Snowboard Types

Interested in taking up snowboarding? You're not alone, many people today are becoming more and more interested in snowboarding due the amount of exposure it has in today's society. However, picking a type of board can be difficult because of the different types of snowboards available. There are three main types of snowboards, freeride, freestyle, and an alpine board. They are all very different, which makes picking one to fit your own style intimidating at first. Choosing a snowboard that fits your own ability is the key to an enjoyable snowboarding experience.

Freeride snowboards are the most popular boards on the market today. This is mainly because they function as an all around board and let the rider experience all the aspects of snowboarding. Riders can carve through deep powder, or catch air in the halfpipe. Freeride boards are meant to be ridden in one direction because they are shaped in a directional shape, which means that the nose of the board is different than the tail. These boards are mostly used to carve through powder, which is why the nose is always wider than the tail. Freeride snowboards are very maneuverable, which makes it a good choice for beginners, but not the best out of all three types. These boards are for the person who has a little bit of experience and wants to ride all types of terrain.

Another type of snowboard is for people who strictly want to go down the mountain as fast as possible or want to compete in races. Alpine snowboards are the ones seen mostly in the Olympics in the downhill events. They are the snowboards that have a flat tail and a rounded tip that enables the rider to perform hard, sharp turns. The bindings are also pointed forward to help the rider carve easier through gates in downhill races. Also, instead of using regular soft snowboarding boots, the boots are more like ski boots, hard shelled, and they lock into the bindings instead of being strapped into them. These boards are not recommended for beginners, because of a steeper learning curve, but if the interest in snowboarding is to race, then this board is the only board needed.

Completely opposite of the alpine board, the freestyle board is perfect for people just learning to snowboard. With its flexibility and its short length, this board is easy for beginners because it is very responsive and much easier to turn on than other snowboards. Besides beginners, a freestyle board is perfect for the rider who wants