With the enormous variety of snowboards available on the market, how do you choose the right snowboard shape for your riding style?
There are a few key questions you can ask yourself to help narrow down which board will best serve you.
This article will walk you through those questions so that by the end of it, you’ll know exactly which kind of board to choose.
Directional or Twin, which to choose?
The two main categories of snowboard shape are directional and twin.
In a nutshell, twin snowboards feel and work identically with either the nose or tail pointed downhill, whereas, directional snowboards are designed to work best with their noses pointed downhill.
For a full rundown on the differences between directional and twin snowboards, check out our article Directional vs Twin Snowboards Explained.
Do I ride more switch or natural?
The first and most important question to ask yourself is, “Do I want switch riding to feel as easy as natural?”
This question will inform whether you choose a directional or a twin shaped snowboard, which are the two main categories of snowboard shape.
To make sure that we’re all on the same page, let’s begin by quickly defining switch and natural riding:
- Natural riding means snowboarding in the stance that feels best to you, either goofy, i.e., with your right leg forward, or regular, with your left leg forward.
- Switch riding means snowboarding in the opposite stance to your natural stance. For example, if you’re a goofy snowboarder riding switch, you’ll be riding with your left leg forward.
Of course most directional snowboards are twin-tipped, meaning they can be ridden tail first without digging into the snow, however their design, the way they bend, feel, and perform is optimal with the nose going downhill first.
Twin snowboards are designed to bend, feel, and perform identically whether they have their nose or tail pointed downhill first, making them ideal for switch riding.
What is your riding style?
I’ve always found it difficult to define my riding style, because I enjoy different things on different days. Maybe you find it challenging too?
Some questions we can ask ourselves are:
- What type of terrain do I like to ride?
- How do I like to ride that terrain? Playfully? Powerfully? Somewhere in between?
Like me, your answers to these questions will likely change from day to day, largely depending on the given snow conditions. That’s OK and completely normal.
Because these answers can vary, some snowboarders have a quiver of boards so that they can choose the best board to support their chosen style of the day. Other snowboarders, like me, choose a sort of jack-knife snowboard which can handle anything.
Let’s explore the questions mentioned above in a little more detail.
What type of terrain do I like to ride?
The three main realms of terrain are:
- Groomed runs, including green to black steepnesses.
- Ungroomed runs, including moguls, powder, trees, and steeps.
- Parks.
Bearing in mind the importance of switch riding in your style, generally speaking, there is a best shape for each of the realms of terrain mentioned above.
Groomed and ungroomed terrain is best ridden on directional snowboards because of our tendency to ride that type of terrain in our natural stance.
When it comes to powder, directional snowboards can have a variety of shapes including:
- Tapered tails where the nose is wider than the tail to improve float;
- Cutout tails, such as swallow tails which make the tail sink and the nose float.
Park is best handled with a twin, due to the versatility they provide in taking off or landing either natural switch with optimal and equal control.
Both twin and directional boards come in a variety of stiffnesses and profiles, each with a different purpose.
Read More: Best Snowboards for Carving Groomers
Read More: Best Freestyle Boards for Park and Side-Hits
Playful or powerful snowboarding style?
These two styles are often related to speed and maneuvers.
Picture a snowboarder riding with fast, open turns with grace and style while carving lines through bumps and choppy terrain rather than around it; this is powerful riding.
Now picture a snowboarder going more slowly than the rider above while they change the size and shape of their turn to match the changes in terrain during their descent; this is playful riding.
Powerful riding is often executed in a rider’s natural stance to make sure they stay in control at higher speeds, meaning they’ll be best served with a directional snowboard.
Playful riding calls for versatility in turn shape, size, and stance. A playful rider might be well matched with the versatility offered by a twin snowboard.
To help pinpoint whether your riding style is more powerful or playful, ask yourself the question, “Do I like ripping down a hill as fast as I can? Or do I like to play with terrain features on my down?”
Conclusion
Taking a bit of time to ask yourself some fundamental questions about your style will help you to determine which snowboard shape is best for you: directional or twin?
What type of terrain do you like to ride the most? Would you say you’re a more powerful or playful snowboarder?
It should be reiterated that the answer to these questions can change depending on the snow conditions, and so can your snowboard.
Alongside choosing a shape to match your style, other factors that should be considered are the flex and profile of the board.
