ALL ABOUT SNOWBOARDING

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SNOWBOARD

  • Nose: the nose corresponds to the front of the snowboard, i.e. from the top of your snowboard to your binding.
  • Shoe : the shoe corresponds to the width of the board between your feet. To help you know it, you will find the diagram below on each Alpinstore product sheet.
  • Tail : the tail corresponds to the back of the snowboard, i.e. from your back foot to the end of the board.

  • Edges: located on both sides of the sole and allow for a series of turns.
    • Frontside square: for turns where you look at the top of the track.
    • Backside square: for turns where you look down the track
  • Sole: lower part of the snowboard, which is in contact with the snow. It allows to slide and to go more or less fast.
  • Inserts: The inserts are the insertion points on the board, which allow the different types of fasteners to be screwed in.
  • Camber: there are several types of camber, each adapted to the desired practice.
    • Traditional camber
      • There is a point of contact at the front (nose) and at the back (tail) of the board. The skate (between the feet) is raised.
      • This camber allows excellent sensations
      • This ensures reactivity and stability.
    • Reverse camber
      • The lowest point of the board is in the center since the two ends of the board are bent.
      • With this camber, edge faults are less frequent.
      • The board is tolerant and playful underfoot.
      • Turns are easy to initiate
      • Ideal camber for freestyle and can be found on beginner boards.
    • Flat camber
      • The board is completely flat, from nose to tail.
      • This camber allows a better grip, a better reactivity and a better stability.
      • It is ideal for all mountain
    • Camber gullwing (W)
      • With this camber, you will have 3 rocker zones (nose/skate/tail), which makes the board playable, forgiving and powder bearing.
      • It allows an excellent reactivity
    • Cambre + rocker
      • The board comes with two rockers: one in nose (front) and one in tail (back).
      • The camber is classic between the inserts
      • This model ensures stability and reactivity.
      • Ideal for freeride and all mountain
  • Shape : there are several forms of snowboarding which are also adapted according to the practice.
    • Twin Shape
      • This one is 100% symmetrical, which makes it possible to ride switch as well as regular (forward and backward).
      • Most popular freestyle form
    • Twin directional shape
      • This one is symmetrical but the inserts are slightly offset towards the back of the board, to bring more performance on hard and fresh snow.
      • Ideal shape for the all mountain
    • Directional Shape
      • This one has offset inserts on the back for a longer nose (front) and therefore for a better lift in fresh snow.
      • This shape still allows an excellent grip on groomed trails.
      • Ideal shape for freeride and track as it provides stability at high speeds.

THE DIFFERENT PRACTICES OF SNOWBOARDING

  • Piste: snowboarding on piste is defined by descents on marked and groomed slopes. This practice which is accessible to all can be practiced by children as well as adults, from beginners to experts. To please the greatest number of people and cater for all levels, there are four colors of piste: green/blue/red/black (from the easiest to the most difficult). Here, the snowboarder will make turns on the same type of snow.
  • All mountain: Snow all mountain is defined by descents on all types of terrain, whether on groomed slopes, the edge of the slope or off-piste. This practice also takes into account all types of snow, i.e., smooth, crusted, bumpy or fresh, it is accessible from the intermediate level since it requires a minimum of technicality. Here, the snowboarder will make turns on groomed and ungroomed slopes.
  • Freeride : Freeride snowboarding is defined by descents on terrain where the snow is not groomed and often where there are no tracks. This practice, which is accessible for confirmed to expert levels, requires physical effort as well as technical skills. Since off-piste skiing is not secured, it is important to have notions or to know perfectly the environment as well as the security rules. Here, the trajectories are free.
  • Freestyle : Snow freestyle is defined by the execution of jumps and tricks whether in snow parks or off-piste (backcountry). This acrobatic practice is like all other disciplines, accessible for all ages. Here, the snowboarder will perform jumps/module and will do slide bars/ramps.

To help you to know the practices of each snowboard, you will find the diagram below on each Alpinstore product sheet :

THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE SNOWBOARDER

  • Beginner: A beginner snowboarder is a person who has never snowboarded before or has snowboarded very few times. This person will therefore make edge errors even if the practice is only on groomed slopes and a gentle slope.
  • Intermediate: the intermediate snowboarder is a person who is apprehensive about speed and slope variations and still lacks confidence. In this case, the snowboarder feels the pleasure of sliding, which is mainly on groomed slopes. The intermediate snowboarder presents himself with a technical base since he is able to move around and be autonomous on gentle slopes.
  • Confirmed: the confirmed snowboarder is a person at ease with his equipment, who controls his board and his trajectories as well as his speed. They are comfortable on all terrains, whether the snow is packed or not. He/she makes no/few edge errors and will pick up speed without hesitation.
  • Expert: the expert snowboarder is a person who has a technical level that allows him/her to find pleasure in all situations. He goes everywhere and does not make any edge mistakes. Curious about the different families of equipment and the different settings, this snowboarder will try several cambers and/or several shapes to find his happiness.

YOUR SNOWBOARD IS SELECTED ACCORDING TO FOUR MAIN CRITERIA

Attention, it is important to note that your morphology is essential in the choice of the size of your snowboard. If you are, for example, small and strong / tall and thin / other atypical morphologies, you will have to adapt the size of your board. The information below is for information only.

YOUR PRACTICE

  • Piste: to be an excellent snowboarder on piste, you need adapted equipment. Ideally, your snowboard should meet the following criteria:
    • Excellent grip
    • Don't be too wide to keep a good handling but be careful of protruding toes! Your shoe size is determining on the choice of the width of the board.
    • In this range of products, you will find our snowboards Nidecker
  • All mountain : To have fun on all types of snow, it is imperative that your snowboard comes with :
    • Versatility to be able to go as much to the right as to the left, on groomed and non-groomed slopes.
    • Whether it is medium long: You have to find the right balance between grip, handling and buoyancy.
    • In this product range you will find our snowboards Burton
  • Freeride: a freeride snowboard must be perfectly suited to this crazy and committed practice. To do so, it should ideally have :
    • Rigidity for an incredible reactivity
    • Longer length for better stability
    • A directional profile + rocker for a better de-icing in powder snow
    • Please note that freeride boards are often very efficient.
    • In this range of products, you will find our snowboards Nitro, our snowboards Jones.
  • Freestyle : to be able to jump and get laid, you need a snowboard adapted to this practice and this one must :
    • Have a twin-tip profile (symmetrical) to be able to ride in both directions.
    • Slightly shorter for more maneuverability and to be playful.
    • Being reactive therefore +/- rigid
    • In this range of products, you will find our snowboards Rossignol.

YOUR LEVEL

  • Snowboard for a beginner level: a beginner will be able to evolve and link turns on packed snow. For this, he needs a flexible snowboard for incredible handling and not having too much physical effort to make. It must also be stable with a light camber or flat camber.
  • Snowboard for an intermediate / confirmed level: the board for this level must be in the ideal, as progressive as possible to accompany you everywhere, whatever the conditions. It must allow good control and excellent grip.
  • Snowboard for an expert level: a person of excellent level must select his board according to his practice and should ideally be oriented towards a board that is precise, reactive and that ensures stability at high speed.

YOUR SIZE : Attention, this information is for information only!

As you may have understood, the choice of the size of your snowboard depends on the practice but also on your level. To make your choice easier, Alpinstore offers you this table, which presents the ideal size of your snowboard, according to the two main criteria. To help you, Alpinstore offers you a size guide, have a look!

 

Beginner

Intermediate

Confirmed

Expert

All mountain (piste/off-piste)

20 to 25cm less

20 to 25cm less

15 to 20cm less

15 to 20cm less

Freeride

15 to 20cm less

15 to 20cm less

10 to 20cm less

10 to 20cm less

Freestyle

20 to 25cm less

20 to 25cm less

15 to 20cm less

15 to 20cm less

YOUR SIZE

Today the world of snowboarding has evolved a lot and offers you models adapted to your morphology, especially in terms of board width. It is essential to choose a board adapted to your foot size. Here are a few tips to help you:

  • From 250 to 255mm: for standard feet (41 to 43.5)
  • 255 to 260cm : mid wide (44 to 45)
  • >260cm: wide (45+)

On Alpinstore, you will find the wider boards (called Wide) in the size scroll and/or in the product reference, present under the title of the product sheet. Indeed, when a board is "wide", there is a "W" displayed.

TO SUMMARIZE

As you will have understood, snowboarding is complex because it takes into account many criteria. In order to choose the right snowboard that will suit you, here are the four criteria to take into account:

  • Define your practice (piste, all mountain, freeride, freestyle) to be able to orient yourself towards a range of adapted snowboards. Because as we explained above, the boards are different according to their activity.
  • Once you have defined your practice, it is important to evaluate your level. This will allow you to orient yourself towards coherent models with either a greater rigidity for maximum dynamism, or a more flexible board that will require less effort and technique to rotate.
  • Then it's time to choose the ideal size of your snowboard to make you happy all winter long. As explained several times, it will depend on your practice, your level and your size. The size of your feet is therefore essential!

You know everything about snowboarding so go to Alpinstore to find the board that makes you dream. Let's Ride! Find all our snowboards and all our snowboard packs (snow + bindings).