How to choose your snowboard?

Want to try your hand at snowboarding? Before you start, it is essential to find the board that will allow you to fill up with sensations in accordance with your level and your practice. Here is our guide on how to choose your snowboard.

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Choose your snowboard according to your level

The first criterion to take into account when you want to choose your snowboard is your level. The boards are, in general, classified into three categories which have their specificities to allow you to take your marks, but also to progress.

• Beginner snowboard: These boards are flexible which limits edge mistakes and therefore the falls. They are mainly offered in twin-tip configuration. They allow you to take your first snowboarding steps with confidence, to apprehend the turns by skidding in a safe way and to start going backwards (switch).
• Intermediate snowboard: The flex is a bit stiffer, but it still allows a slight margin of maneuver in the event of edge mistakes. This type of board is ideal when you have already practiced snowboarding, you have good control over your speed, but also cut or back turns and you are also comfortable on the slopes and on short sections in powder snow. It can also be interesting for a beginner snowboarder who is starting to feel confident to opt for this kind of board in order to push his limits and thus progress.
• Advanced snowboard: After a few seasons of experience, you can try your hand at a snowboard with rigid flex. Only make this choice if you are perfectly comfortable on all types of snow and your technique is flawless. Indeed, if these boards are ideal for picking up speed and observing an impeccable trajectory in a narrow corridor, even on hard or frozen snow, they do not forgive any hesitation. Physical condition, confidence and control must imperatively be there.

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Which camber to choose for your snowboard?

Whether you are looking for a freestyle, freeride or all mountain board, it is important to know which camber to choose for your snowboard. It must correspond to your practice, but also to your level. There are different types of snowboard profiles that can be found in each of the snowboard categories:

• Classic camber: the center of the board is raised upwards which gives it better stability at high speed.
• Full rocker: the center of the board is in contact with the snow and the ends are raised. That's a favorite among freestylers.
• Flat camber: the entire length of the board is in contact with the snow, which makes it very versatile and very stable. Perfect for beginners.
• Multiple Camber: There are several kinds of multi-cam snowboards like the W or Gullwing, that is, with a rocker in the center and two classic cambers on each end. You will also find what are called Camrocks which have a classic camber in the center and with a rocker in both tip & tail.

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Choosing your all mountain snowboard

Choosing this type means opting for a compromise board that will allow you to have fun (and speed) on the slopes as well, offering you a few powder runs and occasionally, a few jumps. These snowboards are therefore particularly recommended for beginners who will be able to try out all the different types of snowboarding. They come in different shapes and camber, to be chosen according to one's preferred practice. There are also all-mountain boards whose technical specifications are optimised to be as suitable as possible for freestyle or freeride if you don't manage to make your snowboard choice between the different types of riding.

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How to choose your freestyle snowboard

Want to have fun in the snowpark? Choosing a good freestyle snowboard means going for a board that has a perfect balance distribution to allow you to rotate freely and a manoeuvrable steering both forward and backward. That's why you should go for a twin-tip snowboard. Generally shorter than other types of snowboards, the freestyle models are also rather flexible for a good responsiveness in the jumps. On the other hand, if you prefer half-pipe or big air jumps, then head for a stiffer board to maximise your grip and/or power when you start your jump.

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What snowboard to choose for freeriding?

To tackle the powder, you'll need choose a freeride snowboard that offers you good floatability. To achieve this, freeride boards are longer, but also stiffer to stay in control when the snow is frozen. In terms of shape, the trend is towards a directional shape, as off-piste riding requires flexibility and precision. If you rarely venture onto the slopes, you can also choose a snowboard with an even more worked-out shape for freeriding: a swallow tail.

While it remains in the directional family, this snowboard features a swallow tail, and is shorter and wider with a long rocker (the area in contact with the snow) to improve floatability. Impeccable in deep snow, it's a no board for rides outside fresh pow-pow.

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Size chart for choosing your snowboard

As with all board sports, it is important to take your weight and size into account when choosing your snowboard. Be careful, however, as you will see in our weight & height/snowboard length size chart, your practice also has an impact on the length of the board.

MEN snowboard size chart

WOMEN snowboard size chart

In addition to this size chart for choosing your snowboard, know that it is generally accepted that a board for freestyle can be up to 25cm shorter than you. The smaller it will be, the more you will have facilities when switching, jumping, grabbing etc. The bigger it is, the more you will gain in speed, but also in stability, a good way to find a perfectly adapted snowboard if you are sturdier than most. For all-mountain boards, you can go down to 20 cm below the size of the snowboarder, especially if he/she is lightweight and/or a beginner.

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The width of the snowboard, a criterion not to be overlooked!

Now that you know which size to choose for your snowboard, it's time to take a look at its width. On a snowboard, the feet are positioned parallel across the board. It's out of the question, that, when initiating a curve, your toes, your heels or even your bindings come into contact with the snow otherwise this will cause a fall.

So it's important to find the right board width and, contrary to what you might think, it's not just your shoe size that matters. One thing is certain, if you wear more than size 44, a wide snowboard, i.e., wider than the standard models, will be necessary. Until 43, a wide snowboard is not mandatory, but it will allow you a more comfortable ride. To make your choice, here is a size chart that will help you get an idea of ​​the board width that will suit you best:

When choosing your snowboard and determining the right width for you, don't forget to also take into account where your bindings will be placed and at what angle. So if you have a zero binding angle, you will need a wider board width (if you have more than a 43 EU shoe size, it is better to go for a wide snowboard). But be careful, just because your bindings are at an angle, doesn't mean you can take any board width. Indeed, it can bring your back foot towards the center of the board which is the narrowest place on directional models.

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The splitboard, the compromise for touring

For freeride lovers who want to spend their season off-piste without having to pull their snowboard behind them to reach the heights, there is the splitboard alternative. Very young in the world of winter sports, the splitboard is a snowboard that splits in two and gives you real touring skis to face the ascending elevations in powder snow. All you have to do is equip yourself with poles and touring skins to have a good grip on the ascent. And as for any outing outside the ski area, the safety trio of avalanche transceiver/probe/shovel.

Flex, shape, size, width, camber: there are many characteristics to take into account when choosing your snowboard. But once you have found the board perfectly suited to your level and your practice, you can be sure that you will experience great times on or outside the slopes.

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