Types Of Snowboards

Ever since mountains have existed, men and women, boys and girls have been sliding down hills with or without snow. Snowboarding is an age-old sport that has rapidly gained popularity today. And with the continuous growth of this exciting sport, the number of riders, too, has increased giving way for creativity and innovation. This, in turn, has resulted in the rapid increase of the number of snowboards. There are different types of snowboards to choose from. While a general snowboard consists of 140-165 cm in length and 24-27 cm in width, this can be adjusted to accommodate the rider’s feet. Over the years, several different kinds of snowboards have hit the market differing in size, shape, flex pattern, materials, and sidecut. You have snowboards for professionals, kids and teenagers, adults, and exhibitors performing tricks and stunts. Glance through the following lines to know the different types of snowboards found in the market.

 

 

Amongst all the snowboard types, the freeride snowboard, or All Mountain, is the most popular. As the name suggests, this snowboard is perfect for use on the mountains, either for standard downhill riding or on terrain park features. These boards are directional, that is, they are intended to be ridden on one direction only with the rider’s lead foot in the front. Since freeride snowboards are directional, the tip of the board is different from its tail. The tail is narrower, shorter and flatter than the tip of the board. This shape of the board helps the rider to float through powdery snow easily and smoothly.

 

Freestyle snowboards are made for those who wish to perform tricks on terrain parks and halfpipes, such as jumps, rails, boxes, spins, grabs, and riding fakie. They are wider, more stable and more responsive to ride as compared to freeride snowboards. Further, they are shorter, lighter and softer in flex which gives way for easy turning. Hence, they are suitable for beginners who are trying to learn turns or build speed as the boards flex quickly even at the slightest move. Freestyle snowboards are available in two varieties: twin tip boards and directional-twin. Twin tip boards have a centered stance with the tip and tail being identical, giving them a symmetrical shape. Directional-twin snowboards, on the other hand, have a stiffer tail as compared to the tip.

 

Race boards are narrower than freeride and freestyle boards. They are designed with long, narrow and stiff configurations to deliver a higher speed and cleaner carved turns. Thus, race boards are used by riders to achieve quick edge turns, swift, superior edge-holding power on hard snow, and good stability for speed. Race boards are similar to skis in appearance and are found in both symmetrical and asymmetrical styles. They have a shovel on one side, thereby restricting to ride them only in one direction, similar to freeride snowboards. Since they are made to pick up speed on hard-packed snow delivering high levels of performance, they are not meant for beginners and are only used by advanced riders for riding and carving downhill, and not for performing tricks.