What to Look for When Buying a Snowboard

When buying a snowboard, you need to decide what type of rider are you. If you´ve never ridden before, then you should look for an all mountain board. The length of your snowboard will depend both on your height and the use you are going to give it. As a guide, a short board will be in the range between your collar bones and your chin. A medium board will reach somewhere between your chin and your eyebrows, and a long board will be taller than your eyebrows.

If you like snow parks, rails and tricks, you are going to enjoy a freestyle board, with a lot of flexibility, and generally in the short side. If you are a beginner and haven´t decided yet what you´ll be dong, or you are an experienced all mountain rider, then you should choose an all mountain board with a medium length. If you prefer free riding, that means out of bounds, deep snow, cliffs and big steeps, then you should go for a big mountain board, taller than the average.

A special case is the alpine snowboard. This type of board will be used with hard snowboarding boots. Despite being difficult to find and somewhat expensive, an alpine snowboard is surely going to be a lot of fun when riding hard packed or groomed snow. Alpine snowboarding is worth a try. In any case, the snowboard can be chosen according to the following parameters:

1. Price: Generally speaking, a beginners' board will cost between 150 and 300 dollars. An intermediate will go between 300 and 500, and a performance board will cost 500 and up.
   
2. Stiffness: Boards are qualified based on their solidity, and this will also depend on the core material and type of construction.
3. Width: Bigger feet and heavier people will need a wider board.
4. Weight: Boards with less design and built with cheaper materials tend to be heavier.
5. Sidecut: A more pronounced sidecut will allow easier turns and more maneuverability, whereas a shallow sidecut permits longer turns providing great stability on big mountain riding.
6. Durability: Generally, beginner boards will have a shorter lifetime, and more expensive, specialized boards will be more sturdy and well built. When looking for a long lasting board, try with the ones that show different materials on the side. Those that have their sides covered with a layer of epoxi can be foam filled, thus less likely to last.

When buying a snowboard you should find one that suits your expectations. For instance, design and decoration are not part of this article, and may be important for you. Remember, it´s going to be you standing on that board.