Snowboard Equipment Guide

Equipment Guide

When it comes to snowboards there is a whole range to choose from, all offering different design quirks. The type of snowboard you opt for will be dictated by both your ability as a boarder and the type of boarding you wish to attempt. Check out our guide on the three basic types of board:

Freestyle boards

This type of board is best for riders who want to attempt jumps, spins and tricks. Highly flexible and completely symmetrical, the multi-directional nature of the board means that riders can board backwards as well as forwards. The shorter nose and tails make the board spin faster and the shorter lengths will increase agility for park riding.

Freeride boards

Mainly designed for forward riding, these boards are perfect for all-mountain, all-terrain use with soft boots. Designed to be ridden at speed, the nose of the board is longer and higher than the tail and the stance will be set back, giving boarders some great floatation on the snow.

All mountain boards

The main draw for this type of board is the go anywhere and do anything possibilities it offers. All mountain boards are designed to perform in any type of terrain, perfect for the adventurous daredevils out there. The board is directional in shape, with the nose set slightly higher than the tail to provide a good level of floatation on the powder.

If you're a beginner, you may also want to invest in some extra protection for the slopes, to avoid causing yourself too much damage with those inevitable novice falls. To help, we've put together a few suggestions:

Wrist guards

As a beginner, the chances are that you're going to experience a lot of low impact falls. By adding support to your wrists, the guards will protect you when you fall and put your hands out. The additional support will make you less likely to suffer a break, sprain or general injury. When travelling slow, many beginners will be tempted to put out their hands to stop them from hitting the ground, so the wrist guards will remove any chance of causing damage in this instance.

Impact shorts

As pointed out above, as a beginner you're going to fall a fair few times, to avoid causing any serious damage, the impact shorts will provide padding where it's needed. Falling on the same spot continuously can cause the pain to build up, wearing the shorts will reduce or even eliminate the pain you feel each time you take a tumble.

Helmet

The helmet is becoming increasingly popular with boarders of all abilities, not just beginners. In fact, figures show that around 50% of boarders are adopting the hard head gear. Particularly useful for beginners, you'll find that you're quite prone to "caching an edge" and may quite frequently bang your head. Although wearing a helmet is largely optional, it has to be said that wearing one is safer than choosing not to.