There are a large number of styles of snowboarding, so if you do not know how to choose a snowboard so as not to be disappointed in your purchase, consider the most popular of them.
Technical freestyle
This is snowboarding in an artificially created environment. Riders who prefer this style of skiing, as a rule, are located in the area of ski jumps, hills, snowparks. Many of them are extreme people who crave thrills in the air. The characteristic features of this style are pirouettes, spectacular jumps and other acrobatic stunts. From this it is quite clear which model to choose if you are the type of extreme sports lover.
But how to choose a snowboard if you are going to do freestyle skiing on a forested slope? In this case, you need to purchase freestyle boards.
Freestyle
These are the same endless tricks and jumps, only they are already carried out in natural conditions.
Distinctive features of freestyle boards:
- They have high technical developments and spectacular graphics.
- They have a very light weight.
Freeride
Includes almost all types of skiing: "cutting" large arcs in the virgin lands, dizzying jumps from snow peaks, flying into the sky along prepared tracks, stunts in a pipe and much, much more.
But freeride boards are more suitable for riding on virgin snow - this is reflected in their design: the nose is wider than the back, the mounts are shifted back.
Carving
The characteristic features of carving are fast driving with controlled arcs, high speed and its control. Jumping excluded.
Racing
Sports style: slalom walking along the highway with shafts at very high speed. All boards of this type are narrow, longest and most rigid.
If you already know what skiing style you prefer and, accordingly, understand how to choose a snowboard, we will move on to the next point - how to choose a snowboard, because for the right choice you need to know not only the skiing style, but a number of basic and important parameters of the person who will ride on a selectable board.
Age
If the board is purchased for a still growing person, then you can purchase a model a little more growth. The main thing - do not overdo it. But the shoes are needed only in size - here the rule "for growth" is excluded.
Height
As a rule, the board should have a length that starts from the floor and ends at the level of the tip of the chin.
Weight
The snowboard is very sensitive to the weight of the person. Therefore, each model has the recommended weight value specified by the manufacturer. Pay attention to it!
Given all these parameters, I want to say that one of the important factors is price. Of course, if there is an opportunity, it is better to buy a board for a snowboard more expensive. Although, as you know, the price of a board may not correspond to its quality. But with a cheap option, you can seriously miscalculate. As a rule, such models are very beautiful from the outside, but have poor characteristics, which is why after 1-2 years the board will become completely unusable. Therefore, before you pick up a snowboard, think carefully, juxtaposing all the pros and cons.
And finally, I need to say about the graphic design of a snowboard. Most riders will say that this fact does not matter to anyone, but we are ready to argue with this: it’s not only nice to look at beautiful things - it’s also nice to ride them. Usually snowboards with original images are sold in sports stores of popular brands. So this very often becomes a decisive moment in the question of where to buy a snowboard.