Retailers Choice Best Board Design Award Presented by Boardsportsource at Shops 1st Try – Get Your Entry Ready

Each year retailers attending the Shops 1st Try event get the opportunity to vote for the board they believe has the best graphics out there. Each brand at the event present one board, with all the chosen boards on display at the entrance to the Indoor Demo area.  In order to vote retailers must get a voting token from a brand and then put the token into the appropriate container in front of the boards. The announcement of the winners and the presentation of the Awards takes place in the Indoor Demo area in front of a packed crowd on the monday evening at 6pm. So retailers have two days to vote, so make sure your vote counts

Last year the winner was Slash, followed up by Nitro and then Never Summer.

Slash’s x Thumbs #02 HA Happy Place Camber edition is Thumbs second collab with SLASH. The UK-based illustrator grew up on the floors of a London snowboard shop, owned by his parents. Have you ever heard the term “ride it like you stole it?” That’s the feeling he wanted to give the rider when he was designing this graphic. Have fun, stay loose and don’t take things too seriously. That’s the method he uses for his art and that’s synonymous with snowboarding.

The second place Nitro Mercy is “Rider of the Year” Iris Pham’s go-to board because of its versatile freestyle capabilities. The artwork was created by Vancouver local Cathy Ager, who commented “The Mercy graphic brings together my love of snowboarding, my artistic practice of delving into the darker sides of life and love, and the playfulness that I love to bring to both.

The third place Nokhu features the Nokhu Crags on the top sheet,a prominent and rugged mountain in the Never Summer Mountain range, The name is derived from the Arapaho language, meaning “Eagle’s Nest” and standing at an elevation of 12,490 feet, features several couloirs and steep, narrow chutes offering exceptional backcountry riding. Brian Henry, talented artist and friend of the brand brought the mountain to life with this oil painting

So retailers get your voting tokens from your brands and cast your vote and your choice could be the next inline to receive the coveted Award. For shops not yet registered, sign up and attend Europe’s leading on snow demo and join over 250 shops in testing 2026/27 gear.  See you there!

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