Yo this is Nev Lapwood SnowboardAddiction.com We here today at Showcase Snowboards in Whistler
Canada.
It's one of our local board shops, has a great selection of boards.
This video is all about how to choose a snowboard and what you should be looking for.
To get things started broad and graphics are not that important.
Most major snowboard brands today are producing pretty good boards.
When it comes to graphics, pick something that you like.
This is going to be your board you might as well think it's rad!
What is important is size and the type of board.
Now what size board do you want?
When it first comes to getting a board, most boards have some sort of manufactures recommendations
on the bottom where you can look at your height and weight and see what they are recommending
for you to ride.
The thing you have to decide is whether you want to be on a slightly shorter board or
a slightly longer board.
A slightly shorter board is general good.
Their very playful, a bit softer, their very forgiving, very good for cursing around, hitting
small to medium park features.
Easy to butter on.
A longer board is general a bit stiffer, more stable at high speeds, gives you a little
bit more stability landing the big jumps.
Very good for free riding and riding Pow.
Beginner to intermediate riders I recommend getting a slightly shorter board.
Their fun, their playful, you going to have a good time out there on the mountain.
To give you an example in what I ride.
I am 145 pounds and 5ft 9".
When I am riding the park I ride a 154cm board.
comes up approximately to my chin.
When I am out free riding and riding Pow I ride a 157cm Board.
It's a bit longer, it's a bit stiffer, it's more aggressive.
Now the width on your snowboard only really matters if you've got big feet.
If you got a size 10 or 11 or smaller you're going to OK on most boards.
If you've got a size 12, 13, 14 foot you're going to need to get a wide board.
If you don't you're going to find your toes and heals are hanging off the edges of your
board and when your turning they can dig into the snow and be really annoying.
What type of board do you want to ride?
There's basically three types of boards.
You got traditional camber boards.
You've got reserve camber boards and you've got a combination of mixed camber boards.
Now this diagram shows what a traditional camber board is.
If you lye it down on the ground you can see it raising off the ground, you can push down
into the board and it will flex back.
A regular camber board generally has the best pop, the best edge hold, the best stability,
there very responsive.
A lot of advanced riders and pro riders choose to ride camber boards because of the feedback
that it gives you.
A rocker, which is a reserve camber board is the opposite camber, is generally softer,
really good for presses, very easy to butter.
You'll going to find when you're riding around that you catch less edges when you're riding
a reserve camber board.
There very forgiving, there great for learner snowboarders.
Some people who also like reserve camber are people who ride exclusively on rails because
there very soft, very easy to press.
The third type of board are your mixed camber boards, combination of traditional camber
and reserve camber.
These are very common, most of the boards you find in board shops today are probably
some kind of combination cambers.
What they are trying to do as board companies is get the best of both worlds.
Trying to make an all round snowboard.
If you are a beginner or intermediate rider and you don't know what you want, maybe look
at getting a mixed combination there very popular these days.
What shape of board do you want to get?
More or less there are two main types of shapes.
You've got twin boards and directional shapes.
A twin board is ideal identical on both ends.
If you are heavily into freestyle and you're doing all the park features and trying to
ride as much switch as you'll riding regular, then definitely get yourself a twin board
because it's going to ride the same in both directions.
If you ride mostly in one direction, or you do a lot of free riding a lot of Pow?
You might prefer a directional board.
Now a directional board you can still ride switch on.
I ride a directional board when I'm out riding Pow but I still ride it switch as well.
Just want to touch quickly on girl's boards.
Girls are generally little bit shorter than us, lighter, don't have the same muscle mass
and have smaller feet.
So girl's boards are designed to be for females.
There generally a bit softer, a bit thinner, a bit smaller.
If you are a girl you might as well pick yourself up a girl's board.
It's going to make it more fun out there for you riding.
Now this video is just to give you an overview of the types of boards.
What size you should be getting?
What you should be looking for in terms of camber or reserve camber?
I hope it gives you some information so that when you go into a shop you've got an idea
for you're looking for and you can understand some of the information the shop guys are
giving you.
This is Nev Lapwood for SnowboardAddiction.com.
Peace