How to Choose a New Snowboard | 5 Things to Consider When Buying a New or Used Snowboard
If you are in the market for a new snowboard, where do you even start? There is so much to choose from these days. In this article, we’ll explore some decisions you have ahead of you and highlight some pros and cons along the way. We’ll leave a lot of the board tech aside for this one, but if you need some more info on camber profiles or board shapes, hit the links.
Now, whilst there’s no right or wrong with a lot of things in snowboarding, the equipment you have can have a big impact on your experience, for good or for bad. The challenge these days is the unbelievable amount of information available to you as a board buyer and not just that, the seemingly higher number of opinions that go with it. Board reviews certainly have their place, but they are all subjective to the rider on that particular board, on that particular day, in those conditions, and, more importantly, their skill set too.
The goal really, is to expand your knowledge and self awareness within snowboarding so that you can make some well rounded, educated decisions about your next board purchase.
With that said, here’s some considerations you can play with before making a purchase so you can be more confident that you have the board for you.
Do you have a budget in mind?
This is a great starting point as you can set some early parameters on how much you want to spend and then start to explore what value you believe you are getting from the choice of boards you have in that price bracket.
When you get started it will be easy to borrow a friend's board, grab a hand me down or even something from the local charity/thrift shop. This is all well and good, provided you have an idea of how well suited you are, weight and foot size wise to the board. Just because it was free, or very cheap might not lend itself to a great experience for you - especially if you end up paying a lot for transport and a lift ticket for the day. If in doubt, send us a screenshot of the top and bottom of what you are looking at and we’ll be happy to let you know what we know about the board.
Aside from scoring a freebie, if you are in the used marketplace, this can be a great way to get a good deal on a decent snowboard. As always, check your body weight against the suggested specs. Then, check the base for scratches and gouges. General wear and tear is inevitable but pay close attention to deeper gouges that sit next to the edges along the sides of the boards - those are typically harder to put a more permanent repair on and you run the risk of having another impact pull the edge away from the base. It doesn’t mean don’t buy a board with those marks on, as most boards used boards will have them, but just make sure there’s not loads of them on the base.
If you have budget for a new board and/or have more choices available to you, then keep reading for more considerations as you will likely have a plethora of options that speak to you. The trick is now figuring out which one is going to be the “best” for you.
Do you need a mens or womens board?
Here at Focus Snowboards we follow an inclusive sizing ethos, which means that we size our boards relative to body weight. We also moved away from mens and womens specific graphics, instead opting for timeless designs to suit all riders.
Don’t assume that other brands do the same so if you are shopping in the used market, do what you can to establish if the board you are looking to buy is designed for men, or for women. Generally speaking, the way mens and womens boards differ is with regard to the construction (affecting the flex rating mostly) and of course, the topsheet and graphic design that goes with it.
How much do you weigh?
Yes, you heard us…your weight, not your height. A snowboard only knows how much you weigh and the board will respond in terms of its nose-to-tail flex, rebound and torsional flex under that weight. It really does not know or respond to your height. Where you can be considerate in this space is to think a little more in depth about the flex rating of the board and where you fall on the suggested rider weight range. For example, you pick a board that has a 4 flex rating, but you weigh 65kgs and the board is rated for a 60-80kg rider. You are a lighter weight rider for this board so it’s likely the board will behave a little stiffer relative to your body weight. You can likely assume this 4 flex board is now closer to a 4.5, or even a 5. This mindset helps you shop between board flex ratings with a little more intention. Just be mindful with this approach that a 4 in one brand will not equal a 4 in another as there is no industry standard.
What is your foot size and do you need a wide board?
Always a topic of contention between riders but there’s a few things you should know.
So, what will a wider board do for you?
Firstly, a wide board will provide more surface area under your feet. This means more volume in contact with the snow which can be very useful in terms of floatation in powder, or even a wider base of support when sliding sideways on rails and boxes.
Secondly, a wider board will allow you to create higher edge angles throughout your turns, without any overhang/drag of your boots and/or bindings in the snow. This means a more consistent feel while riding over higher edge angles.
Ok, so what will a wider board make more difficult?
Overall, a wider board (certainly one that is too wide) will make the time it takes for you to move your mass from one edge to another slightly longer (even if it is minimal) meaning a slower and potentially more difficult time leveraging the board onto an edge, especially for less experienced and able riders. Add to this that if you have a torsionally stiff board, it will make the snowboard feel less agile and “turnable” at slower speeds.
Great, so how do I choose?
If you don’t have much experience or don’t completely understand your riding preferences yet then you inevitably have to go with some “industry recommendations”, which as usual will differ depending on who you ask and sometimes even what day you ask them! As a blanket statement, it is widely considered that if you have a boot size of 10/10.5US then you can comfortably shop for a wider board. With a boot size under that you should be more experienced, more skilled and know more about your riding preferences before purchasing a wide board model.
For your reference, we think of a wide snowboard as having a waist width of 260mm+ in boards sized 152cms+. Generally, anything less than that, hovering around the 254-258mm can often be classified as a mid-wide.
How much riding have you done and what is your skill level?
This is a looser consideration as we’re dealing with trying to objectively rate yourself as a rider. Let’s be realistic...we can all improve, so this is more about trying to match a board design with yourself as a rider. At the end of the day, anyone can ride any board, provided they know how to ride. Our first priority is to always try and educate and improve our riders so that they can enjoy more of what snowboarding has to offer. So what does this mean practically for your board decision?
Well, if you have never snowboarded before, it would be a great idea to grab a lesson, ticket and rental package from your local hill to get started so you can begin to build your experience on snow. As your experience grows you can start to identify the things you do and/or don’t like to do on your snowboard.
For example, if you are brand new to riding, look for boards that are more flexible, have some form of rocker profile in them so that they will be easier for you to manipulate with your body movements with more room for error in terms of early edge catches when starting turns. Typically, "beginner" boards are cheaper too.
In comparison, if you are starting to get to grips with linking turns, cruising greens, blues and beyond then this is where the doors really start to open up. In this space, we think of things a little differently. Preferences definitely come into it so if you have those, then lean on them to help with your decision making. If you don’t, and it is very common not to know, then start with what you think you want the board for. For example, wanting a board to cruise groomers, learning to carve and maybe try some small jumps might be your starting point. Unless you have something super specific in mind, or a board for specific snow conditions, then we would always suggest you have traditional camber at the core of your camber profile as it is the choice of many for progressing their riding. With camber under your feet, you have a reliable and stable platform across lots of snow conditions to improve your riding from.
The more experienced you are as a rider, the more able you are to adjust your movements accordingly for boards of different lengths, widths, flexes and designs etc so ironically, the "better you are" the the more you know what you like, though the less it matters about the board.
Finally…
All this is solid advice as a starting point. It can become very easy to overcomplicate things and the way the industry has evolved with so many board options, over choice is real. By considering the above, at the very least you will be in the position of being a board owner that is appropriately sized and in decent, if not new condition. At the end of the day, you will be able to learn a lot on any appropriately sized snowboard. Whilst you are getting to grips with the sport, don’t get in your own head and think that the board needs to be perfect otherwise it will hold you back. The next step is to get out there on your board and start understanding more about your riding.
As always, we invite you to interact with us as much as you like about your snowboarding and feel free to reach out to ask any questions relating to your gear, or advice on any upcoming purchases.
Leo & Kahli
