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What Type of Snowboard Should You Buy?

There are so many types of boards to choose and it’s very difficult to figure out what will work best for your riding style.   Here is a breakdown that should help you decide what type of board you should demo or buy.  We feel you should demo as many different designs as possible before throwing down your hard earned cash.   Here is a breakdown of some of the major designs.

Here is a breakdown of the Snowboard Shapes you will find when shopping:

Twins/ Freestyle Snowboards

Where It Rides Best- Rails/Boxes, Jib Park, Pipe and Jumps
Size- Usually Small and manuverable
Stiffness- Usually pretty soft ranging from 1-3 on stiffness.
A Twin is a board that has a nose and tail that is exactly the same shape and size on both sides.  It's like the bottom half and top half are looking at a mirror.  The flex is also exactly the same in the nose and tail.  They allow you to ride the same way with your right or left foot forward (goofy or regular). They usually also have a centered stance which means that the binding mounts are dead center in the board.  Twins for the most part are usually smaller freestyle friendly park boards.  They are usually pretty soft and playful and don't usually get much past a 3 for stiffness.  Most of the time these boards do best in the park only but there are some that will do rather well on the mountain.  If you are looking to ride rails, boxes, ride switch, and hit the Jib Park this is your board.  Some popular Men's/Unisex Twins are the Forum Seeker, Gnu Riders Choice and the DC MLF. Some popular Women’s Twins are the DC BFF and the  Burton G-Twin.

Directional Twins/ Freestyle to All Mountain Snowboards

Where It Rides Best- Usually the Pipe & Jumps.  It can ride very well on rails/boxes and in some cases groomers.
Size- Usually Small to mid size
Stiffness- Usually a soft to mid flex ranging from 1-4 on stiffness.
A directional twin is a board that looks like a twin and has the same shape as a twin but might have a few design changes that make it slightly different to ride each direction.  This is the most difficult shape to define.  They make directional twins that look exactly the same as a twin but have a stiffer core in the tail.  They can have a centered stance or a set back stance.   Sometimes they will have a slightly higher nose on the tip than the tail so it will float better in powder.  A directional twin could be a noodle park board or an ultra stiff freeride board or anything in between. They come mostly in the same size as twins. So when you hear directional twin read very carefully how they describe the board.  Some popular directional twins are the Salomon Special, and Capita Stair Master. Some Popular Women's Directional Twins are the Salomon Ivy and the Gnu B-Nice

Twin Like Directional/ All Mountain Freestyle to All Mountain Snowboards  

Where It Rides Best- Usually the Pipe, Jumps and usually groomers.  Some of the less stiff ones will do rather well on rails and boxes.
Stiffness- Usually a soft to mid flex ranging from 1-4 on stiffness.
A Twin Like Directional snowboard is almost like a directional twin and almost not worth mentioning except for the fact that many companys call this a twin like or twinish 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 soo many different twin like snowboards out there that we had to mention em.  Most we encounter will sit more on the all mountain side of riding.  Some popular snowboards that have this shape are the Burton Custom, the Never Summer SL R, and the Rome Agent.

Directional/ All Mountain to Freeride Snowboards

Where It Rides Best- Groomed Runs, Jumps, Half Pipe and sometimes Powder.
Size- Usually mid to large
Stiffness- Usually a mid to stiff flex ranging from 2.5-5 on stiffness.
A Directional board usually favors the mountain over the park.  You can still go in the park but it's not like the Twins and Directional Twins.  This is usually a board who's tail and nose are the same width but are different lengths and shapes.   This can have a twinish shape but it is still very different to ride regular or switch.  It makes the board usually ride better in one direction than the other.   This is what most people call an All Mountain board.  These are usually medium to stiff flexing but occasionally have a soft flex. They also come in longer lengths.   This works for people who mostly ride one direction (not switch), like making good turns and 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.  Some popular Directional boards are the Rome Anthem, Burton Custom, the Arbor A-Frame and the Capita Quiver Killer. Some Popular Women's Directional boards are the Arbor Push and the Burton Feelgood.

Tapered Directional/ Freeride to Powder Specific Snowboards

Where It Rides Best- Groomed Runs, Powder, and some types of jumps
Size- Usually mid to large
Stiffness- Usually a mid to stiff flex ranging from 3-5 on stiffness.
A tapered directional board is like a Directional board but has a tail that is smaller in width than the nose aka tapered.   This is primarily a freeride board that is made for enjoying a turn more than anything else.  The tapered shape also helps the board ride better in powder.   These are usually bigger board this is usually pretty stiff so you can ride at high speeds without chatter.  The more the taper the more the board performs better in powder.   Most powder specific boards have a tapered shape.   Some popular Tapered boards are the Salomon Burner and the  Burton Supermodel.  Some popular Tapered Women's boards are the Burton Women's Supermodel and Venture Storm

Here is a Good Ride Break Down of the kind of Flex and contact the snowboards will have.  

All of the shapes above might have one of these types of flexes.

Camber Snowboards

 
Camber refers to the way a board's base and edges ride on the snow.  The center of the board is flexing up away from the snow and the nose and tail are on the snow.   This is a proven technology and great for riding hard pack and making good turns.  There are Cambered Twins, Directional Twins, Directional and Tapered Directional boards.   

Continuous Rocker

 
this is the exact opposite of camber.  With Rocker the center is usually touching the snow and the nose and tail are usually above the snow.   This technology has been re-introduced in 2007 and is very new so each company is experimenting with different types of rocker.   They perform better in powder, are easier to turn and The biggest issue with most rockered boards is that they are not very fun to make good turns on the mountain and don't perform as well at high speeds.  They still don't compete with cambered boards here.  The positives with rocker are it is easier to turn, easier in powder and more forgiving when trying new tricks.  They are great for beginners or experts who push themselves.  A lot of companies are experimenting with incorporating both rocker and camber into the board which is starting to chip away at the advantage cambered boards has on turning and speed.

Flat Camber Snowboards

Hybrid Camber

This is what we call a snowboard that has camber in the center and then rocker some where after the bindings.

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 has a much more all mountain appeal to it because the tip/tail have enough spring to help with carving a turn or landing a jump.  Hybrid Rocker can still be unstable in some conditions like hard pack. 

Powder Rocker or Hybrid Camber

This is a variety of shapes that is made for specifically performing in the deep stuff.

What Snowboard Waist Width works for you?

 Most Boards- Most riders are a size 10 and below so most normal boards will fit this size.  These are usually in the high 24's or low to mid 25's.  The smaller your shoe size is from 10 the more you should consider a smaller waist.  For example an ideal waist width for a size 9 is a 25cm waist.
Mid Wide-  There are some boards made for that rider who has a Size 10-11 shoe that needs something just a tad bigger than the normal board.  These boards are usually in the high 25's to low 26's.
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 Board should you get?

Tough call!  It's hard to just buy a snowboard by it's length.  Generally you want a shorter board for freestyle riding,  a mid length for all mountain and a longer length for freeride.  It's most important to determine a board by the shoe size, weight and height over what board should you buy.  For example I (editor) am a size 9 shoe, 5'10" and 200lbs.  Usually a 156-160 would be a good choice for my height but because of my weight I have to be careful.  Many boards made for a 5'10" rider with size 9 shoes expect a 160 pounder.  I have cracked boards that were made to handle people 175 and below so if there is a weight range in the specs be weary.  Some companies make boards that can handle almost any rider weight so if there isn't a weight rating then it's probably OK.

Some Good Ride Snowboard Terminology

Over the last few years we have been working on this site we have developed some terms that are unique to the industry that helped us better define how a snowboard rides.  Here are some of the terms you might see throughout our site.

All Conditions Ride

Everyone in the industry tries to tell you that their snowboard is made for doing anything on the mountain but they forget one important thing.  How does it ride in every type of riding condition?  Many snowboard shops go out to a demo day to ride a bunch of boards and figure out what they want to buy.  Usually the problem with this is you only get one type of condition.  We want to know how the snowboard ride 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 soo many different shapes like rocker, hybrid camber, Camber and hybrid rocker it's even more critical to describe how those boards handle different conditions.  Some of the new shapes just don't cut it in some conditions.  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.

Clown Shoe Effect

Many rocker and camber snowboards have a lot of the tip/tail off the ground. One problem that can happen when riding at higher speeds or in less than ideal conditions like hard pack is the boards nose and tail will chatter.  It feels like you have clown shoes on.  It doesn't really effect the ride but over time can get annoying.

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