Ride Snowboards
What You Should Know When Buying A Snowboard by John Quodomine
Whether new to Snowboarding or veteran, there are a number of terms and other things to know when shopping for a snowboard. Snowboards can be a relatively expensive investment, and knowing what to look for will help to avoid spending money on a board not suited to ones style.
So what should you know about buying a snowboard?
First, you should decide what riding style you are. The three main choices are freeride, freestyle, and alpine/racing. Think of freeride as the all-round type, meaning freeriders don’t limit themselves to one part of the mountain. Whether it’s steep cliffs, shallow slopes, or the terrain parks, freeriders cover it all. On the other hand, freestyle riders typically enjoy sticking more to the terrain park, hitting the rails, jumps, and halfpipes. Alpine/racing Snowboarders tend to go in the other direction. That is, they stick to the slopes and have the “need for speed” personality. Knowing what style of boarder you are will help determine the specifics of the board to buy.
Next is the length and width of the board. To determine the length of the board needed, stand it on one end. An appropriate length board should reach about midway between your chin and nose. You will likely want one size shorter if you are a freestyle rider (shorter boards are better for freestyle). The width of the board is determined by the size of The Snowboard boot. The boot should just slightly hang over the edge of the board. “Wide” boards are made for people with larger feet.
The flexibility of the board is also another important factor when looking for a snowboard to buy. Typically, a freesyle rider will want a more flexible board, a freerider will want a mid-flex board, and an alpine boarder will want a less flexible board.
The camber of the board should also be considered when looking for a snowboard to buy. The camber of the board refers to the bend of the board when it is laying on a flat surface. If you lay the board on a table and look at from the same level, you will be able to determine the camber. A traditional camber is determined by a bend up in the middle of the board. That is, when the board is set on a flat surface, the ends touch but the middle bends up. A reverse camber is just the opposite. The middle touches but the ends don’t. There are also the flat camber and combination camber, but they generally aren’t used quite as much.
Freestyle: flexible, slightly shorter
Freeride: mid-flex, general length
Alpine: less flexible, typically longer and one directional, for more experienced riders
Well, there you go. Those are the basics of buying a snowboard. There are a couple other things to take into account, such as board core and base construction, but these are the most important things to know when shopping for a snowboard.
About the Author
I’m a recent college graduate and I’m thinking about going back to school for a sports medicine degree. I like to play soccer, snowboard, go to the gym, and pretty much play pick-up games of any sort. I also grew up on a small farm with a few species of animals. You can check out my blog at “John’s Blog of Randomness for a number of personal stories, tips, and “how to’s.”
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