How to choose your snowboard
When choosing a snowboard, if you are a beginner or an expert, there are 3 important factors to take into consideration: flex, shape and size. Depending on your use, you will combine those 3 factors. As there is a very wide range of snowboards, you will definitely find your perfect match!
Flex
If you are a beginner, you are not looking for a snowboard that is too stiff, you should opt for a softer board. Softer boards are much more forgiving and playfulling. Most professional snowboarders use very stiff boards, those boards are made to absorb big impacts and to be very precise, on the other hand they are much more difficult to handle and won’t forgive even the smallest mistake, in other words you are more likely to catch an edge. A softer board will by definition be easier to turn and thus be more enjoyable for your first few weeks in the mountains.
Shape
Directional VS twin:
- Directional shapes are more common among freeride and all-mountain snowboards. It is an asymmetric design and are ridden in one direction. The binding inserts are set back which results in a longer nose and shorter tail.
- Twin shapes are designed for park/freestyle boards. The symmetric design with identical nose and tail allows you to ride in either direction. Perfect for your first 180’s on the slopes or in the park!
Camber VS rocker VS flat:
- Camber is a traditional snowboard profile, it offers a lot of pop and is therefore very popular among high level park riders. Cambered boards have a smooth arch from nose to tail when there is no pressure on the board. When the rider stands in position, it becomes an evenly pressured surface.
- Rocker, also known as reverse camber, is a camber turned upside down and looks like a “banana”. This results in less edge contact when the board is weighted. Thanks to this shape, they float well in powder and pivot more easily underfoot which is easier for landing your first spin manoeuvers.
- Flat profile doesn’t have any concave between nose and tail. This shape is a compromise between camber and rocker boards. It is easier to turn than with a camber board and you will have better edge capability than on rocker boards.
There also exist a lot of variations, such as rocker-camber-rocker; camber-rocker-camber; rocker-flat-rocker; etc., that combines the above mentioned specs.
Size
Now that you know what kind of snowboard (would suit)suits you best, you need to pick the right size.
Make sure that your feet don’t come over the edge of your board. If you have big feet, sizes over UK 10, US 11 or EUR 45, you will need a wide model, over 25 cm, to avoid toe drag (when your feet touch the snow while making a frontside turn). Wide models are easy to recognise with a ‘W’ behind the size of the board, e.g. 156W for a wide board of 156cm.
Style
Freestyle/Park: Often stiff, twin cambered shapes for jumps and pipe. For rails opt for softer boards, most railriders like to have zero (or flat) camber boards with rocker nose and tail for presses and easier landings while spinning out. Park boards are often shorter than the average as they are more playful.
Freeride/Powder: You will more likely opt for a directional board with longer rocker nose to help you float and shorter cambered tail. Freeride boards are often longer than the average.
All-Mountain: Most all-mountain boards are directional, slightly longer than park boards and have a medium to hard flex to enhance edge hold on groomers at high speed. If you are planning on spending most of your time on the slopes but also to make some laps in the park and enjoy the backcountry after a fresh layer of snow, you should look into all mountain boards.
After the choice of your snowboard, discover how choose the right clothes
