Snowboard Guide - Choosing a Beginners Snowboard

As a lot of our precious readers are beginners looking to purchase their first snowboard we thought we’d write an article aimed to help all you beginners out there to choose the perfect board for learning; in essence a board that will take you from making your first turns to taking your first laps in the park. Anyway, as I’ve been a BASI snowboard instructor for the past three years there seems nobody better placed, within the editorial team, to give you a bit of advice. Below are ten important check-points that you should consider before you part with your hard-earned cash.

1) Length – When stood on its nose or tail the opposing end of the board should sit level with somewhere between your chin and mouth.

2) Width – Your feet should have minimal overhang over the edge of the board. If your feet are larger than average (Guys UK 9.5/US 10.5…..Girls UK 7/ US 9.5) then you should consider a mid-wide or wide board.

3) Bindings/Stance – Make-sure that board you are buying works with your bindings, or the bindings that you are about to buy. For instance; a lot of Burton boards only work with Burton bindings. Also, make sure that the stance options on the board are wide-enough for your stance.

4) Flex – Softer boards with a biaxial glass weave will be easier to control as a beginner, but if you are a fast learner or experienced beginner then you may want to consider a slightly firmer board with a triaxial weave for added stability.

5) Profile – Zero camber and hybrid rocker/camber boards are generally easier to control as they combine the benefits of both rocker (reverse camber) and camber. These boards will be easier to turn and control at low speeds and will be more forgiving; soft-flexing cambered boards should feel similar.

6) Edge-Technology – Magne Traction and Ultimate Grip are not necessary additions on a beginner board as they may feel slightly sketchy and overly grippy on skidded turns. Stick to normal Steel edges until you are a little more experienced.

7) Shape – It’s best to stick to a board with a freestyle/all-mountain shape to begin with. Jib-specific boards may feel sketchy and unstable at higher speeds and freeride-specific decks will feel stiff, difficult to manoeuvre at low speeds and ungainly. A directional-twin shape is perfect for a beginner board.

8) Cost – As a beginner you should be looking to spend between £200 and £300 (US $250 - $400). In-fact over-spending on your first board can be counterproductive, for instance a more expensive board will almost definitely have a high grade sintered base. High grade sintered bases require lots of maintenance to keep them slippery, a cheaper extruded base will remain slick even when you’ve forgotten to get it waxed for a month. Also, don’t be afraid to find yourself a bargain board from last season, you won’t benefit enormously from having the latest technology. By purchasing a ‘last seasons’ model you could save yourself around 1/3 of the cost.

9) Graphics – Don’t let the graphics on a board force you into making the wrong purchase. Remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

10) Boots & Bindings – Whatever board you buy make-sure that you spend as much time and effort purchasing decent boots and bindings as they can often make the difference between a fun day on the hill or an agonisingly painful day on the hill!

Below are some of this seasons boards that we reckon are perfect for beginners:

Posted by Tom Ewbank in Features.

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