Snowboard Science

Profile

Although the core of a snowboard lends a number of characteristics, its’ key role is to create a space between the layers of fibreglass and epoxy. Think of a steel I-beam, the greater the distance between the top and bottom flanges, the greater the stiffness of the beam. The same applies to snowboard cores. Therefore by altering the core depth the flex of a snowboard can be manipulated. For instance, reducing the core depth before the front and after the rear binding will improve pressing ability without reducing the torsional stiffness too radically.

Materials

Wood

The majority of boards are manufactured with wood cores. To create a wood core, wood is cut into thin laminates selected from the best pieces of wood to avoid the notches and imperfections in the grain. This wood is joined using an epoxy and then CNC milled to create the desired profile. The woods used in the core are selected for their resistance to impact and liveliness (POP!). Commonly found woods include Poplar, Aspen, Ash and Birch. The latest wood to be incorporated in snowboard cores is Bamboo an extremely sustainable wood (It grows extremely fast) with super lively ride characteristics.
Wood selection isn’t the only technology evolving in core design. Nidecker have created welded wood, using friction they bond the core laminates, benefits include reduced mass and a more uniform flex. Burton have experimented with grain orientation for years, by changing the orientation of the grain the pressure applied to the edge through a simple turn can be focused to certain pressure points.

Honey Comb

Perhaps not as cutting edge as they used to be, Honey comb cores are still the darling of the Snowboard industry, and for one reason…. they’re insanely light. Honey comb cores are usually made from one of two materials, Aluminium and Nomex (a composite based material).

Originally the only manufacturers using Honey comb were Palmer and Sims, around the end of the 90s. Palmers offering was exceptional and really pushed the boundaries of snowboard construction, where-as Sims’ offering was questionable and received mixed reviews.

Today a number of manufacturers use a form of honey comb construction. The Burton T6 uses tip to tail aluminium honey comb making it a super light and lightening quick edge-to-edge. Palmer, Amplid, Elan and Atomic (to name a few) use Nomex inserts at the tip and tails to reduce the boards ‘moment of inertia’, the effort required to initiate a spin. By using a standard core under the bindings the damage incurred through riding rails and boxes is minimised.

Foam

Now a material of the past, foam was used extensively in monocoque snowboard and ski construction. It’s now only used in bargain basement snowboard construction and high spec racing skis.