The decision whether to rent, buy used, or buy new has little to do with your skill level and everything to do with how frequently you ride (or plan to ride)
Renting
If you are just trying snowboarding out and are not sure if you’re going to be into it, renting is probably a good idea for your very first time or until you know if you want to stick with it.
Or maybe you’re no stranger to snowboarding but you only do it once a year while visiting grandma. If you only ride once a year it will probably be cheaper to rent a board.
Buying Used
Buying used gear can be a great option if you’re rolling on a budget and you plan to ride a few times throughout the year. You can look for used boards at used sporting goods stores, swap meets, or online marketplaces. Price is the primary advantage to buying used, however you will have less options and might have to shop around more. You’ll also want to make sure you inspect the board for any gnarly damage or core shots.
Buying New
If you ride (or plan to) a dozen or more times per season, looking at new gear is probably the move for you. When you buy new you’ll have much more variety of options and it will be easier to get the perfect size. Buying new is also much easier than searching through used gear and having to be your own expert. Instead, you can go into your local boardshop and talk to experts who can fit you with the right board, boots, and bindings. Having the right fit will play a major roll in your experience on the hill so you don’t want to take it lightly.
Ultimately, whatever gets you riding is a great thing! Everyone from once a year riders to every week riders just need a board that is suits their needs. Whatever equipment you get, make sure you’re setting yourself up for success and a great time.
]]>When talking about camber vs rocker, we are talking about the profile shape of the board, or how the board curves when you look at it from the side.
Camber
Traditionally snowboards have had what is called positive camber, meaning if you lay the board on a flat surface, the center will rise off of the surface and the board will only be touching the surface out by the nose and tail. (Fig. 1)
Rocker
Rocker boards came around in the early-mid 2000’s as an alternative to the traditional camber board. Unlike camber which rises in the center, a rocker board rises at each end (Fig. 2)
Camber Pro’s
Rocker Pro’s
Knowing what you are looking for in a board is the last step to deciding what board profile is for you. Camber boards are sharp and responsive for intermediate to advanced riders who want to carve tight and fast and have lots of pop in their ollies or off jumps. Rocker boards are forgiving for beginners learning to ride and buttery for intermediate to advanced jibbers who love to ride boxes and rails.
]]>Where do you snowboard?
Where you ride most makes a difference in what board you should buy. Do you ride a Midwest hill with a couple lifts and a tow rope, or do you ride a mountain with enough runs to never hit the same run twice? If you ride in the Midwest all season you will not need a big expensive powder board. If you are lucky enough to live in a place that gets tons of powder, you want to take that into consideration while choosing a board. Powder boards are typically wider with a bigger nose and are a bit more expensive. If you ride at a resort with perfectly groomed hills all day every day, you will want a board that turns easy and rides smooth.
What terrain do you ride?
Do you like to keep your board on the snow, or do you spend your days at the terrain park hitting rails and jumps? Some riders are all about tight carves down long runs. It’s a great feeling to be speeding downhill while your board glides over the snow with perfect control. Other riders like to get technical on the terrain park. Jibbers like to hit rails all day and need a soft, buttery board, while riders who prefer jumps need a little tighter control and responsiveness in their board.
How often do you ride?
Are you a sometimes slasher, a weekend warrior, or a daily destroyer? How often you ride plays a role in deciding what kind of snowboard you need. If you ride a few times a year, when you are on vacation, you can be comfortable with a less expensive, beginner level board for a long time. If you ride almost every day or weekend, snowboarding is probably your primary sport or hobby. If that’s the case, it’s worth investing in a more advanced board that will suit you even when you take your skills to the next level.
What’s your height and weight?
Boards come in all different sizes based on your height and weight and riding style. Boards are measured in centimeters but there is no perfect height to boards size ratio. The general rule is that if you stand your board up vertically, the nose would be somewhere between your chin and nose. If you are a park rider, you may want to err on the shorter side so you get max control in the park, and if you want maximum stability while carving at high speed, you want to err on the longer side. The weight range recommendation for a board is just as important as the length of the board. All boards are constructed differently are built with various levels of flex. If you are too light for a board, you are not going to be able to flex it as the manufacture intended. Likewise, if you are too heavy for a board it might be too flexible. Most manufactures give a weight range for their boards on the info tag or on the manufacturers website.
We’d love to help get you choose the right snowboard at Help Boardshop. One of our shop pro’s can get you fitted for a board and answer any questions that you might have. Please drop us an email at helpboardshop@jsaw.org to set up a snowboard fitting in our Edina store, right up the street from Hyland Hills.
]]>