Snowboard Buying Tips Tips
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How to Choose a Snowboard
- If you stand your snowboard up on its end, the tip should come up somewhere around your nose.
- In general, the more you weigh the longer your board should be.
- Beginners should start with a smaller snowboard as it is easier to control. Intermediate and above riders can opt for a longer snowboard for more speed and stability.
- Riders who prefer the park and pipe will want a shorter snowboard to help them reduce their weight and spin easier. Freeriders who prefer carving and powder will want a longer snowboard to handle the speed and powder.
- When it comes to price, cheaper snowboards are usually geared for beginners and less aggressive riders and are easier to turn. As the price of the snowboard goes up, they tend to perform better and get stiffer with more high end materials in the construction.
- Snowboard width is very important. The snowboard must fit your boot size to reduce toe and heel drag. If you have a size 10 or larger boot, you may want to consider purchasing a wide snowboard that is specifically designed for riders with big feet.
Test Drive
Before buying a snowboard you should test out the different types out there. Find the one that is best for you before you purchase. Many shops offer demos programs where you can sample a few boards and then decide what to buy.
If you board a lot, it may be more cost effective to buy a board rather than continue to rent. Board and boot rental combos range from twenty dollars to thirty five dollars per day.
2005 Option Snowboards
Option snowboards are a tried and true brand out of Canada. With riders like Joni Makinen and Kevin Sansalone test riding each year's boards and even designing their own models, Option snowboards has been able to maintain a level of excellence above and beyond its competitors.
The 2005 Option snowboard lineup includes the following models:
- Option Reason Snowboard
- Option Sansalone Snowboard
- Option Williams Snowboard
- Option Mirror Snowboard
- Option Echo Snowboard
- Option Mendenhall Snowboard
- Option Influence Snowboard
- Option Makinen Snowboard
- Option Starr Snowboard
- Option Paloma Snowboard
- Option Redline Snowboard
- Option Booter Snowboard
- Option Vinson Snowboard
- Option Trinity Snowboard
- Option Pintail Legacy Snowboard
- Option Northshore Snowboard
- Option Signature SM Snowboard
- Option Bella Snowboard
- Option Supercharger Snowboard
- Option Freeplus Snowboard
- Option Supercap Snowboard
- Option Supercap Wide Snowboard
- Option Sweet Snowboard
- Option GT Snowboard
- Option Sweetie Snowboard
You Have the Option
Option manufactures a range of snowboards from the easy-to-use for beginners to boards fit for professionals. For example, the GT Option snowboard is a classic entry level all mountain performance board, designed for the rider who wants to learn to ride any terrain in all conditions with little resistance.
The GT helps riders learn to link turns easily with its mellow sidecut and soft flex pattern. GT is so popular, that Option added a female-specific version, the GT Girl. The Reason board is Option's ultimate high performance freestyle board for the experience freestyle rider who's constantly pushing their freestyle skills to the next level.
The Reason's sintered 4000 Indium/Gallium/Graphite base allows riders to reach maximum velocity when approaching jumps; the carbon triax ultra glass combined with the F. Light core makes this the lightest, strongest, most responsive, board in the Option line. The “Sig” (Signature) board is the staple of the Option line.
This freeride board is the choice for the rider looking for a reliable, durable, performance-enhancing board. The “Sig” is geared for the whole mountain.
2005 Rossignol Snowboards
Rossignol Snowboards are looking great for the 04/05 season. The Rossignol team includes rippers like Jeremy Jones Snowboard, Travis Rice Snowboard, Hana Beaman and JF Pelchat.
The 2005 Rossignol snowboard lineup includes:
- Rossignol Decoy Snowboard
- Rossignol Premier Snowboard
- Rossignol Alias Snowboard
- Rossignol Legion Snowboard
- Rossignol Amber Snowboard
- Rossignol Jonas Emery Snowboard
- Rossignol Jeremy Jones Snowboard
- Rossignol RS Snowboard
- Rossignol Travis Rice Snowboard
- Rossignol Avalon Snowboard
- Rossignol Scope Snowboard
- Rossignol Sultan Snowboard
- Rossignol Zena Snowboard
- Rossignol Diva Snowboard
- Rossignol Sonar Snowboard
- Rossignol Mini Pro Snowboard
- Rossignol Mini Pro 2 Snowboard
- Rossignol Mini Diva Snowboard
- Rossignol Scan Snowboard
- Rossignol Undertaker Snowboard
- Rossignol Judge
- Rossignol Circuit Rossignol District
Big Foot
Snowboards are built with three variables in mind.
- The first is terrain preference, which determines the board shape or outline.
- The second is foot size, which determines the width of the board.
- The third is the rider's weight, which will decide the length and flex pattern of the board.
Generally, the more you weigh, the longer your board can be. Also, the larger your foot size, the wider your board will need to be. And, heavier you are the greater you will want the sidecut of the board in order to turn effectively.
For example, if you weigh between 130-170 pounds and your foot size smaller than 24.5 (mondopoint measurement), you should ride a board between 140-150cm long, 23-24cm wide, and with a sidecut of 750-850cm.
These measurements are based on a freeride or freestyle boarder on higher slopes on big mountains. If you are riding smaller mountains and lower slopes, the length measurements and sidecut measurements will be smaller.
And You Are?
When buying a snowboard, you should know how much you weigh, where you will be boarding on what type of terrain most often. Tell this information to a store snowboard technician or salesperson and let them help you find the best board for you.
A new snowboard with bindings can cost anywhere from $250.00 to $700.00.
Where There's Smoke, There Is. . .
Smokin' Snowboards is a ten-year old company. Smokin' Snowboards were designed by Jay Quintin six years ago. He began constructing snowboards with slanted P-Tex sidewalls because he believed in the responding characteristics and impressive impact resistance of this design.
Smokin' Snowboards is the first company to do double angle sidewalls and they are the only manufacturer to use urethane tip/tail bumpers. Smokin' Snowboards' unique construction methods has now become part of industry standards. Do not be wary of trying these boards because they are new – they are great.
All Venues
The technology used by Venue snowboards is geared toward advanced style. Venue uses its own blend of glass, termed V2, in all their boards to create flex while providing maximum durability.
Venue snowboards employ full ABS slant sidewalls, and create full fusion between sidewall and wood core before the board enters the mold. This makes for an extremely durable sidewall and allows zero tolerance for shifting of the core and sidewalls during the production of the boards.
Venue is catering to riders who are looking for lighter boards yet needing them to be stronger than ever. To do this, Venue has added Carbon X reinforcements in the tip and tail sections of their boards for power transmission from binding to edge.
Dual carbon beams have also been placed vertically in the center of the boards to give them strength. Venue designers have developed dual wood core technology, which adds torsional stiffness and allows for more snap out of turns.
Ride With It
Ride snowboards are made with Noise Reduction Construction Technology. Ride has reduced the amount of vibration to create a more comfortable, controlled ride by removing core material and adding lighter than wood damp silencers.
Tuned CoresTM blend the strength, pop, and feel of wood with added damping materials and composites. Ride snowboards are unique because they feature a tapered core toward the tip and tail which helps reduce swing-weight for a thin, clean finish.
2005 Never Summer Snowboards
Never Summer snowboards are Hand made in the heart of the mountains around Denver, Colorado. NeverSummer snowboards are some of the most durable in the business and are backed with a 3 year warranty.
The 2005 Never Summer snowboard lineup includes the following models:
- Never Summer Premier Snowboard
- Never Summer Premier T5 Snowboard
- Never Summer Evo Snowboard
- Never Summer Legacy Snowboard
- Never Summer System Snowboard
- Never Summer Titan Snowboard
- Never Summer Infinity Snowboard Lady
A Tuned Ride
If you are thinking of buying a snowboard and want to know more about Ride snowboards:
Ride's Tuned CoresTM blend the strength of wood with damping composites. The cores are tuned for optimized snap and feel by the mixing of natural wood with high-energy carbon and glass and vibration absorbing damping layers. Ride invented and owns the Fusion Base TechnologyTM in which base material is fused together for a solid and fast ride.
The boards are lightweight, durable and true. Ride is also the pioneer of Wax-Content Base Technology - the base is saturated with wax during production so the board is always waxed and ready to ride. Carbon is used in many of Ride's boards to increase pop and liveliness with the benefits of strength and stiffness.
Go With the Flow
A Flow snowboard is excellent for any rider just starting out and any rider who wants a reliable, consistent, and all-mountain, all-terrain board.
One example of the versatility you can get with a flow snowboard is the Flow Infinite All-Mountain Snowboard. This board has great trench-carving rebound which is achieved through light quadrax and laminate construction. It has a dual transitional sidecut with a longer blend-zone to power through turns but allows just enough forgiveness for adaptability in quick-changing terrain.
With the stance set back, the board is fantastic in powder. This board has a medium to stiff flex for opportune transitions whether in back-country, quarter pipe, or sculpted terrain park feature. Flow snowboards are less technically specific, but more user, beginner, and buyer friendly.
2005 Arbor Snowboards
Arbor snowboards and Arbor longboards are some of the most innovative boards on the market today. Arbor snowboards and Arbor longboards are made from all natural Koa wood, and they have a distinctive look that really stands out from the rest. Of course they ride great as well. Arbor has a loyal following of riders.
The 2005 Arbor snowboard lineup includes the following models:
- Arbor A-Frame Snowboard
- Arbor Crossbow Snowboard
- Arbor Mystic Snowboard
- Arbor Draft Snowboard
- Arbor Element Snowboard
- Arbor Element Wide Snowboard
2005 Ride Snowboards
Ride Snowboards has a mission is to provide the most functional technology in order to progress rider performance through superior edge control. Examples of Ride's commitment to such high standards include their Noise Reduction Construction [NR Con], Industry Leading 3D Technology, Multi-Beam Design, Tuned CoresTM, and RideGlideTM Bases as seen throughout the 2005 line of Ride snowboards.
The 2005 Ride snowboard lineup includes the following models:
- Ride Business Snowboard
- Ride No. 4 Snowboard
- Ride Prophet Snowboard
- Ride Yukon Snowboard
- Ride Timeless Snowboard
- Ride Theory Snowboard
- Ride Leblanc Pro Snowboard
- Ride Kashmir Womens Snowboard
- Ride Nation Snowboard
- Ride DH Snowboard
- Ride Decade Snowboard
- Ride Decade Wide Snowboard
- Ride Vista Womens Snowboard
- Ride Havoc Snowboard
- Ride Kink Snowboard
- Ride Fleetwood Snowboard
- Ride Solace Womens Snowboard
- Ride Control Snowboard
- Ride Cue Snowboard
- Ride Menace Jr Snowboard
- Ride Lowride Girls Kids Snowboard
- Ride Lowride Kids Snowboard
Ski and Board
Rossignol is a ski company that has successfully broken into the snowboard market. Rossignol snowboards provide a core snowboard line-up that is easy to choose from and available for demo and rent at most mountains.
The Premier is one of Rossignol's mainstays and best-selling boards. It is an all around technical freestyle board that uses combo mat gloss varnish, a deep progressive sidecut, dual torsion box, pro 4.4 K, and triple hybrid core. Try this one out.
Teammates
Arbor snowboards are known for their signature wood top sheet made from resin that locks the dense wood fibers into place and creates a structural layer that makes the board stronger and more responsive. If you are looking for timeless style, look for Arbor snowboards with their sidewall sintered P-Tex technology pioneered by Never Summer snowboards which provides maximum durability and edge control.
Arbor snowboards boast a progressive triple radius sidecut for speed and landing stability with improved turn/spin initiation. Their structurn finish builds structure into the board's running surface, increasing turn ability and acceleration, and prevents a vacuum from forming between the board and the snow. Arbor uses gallium-indium additive and advanced UHMW sintered compound bases.
Always Winter
Never Summer is a comparably smaller snowboard company. However, with its solid product performance over the past few years, Never Summer snowboards are rising in popularity. Never Summer snowboards are the only boards in the industry backed by a three year warranty.
An Angled Ride
The trademarks of Ride snowboards are consistent manufacturing and industry leading features like:
- Base finish
- Lightweight durability
- 2 sidecuts: quadratic, radial
- 3 angles: 37, 45, and 90 degrees
- Aggression core; response core; versatility core; progression core;
- RideglideTM with gallium; gallium sinistered; true colorTM sinistered;
- Hybrid return energy aramid laminate glass;
- Biaxial top with triaxial base; triaxial top and bottom; biaxial top and bottom; carbonex;
- Linear reinforcement.
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| Heidi Splete |
