Are you looking for a snowboard and have no idea what the hell camber, flex, sizing, and directional even mean? I gotcha boo boo. Welcome to my ultimate guide on what the HECK all these terms mean, why they matter, and how to choose a board for the best season ever.
This will be a guide for the gals (since that’s where my knowledge base lies).
Generally, women’s snowboards have a narrower waist width and softer flex, while men’s boards have wider waist widths and stiffer flex.
A narrower snowboard allows you to initiate your turns with less effort and also makes it easier to transition from heel edge to toe edge. Wider snowboards, however, will give you more stability but require more effort to control.
Choosing the right snowboard width is important, as if your board is too wide for you, you will experience some difficulty transitioning from one edge to another, and this movement will be slow and sluggish. If the board is too narrow, though, you will often unintentionally drag your toe or heel of your boots in the snow when turning. This slows you down, interrupts the flow of your turns, and also damages your snowboard boots. “toe drag” occurs most frequently, which can be irritating and dangerous when attempting turns at higher speeds.
For smaller, lighter guys, you might find it helpful to consider women’s boards. Likewise, for taller ladies with shoe sizes above 8, you might find a suitable board in the men’s category. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different boards to find the perfect fit for yourself.
Traditionally, people would choose their snowboard length based on their height, but that doesn’t make sense.
Imagine two people of equal heights; however, one weighs 150 lbs, and the other weighs 110 lbs. Due to the difference in weight, it would make riding the same snowboard feel much different.
So, weight is the first factor to consider when determining snowboard size. This is because your weight distribution across the board’s surface area will have the biggest impact on how the board feels when you ride.
In general, if the board is too long for your weight, it’ll be difficult to apply the right amount of pressure to flex the board, making it feel hard to turn and control. Conversely, if it’s too short for your weight, you can overpower the board, making it feel less stable.
Okay, so we’ve narrowed down a range of sizes based on height and weight but where do we go from there? Ability level and your riding style will help determine the next factors in choosing a snowboard.
If you’re just learning to snowboard, you’ll likely want to look for a shorter board. Smaller boards have a reduced swing weight, making it easier to turn and maneuver around. Likewise, a shorter board will be more playful and responsive for riders lapping the terrain park or jibbing around the mountain, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or a pro.
If your riding style tends to be more fast laps, steep runs, and big hits, a longer board will feel more stable at speed and in rough terrain; it’ll float better in deep snow and will have your back in the landing of jumps and cliffs.
Here are the five types of snowboards by category:
All-mountain snowboards perform anywhere on a mountain—groomed runs, backcountry, even park and pipe. They may be directional (meaning they are intended to be ridden primarily in one direction) or twin (for riding switch, meaning either direction).
Most boarders ride all-mountain boards. Because of their versatility, all-mountain boards are good for beginners who are still learning what terrain they like.
Freestyle snowboards are light, short and flexible with twin tips. They are good for riders who want a lively ride anywhere on the mountain, or those who like to push their limits in terrain parks; they’re not so good for stability or cruising fast on hard snow.
Freeride snowboards are designed for adventurous riders who spent most of their time off groomed runs. They are often directional boards, meaning they are meant to be ridden with one end always facing downhill. The flex of a freeride snowboard is usually stiffer than that of a freestyle board.
Everything about a powder snowboard is designed with deep snow in mind, from the shape of the nose and tail to the flex of the board and the location of the binding inserts. Many powder boards feature rocker for better flotation.
These backcountry-specific boards split in half to create two skis and permit climbing on untracked backcountry slopes. You later reconnect the halves and ride downhill.
It’s a great design for adventurous backcountry devotees who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to safely explore unpatrolled slopes. You'll also need climbing skins and a split kit, usually sold separately.
One of the best beginner snowboard tips is the board’s flex when board selection is concerned.
This metric is basically about how sensitive your board is to your movement and how much it will bend.
A stiff board is all about stability, and maneuvering takes a lot of strength. It’s great when you intend to jump huge distances and stay in the air for too long. You won’t be doing too much of that in the beginning, and if a board is too stiff, it will only make turning your snowboard harder.
Since you’re just beginning, you want to get that leg feel of bending your snowboard and not investing too much energy into doing that.
However, if the flex is too soft, you might have some problems holding the edges. Your best option is to go for medium-soft flex. The sweet spot is between 3-4 on the scale of 10.
The effective edge is the part of the snowboard that is in contact with the snow – essentially, it’s the the length of the snowboard between where the tip and tail curves up.
A traditional camber snowboard has a longer effective edge than a hybrid camber snowboard which usually has more of an upward curve in the tip and tail (referred to as early rise or rocker). A fully rockered snowboard has the least amount of effective edge, usually just a short section between boots.
A fully rockered, or hybrid camber snowboard with a shorter effective edge will feel shorter than a traditional camber snowboard so you’ll typically want to opt for a longer snowboard to make up for the difference.
