Freeride Vs. Freestyle Boards

The 2 extremes in the range of board types are Freeride and Freestyle.

Freeride
Freeride snowboarding, where the focus is on riding cleanly and enjoying the freedom to ride anywhere without focusing on technical tricks or racing. Freeride boards are usually medium to long length and may be less flexible than a Freestyle board.

Freestyle
Freestyle snowboarding is the practice of doing different kinds of tricks on a snowboard. Freestyle snowboards are typically shorter, softer boards.

All Mountain
All Mountain boards are designed to perform moderately well for both rider types. These boards are meant to perform well as a Freeride and Freestyle board.

In general an All Mountain board is the best choice for a newbie that is just learning to ride.

Board Measurements

Length
Measured from the board's nose to tail. Typical adult boards range from 140 to 165 cm in length.

Selection of a board's length is partly based on the weight of the rider. The longer the board, the more stable it is at high speed, but also a bit tougher to control.

Snowboarding-Essentials.com has a good chart to determine the suggested board length based on the rider's weight.

Another factor riders consider when selecting a snowboard's length is the type of riding it will be used for, freestyle boards being shorter than all-mountain boards.

Width
The width is typically measured at the waist, or middle, of the board. Freestyle boards are up to 28 cm wide, to assist with balance. Alpine boards are typically 18-21 cm wide, although they can be as narrow as 15 cm. Most folks ride boards in the 24-25 cm range.

About "Wide" Boards
Riders with larger feet can have problems with the toes or heels overhanging the side of the board causing them to drag in turns. Some boards come in a "Wide" version to accomidate these riders. Riders with a shoe size of 10 or 11 should consider a "Wide" board. A "Wide" board is a must for riders with a shoe size of 12 or greater.

Flex
The flexibility of a snowboard effects its handling. A flexible board turns easier while a stiffer board will be more stable at high speeds.

Beginners will want to start with a more flexible board.

Sidecut
The edges of the board are symmetrically curved concavely, so that the width at the tip and tail is greater than the center. This curve aids turning and effects the board's handling.

Most boards use a sidecut radius between 8-9 meters. Shorter sidecut radii (tighter turns) are generally used for freestyle riding while longer sidecut radii (wider turns) are used for freeride riding.

Tail/Nose Width
Many freestyle boards have equal nose/tail specs for equal performance either direction.

Freeride boards have a wider and longer nose. Boards designed for riding on powder exaggerate the differences even more for more flotation on the powder.

Bindings

Bindings are fixed to the board and are used to "bind" the rider's feet to the board.

There are several types of bindings in use today.
The two most common bindings found on beginner and intermediate rider's boards are Strap In and Step In Bindings.

Strap In Bindings
These are by far the most common bindings today. These bindings use 2 straps to hold the rider's boots to the board. The straps are tightened over the top of the boots using ratchets or buckles.

Step In Bindings
Many rental setups employ Step in Bindings. These bindings work by engaging hardware built into the riders boots.

There are several styles of Step In Bindings and they are not cross compatable. The impact of this is that the hardware in the rider's boot must match that of the binding. This significantly limits the rider's boot selection options.

Finally, Step in Bindings tend to be less responsive than Strap In Bindings. This reduces the rider's abilitiy to initiate turns.

Boots

For riders using Strap In Bindings there is a wide variety of boots on the market today.

Riders with Step In Bindings will need to ensure that their boots are compatable with their bindings.

Choosing Snowboard Boots

When choosing snowboard boots it is important to try on as many different brands as you can so you can get a feel for how each of them fit.

Like sneakers, all brands of snowboard boots will conform to your feet differently. Lace them up when you try them on. You don't ride with them unlaced do you?

Lean forward once you have the snowboard boot laced up, bending your knees and ankles.

Your toes should come off the end slightly.

Your heel should be snug, not loose. Your heel will always rise when you are pushing down with your toe because the snowboard boot sole is stiff and won't flex.

Walk around the shop with the boots on to make sure that you don´t feel any excessive pressure or rubbing.

Ski shops
Your local ski shop is a good place to start your shopping. You'll find that the staff in most shops are very knowledgable, will take the time to answer all of your questions and will do their best to put you into the right equipment.

Shopping Online
There are many online stores that sell snowboarding equipment. Here you'll find the latest equipment as well as discontinued models and close outs.

Here's a list of some of my favorites:
SierraSnowboard.com
DogFunk.com
BackCountry.com
BackCountryOutlet.com
REI.com

Wait for the Sales
If you are on a budget and want to get the most for your money you'll find the best deals before the season starts (November or earlier) or at the end of the season (Mid February or later). During these times you can save 50% or more.

Online Auctions
Of course you shouldn't forget about eBay and Craig's List. If your careful you can find good deals on these sites. Just be sure to do a little bit of research on any equipment before you bid.

Snowboarding on the Web

There are plenty of snowboarding related web sites out there.
Here are a few from my bookmark list.

Learn to Snowboard

This article will take you through learning to snowboard in ten steps.