Snowboards Types | BoardPictures.com

Snowboards come in several different styles, depending on the type of riding intended:

Racing/Alpine: long, stiff to very stiff, hard boots, slightly waisted, directional.
Freeride: waisted, sometimes flexible, medium to long length, soft boots, directional.
All-Mountain: waisted, varying flexes and lengths, soft boots, sometimes slightly directional, meant to perform well as a Freeride and Freestyle board.
Swallow-Tail: Generally a wider board that as a split running down its tail, which gives it the general look of a swallow's tail. These boards are made specifically for use in powder.
Split: Not to be confused with the swallow-tail, the split board consists of a stable powder board that can be broken down into two touring skis, for use in deep backcountry conditions
Fish Shape: A shorter, wider board with a tapered tail designed to eliminate leg fatigue in deep powder
Freestyle (rails): waisted, flexible, short, soft boots, twin-directional, light.
Freestyle (pipe): waisted, semi-stiff, medium length, soft boots, either twin-directional or directional, light, deep sidecuts.

Snowboards are constructed of a wood core and laminated with fiberglass. The front or "nose" of the board is upturned, to help the board glide over uneven snow; the back or "tail" of the board may be more or less upturned to enable backwards (switch or switchstance) riding. The base (the side of the board that touches the snow) is covered with a plastic called p-tex, which is typically sintered to help it absorb wax, which helps it slide faster. The edges of the base are fitted with a steel edge, just a couple millimeters square, which helps the board grab the snow when tipped up on edge. The top of the board typically sports graphics designed by board makers to attract riders to their boards. Flite Snowboards, an early and often underquoted designer, pressed the first closed-molded boards from a garage in Newport, RI in the mid-80's, well before Burton did it. Snowboard topsheet graphics can be a highly personal statement and many riders spend many hours customizing the look of their boards. The base of the board may also feature graphics, often designed to make the manufacturer recognisable in photos.

Length - Boards for children are as short as 90 centimeters; boards for racers, or "alpine" riders, are as long as 215 cm. Most people ride boards in the 140-165 cm range. It is a myth that the height of the rider dictates the length of the snowboard. Rather, snowboards correspond to the weight of the rider, and a board length should be selected so the rider falls in the middle of the manufacturer's weight range for that model and size. The longer the board, the more stable it is at high speed, but also a bit tougher to control. Another factor riders consider when selecting a snowboard 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 of the board, since the nose and tail width varies with the sidecut and taper. 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. Riders with larger feet (US size 10+) may have problems with narrower boards, as they have substantially less surface area along the edges. As a result, a rider's toes and/or heels may extend over the edge of the board, and interfere with the board's ability to make turns once it is set on edge, or 'get hung up on the snow.' This is called toe/heel-drag, and can be cured by either choosing a wider board (26cm or more), adjusting the stance angle, or a combination of the two.
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 affects the board's handling. The curve has a radius that might be a short as 5 meters on a child's board or as large as 17 meters on a racer's board. Most boards use a sidecut radius between 8-9 meters. Shorter sidecut radii (tighter turns) are generally used for halfpipe riding while longer sidecut radii (wider turns) are used for freeride/alpine/racing riding. The newest development in sidecuts was the introduction of Magne Traction by LibTech which incorporates seven bumps on each side of the board which LibTech speculates will improve edge holding.
Flex - The flexibility of a snowboard affects its handling and typically varies with the rider's weight. Usually a softer flex makes turning easier while a harder flex makes the board more stable at high speed. There is no standard way to quantify snowboard stiffness, but novices tend to prefer softer flex, racers stiffer flex, and everyone else something in between.
Tail/nose width - Many freestyle boards have equal nose/tail specs for equal performance either direction. Freeride and alpine boards, however, have a directional shape with a wider and longer nose. Boards designed for powder conditions exaggerate the differences even more for more flotation on the powder.

Safety of snowboards

Injuries for snowboarders occur at statistically the same rate as for alpine skiers, and like skiing injuries usually occur when a rider attempts something beyond their abilities. While injuries can occur to any part of the body, a large percentage occurs to the wrist, elbows and shoulders. Snowboard-related injury accounts for 100,000 of the wrist fractures in the world each season. While the best insurance against injury is to head to very gentle slopes and take a step-by-step approach to learning, it can also help to wear a helmet and wrist guards.

A professional lesson, or a day spent with a skilled friend is highly recommended. It is worthy of note that many of the worlds pros began on old equipment, riding on very small hills. Time not money will make a skilled, safe snowboarder. As with learning to ski, professional instruction is a good idea to learn quickly and easily. Beginners should start on very gentle slopes with soft snow conditions, even if they're a good alpine skier.