contact means that the Party Platter can now rail a turn on relatively hard packed piste but don't be tempted to ride it too aggressively as it still washes out slightly off the back foot if you push too hard. Flex has been tightened up with an ollie bar for a bit more pop without losing the easy going surfy feel, this makes for an overall fun weapon for side hits and rollers.
In chopped up crusty powder the Party Platter really shines, putting a massive smile on our faces every time, its loose and surfy and if you've never ridden a volume shift board you'll be surprised by how capable it feels.
If you want to bomb down the slopes doing your best 'serious face' don't buy the Party Platter, but for maximum grin inducing fun it's hard to beat.
