Salomon Assassin Pro Snowboard Review

An Honest and Detailed Breakdown of the Salomon Assassin Pro Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Past Reviews
• Product Specs
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Welcome to the written review of the Salomon Assassin Pro

How the Salomon Assassin It Was Tested:

I borrowed the Salomon Assassin for 5 days and then had to return it.

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Size: 156 and 159 in the past with the same shape but cork/bamboo sidewalls
Days: 3 with the 2025 size 156, but many with the older model159 that didn’t have ABS Sidewalls
Conditions: Mostly good conditions but lots of uneven snow
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards.
Boots: Ride Deadbolt
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Pant, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Stance Angles +18/-9 (pow), +15/-15. (groomers) Close to Reference on groomers and Set all the way back in powder.

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same):

Korua Otto, Ride Algorythm, Ride Shadowban, Salomon Highpath, Yes Standard Uninc, Yes Basic Uninc, Capita Black Snowboard Of Death, Jones Rally Cat, Cardiff Crane, Cardiff Lynx

Approximate Weight

The Salomon Assassin Pro felt lighter than the Assassin but not full-on super light. (We don’t put in the exact weight because, with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

The Salomon Assassin 156 fit me very well, and I’d be fine with this size. I could easily ride the 159, and it’s not hard for my size 9 to turn, either. I’d go 159 if I want a little more speed/float/carving power and 156 for a little more control/faster turn initiation/better pipe, jump, park, and buttering performance.

Sizing is all about balancing what fits your boot size and your weight for how you like to ride. If your boot is too wide, you can’t turn it; if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag. Your weight is a close second to boot size because it determines how the board will feel under your foot.  Height comes in a distant 3^rd. Some prefer control, so matching the boot size is the priority. Others prefer dampness over control and like to size up.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for the Salomon Assassins.
150: 7.5-8.5
153: 8-9
156: 8.5-9.5
159: 9-10
162: 9.5-10.5
163w: 11-12

I would stay close to Salomon’s recommended weight ranges. However, If it comes down to boot size or weight, I would ensure it fits your boot first and then your weight a close second.

Shape

The Salomon Assassin Pro is a directional twin with I believe a -20mm set back (might be centered though) on sidecut and a little longer nose than tail but it still has a very twin like feel. Salomon is really bad at posting specs, but it feels almost like a true twin on snow.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

Salomon has what they call Rock Out Camber, which looks like mostly camber with only a little early rise, but when you step on the board, it rocks up a little more. It feels almost like full camber in the way it one foots/tracks on snow, but it’s a lot more forgiving. It’s best for committed intermediates on up.

Edge Hold

The Salomon Assassin Pro has a Quadralizer sidecut with four pretty pronounced/opposing sidecuts. This isn’t like full-on magnatraction, but it definitely helps this board grip in harder snow.

Flex Personality

The Flex is pretty stiff for a directional twin, and I’d say it’s more on the medium/stiff side.

It isn’t that easy to butter, but it still pops well for average riders. This is where you feel the difference between the regular Assassins in a good way. It pops a lot harder.

Uneven Snow

The Salomon Assassin Pro is not as good as the Assassin for all-day riding. It’s not that great compared to many other All-Mtn boards out there either, but now that it has recycled ABS sidewalls,

it’s much better than it used to be. Before, the Assassin Pro was a nightmare, and the regular Assassin wasn’t that great either with the cork/bamboo sidewalls. I felt like my joints aged a few years in a few runs. Salomon still claims cork and bamboo, but maybe it’s hidden behind a layer of ABS. Whatever it is. I like it. It will be more reliable as well.

Speed

When the conditions are good, the Salomon Assassin Pro can go straight very well. When conditions start getting uneven, I like the Assassin better.

Base Glide

I felt like the Assassin Pro was a little better than the Assassin, but the bases are close. Salomon makes good, well-tuned bases and edges, so you won’t go wrong either way.

Turning Experience/Carving

The Salomon Assassin Pro turns very quickly and is about the same as the Assassin when it comes to turn initiation. It’s a touch faster just because it pops a little harder on quick turns edge to edge, but it’s really close.

When you get the Pro over on edge, it does very well on a pretty committed harder turn and has a turny but somewhat balanced turning experience. The spring out of a turn is really fun for carving, and the only time I liked the Assassin better was when the conditions were uneven but still carvable.

Powder

I’ve ridden the 156 and 159 in various forms of pow from 1-1.5” feet and thick with the 159 to 6-8” and good with the 156. In both situations, I could think of a dozen boards with a similar shape that would float better when set back. If you like a more centered ride, then this isn’t great either, but it’s doable if you know how to keep your speed and plane well.

If you want to set it back all the way at a 22″ stance width, you can only get 1.75″ back from the center of the board, which is way better than the Assassin but not as good as many all-mtn boards that are 2.25”- 3” back from the center of the board.

Switch/Jumps/Pipe/Jibs

The Salomon Assassin Pro It is a very good switch, very fun in the pipe, very good at kickers, and ok for jibs.

Final Thoughts

So I used to want to immediately get off the Salomon Assassin Pro the minute the conditions changed from perfect to less than perfect. It would send chatter into my joints and make them hurt like no other snowboard I tried would. It was painful and not fun. The addition of recycled ABS in the sidewall changed that. It’s not super damp now, but it’s much more acceptable for a “Pro/Ultralight/Plus” model.