Snowboard Shopping Tips
Here are some questions to consider when buying new
boarding equipment:
Where on the mountain do I prefer to spend my time?
There are two broad catagories of snowboards: freestyle and freeride.
Boards can be anywhere along the spectrum between one and other, so the first question
is: where will you ride? The prefect board exists for just about
every particular riding style. A soft, "buttery" board will be great
for riding rails and boxes but not so good in the pipe, and a pure powder
board isn't the best when the conditions are firm. It pays to get
the right board, so think about where you'll be spending most of your time on the hill.
Where am I looking to take my riding?
With snowboards, it is not necessary to buy a beginner board even if you
are just starting out. If you see yourself putting some time into your
riding and growing in ability, it makes perfect sense to buy a board that
will not limit your riding a couple years down the road.
Does my equipment match?
Cosmetic matchs we will not dwell on, but in terms of performance there are
several points to mention. Board, boots and bindings need to share similar flexes
to get the riding characteristics that you are looking for. For instance,
if you buy a stiff board to rail the turns, your old soft boots won't
let you carve like you should. Secondly, the board needs to be the right
width for your feet so you don't have a lot of boot overhang and drag
an edge. Narrower boards do give better heel-to-toe response so there
is a balance of traits to consider. Thirdly, do your bindings fit the
boots well? You can compenste to some extent for a sloppy fit by cranking
the bindings down but that does not feel good. The reverse fit issue
can be easily true as well. Whenever buying a new binding, boots, or
both make sure they are fitted up together before you go to the mountain,
as there are no standard settings, and you can't ride if your straps
don't reach far enough to buckle up.
Camber VS Rocker
For those new to the term, Rocker refers to a board being designed
with the mid section of the base being the closest to the snow instead
of a cambered board where the two ends of the base before the the tip
and tail flare up being closest to the snow. This makes for a dramatically
different type of ride. It can be great for riding powder, jibbin' in
the park, or freestyling down the mountain. It's probably not the best
for racing or other extreme carving adventures, though a good rocker
board can carve easily. So is rocker here to stay or just a fad? We
think it is here to stay, after all where did camber from? XC skis.
There is no kick and gliding here. There will probably always be some
conventional camber boards because as above there are some things it
does better, but most folks should at least take a rocker board for
a ride. We will have a rocker board to demo once the mountains open.