What to Look For When Buying a Snowboard

Buying a snowboard isn't as easy as it once was. There are about 20 different styles of snowboards. With so many different options, the snowboarder has to be knowledgeable these days. So here are some points that will hopefully help you out when choosing a board.

These are the most common types of snowboards: Freestyle boards, Backcountry boards, Freeride boards, Park/Pipe boards, Boardercross boards, Kids boards, Women's boards and Signature series boards. So you have many options when choosing the right board for you.

Beginner Trick Skateboard

When picking the right board, there are a few things that come into play: Your height, weight, foot size and riding style. These will all contribute to the width, shape, stiffness and height of board that you'll want to buy. Even though there are other factors you should take into account, a few of the ones you should know is your riding ability and riding style. The riding style you have a preference for will help determine the kind of board you should buy. There are many riding styles, so I'm going to break them up into three main categories of riding styles.

What to Look For When Buying a Snowboard

All Mountain and Freeride style snowboarders make use of the whole mountain. They enjoy carving, catching air and basically all aspects of the sport. Freeride is the best way to portray most snowboarders. These riders take pleasure in the whole experience, sliding the half-pipe, the awesome feeling of carving turns on the slopes, the feeling of flight from a big jump, and the freedom from sliding on fresh snow.

Freestyle riding involves mostly jumps, rail sliding, trick riding, grabs, spins and just tearing it up. Freestyle riding is usually done at the parks or near the halfpipe. This style is well liked among the beginner and more younger snowboarders. Many of today's freestyle boarders come from the BMX, in-line skater and skateboard world, since they already have an understanding for the sport.

Carve/Alpine style puts together deep turning and speed to make the most of a great mountain. Alpine snowboarders are constantly from one turn into the next. It's all about hard carving and high speeds. Many expert skiers who learn to snowboard tend to like the performance of a carving board. These types of riders are easy to pick out; they are seen laying a trench with every turn. These boarders use a snowboard like no other; they use their body movements and gravity as their friend.

I hope this article helps when you decide to get your next or first snowboard. Hopefully it will make the decision easier for you, remember it's your choice when it comes to finding a good snowboard. Don't let anybody influence your decision.

What to Look For When Buying a Snowboard