Which snowboard is right for me

Protect your gear and keep it all together for easy transport and storage. Stay safe and avoid a fine with our high quality diamond pattern chains. Choosing the right snowboard size can be difficult. Often opinions vary on how long or how short to go. Here at Melbourne Snowboard Centre we have come up with a simple solution to finding your perfect board size. Firstly, try not to get overwhelmed by all the tech talk of cambers and flex ratings, there's so much information out there but initially you need to consider four main points: weight, height, ability and where you spend your time riding.

Most manufacturers give a recommended rider weight for each snowboard in their range. We have tried to include this data on all of our snowboard pages to make it easier for you to consider your options and find the right board. The range is really only a suggestion and if you find yourself outside the range, that's fine too. It also comes down to personal preference and if you find yourself below the range, the board may feel a bit stiffer and if you're above the range you might find it rides a bit softer.

If this is the first board you're purchasing and you previously hired, you'll be used to the rental place sizing you up and putting you on any board that falls roughly anywhere from your chin to your nose. By now you know the type of board you need and the relative size it should be, but do you really look at the technical specifications to see how they can improve your overall abilities? These topics are considered irrelevant by most novice riders; they just want a board with sick graphics and a brand name.

True shredders go a bit further than that and actually pay attention to detail. If you would like to know more about these snowboard construction details, refer to the appropriate section of this reference guide.

Experiment with several combinations of each subject to find the perfect board to make your session righteous. Riding style and snowboard type are important variables in the snowboard sizing formula. Riding style refers to the type of terrain you choose to ride. Some people like to ride it all and others like to focus on just powder or only park riding.

Since there are specific riding styles, there are also terrain-specific boards to match. That is where the board type comes into play. The board type is directly related to your riding style. To help you figure out what type of riding style you have and what board type you need, each of the categories are described below. Remember these guidelines are just a starting point; boards can also come in a combination of board types such as the all-mountain-freestyle models for a versatile ride with the playfulness of a park board etc.

The most common riding style would have to be all-mountain. Most snowboarders are versatile creatures of winter and explore all that the mountain has to offer. If you decide you want to take a few laps in the park before winding your way through some woods runs, you might just be an all-mountain maniac.

For the curious adventurers of all that is shred, this is definitely your category. The all-mountain board type is meant to accommodate all you can throw at it. Take it off jumps in the park, have fun in the pipe, blaze groomers, and even get buried in a fresh dumping of powder. These things do it all well. Snowboards that fall under the all-mountain board type can have various board shapes and camber profiles.

Find your favorite combination and get after it. This board type is also a great category for beginners to start with. The all-mountain versatility will allow you to ride anything you want until you find a type of riding that you do most.

Shop All-Mountain Snowboards. For the pipe jerks, park rats and back-alley street cats, your riding style falls into the freestyle category. If you spend more time on tow-ropes and handrails than you do on the chairlift, your riding style is certainly freestyle. Sure freestyle snowboarders can do it all, but their main focus is to progress in the park, pipe and street and they do that with a freestyle oriented deck. Freestyle snowboards are usually sized-down a bit from your average length deck and contain a bit more flex.

The shorter size allows you to throw the board around easier when performing tricks. And a softer flex will allow you to tweak those tricks for proper style and steez.

These boards are often built with a badass base and some hardcore edges to withstand daily park-induced punishment. Freestyle boards have a true twin shape and can have a range of camber styles such as flat, traditional, rocker, or a combination. This is another board type often used by beginners because of the low weight and forgiving flex of the board.

The smaller board allows beginners to gain control of the board and its edges easier and quicker. The freeride riding style category encompasses riding from blazing groomers to plowing through a pile of pow in the backcountry. This riding style is common among riders who are fortunate enough to have legit mountains to ride or happen to get a good amount of snowfall in the area. Freeriding is snowboarding at its core and will always be a huge part of the sport. Freeride board types are often on the longer end of your board size range.

That extra few centimeters makes all the difference for staying atop pillows of pow. Freeride boards are most often directional shaped boards but could also be a directional twin shape. These boards also have a stiffer flex for added response and stability when bombing at high-speeds and slashing deep. The war of skiing verses snowboarding is over. These people earn their turns by hiking up every inch of what they descend. Anybody who says ski and board bums are lazy has never heard of split-boarding.

Splitboards are the type of board for extreme freeriding. Use the skis to climb up and through some newly found terrain, then reattach them together and shred your line back down on a snowboard. Board shapes will either benefit the rider or hinder a riding depending on what type of terrain is being ridden. Most common among freeride snowboards and sometimes found on all-mountain boards, the directional shape is a non-symmetrical construction designed to be mostly ridden in one direction.

This means that they have a specified nose and tail; each end may differ in stiffness, shape and contact points. Directional boards usually have a stiffer tail than nose to create a stable ride when flying down mountains. Boards that feature this shape also tend to have the binding inserts set back closer to the tail end of the board so your body weight is correctly distributed for a fast and powerful ride through deep pow.

Although this shape can be found on just about all board types, true twin dominates the freestyle scene. True twin, also known as twin tip, means that the tip and tail are identical. The symmetrical shape allows park, pipe, and street riders to perform and land technical switch tricks easier. True twin boards open up a whole new window for freestyle snowboarders. With a nose and tail with the exact same flex patterns and measurements, riders can have complete confidence in their board when riding switch.

Commonly found in all-mountain boards, the directional twin shape is a great all-around board choice. Directional twin consists of a nose and tail that are different in construction.

Although the tip and tail might not be exactly the same, riders may ride switch in the park or pipe without noticing any negative effects. Directional twin boards often have a slightly longer nose than tail and could also have a softer nose than tail or a combination of the two. The added length to the nose gives you an edge when riding powder and a stiffer tail will create more stability when riding at higher speed. Snowboard Profile Shape refers to the base shape of an un-weighted board on a flat surface.

Looking at the board from the side and you can roughly decipher what Profile Shape a board has. The information below is to be used as reference to help you decide what Profile Shape is the best fit for your riding style. Camber is the tried and true standard for a snowboard profile. It is still the most popular camber style and will probably be around forever. A traditionally cambered board has a smooth arch underneath the middle of the board that comes down and touches the ground near the tip and tail when no additional weight is applied.

When a rider straps into a cambered board, the board flattens out on the snow and creates an evenly applied pressure to the edges. This camber profile provides explosive pop and response and is good for all types of riding. A deep sidecut mean a narrow waist for quick edge to edge performance and on hard pack piste you can rip a big carve turn.

The disadvantage is that in having a narrow waist your board will struggle lift in deep snow with a small footprint. At the contact points the widest parts of the boards at the tip and tail the sidecut radius is large and mellow, easing you into the turn before the radius becomes shorter at the feet accelerating you out of the turn.

Several different sidecut radius sizes are used on the same board. Generally large at the tip and smaller at the waist this allows you to have a nimble board at low speed that also remains solid at high speed. When you stand on a snowboard your body and weight distribution is not symmetrical due to your centre of balance. As a result of this it is easier to apply pressure to your toe edge than heel. Having a heel edge with a slightly smaller sidecut radius enables you to put less force into a turn yet it responds the same as your toe edge.

A traditional snowboard has two contact points at the tip and tail. A serrated edge such as found in snowboards feating Magna-Traction increases the contact points with the snow, providing more grip and stability. If your snowboard has a rocker profile Magna-Traction can add much-needed hold in turns.

Melted granules of plastic are heated and cooled before being rolled out in to a thin sheet to form the base. This base suits park riders, beginners and those on a tighter budget. Large granules are compressed into a block and thin layers are skived off the block to make the base.

The higher the grade, the faster and harder the base will be. Some manufacturers will add additional elements to make the base even faster. If you are still unsure which snowboard is for you then there is no better way then trying a few boards on the slopes and seeing which one you like. You can demo our snowboards at any of our indoor dome stores Tamworth, Milton Keynes, Braehead or Castleford and you can always get more advice from our experienced in-store staff.

A good pair of goggles will help to protect your eyes, prevent snow getting in, help increase contrast in a storm and also help reduce any damage caused by the sun. For any snowboarder choosing a pair of snowboard boots is an important decision. They form an integral part of your set-up; influencing performance and comfort. Often overlooked but vitally important to your snowboard set-up, snowboard bindings deliver power from your body, legs and feet into the board.

Home Snowboards Snowboard Buying Guide. Back To Buying Guides. Snowboard Buying Guide. Anatomy Of A Snowboard. Snowboard Profile. Snowboard Length. Snowboard Width.

However, I am leaning more towards freestyle these days so I went with a cm board. I probably could have even gone a couple of centimetres lower but I still want to ride the mountain and not just the park. Finally, ability level will also play a part in board length.

If you are a beginner then a shorter length board will be easier to learn on. So if you are looking for a board and you are a beginner take a few centimetres off your board length. For example if your length came out at cm and you are a beginner you might want to go with something anywhere from cm to cm. There are plenty of other things that you will see in the specs and a huge amount of jargon and technical stuff.

Typically these technical aspects just explain how the board is engineered to be for particular styles and abilities — but it makes them sound flash and is a good sales pitch!

You may have your own personal preferences when it comes to camber profiles, shapes, flex, side-cuts, brands etc but these are things you learn as you ride. Get the style, ability, width and length of board within an appropriate range and you will have a board that will perform extremely well for you on the mountain. Just click the link below and select the appropriate category — e.

Get the 7 step email series plus other relevant snowboarding emails, review releases, promotions, and information from time to time. We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our privacy policy here. Nate is passionate about and loves learning new things everyday about snowboarding, particularly the technical aspects of snowboarding gear. That, and becoming a better rider and just enjoying and getting the most out of life. We live pretty close to the French Alps… maybe not the best place to start for a novice!

Thanks for the inspiration snowboarding profiles! Glad that I have been able to inspire you into snowboarding. Sounds like a great place to start to me. This answered a lot of questions in my mind! This is a great post! I used to snowboard years ago but I wish I had a resource like this back when I bought my first board. Will definitely keep this in mind before I buy my next! Hi Kira.