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charlie 
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Post subject: How To Buy a Snowboard
 Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 02:46 AM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 8992
Location: York
Status: Offline
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I thought this would be useful for people and it saves answering the same questions on a daily basis.
So, your contributions for consolidation into a quick, easy and fairly basic guide please!
So far I have:
1 - TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
A snowboard may look pretty, it may be expensive and sound good but when you get it on the snow can you ride it? Snowboards feel different to everyone, and therefore there is no definitive 'good snowboard'. It depends on your personal preference which takes into account things like your skill level, physical strength and the way your body is put together amongst other things.
Go and demo a board or try a mates' out. You know it makes sense.
2 - BUY A BOARD THAT SUITS YOUR EXPERIENCE AND SKILL LEVEL
There's no point in buying a board with the latest aluminium soulfly duratex ubergoldfandanglyawesome core if you can't turn the thing because your spindly legs can't bend it. If you're a beginner buy a board that's aimed at beginners/intermediates. By all means buy something that you're going to be able to improve on and will last you a while though.
3 - CHEAP DOESN'T MEAN BAD, EXPENSIVE DOESN'T MEAN GOOD
What you should be looking out for is construction quality and going back to points 1 and 2; do you like the way it handles? You could buy the most expensive board in the world and ride like crap on it because it's far too advanced for you or doesn't fit you.
4 - GET A BOARD THAT FITS YOU
LENGTH
The length of the board that you should buy depends on several factors: Your height, your weight and what you want to do on the board. The heavier and taller you are, the longer the board you need will have to be regardless of what you want to do on it.
This calculator is pretty good: http://www.snowboardlengthcalculator.com/
It's not set in stone and ultimately you should be looking at the weight ranges that the manufacturer recommends for a given board length. Some boards have a shortened nose and tail which means they ride like a longer board which doubly means you should be taking the advice of the manufacturer.
The thing to remember is that weight is crucial, if you're heavier than the recommended weight range of a board or you're at the upper limit then you're probably not going to have fun on it, same goes if you're too light for the board.
If you're a beginner and if your weight fits into the recommendations for two lengths then go for the shorter board unless you're right on the upper limit - it'll be easier for you to handle.
FOOT SIZE
Toe/heel overhang is B A D. You don't want to drag your nice shiny new boots in the snow every time you go on your edge do you? Many boards come in wide sizes (often marked with a 'W', i.e. 160W). Make sure that you put your bindings on the board (at your normal riding angles) with your boots strapped in and check you don't have significant overhang. Gas pedals help a bit but really a lot more than a couple of centimetres overhang isn't a good sign.
5 - GET A BOARD THAT SUITS YOUR STYLE
There are essentially three types of board that the majority of us are interested in (there are a number of others including race/alpine boards which are for continental types who wish they were skiing and apparently for olympic events...  ):
Freeride (longer, stiffer)
Freestyle (short, flexible, often twin tip)
All mountain (middle lengths, varying stiffness)
The majority of people, if they have just one board for the mountain, go for an all mountain/do everything board. It makes sense, you're not limited to the park, piste or powder. All mountain boards come in a variety of flavours depending on the stiffness, sidecut, shape and other different factors. So you also get all mountain freestyle boards and all mountain freeride boards. Confused? Trying them out will probably make it easier!
LENGTH
Short boards make it easier to turn/spin/jib.
Short boards generally make it harder to go fast/ride powder.
Long boards make it easier to go fast/ride powder.
Long boards make it harder to turn (at least when you're a beginner)/spin/jib.
It's not as simple as that but that's basically it. More on factors making it not so simple later.
STIFFNESS
Stiff boards ride better at speed, cut through lumpy snow better and can hold an edge better. In addition, more advanced riders tend to find stiff boards easier to use than learners. They're less forgiving when you screw up so will buck you off more easily and you need some skills to be able to manage them
Soft boards are great for butters, freestyle (pipe boards tend to be more stiff though) and general messing around. They're more forgiving generally. They tend to get wobbly at high speed though and may not hold an edge so well.
SIDECUT RADIUS
The side of a snowboard is curved, if you imagine that curve is extended into a whole circle then the radius of that circle is the sidecut radius. Some boards have just one radius, others might use 2 or more combined to give different characteristics to the edge. The smaller the radius, the deeper the sidecut and the smaller the turning circle of a board. Freestyle boards often have deeper sidecuts than freeride boards. If you're reading this then you probably don't need to worry about it.
EFFECTIVE EDGE
Effective edge is the amount of edge that comes into contact with the snow when turning. A longer effective edge makes the board more stable by providing more grip/hold whereas a shorter effective edge makes the board easier to turn and looser. When buying a first board you can nearly always forget about it.
TWIN TIP OR DIRECTIONAL
Directional boards have a nose that is longer than the tail. The sidecut and profile (shape of the board) might vary between the nose and the tail as well. This helps you to keep the nose up in powder and also to turn when you're riding in your normal direction. This sort of shape tends to hinder switch riding but doesn't make it impossible.
Twin tip boards are symmetrical, the tip and tail are the same length and width. This has obvious benefits when riding switch and they are therefore ideally suited to freestyle.
To make it confusing there are also hybrids which aren't true twin tips but make it easier to ride switch. These are typically all mountain freestyle boards and have an equal length nose and tail but the profile and construction at the two ends might be different meaning they're designed to ride a bit better in one direction.
CAMBER
Up until a few years ago all the snowboard companies made boards with a camber, it works and boards with this standard form of camber tend to be lively and pop well.
Now there are all sorts of different types of board profile. Examples of what you have to choose from now are:
Standard Camber - As I said before, these boards tend to have good pop (the spring you get from the board when you load it with your weight) and have pretty good edge hold. Personally, I'd recommend that people learn on a cambered board because they're predictable and it'll set you up for riding anything.
Rocker - The board curves upwards from the middle, so kind of the opposite of standard camber. These boards are more playful and butter (bend for wheelies etc) easily but are more unstable at speed. The curvature of the base is also helpful for floating in powder since the nose is naturally up.
Flat Base - A flat base is exactly what it says on the tin except for the nose and tail which have the standard up turn (otherwise you would literally be riding a plank).These boards are harder to catch an edge on (I've tested a couple and it does work) but can sometimes not have so much pop and may be slower in certain snow conditions.
Nose/tail Rocker - This is a variation of a rockered profile where the section of the base between the bindings is flat or cambered but the nose and tail are upturned from the bindings outwards. This sort of profile seems to be turning up on freeride boards where you need the stability of the edge contact you get from the flat section, but you want the float that the rockered sections provide in powder.
Other Camber-Rocker profiles - There are many combinations of rocker, camber and flat that can be used. The idea is to combine the benefits of each of the profiles, e.g. lots of pop but but it'll float in powder and press more easily etc.
Again, I've probably confused you with all that. The important thing is to know what you want to do on your snowboard so you can choose a profile that'll suit your type of riding and of course TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. That bit is getting more and more important these days.
EDGE MATERIALS
The standard edge material is steel, it's reasonably impact resistant and pretty easy to maintain. Some companies use edges made from different metals and alloys for various reasons that I won't go into.
EDGE SHAPE
Edges are not always straight. If you were to compare an edge to a type of knife, most edges are like a standard carving knife, i.e. straight. However, there are some edges that are more akin to a bread knife or serrated knife, i.e. have a wavy edge. Companies who use these different edge variations claim there is better edge hold without compromising playfulness. Due to the limitations of certain board profiles, e.g. rocker, the extra edge hold from the alternative edge shape can make up for the loss of edge hold caused by the board profile.
6 - BASES
Bases are generally made from p-tex (a polyethylene matrix type thing)... or plastic to the layman. They come in two types: Extruded and sintered.
Extruded bases are cheaper but hold less wax so are therefore slower. They're also cheaper and easier to repair.
Sintered bases are more expensive but hold more wax so are fast. It's more expensive and difficult to repair major damage to sintered bases though. Sintered bases come in quality grades, which is denoted by so many 1000's (an 8000 sintered base is supposedly faster than a 4000 base). They also sometimes have additives (such as gallium) which are supposed to make them even faster.
You'll only really notice the difference when you start going fast so when you're starting out there's nothing wrong with an extruded base. If you're riding a lot of rails then it's often best to go for an extruded base due to the ease of repair. Generally though, try to get a sintered base. Even some entry level boards now have them.
NOT ALL BASES ARE FLAT
Some manufacturers (Bataleon being the most obvious) construct their boards so that the base isn't flat on the ground if you look down the length of the board. Basically, the idea is that it's harder to catch an edge. Some people like this sort of base, some people don't. It's preference.
7 - GET A PRETTY BOARD
This may be personal preference but I hate having a fugly board. There's no reason why you shouldn't have both style and functionality!
8 - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHOP
The people at your local shop should know their stuff, ask them their opinion and then buy a board from those lovely people! They're the soul of the industry and need your support!
So, as a summary:
- Know what length you want.
- Know what you're going to be doing on the board, if you don't know yet then chances are that you want an all mountain board.
- Try before you buy!
- If you can't try before you buy and really feel like you can't make an informed decision on your own then ask about a board. The snowboarding community is one of the most friendly and welcoming there is, make use of our collective knowledge. Please don't ask what the best snowboard is though, it doesn't exist. |
_________________
Official SCUK crash test dummy.
Photography
Last edited by charlie on Feb 22, 2012 - 04:44 PM; edited 15 times in total
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charlie
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Post subject: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 02:51 AM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 8992
Location: York
Status: Offline
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| Any disagreements with what I've said or additions (remember we're not getting too technical) then let me know. |
_________________
Official SCUK crash test dummy.
Photography
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Branny
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Post subject: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 04:56 AM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 4672
Location: Is in the U freakin' K
Status: Offline
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well done charliebuoy, a hyperlink to this post will be used about a gazzillion times a week.
Maybe expand the topic and add some info on buying boots:-
Boots are for most people the most important part of their set up so again maybe the following ground rules will be useful:
1. Again Try before you buy...okay not on the slope but wear them around the shop for a reasonale period of time
2. Just because you take a size 9 in brand X, doesn't mean you'll be a size 9 in brand V
3. The fit of different brands is different and better for wide/flat/narrow feet, ask the friendly shop keeper for advice
4. If the boot has a mouldable footbed, get the shop to mould it for you.
5. don't buy boots of the internet, 9 out of 10 times they won't fit properly.
6. be honest about the type of riding you do, boots come in various flex, so if you freeride, superflexi freestyle boots aren't going to support your riding.
7. Spend as much as you can....this isn't a marketing ploy, investment in your foot comfort will prolong and enhance your snowboarding pleasure.
and finally not a rule but a question of morales and opinion...don't spend hours trying boots on in your local shop and then order them from some cr4ppy e-mail corporate whore because they're a few quid cheaper! |
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lets keep dryslope alive!! #ridedryslope
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Tiberius
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Post subject: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 06:45 AM
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First post: Oct 17, 2004
Total posts: 9415
Location: 10 mins from Cas
Status: Offline
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Spot on, be good for a mod to make it sticky.
I have personal experience of point number 2. For my first board I bought a pro level £400 board, only to find that I didn't ride agressively enough to make any use of it, it's like riding a plank. I then invested in a £200 hatchet and love it, so my first board effectively cost me £600 |
_________________
The Disclaimer:
Tiberius is a socialist. His views may not necessarily be supported by his owner.
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charlie
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Post subject: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 10:36 AM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 8992
Location: York
Status: Offline
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Added a section on bases  |
_________________
Official SCUK crash test dummy.
Photography
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Tiberius
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Post subject: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 11:00 AM
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First post: Oct 17, 2004
Total posts: 9415
Location: 10 mins from Cas
Status: Offline
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| There are now 2 section sevens. In order to please avoide alienating chinese readers it would be advisable to re-name section 4 section 5, then carry one sequecially |
_________________
The Disclaimer:
Tiberius is a socialist. His views may not necessarily be supported by his owner.
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anton1r
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Post subject: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 11:14 AM
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First post: Jul 05, 2006
Total posts: 228
Location: Edinburgh
Status: Offline
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| Good stuff, id say this should get locked and stickied! |
_________________
It all started with one season in whistler...
I've since tried the alps and been on a dry slope (dendix, i think it was) once.
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charlie
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Post subject: Re: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 11:16 AM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 8992
Location: York
Status: Offline
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Tiberius wrote:
There are now 2 section sevens. In order to please avoide alienating chinese readers it would be advisable to re-name section 4 section 5, then carry one sequecially
Haha whoops. I've fixed it now. |
_________________
Official SCUK crash test dummy.
Photography
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charlie
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Post subject: RE: Re: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 02:33 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 8992
Location: York
Status: Offline
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| Any mods want to sticky this? |
_________________
Official SCUK crash test dummy.
Photography
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Kitmatt
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Post subject: RE: Re: RE: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 02:58 PM
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First post: Nov 24, 2007
Total posts: 405
Location: Whistler, BC
Status: Offline
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Sticky it, it will save is all alot of time explaining the simple points that make sense.
Good work man, thats a really useful and infomative article and will hopefully save oodles of hard earned notes buying stuff a second time because it didn't fit/ function when bought the first time!!!!
Defo agree with Branny too, buy and use your local shops they are the people who keep us going, but don't forget your SCUK discount if its applicable!! |
_________________
YAY!!! '09 Rome Slash + Ride SDS's FTW
Judean Riders Front FTW!!!
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philw
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Post subject: Re: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 03:07 PM
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First post: Nov 30, 2004
Total posts: 519
Location: uk
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That's pretty good. Is there an FAQ here you could stick that in, or a wiki?
Some comments/ thoughts..... IMHO and all that...
Quote:
LENGTH
(1) You could add that "length" is not really something which is independent of stiffness and flex. So you could well be best suited to length "x" in one board, and length "y"in another.
(2) I weigh less and I'm shorter than most people, but I ride boards which are stiffer. The most important factor after intended use is "how hard you ride", not how long your legs are.
(3) I think "length calculators" are erroneous because they ignore the above issues. However they're only used by beginners so arguably that's ok. You should not rely on anybody's opinion here, but if you must, use the manufacturer's numbers.
In summary "length" is the wrong concept. Manufacturers do grade their boards by length, but different board sizes are not identical in all other respects than their length@ the manufacturers also tweak the construction for each length category. So length's just a tag, not a metric.
Hence you can not "know what length you want", as that's model dependent. You should instead look at the recommended weight range for the specific board you are interested in, then ride it.
Quote:
There are essentially three types of board (well four but race boards are exclusively for continental types who wish they were skiing):
There are five. You need to add the two boards I use:
(a) Race boards. I don't wish I was skiing, although I don't like being passed by skiers either. Hence I have some boards with the speed to pass all of them. They're challenging to ride, but like a race car they deliver the goods. For general piste riding including running moguls a well balanced slalom board is unbeatable.
(b) Powder boards. Powder specific designs for exclusively off-piste work. Generally crap on piste, with specific design features such as taper, stiff nose and soft tail. You'll be told that "all terrain" boards work in powder; they do work in "resort powder", which is keyed every fall by riders; back country powder isn't like that.
Quote:
Short boards make it harder to go fast/ride powder.
Except for the Fish in powder. How about saying "in general..." ?
I think the problem here is "length" again. Did someone say it's not about length?
Quote:
Long boards make it harder to turn (at least when you're a beginner)
The qualification is very important, but I think the message is a bit misleading. How about "it's easier to learn on a short board" or something like that. A bit like learning to surf on a big old board only the other way around.
Quote:
Stiff boards ride better at speed, and are more suitable for powder (possibly debatable). They're also good for the heavier person because you have the weight to bend them and apply the right pressure. More advanced riders tend to find stiff boards easier to use than learners. They're less forgiving when you screw up so will buck you off more easily.
Sort of. The thing is that you want a board which is *balanced* for your weight and riding style. Length is really irrelevant - I use boards from 156 through 184; it's the way the board matches your style which is important. Beginner boards are just noodles, so they have no "kick back" when you try to turn them. A GS board is hard to ride at slow speeds as you need the G forces of high speed to get the camber working.
Quote:
8 - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHOP
I'd disagree there - I can't afford to pay uk prices, and in any case they generally only stock novice boards here; in general you can't ride them before you buy; you can't bring 'em back if they're not right; and your server may have never ridden the board you're buying. |
_________________
powder mountain CoC snowboarding safety
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charlie
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Post subject: RE: Re: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 03:29 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 8992
Location: York
Status: Offline
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| Gaahhhh ok. I'd disagree with you on a couple of points but I'll make a few amendments when I've got time. |
_________________
Official SCUK crash test dummy.
Photography
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Branny
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Post subject: Re: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 03:55 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 4672
Location: Is in the U freakin' K
Status: Offline
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Quote:
Quote:
8 - SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHOP
I'd disagree there - I can't afford to pay uk prices, and in any case they generally only stock novice boards here; in general you can't ride them before you buy; you can't bring 'em back if they're not right; and your server may have never ridden the board you're buying.
sorry, thats a crock of sh1t, you're obviously shopping in the wrong places, all the domes have test facilities, swad, warmwell & Halifax all have local shops that can arrange testing/have test specific nights
and the majority of good INDEPENDANTS stock boards for all abilities.
Don't want to get into it again but support your local indy, they are the backbone of the UK scene, without them no products, comps, magazines, dryslopes....ie no fun  |
_________________
www.bigdreamssnowboarding.com
http://www.facebook.com/bigdreamssnowboarding
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Big-Dreams-Snowboarding
lets keep dryslope alive!! #ridedryslope
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ace_mcgraw
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Post subject: RE: Re: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 20, 2007 - 03:56 PM
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First post: Feb 20, 2007
Total posts: 4912
Location: That snowboarding hotbed, Norfolk
Status: Offline
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Quote:
quick, easy and fairly basic guide please!
i think to be fair if you carry on amending it accoprding to philw's list, it prob will cease to be any of these! Good effort first time round as far as I'm concerned!
Quote:
I'd disagree there - I can't afford to pay uk prices, and in any case they generally only stock novice boards here; in general you can't ride them before you buy; you can't bring 'em back if they're not right; and your server may have never ridden the board you're buying.
Therefore, how exactly would you suggest getting boards then? Seems not too many places would fit those criteria?? Certainly the places where I shop (eg Revolutionz in Norwich most of the time) have ridden the vast mnajority of the boards - certainly more chance of getting good advice than via t'interweb |
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Nice Photos  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ace_mcgraw/
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charlie
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Post subject: RE: Re: How To Buy a Snowboard
Posted: Dec 29, 2007 - 10:05 PM
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First post: Oct 11, 2004
Total posts: 8992
Location: York
Status: Offline
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| Yeah, I think philw's points are all over complications of the basic message. I'll leave it. |
_________________
Official SCUK crash test dummy.
Photography
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