How To Buy A Snowboard With The Help Of A Snowboard Instructor
If you’re looking to buy a new snowboard and a little lost for where to start, you have come to the right place.
In the last 10 years instructing snowboarding I have personally owned 30 different snowboards. I have helped students find the right board for them, and seen tremendous improvements in their snowboarding once they've found the one.
With hundreds of different snowboards to choose from, it can be a real challenge to find the best snowboard for you.
That’s exactly why I have put together this guide on how to buy a snowboard. To help you narrow down the choice with real instructor backed advice. To make sure when you do finally find the board you’re looking for, it is everything you had hoped it would be!
How To Buy A Snowboard With The Help Of A Snowboard Instructor
What is snowboard camber?
What size snowboard do I need?
What shape snowboard is best?
What type of snowboard should I buy?
Does my ability level matter when buying a snowboard?
Real rider profile examples.
Buying a snowboard can be an emotional rollercoaster.
The overwhelming choice, confusing numbers, shapes, sizes, camber (what even is this?). Snowboards for freestyle, freeriding, all mountain, powder. Long, short, tapered, asymmetrical.
We look at reviews, ask our snowboarding friends, the local shop. They all say different things based on their own personal preferences.
Finally we think we have settled on the snowboard we want and as a bonus the shop even has a demo board available!
Next day we head up the mountain, stoked to have all our hard work validated as we start riding the demo board down the hill. Only it doesn’t feel quite how we thought it would. It’s not the same as our last board. Is it better? We aren’t sure.
And we are back to the beginning.
It will all be worth it.
When we find the one, it is as if we have discovered a new best friend. Someone to share in great adventures, help us achieve goals we never thought possible, to be a partner in some of the best days of our lives.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to buying a snowboard. Just as there is no right or wrong way to snowboard. There will always be pros and cons to every option. The board you choose will be personal to you and your riding style, which is exactly what makes snowboarding amazing. Ride the board you want, how you want, where you want.
This guide will help you through the process of finding your new snowboard and loving it!
1. What Is Snowboard Camber?
Before we get into specific snowboards and how they relate to your riding style. Let’s talk a bit about camber:
The camber of a snowboard is the way it is shaped to have a specific curve profile when sitting flat on the snow.
This curve helps our snowboarding by providing energy when the board is bent that we can use in our riding.
When you turn, your snowboard bends.
Its one goal in life is to return to the shape it was made.
The further you bend it away from where it started (specially if you bend it the opposite way to the original curve) the more force it is going to try to return with.
This force is awesome! It is what gives us grip, helps you pop or ollie and gives snap to your turns. For the most part its what makes snowboards fun.
Traditional Camber Snowboard
It does come with some negatives.
The downward force of the camber pushes the contact points into the snow. This can create a catchy feeling if the board isn’t tipped enough before you start rotating, or on flat cat tracks if you aren’t confident keeping the snowboard straight.
Because the nose and tail are curved downwards, in deep powder snow it can be a challenge to keep the nose above the snow and be tiring on your legs.
Also if you are trying to press the snowboard either on the snow or on rails, this camber will mean you have to move further to get the board to bend.
For a long time this is how all snowboards were made. In around 2007 snowboard manufacturers started building snowboards with alternate camber profiles with the goal of fixing some of these negatives.
Reverse Camber Snowboard
Along came Reverse Camber, promising to free you from catching edges, make your riding more playful with a softer, easier to flex snowboard.
Unfortunately by taking away the positive bend of the snowboard you lose all of the benefits that Traditional Camber brought for so long. While easy to start your turns with the contact points raised in the air, as soon as you went looking for any kind of grip it was no where to found. This makes riding in firm or icy conditions extremely challenging.
On top of this you have lost all of the “snap” that snowboards once had. When you want the board to spring back to help you pop into the air or deflect out of a turn, you are left with a half hearted attempt at best.
Hybrid Camber Snowboard
Directional Hybrid Camber Snowboard
In rolls Hybrid Camber to save the day! Hoping to gain the best of both worlds, Hybrid Camber snowboards aim to provide the snappy grip of positive camber where you need it (between your feet) with the float and easy catch free feeling of reverse camber (typically now called Rocker) at the tips.
The benefits of a Directional Hybrid lie in that you get more of the Traditional Camber bang for you buck, while keeping the easy turn initiation and float at the nose. Which is all that matters for the 95% of snowboarders who typically reserve switch riding for their one daily 180.
Flat Camber Snowboard
Flying V Hybrid Camber Snowboard
Flat and Flying V are among a handful of other camber profiles on the market these days.
Every snowboard is some combination of Traditional, Flat and Reverse camber, all aiming to balance the pros and cons of each.
There is no right or wrong here. Hopefully with a bit of an understanding of the pros and cons of each we have helped narrow down the focus for what type of camber suits your style of riding.
These are some of the most popular snowboards in each of the above camber profiles (Click a snowboard picture for more info)
2. What Size Snowboard Do I Need?
How to pick the right size snowboard:
Gone are the days of holding a board up to your chin.
With all these different shapes and profiles choosing the right size snowboard comes down to what you want out of the board, your weight and shoe size.
Snowboard Length (A), Waist width (B) and Effective edge (C)
Snowboard length (A) is the measurement from the nose to the tail of the board. While helpful, it can be deceiving with some of the more unique shaped boards on the market.
Waist Width (B) has a big impact on the feel of the board from edge to edge, particularly if you have a size US10+ snowboard boot.
Effective Edge is the measurement from one contact point to the other. Basically, how long the edge is that will be in the snow while turning.
Lets look at an example of these measurements on two of my favourite boards currently on the market made by Korua Shapes:
Size 157cm - Width 269mm - Effective Edge 1200mm
Size 157cm - Width 260mm - Effective Edge 1170mm
Both of these snowboards come in a 157 and feature a similar camber profile and flex.
They feel extremely different to ride. Why is that?
3 things really:
9mm of extra waist width is huge. It will mean you have to tip further and work harder to get the snowboard on edge. But you will have the ability to tip the board further on edge before encountering any of the dreaded boot drag. Basically allowing you to become a carving machine!
30mm more effective edge is also a big deal. What this is adding is stability. By having a longer edge in contact with the snow, your base of support is larger. This means there is more edge in front of you to help you stay upright when landing drops or turning through choppy terrain.
Think of it like a tall lamp with a skinny base. Even increasing the diameter of the base by as little as 10mm will make a big difference to how far it has to tip before it will fall over.
29mm of taper on the Tranny Finder is the last thing that really changes the feel of these boards. Tapered snowboards are narrower at the tail than the nose. This allows the board to float better in powder while keeping some agility in the turns by letting us pivot around a narrower tail.
The nose of the Tranny Finder is 26mm wider than that of the Otto, giving it more float but making it harder to initiate the turns.
So how do I choose the right size snowboard for me?
Narrow down the choice by seeing which boards are suited to your body weight. Typically for any one model of board this will be 3-5 different sizes.
Decide if you want more stability at speed or agility and ease of turning. A longer effective edge will be more stable but require more effort to pivot the board.
Work out if faster edge to edge or the ability to tip the board further is more important to you. A wider waist width will let you tip the board further on edge before digging your boots in allowing you to carve like a champion. It will also be slower and require more effort to tip making its more challenging in situations where you want to turn quickly.
Typically like big open turns in powder or on groomers? Think longer and wider.
Like bumps and trees? Shorter and narrower.
Charging in big mountain terrain? longer and wider.
Milking as many turns as you can from your powder laps? shorter and wider.
I just like to snowboard everything! Somewhere in the middle.
It is nearly impossible to find one board to do it all. If you are serious about your snowboarding and want to maximize your performance, it might be worth looking at 2 boards that are more suited to different types of riding.
Most instructors (myself included) and expert snowboards have at least 2 different boards that they use regularly, the most common combination being longer/wider and shorter/narrower.
For a real world example, I am 185cm tall, 80kg with size US 10.5 boots. My current snowboards are:
Korua Tranny Finder Plus 157 - 1200mm Effective Edge - 269mm Waist Width - Directional
Hightide Mfg Olsen Twin 159 - 1190mm Effective Edge - 255mm Waist Width - Twin
I have decided on a relatively short freeride board (Korua) that is more agile in trees and bumps, while still retaining the ability to carve as hard as I want to without my boots digging in.
I like a slightly longer park board (Hightide) for the stability on bigger jumps, with a narrow waist width that lets me easily edge for spinning without having to lean over too much.
Notice that despite being 2cm shorter the Korua has a 1cm longer effective edge than the Hightide. This is why it’s important to not only look at the size but also the measurements of the snowboards.
So now that we have some idea of what type of camber we are looking for and how to choose the right size, lets look at different shapes of snowboards and what that actually means!
3. What Shape Snowboard Is Best?
This all depends what you want your snowboard to do for you!
The main categories of snowboard shapes you have to choose from are:
Twin - Designed with a matching nose and tail that allows the board to perform equally well in both directions. Ideal for park riding.
Directional - Designed to go best in one direction, most suited to freeriding. Typically feature a directional shape with a shorter tail and longer nose.
Directional boards can feature any combination of:
Directional shape - Where the bindings are set back from the center and the nose/tail differ in profiles.
Directional camber - A Hybrid camber with rocker at the nose and camber to the tail.
Directional flex - A softer nose and stiffer tail to allow the board to float better while maintaining performance.
Directional side cut - The shape of the side cut is modified to help with turning at higher speeds.
Directional Twin - Closer to a Twin than a Directional snowboard. These snowboards feature a very similar profile/camber nose to tail but usually have a slight set back of the bindings making them a great choice for those looking to spend a little bit of time riding switch.
4. What Type Snowboard Should I Buy?
Go to any snowboard manufacturers website and you are going to see 4 main categories for the snowboards they make: All Mountain, Park, Powder, Splitboards
This is where people typically start talking about a quiver (owning multiple snowboards). Which is awesome, but if you’re still reading this guide it’s likely not because you are looking to buy 3-4 different snowboards.
You want the one that suits you best.
When you filter any given websites snowboards, you are going to see some overlap. This is because these categories are describing a combination of:
Camber - Shape - Flex - Size
Typically,
All Mountain Snowboards are Directional or Directional Twin. Traditional or Hybrid Camber. Longer Sizes. Med-Stiff Flex.
Park Snowboards are Twin. Traditional, Hybrid or Reverse Camber. Mid Sized. Soft-Med Flex.
Powder Snowboards are Directional. Hybrid or Reverse Camber. Either Longer or Shorter Sizes. Wider. Tapered.
Splitboards are split down the middle so that you can ski up hill on them.
Selecting the right combination of these based on the pros and cons of what you want from the snowboard is key:
Traditional Camber - Directional - Long Effective Edge - Stiff = Fast charging carving/freeride snowboard
Hybrid Camber - Directional - Short Effective Edge - Wide Waist Width = Fast turning powder snowboard
Reverse Camber - Twin - Short Effective Edge - Narrow Waist Width - Soft = Beginner park snowboard, easy presses, catch free.
Hybrid Camber - Directional Twin - Long Effective Edge - Narrow Waist Width = All mountain freestyle snowboard
This list could go on, and in reality will become a bit subjective. As you get to try more variety of snowboards and you will develop a preference for what you like and don’t like in a snowboard.
I like slightly longer/stiffer/traditional camber park boards because I really like big jumps, and don’t mind taking it easy on the rails.
I opt for a more stable, snappier snowboard to increase the enjoyment of the part of park riding I like a lot, while being happy to make sacrifices in performance for the parts I don’t like.
This is how you buy a snowboard.
5. Does My Ability Level Matter When Buying A Snowboard?
Yes, but not as much as you think.
Whether beginner, intermediate or expert snowboarding is about fun. At no point in our snowboarding journey are we having more fun than another. The first time you link a turn is the most fun you will ever have snowboarding, till the next most fun thing comes along and takes its place.
You can have an absolute blast on any snowboard. One of my fondest memories of snowboarding is racing friends down a green run on kids rental boards. We were not kids.
Where snowboards can have a negative effect on your enjoyment is where your ability level comes into play. The two main situations I see this in my clients are:
The board they are riding is too soft (marketed towards beginners as an easy, catch free learning board) and they are trying to progress their riding. Often their progression is held back by the lack of responsiveness of the snowboard making it hard for them to improve, which can be extremely frustrating.
For example: Burton Instigator - Salomon Pulse - Rossignol Circuit
The board they are riding is too stiff (high end freeride boards) and they don’t have the speed or ability yet to bend the snowboard how they need to. This makes it feel like you’re riding a very expensive plank of wood down the mountain.
For example: Burton Custom X - Ride Commissioner - Jones Ultra Flagship
More expensive is not always better.
All of the above 6 snowboards can be amazing fun for the right snowboarder, the key is working out if that snowboarder is you.
6. Real Rider Profile Examples
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. Hopefully you have a better understanding of some of the factors that go into choosing your next snowboard.
Lets look at some common examples of students I teach and some boards they could look for:
Men
175cm 75kg - Looking for a shorter powder board to take heli-boarding. Comfortable on black and easy double blacks. Wants to work on being able to ride faster in the trees and carve back to the lift on the groomers.
Korua Dart 152 Ride Super Pig 154
Capita Ultralight Snowcraft 158
180cm 75kg - Working on getting faster on blues and blacks and eventually carving. Isn’t interested in the park. Looking for one board to do it all.
Burton Process 159 Capita Defenders of Awesome 158
185cm 80kg - Trying to get more comfortable at higher speed in challenging terrain. Wants to take his riding anywhere on the mountain and push his limits. Loves to carve. Has a park board for the odd day when it hasn’t snowed in a while.
Capita Black Snowboard of Death 165W
Korua Tranny Finder Plus 157 Ride Commissioner 162
Women
160cm 60kg - Park shredder. Wants a board that is equally good regular and switch as she is working on spinning on jumps and boxes.
Capita Birds of a Feather 150 Burton Talent Scout 149 Neversummer Protosynthesis 148
155cm 58kg - Looking for a board that she can progress on, happy on greens, blues and easy blacks. Wants to learn to carve eventually and get better in the bumps.
Burton Hideaway 144 Ride Magic Stick 147
165cm 65kg - Rides everything. Loves to push her skills in steep terrain and then hit the park on the way down at the end of the day.
Korua Otto 153 Ride Psychocandy 150
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That’s it! You now have all the tools to get started on buying your next snowboard.
Remember the best way to choose the right board for you is taking this new understanding of the different aspects of snowboard design, and getting a feel for them on snow by demoing the snowboards you’re interested in.
Use this guide to help you narrow down the features of the snowboard that you like.
A great way to do this is to try the same snowboard in a couple different sizes. Can you feel the difference in the longer effective edge? The waist width? Does the Flying V version of the Burton snowboard you’re looking at feel different to the Camber version?
Only you can answer these questions. So get out there, try some new boards and good luck! I hope you find your new best friend!
If this is the start of your interest in snowboarding check out my guide on