Riding Styles, Ability Level and Snowboard Design
Help on Finding the Right Snowboard for Your Riding Style

What do the Main Riding Styles Mean?

Freeride and Powder

Where They Ride Best-Chutes, trees, backcountry and powder. Some are good on groomed runs.
Size- Usually mid to large.
Stiffness- Usually mid to stiff flex.

Most companies make one or two freeride boards and some even make a split version for backcountry adventures. These are for those that absolutely detest the park, aren't too stoked on sharing a mountain with 5,000 other riders and only like to ride in good conditions. 

Mostly Mountain
Where It Rides Best- Groomed runs, long and high speed runs and carving.  If you like a stiff board in the pipe and hitting jumps, this will suit you. Some are borderline excellent in powder.
Size- Usually mid to large.
Stiffness- Usually mid to stiff flex.
This will often be described as an "all mountain board" but it's not truly an all mountain board.  The majority of the rider's time is spent on groomed runs, but it will be pretty good in the pipe or jump park if you like a stiffer board. Some will be OK to jib but most won't. 

All Mountain
Where It Rides Best- This is supposed to ride everything well, but that type of board that doesn't really exist.   We found most do well with groomed runs, jumps, and the pipe.
Stiffness- Usually medium flex.
"All Mountain" are probably the most abused words in the industry other than "shred". Everyone says their board is an all mountain, but it is very hard to find a board that can literally ride everything from a narrow chute to a rail and everything in between.  No board can rip everything.

All Mountain Freestyle

Where It Rides Best- Usually the pipe, jumps and a switch/freestyle approach to groomers.  Some can ride well on rails/boxes.
Size- Usually small to mid size.
Stiffness- Usually soft to mid flex.
If you want to ride the park but also like to ride the mountain like a park, these are great boards and there are a lot out there. They're also not bad when it comes to riding the mountain at moderate speeds.

 Freestyle to Jib
Where It Rides Best- Rails/boxes, jib park and some jumps.
Size- Usually small and maneuverable.
Stiffness- Usually pretty soft to sometimes even a noodle.

This is pretty much for going at slower speeds in the park and isn't too friendly on the other side of the park fence.

What Riding Level Am I?

Beginner Snowboarders

A beginner is someone who is obviously new to the sport and doesn't know much about it.  Most beginners are still trying to get the fundamentals down of making heel side turns, toe side turns and stopping on purpose.  You might know what kind of rider you want to be from the start or just want to check out everything, and it all starts by learning how to link your turns. Beginner freestyle riders have mastered the above and are now starting to check a thing or two out in the beginner parks.

Intermediate Snowboarders

An intermediate snowboarder is someone who is riding well down most beginner to intermediate runs and is now looking to challenge themselves on steeper runs. They're also ready to check out the small parks for a trick or two.  This rider is working to proficiently ride every run on the mountain, to ride switch, to ride powder, to hit the small jib park, to make small jumps and to ride the 8 feet or less half pipe. Most people are trying to figure out what riding styles they like and are trying to get better.

Advanced Snowboarders

An advanced snowboarder is almost out of the "gaper" stage and is developing their riding style.  They're starting to understand how to make good turns anywhere on the mountain and are beginning to carve.  They probably have a few powder days under their belt without doing cartwheels or getting stuck in the middle of a run.  Advanced Freestylers are now riding switch, know how to ollie, can get up and down the pipe wall, can hit most moderate jibs and and can land most small to medium jumps.  Whether they're a freestyle or freeride snowboarder, they're working to straight line a run and make an impressive carve.  If they are a freestyler, they are learning to go bigger everywhere and are trying new tricks.

Expert Snowboarders

Expert Freeride Snowboarders are carving hard, straight lining almost any run, dropping into narrow steep chutes and darting through thick treeruns.  Freestyle riders are riding switch whenever and wherever it suits them, handling the super pipe, hitting kickers with a bevy of tricks in their arsenal and jibbing anything they want, any way they want.  An expert has seen it all and can do almost anything in the riding style they choose.  They aren't pros but understand the mechanics of every move in their style of riding.

We strongly suggest taking lessons on the mountain when you are a beginner or intermediate rider.  Even when you're at the advanced or expert level, you can keep learning from a good instructor.

What Snowboard Waist Width Works for Me?

Most Boards

Most riders are a size 10 boot and below, so most normal boards will work from the high 24's to low to mid 25's.  The smaller your shoe size is, the more you should consider a smaller waist.

Mid Wide

There are boards made for a rider who has a show shoe size of 10-11 that needs something bigger than a normal board, but not a full-on wide.  The boards are usually in the mid 25's to low 26's.  Many boots now come with a smaller footprint so if you are a size 11, you might now have the profile of a size 10 and can ride regular boards. You will see "reduced" footprint in the reviews.

Wide

These are for people who are usually a size 12 or more.  They are very wide and usually run 26 or more. 

What Length of Board Should I Get?

Tough call!  It's hard to buy a snowboard just by its length.  Generally you want a shorter board for freestyle riding,  a mid length board for all mountain and a longer length board for freeride. 

Do Snow Conditions Matter when Choosing a Board?

The Good Ride wants to know how a snowboard rides in many conditions like on ice, hard pack, slush, hard crusty old powder, powder, and perfect groomers, as well as how it rides from peak to park.  With the addition of so many new shapes such as rocker, hybrid camber, camber and hybrid rocker, it's even more critical to understand how those different boards handle in the conditions that you are likely to ride in.  If you see us mention that a board rides well in all conditions, then you know you won't have a sketchy ride any day you go out, as many boards just don't cut it in some conditions.

Manufacturers and snoboard shops will try to tell you that their snowboards are made for any style of riding, but they don't necessarily distinguish between different riding conditions.  Many of the boards have only been tested in one type of condition, so you want to be careful to read reviews like ours to make sure the board you're looking to ride is right for your style and mounatin.  

Now, if you want to get into more detail about the various snowboard shapes, read on.  There are a lot of new styles, so there is a lot to read.

What do the Different Snowboard Shapes Mean?

There are so many types of boards to choose from and it’s very difficult to figure out what will work best for your riding style.   Below is a breakdown that should help you decide what type of board you should demo or buy - demo as many different designs as possible before throwing down your hard earned cash. The shape of the board and the type of contact it makes with the snow will have a large impact on your enjoyment on the mountain.

Twins/ Freestyle Snowboards

 
Twins, for the most part, are usually considered smaller, freestyle-friendly park boards, but some will do rather well on the mountain.  They're playful boards and don't usually get a Good Ride score past 3 for stiffness. If you are looking to ride rails, boxes, ride switch, and hit the Jib Park, this is your board.  A twin board is called a "twin" because the bottom half (tail) and top half (nose) are mirror imges of each other and the flex is exactly the same on both ends.  You can ride the same way with either your right (goofy) or left foot forward (regular). Twins usually have a centered stance, which means that the binding mounts are dead center in the board.   

Directional Twins/ Freestyle to All Mountain Snowboards

 A directional twin could be a noodle park board, an ultra stiff freeride board or anything in between. They come mostly in the same size as twins, but it is the most difficult shape to define as a directional twin looks like a true twin, but has a few design changes that make it a slightly different ride in each direction. For example, the tail and nose may be identical in shape, but there could be a stiffer core in the tail, or they can have a set back stance. Sometimes they will have a slightly higher tip on the nose than the tail so it will float better in powder. When you see "directional twin", read the decription very carefully in order to understand what that particular board has been designed to do.

Twin Like All Mountain Freestyle to All Mountain Snowboards  

A twin like directional snowboard is almost like a directional twin, and almost not worth mentioning except for the fact that many companies call this a "twin like" or "twin-ish" snowboard.  At first look, you would say "is that a twin"? Upon looking closer, you notice that the tail and nose are slightly different to allow it to perform slightly better in the forward direction. There are so many different twin like snowboards out there that we had to mention 'em. Most we encounter are more on the all mountain side of riding.

Directional/ All Mountain to Freeride Snowboards 

 
Many people call this style an All Mountain board, but directionals usually favor the mountain over the park - you can still go in the park, but it's not going to be as good as the twins and directional twins. Directional tails and noses can have the same width, but different lengths and shapes that will favor riding either regular or switch.  They're usually medium to stiff flexing but occasionally have a soft flex that come in longer lengths. This works for people who mostly ride one direction (not switch), who like making good turns and who like the mountain better than the park.  There are also a lot of twinish shaped directional boards that rule the park and are fun to ride in the mountain. 

Tapered Directional/ Freeride to Powder Specific Snowboards

 
A tapered directional board is like a directional board, but has a tail that is smaller in width than the nose, a.k.a. tapered, that helps the board ride better in powder. The more tapered the board, the the better the board performs in powder. This is primarily a freeride board that is made for enjoying a turn more than anything else. These are usually a bigger board that are pretty stiff, so you can ride these at high speeds without chatter.

What Type of Contact will Different Styles Have on the Snow?

Camber Snowboards

 
This was the most common shape until the late 2000's but now it is rare to see it.  This is a proven technology and great for riding hard pack and making good carving turns.  This is a fast stable popy ride but its less forgiving than any other shape so you have to be on your game.

Continuous Rocker

 
this is the exact opposite of camber.  With rocker, the center of the board is usually touching the snow and the nose and tail are usually above the snow.   This technology was re-introduced in 2007.  These designs are very loose, catch-free and very forgiving.  They are great for park and powder play, but not great for high speed mountain riding or carving out a real turn.

Flat Camber
 

Flat Camber means there is no bend in the board from tip to tail.  You will see this on a wide varety of boards.  It's stable like camber but more catch free.  It's usually missing the pop that many other shapes have.  You can still ollie just like almost any other board but it's missing some qualities when it comes to turning that other boards with some camber have.

Flat/Rocker

This has a flat spot starting in the middle and ending somewhere before or after the bindings.  There are many variations of this shape and they have a design for just about any riding style and shape. It's stable between the feet like camber but more catch free.  In general it has similar characteristics to flat camber when it comes to pop.

Hybrid Camber

This is what we call a snowboard that has camber in the center and then rocker somewhere after the bindings.  There are two types of hybrid camber.  Mostly rocker hybrid camber and mostly camber hybrid camber but both have camber between the feet.  This works with just about any shape board and any riding style. It generally has more pop than flat/rocker and flat camber but is a little less than camber or hybrid rocker.

Hybrid Rocker

This is what we call a snowboard that has rocker in the center and then a camber bend at the tip and tail.  The end result is the tip and tail are still off the ground and it still has the same properties of rocker. This works with just about any riding style or shape snowboard.  It has a very loose feel but because of the camber in the tip and tail you can make turns that have some of the characteristics of a camber board.  It's generally as poppy as a camber board.

Powder Rocker or Hybrid Camber

S-Rocker or Powder Rocker is mainly for powder and some freeride boards.  As you can see it has a short but poppy camber in the back and rocker in the front.

What is Pop?

Pop is an over used and very general term to descripe the livelyness of a board.  Pop is not just if a board can ollie but also how a board loads up and responds when you flex the board in a turn or in other situations.