Buying Last Season's Snowboard — Sizes That Sell Out First
By Dex Okafor · Equipment Selection & Geometry
A last-season snowboard is the same shape and construction as the current model with different graphics and a lower price — and it is the single best way to pay 30 to 80% less for a board that rides identically. The catch is supply: previous-season boards are never restocked because they are no longer manufactured, so once a size is gone it is gone for good (r/snowboarding). This guide covers when the discounts hit, what to pay, where to look, and which sizes vanish first so you do not lose the board you want.
Why last-season sizes vanish
The single most important thing to understand about buying last-season snowboards is that brands do not restock them. When a Ride model is gone from the brand's site, it is "likely unavailable for good, as they typically do not restock older models" (r/snowboarding). New graphics for the next season arrive in September or October, and the old graphics are not replenished.
That fixed supply means popular sizes disappear fast. Sizes on either end of the spectrum — small and large — tend to sell out quickly, and by mid-summer the sale rack is often down to a narrow 153 to 159 cm band, with everything else already sold out (r/snowboarding). Popular models sell out across retailers entirely: riders report the Burton Custom and K2 Excavator being "completely sold out everywhere" within days of the season starting (Snowboarding Forum).
The practical takeaway: if you have a specific board and size in mind, waiting for a deeper discount is a gamble. The extra 10% you might save by waiting a few months "probably isn't worth the risk of losing out on the size you want" (r/snowboarding).
When to buy: the timing windows
There are three windows where last-season boards get marked down, each with a different trade-off between price and selection. The deepest cuts come at end of season; the best pre-season selection comes over Labor Day weekend.
| Window | What happens | Discount range |
|---|---|---|
| March–June | Shops clear winter stock for summer; best selection + deepest cuts | 30–60%, up to 80% |
| July–August | Sizes picked over; good boards gone | Leftovers, fewer sizes |
| Labor Day weekend | Pre-season blowout on last-year gear | ~20–40% |
| September–October | New lineup drops; older models discounted | 20–30% |
| Black Friday / Cyber Monday | Current + last-year gear slashed | 20–60% |
Source: The Snow Chasers, Nature Sport Central, and r/snowboarding.
What discount to expect
Discounts follow a predictable scale. End-of-season clearance is where the biggest numbers live — March through June can hit 30% off at minimum, sometimes 60 to 80% when shops are desperate to dump stock, with May and June offering the best mix of selection and savings (The Snow Chasers, Nature Sport Central). Pre-season sales in September and October discount older models by 20 to 30% (Nature Sport Central).
| Discount | What it means |
|---|---|
| 30%+ | Usually worthwhile |
| 40% | A good deal — a solid target |
| 40–50% | Ideal when checking local shops for boards a year or two old |
| 60–80% | End-of-season desperate-to-dump clearance |
Source: r/snowboarding (40% is a good deal), r/snowboarding (40–50% ideal), The Snow Chasers (60–80% clearance).
Where to find last-season boards
Online retailers that specialize in overstock and previous-season gear are the easiest place to start, but local shops are where the deepest unadvertised discounts hide. Several retailers are worth checking for past-season boards:
| Retailer | What to look for |
|---|---|
| evo | Snowboard sale + outlet section; runs a dedicated Labor Day snowboard sale |
| Backcountry | Clearance plus an extra 20% off clearance over Labor Day |
| Christy Sports | Clearance up to 60% off; Colorado and Utah stores |
| Burton | Brand outlet for last-season Burton boards |
| Steep & Cheap | End-of-season snowboard clearance |
| Gear West | Closeout snowboards with sold-out size alerts |
| Level Nine Sports | Discounted boards and bindings |
| Local shops | Last-season boards often kept in the back or storage; ask what they have from a year or two ago |
Source: Repair Bike, r/snowboardingnoobs, r/snowboarding, and r/snowboarding.
Browse past-season and clearance boards at our partner retailers:
- evo — snowboard sale
- Backcountry — Labor Day sale
- Christy Sports — clearance snowboards
- Steep & Cheap — end-of-season clearance
When our affiliate program is live, qualifying purchases may earn a commission — see our affiliate disclosure.
Real last-season board deals
To make the discount scale concrete, here are real past-season and clearance boards listed at the time of research. Prices and sizes change fast and sell out, but these show the typical 30 to 40% markdown on one-year-old models.
| Board | Season | Was | Now | Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lib Tech Orca | 2025 | $579.99 | $347.99 | 40% |
| Capita Birds of a Feather | 2025 | $549.95 | $329.97 | 40% |
| Ride Warpig | 25/26 | $599.95 | $359.97 | 40% |
| Ride Deep Fake | 25/26 | $759.95 | $455.97 | 40% |
| Jones Frontier 2.0 | 25/26 | $529.95 | $370.83 | 30% |
Source: Darkside Snowboards, Christy Sports, and REI. Availability and pricing were current at research time and change as sizes sell out.
The buying strategy
Because last-season inventory is fixed and never restocked, the strategy is the opposite of most shopping: do not wait if your size is available at a good price. A few principles pulled from experienced buyers:
- Know your size before you shop. Discounted snowboards are discounted partly because the size run is limited — check each listing for the sizes still available before getting attached to a board (r/snowboardingnoobs).
- Buy at 40% off if it is your size. When something hits 40% off and you like it, purchase it right away, because sizes sell out quickly if you delay (r/snowboardingnoobs).
- Go a season or two back. Boards from a year or two earlier are nearly identical to current models — the differences are mostly color and graphics — and you typically save 30 to 40% with no real change in the tech (r/snowboarding).
- Ask local shops what is in the back. Some shops hoard last-season boards in storage and will sell them at a steep discount if you ask — sometimes 50 to 70% off (r/snowboarding).
- Watch for the Labor Day window. Labor Day is the unofficial start of pre-season gear sales, with last-year equipment, apparel, and accessories marked down — one of the better moments to grab a specific board before the rush (PeakRankings, Skier Deals).
For riders at either end of the size spectrum, the urgency is highest: small and large sizes sell out fastest, so buying early matters more than squeezing out the last few percent (r/snowboarding).
How to spot a last-season listing
Last-season boards are usually easy to identify once you know the signals. Look for a model year suffix in the product name (e.g., "2025" or "25/26"), a "previous season" or "past season" filter on the retailer's site, and boards grouped under an outlet or clearance collection. Darkside Snowboards, for example, lists 46 products under a dedicated "Past Season Snowboards" collection all at 40% off (Darkside Snowboards), and Burton runs a permanent outlet for last-season boards (Burton).
Many shops also carry leftover inventory into the new year and quietly discount it mid-season — check the "previous season" filter online and you can land a fresh board without paying full retail (The Snow Chasers). And remember the trade-off the whole category rests on: last-season models have the same shape and construction as the current board, often with only different graphics and a lower price (r/snowboarding).