Buying a Snowboard
To start you need to sort out two things: Your preferred style of snowboard riding and your ideal board length. Styles of snowboard riding have names and you can start with the main ones - freeride, freecarve, racing or freestyle. Each will require a different edge. The amount of edge in contact with the snow is called the effective edge. Snowboards are also available for the kids market. Kid’s snowboards are usually cheaper.
Freeriding Snowboards – A combination snowboard built for a mix of riding styles. The freerider may be doing freestyle tricks one minute, carving groomed trails the next minute and then venturing onto untracked powder. These snowboards are a medium board between the freestyle and racing snowboards and as such combine characteristics of each. There tends to be some difference in these snowboards, some tending to be more like a freestyling snowboard and others more like a racing snowboard.
Racing Snowboards – Racing or Alpine snowboards tend to be a stiffer board than the freeriding or freestyle boards. They edge better and carve out high speed turns with less chattering. Racing snowboards are narrow and fast, they are built to hold an edge at high speed. Alpine snowboards are similar, though a little sturdier to survive tough mountain skiing.
Freestyle Snowboards – Freestyle snowboarders spend most of their time in halfpipes, on rails, spinning and bonking off anything in the snowboard park. Their snowboards are wide and flexible with little camber or swing weight.
If you are unsure as to which riding style you fit into, then select the middle range freeriding snowboard, you can always move to a more suitable snowboard later. As a general rule beginners may find a snowboard that touches between their chin and nose, when they stand next to it, will work best for them. Freestyle snowboards are usually shorter and alpine and powder riding snowboards are longer.
Professional riders have snowboards built to their own specifications…they have snowboards that combine just the right amount of sidecut, flex, camber and length for their body weight and riding style…
Freeriding Snowboards – A combination snowboard built for a mix of riding styles. The freerider may be doing freestyle tricks one minute, carving groomed trails the next minute and then venturing onto untracked powder. These snowboards are a medium board between the freestyle and racing snowboards and as such combine characteristics of each. There tends to be some difference in these snowboards, some tending to be more like a freestyling snowboard and others more like a racing snowboard.
Racing Snowboards – Racing or Alpine snowboards tend to be a stiffer board than the freeriding or freestyle boards. They edge better and carve out high speed turns with less chattering. Racing snowboards are narrow and fast, they are built to hold an edge at high speed. Alpine snowboards are similar, though a little sturdier to survive tough mountain skiing.
Freestyle Snowboards – Freestyle snowboarders spend most of their time in halfpipes, on rails, spinning and bonking off anything in the snowboard park. Their snowboards are wide and flexible with little camber or swing weight.
If you are unsure as to which riding style you fit into, then select the middle range freeriding snowboard, you can always move to a more suitable snowboard later. As a general rule beginners may find a snowboard that touches between their chin and nose, when they stand next to it, will work best for them. Freestyle snowboards are usually shorter and alpine and powder riding snowboards are longer.
Professional riders have snowboards built to their own specifications…they have snowboards that combine just the right amount of sidecut, flex, camber and length for their body weight and riding style…
posted by Robee Dobee at
2:41 AM
|
0 comments
