Snowboard Sizing

Posted: 30 August 2010 07:32 PM

I read a post by Rich in which he stated that a charge board (i read that as freeride board) should be 8 cm larger than your all mountain size. What is the rule of thumb for choosing the proper size for a freestyle/jib board? How much does your expertise level play into making the decision? Thanks guys. I’m learning a bunch.

Posted: 30 August 2010 08:23 PM

Hi Ice Age,

Yeah that quote seems to be causing a bit of confusions.

Basically if you want a snowboard to point and charge, litteraly straight-line pistes and blast down powder runs then adding 8cm is kind of a good starting point.

I ride around 157-158 most of the time for everyday riding. If I wanted a freeride Gun i’d be looking around a 165. Obviously it’s different horses for courses. I really like long boards for some types of freeriding, on open bowl style runs where the aim of the game is to put as few turns in as possible and where snow can get sketch in places I like having more effective edge so I’d go upto around 170… but only with a board designed to be ridden this big like a Volkl Coal where the sidecut radius is super long. Where as for trees and deep powder I like to ride a touch shorter for agility and manueverability. My current freeride board is a Rossignol Twilight which has 20mm of taper for float and instant turn initialtion, it also uses a suprisingly tight sidecut just over 7m which means it likes to be ridden aggresively and thrashed and slashed. My Twilight is 164cm.

It’s one of those things, the more you ride different lengths of boards, the more you’ll understand what shape you like for certain board lengths. For now adding around 8cm (give or take a few Cms here or there) is a good estimate.

Rich

Posted: 31 August 2010 03:12 AM

Interesting. What about choosing a jib/freestyle board? How many centimeters smaller should you go than your all-mountain size? I guess at some point you just have a bunch of snow miles behind you and you know what works, but I am MANY miles from that point. Thanks guys.

Posted: 31 August 2010 03:14 AM

Hey I.A.N,

Have a look at the following page, this should clarify a few things:

http://www.snowboard-review.com/snowboard_guide/basics/

Tom

Posted: 31 August 2010 04:14 AM

Your freestyle shouldn’t be much shorter then your all-mountain board.  Unless you are a jib monkey then (as per the guide) 3”-4” shorter should do the trick.

I was tempted to go really short and loose last season for my first freestyle deck but I’m happy I didn’t because you lose stability at high speed and comfort hitting the bigger jumps.

Posted: 31 August 2010 06:15 AM

Thanks guys for the information on length. I guess size does matter after all. Bullocks!! Well anyway, here’s a good one for you. You go to the internet and look at a sizing calculator and various charts. Your height and weight are essential pieces of info for these tools. OK. I’m 5’9 142 lbs. But wait a minute. My Flow boots seem to really jack up my height. Walking around I feel like I’m towering above my former self. Like I could be the new guitar player for KISS. Also to consider is that once I have on my boots and all my layers, I’d be willing to bet that I’m at least 5 or 6 lbs heavier. Should “IN UNIFORM” dimensions be considered when calculating board sizes. I’m guessing so but what do you guys think. By the way Tom, my 2010 Believer showed up last week. It looks fantastic and feels great jumping around my living room like a fool. Your experience with this board is what swayed me, so I blame you if I my leap from intermediate to expert is not instantaneous.

Posted: 31 August 2010 06:59 AM

Hey I.A.N,

It’s all about learning, through riding tonnes of boards, what type and length of board suits your style of riding. A few centimetres here and there really doesn’t matter, you’ll find that every board you ride will be an improvement on the last, because your choice will become more refined…......I used to ride stiffer all-mountain boards but then I purchased the Believer and found that something a little jibbier was what I wanted. It’s very unlikely that you’ll snap a board or even change the boards characteristics by wearing all your gear and high heels. I read somewhere that Eiki Helgason rides a 145 in the park and he’s heavier than me and I ride a 157, coincidently I’m not doing 100ft doublecorks in the park….......yet!

You’ll love the Believer it’s definitely one of the easiest, most enjoyable and progressive decks to ride currently on the market.

Posted: 31 August 2010 02:38 PM

If in doubt, take some big kickers really slowly, landing mid table should take a couple of inches off your height. Then spend the morning in a sauner wrapped in clingfilm and go for a big no2…. that should deal with the weight issue Or alternatively strapping into your deck and leaping around your lounge will have the same effect, obviously I’m not talking from experience. When does the season start?. I’m not sure what the reverse option is… perhaps pies, Guiness and Tom Cruise Heel lifts :-)

As Tom says, it’s all a rough estimate. As long as the board is in the right ballpark length-wise you’ll find it works great for what you want it to do.