Sail And Ski Ltd Guide to Snowboards

Buying Guide - Snowboards

With so many different manufacturers and types of snowboard buying one can be a daunting process. There are many factors that will determine which board you buy from your height and weight to the type and frequency of riding that you do. Just remember that equally important to a board's aesthetics are its construction and design - don't choose a board for its cool graphics alone, you need to at least be familiar with several things about yourself, the snowboards, and the different riding styles before you can choose a board that is suitable for you and your level.

A huge change has occurred in snowboards over the past 2 years with the introduction of "Rocker" shape snowboards rather than the traditional cambered shape. This has been the biggest change in snowboarding since the introduction of soft boots for riding in and has made snowboards even more diverse than they already were.

Rocker or Camber?

Snowboards were traditionally made like skis with camber in them (camber can be seen by lying a board flat on the floor and you will see that the tip and tail of the board will touch the floor and the middle will be raised) with the idea that this helped to distribute the riders weight evenly over the length of the board. Over the last few years the idea of "bending" the board the other way, Rocker, has crept in to the market until 2010 when all snowboard manufacturers seemed to have fully embraced the idea and now the majority of boards have rocker in them to one extent or another.

To keep it simple Rocker has benefits of floating better in deep snow as the tip wants to ride to the surface more than a cambered board. Rocker snowboards also feel more "free" in terms of freestyle riding and jibbing due to their more skate-y feeling. The final benefit to rocker is that it also helps beginner riders not catch their edges in the snow as often and different brands have different names for this technology such as "catch free".

The benefit of camber is that for high speed piste cruising the shape of these boards makes them more positive feeling by a longer edge having more grip in the snow whilst turning

As both shapes have benefit some boards mix the two shapes by having camber under your feet for extra grip and rocker at the ends for better freestyle and powder riding performance. The other way the combine the technologies of Rocker and Camber is to simply make the board completely flat which has also proved to be very successful on test

Finally, how much riding are you likely to be doing in the future?

As briefly mentioned, it is sometimes an idea to buy a snowboard that you can progress into. This depends on how much riding you are planning on doing. For example, if you are currently a 'cautious intermediate' but are planning on going away for more than a weeks holiday or you plan to have extra tuition while you are away this winter it would be useful to buy a snowboard suited to a 'confident intermediate'. The last thing you want to do is spend time and money buying a snowboard only to find you quickly 'outgrow' it.

So now you've a good idea of what to look for when buying your snowboard. If however, you're still confused or just want a more personal opinion then call one of our experts on (01743) 363443. Alternatively, email us on shrewsbury@sailandski.co.uk with your question. We go every year on the industry snowboard test so will be able to discuss with you from first hand experience which board will suit your needs best