How to Choose a Snowboard: A Snowboard Size Chart & Buying Guide
We totally get it—picking out your first (or second, or even third) snowboard can feel a little daunting. If sizing seems confusing and the various features just don’t make sense, there’s no need to worry—we’re here to help! This step-by-step guide will cover everything you need to know to find the perfect snowboard (including a handy snowboard size chart), so that you can step out onto the slopes in confidence.
First, let’s figure out how to calculate your snowboard size looking at these factors:
- Preferred Snowboard Terrain
- Snowboarding Style
- Rider Weight
- Snowboard Size Chart
Then we’ll look at the following to help you choose your snowboard:
- Rocker Vs Camber Vs Hybrid Profiles
- Parts of a Snowboard
- Snowboard Shape
- Snowboard Sidecut
What Type of Snowboard Should I Buy?
Step 1: Consider the Terrain You’ll Ride
Snowboards are designed with specific terrain in mind, and this is the first thing you’ll want to account for when choosing a snowboard. If you want to learn tricks in the park, you’ll likely want a different board than a rider who only wants to carve big sweeping turns. If you’re not sure about the terrain you want to ride most, don’t worry! One of the largest categories of snowboards on the market is made to act like a Swiss-Army knife, so you can truly experience all (of the) mountain. Here are the different types of snowboards and what terrain they’re designed for:
All-Mountain Snowboards
Terrain: Mellow groomed trails to trees, powder, and everything in between
Skill Level: All Skill Levels
One of the largest and most diverse snowboard categories, all-mountain boards are designed to perform anywhere in any condition. If you’ve never snowboarded before, or like all areas of the mountain equally, this is the type of board you’ll want to be on. They provide reliable performance in unpredictable conditions. But just because it does all things great, can mean it may not do one thing amazing. Meaning if you want a board to excel in on area, ex. powder, then you might opt for a powder board.
Freestyle Snowboards
Terrain: Hard-packed terrain, park snow, jumps, boxes, and rails
Skill Level: All Skill Levels
If spinning off jumps and sliding down handrails is what gets you excited about snowboarding, you’ll likely want to consider a freestyle board. They’re often built with both durability and agility in mind to make navigating the park easy, and most are quite flexible to ensure that they can be manipulated for certain tricks. These boards are also often twin-shaped, meaning that they can be ridden “switch” (both directions) to allow for a wider variety of tricks. While they may not be meant for super high speeds, they’re easy to turn and provide a forgiving ride that can be enjoyed even if the terrain park isn’t your ultimate goal.
Freeride Snowboards
Terrain: Steep trails, ungroomed terrain, and tree-heavy areas
Skill Level: Advanced - Expert
Ideal for riding fast and dominating the steep, natural terrain of the mountain, freeride snowboards are often catered to more experienced riders. These snowboards are typically stiffer and larger than average, and many are “directional” in shape. This means that there is a dedicated “nose” (front) and “tail” (back). Most often the nose of the board will be a bit wider, longer, and softer, giving the board more float so it won’t sink in deep powder. A stiffer and more blunt tail improves control when turning and stability at higher speeds.
Powder Snowboards
Terrain: Deep, Untouched Powder
Skill Level: Advanced - Expert
Powder boards are just what they sound like: snowboards dedicated to deep, fresh snow and terrain that’s not groomed by the resort. These boards are typically wider, keeping the rider from sinking deep into the snow by spreading their weight over a greater area. These boards are almost always directionally shaped (meant to be ridden one direction), with a long nose and shorter tail. This allows the front of the snowboard to “float” higher in the snow than the rear, much like how a speedboat floats on water.
What is my Snowboard Style?
Step 2: Consider Your Snowboard Style
Your personal style of snowboarding and your approach to the terrain around you can play a small (but important) role in determining your board size. Not to be confused with skill level, “style,” refers to how cautious or aggressive you are as a rider. There are many snowboarders with years of experience who prefer to ride cautiously just as there are plenty of first timers who can’t wait to go fast and carve hard.
Cautious Rider
A tendency to snowboard at slower speeds, with time largely spent on the mellower, wide-open trails. Most new riders tend to fall into either the “cautious” or “average” categories.
Average Rider
A fan of steeper and mellow runs alike, demanding terrain is an occasional treat. Never usually constantly at top-speed. If you’re still unsure about your category, or want to experience both sides, you won’t go wrong placing yourself into the “average” category.
Aggressive Rider
Often dreams of steep terrain, ungroomed areas, tree-dense slopes, and high speeds. Comfortable with frequently shifting their weight around and using their muscles to get maximum control out of their board. More athletic beginners with aspirations of demanding terrain can certainly consider themselves “aggressive” riders.
What Size of Snowboard Should I Get?
Step 3: Determine Your Snowboard Length
Now that you’ve decided on the terrain you’ll be riding most and your style, you’ll be able to calculate your snowboard size. While snowboard size can be roughly gauged by height, the most accurate way to determine your proper size is based on weight. Follow the chart below to find out what snowboard length you need to get out on the snow.
*Note: volume shifted boards are meant to be ridden 5-10cm shorter than your normal snowboard size.
Adult Snowboard Size Chart
|
Weight (lbs.) |
Beginner |
Intermediate |
Advanced |
|
100-109 |
134 |
140 |
144 |
|
110-119 |
138 |
142 |
146 |
|
120-129 |
142 |
145 |
148 |
|
130-139 |
144 |
148 |
152 |
|
140-149 |
148 |
150 |
154 |
|
150-159 |
150 |
154 |
156 |
|
160-169 |
152 |
154 |
158 |
|
170-179 |
154 |
156 |
160 |
|
180-199 |
156 |
158 |
162 |
|
200-219 |
158 |
162 |
164 |
|
220+ |
160 |
164 |
168 |
Adjust for Style
|
Cautious |
minus 2 cm |
|
Average |
no change |
|
Aggressive |
plus 2 cm |
Adjust for Terrain
|
Groomed/ Frontside |
no change |
|
All Mountain |
plus 2 cm |
|
All Mountain/ Powder |
plus 4 cm |
|
Freestyle/ Park |
minus 2 cm |
Other Factors for Snowboard Size:
Once you’ve found your snowboard size on the chart and made the correct adjustments for your style and terrain preference, you’re ready to go! Any board within 2 cm of that number should fit like a glove. If, for example, you ended up with 158 cm as your size, any snowboard within 156cm to 160cm will feel comfortable.
We recommend all beginners start with a board size based on the given chart, but we do want to note that once a rider reaches the intermediate and advanced stages, some opt to increase or decrease their board size slightly based on personal preference.
Do I Need a Wide Snowboard?
Wide snowboards are exactly what you’d think they are, and they exist to help riders with larger feet prevent the heels and toes of their boots from dragging on the snow. A “W” after the board size indicates that it’s a wide model and will likely be over 25.5 cm in width at the center. Every snowboard, however, will increase in width as it gets longer.
There isn’t a universal guideline of shoe size and snowboard width, but those with a shoe size of US 11 and up will typically feel more comfortable on a wider board. If you wear a size US 10 or 10.5 you’ll likely feel just fine on a non-wide board unless you’re very lightweight for your height. Nearly all riders in a size US 9.5 and below won’t need to consider a wide snowboard.
Snowboard Parts and Features
Now that you know your desired terrain, style, and board length, it’s time to go over a few parts and features that you’ll see mentioned quite often when shopping for snowboards. These are great to understand, and all of them change the feeling of a snowboard, but we’d also like to note that you don’t need to know the details of every single feature and measurement to have a great time out on the mountain.
- Tip/ Nose: Front end of the snowboard that curves up and away from the snow.
- Waist: Narrowest part of the snowboard between the bindings.
- Tail: Back end of the snowboard, opposite the nose.
- Sidewalls: Material on the sides of the board above the metal edges.
- Edges: Metal that runs along the sides of the snowboard.
- Core: The unseen center of the board, often made of wood.
- Laminates: Any additional materials placed around the core, often fiberglass.
- Topsheet: Very top of the board that’s seen while riding.
- Base: Polyurethane bottom of the board that glides on top of the snow.
- Inserts: Screw-holes that are used to mount the bindings to the snowboard.
Snowboard Shapes
Twin:
Snowboards come in many shapes, but the most common are “twin” shapes and slight variations of them. A twin-shaped board is one that’s symmetrical at the nose and tail, allowing the snowboard to be ridden in either direction with ease. This is great for learning and can help all riders get more comfortable with riding in their non-dominant stance.
Directional Twin:
Some snowboards, especially those in the freeride and all-mountain categories, are classed as “directional twin”. These shapes are intended to offer the same opposite-stance ease, but typically have a slightly larger or longer nose for a bit of added stability when riding regularly.
Dictional:
“Directional” shapes have a distinct shape with a dedicated nose and tail and are designed to be ridden in one direction. These boards typically have a longer pointed nose with a setback stance. Their ideal for going fast and propelling the rider into their turns -- the larger nose is also great for surfing in powder.
Snowboard Flex
The flex of a snowboard makes a massive impact on performance. Some brands will list this as a number on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the softest and 10 being the stiffest. Other brands will simply spell out how flexible a board is, ex. “medium-soft”.
Softer Snowboards: Are easy to manipulate, making them ideal for new, cautious riders. A softer flex is also often preferred for rail riders, as it can make certain tricks easier. While these boards tend to be more forgiving, they aren’t quite as stable at high speeds or on very demanding terrain.
Stiffer Snowboards: Take more effort to manipulate and can be tiring to ride for those who aren’t used to them, but these boards are far more capable of performing well on large, difficult terrain. They can handle high speeds and big drops, and thus are favored by more advanced riders.
Snowboard Camber Profiles
A snowboard’s camber profile refers to the shape of the snowboard when viewed from the side. Most snowboards are not completely flat, instead rising in certain points along their length to give the board a variety of desirable properties, such as increased grip or more forgiving turns.
Camber
Traditional camber features a high point between the nose and tail, with two main contact points on the snow. The rise between contact points varies between different models of snowboards, with some being quite high (or aggressive) while others are short and mellow. This profile provides excellent pop, grip on ice, and stability at high speeds. They typically don’t provide much float in deep powder, and they can be a tad bit harder to turn for beginners.
Reverse Camber/ Rocker
Reverse camber, also called “rocker”, refers to snowboards that are shaped in a continuous upward arc. These snowboards are easy to turn, float well in deep snow, and make getting into presses on rails and boxes easier. However, they’re the least stable at high speeds and provide relatively low grip on icy surfaces.
Flat/ Zero Camber
Just like the name implies, flat or zero camber snowboards are completely flat between nose and tail. These boards provide a happy medium between reverse and traditional camber boards and are great options for beginners or riders who don’t quite know what terrain they prefer just yet.
Hybrid Camber
Anything that doesn’t fall into one of the previous categories would be classified as a hybrid camber snowboard. They’ve become increasingly more common in the past decade, aiming to provide the best of all camber profiles in a single shape. These vary widely in construction and intended performance, so it’s important to read up on what the intended use of the particular snowboard is.
Snowboard Sidecut & Turning Radius
The sidecut of the snowboard refers to the arc on each side of the board that can be seen when looking at it from a top-down angle. This element of a snowboard’s design is what allows the board to turn. A more pronounced sidecut will be a lower number, with more “mellow” sidecuts being larger numbers. It may help to think of a circle, with part of it overlapping a snowboard. As that circle becomes smaller, the curve becomes less gradual.
Smaller sidecuts are more agile and reactive, lending themselves to quicker turning. Larger sidecuts aren’t as quick to turn but can be more stable at high speeds.
You may also come across different types of sidecuts, which have become more common in recent years. These are meant to improve performance in various ways, often by improving traction or offering easier turn initiation. These are handy for riders of all skill levels, so don’t be afraid to try one out!
Radial
The standard “round” sidecut that was explained above.
Asymmetrical
Different sidecuts on the toe and heel-edge of the snowboard to compensate for often-slower turn of the heel-edge.
Multi-Radius
A combination of radii on each edge, meant to provide the best of both deep and mellow sidecuts.
Magne-Traction®/ Serrated Edge
A wavy looking sidecut that’s designed to grip better on hard icy terrain.
Snowboard Base Types
Snowboard bases come in two main types: “extruded” and “sintered”. They’re both made of the same material, but the differences in construction does make a difference in performance. Neither is outright superior to the other, and different riders require different bases.
Extruded Bases
Nearly all beginner snowboarders will start off on a board with an extruded base. These boards are less expensive, easier to maintain, and can still be more than fast enough.
Sintered Bases
Sintered bases are denser and require far more care to maintain, and they’re usually only offered on more expensive models. However, they are faster than extruded bases when they’re properly waxed. Racers and speed-demons love them, but those who don’t want to wax their board often will enjoy an extruded base much more.
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