Welcome to Snow Boarding

When Buying a Snowboard

With nearly 20 various types of snowboards available on the market, budding snowboarding enthusiasts have one big question in mind: what to buy! Some of the most common types of snowboards include the freestyle snowboards, the free ride or all-mountain snowboard, the back country boards and the park and pipe snowboards. This will put you on the right track when you decide to pick out your trusty, ice-slashing snowboard.

When buying a snowboard, you have to consider a few important details to determine which type will fit you best. What are these details you may ask? Since you are the one who will use the board you have to consider your height and weight so that the snowboard that you will pick will easily be able to support you.

Aside from this, you also should consider your foot size and even your riding style. The latter will determine the suitable shape and stiffness of the snowboard that you should pick out. There are three major riding styles which will help you choose your board and they all play a role in the type that you should be using.

The first major type is for all mountain or free ride snowboarding. When they say all-mountain they definitely mean it. Here you will experience the real essence of snowboarding, from carving turns on the mountain slopes to catching wind during those big air jumps. Sliding on the snow never felt better! Snowboarders generally pick out boards designed for free riding since most of the experienced riders prefer to experience every aspect of the all-mountain challenge.

In freestyle snowboarding or technical riding, a lot of jumps, grabs, spins, rail sliding and trick riding is usually involved. Freestyle riders are often seen in the midst of snow parks where technical riding setups are usually outfitted near the halfpipe. Beginners are encouraged to use boards for this type of riding. The equipment used for this type of category not only applies to pipe riding, but it can also be used for the all-mountain scenario. The only difference is the speed that you will be able to attain. Compared to the free ride boards, the freestyle boards slide relatively slower across the mountain slopes which makes it a good choice for beginner snowboarders who first want to get a hang of sliding down the icy slopes.

Carve or alpine style snowboarding puts together deep turns and swift sliding. This type of riding style makes the most of everything that the mountain slopes have to offer! Expect alpine snowboarders to be constantly transitioning from one turn to the next at break neck speeds. When expert skiers decide to try out snowboarding, the boards that they usually pick out are the ones designed for alpine snowboarding. This is mainly due to the stiffer flex and much narrower board width used for their design.

Beginners will definitely be uncomfortable using the latter type unless they want to end up lying down in a snow trench after overshooting a bend or curve. Exceptional agility and well coordinated body movements are already required to successfully ride the slopes using alpine snowboards.

Beaver Creek changing terrain parks

Beaver Creek park crew members Jeff Maus, left, and Paul Hollander test out some of the features in the Lumber Yard terrain on Beaver Creek Mountain in 2008. The Lumber Yard terrain park will be moved to a new location for the upcoming season, although resort officials haven't yet determined where.

Olympian challenge at Cypress with weather conditions for athletes

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