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a2zBoardShop Snowboard Gear Guide

Snowboard Gear Guide
What size of snowboard should I buy?

There are a few factors that can determine what type of snowboard you should buy. First, will you be riding more snowboard parks, rails or shorter runs? If so, you’ll want a freestyle, park or jib snowboard. If you’re going to be riding bigger mountains, longer runs or powder, you’ll probably want to get a freeride snowboard. You may find that your comfortable freeride snowboard length will be 2cm to 10cm longer than your comfortable freestyle snowboard length.

Snowboard length depends on the rider’s height and weight. However, choosing the proper snowboard width is almost more important than choosing the proper snowboard length. The majority of snowboarders ride snowboards with lengths ranging from 150cm to 160cm. A men’s snowboard boot size 8 or 9 fits well with a snowboard width of 25.0cm. As you go down in boot size from 9, you’ll find snowboards with widths approaching 24.0cm. If you have a size 10 snowboard boot, you’ll find that a 25.0cm to 25.6cm snowboard width will fit well. Men usually ride snowboards between 24.8cm and 26.0cm, whereas women generally ride snowboards with widths under 24.9cm.

A sidecut (the arc running along the edge) creates a 3cm to 5cm difference between the tip and tails widths of the snowboard. A snowboard with a 25.0cm waist will have tip and tail widths of around 29.0 cm. Sometimes a store or manufacturer will only list one of the widths, the waist or tip and /or tail. If all three measurements are available, it will often be represented like this; 29.4/25.3/29.4 Sidecuts are often measured in meters or centimeters. The numeric value for a sidecut is the radius of the circle that makes the arc. If you’re looking at a snowboard with a sidecut less than 8.2M, be prepared, as it will turn quickly and aggressively. If you’re a beginner snowboarder or looking for a snowboard that is forgiving, find a snowboard with a sidecut radius above 9.0M. Most snowboards today have sidecuts where multiple radii have been blended together.


Which snowboard materials and construction are the best?

All snowboards are not created equal, but they’re a lot closer to each other than they used to be. The 2 most important things to pay attention to when purchasing a snowboard online are base material and construction method. There are generally 2 types of snowboard bases and 2 types of snowboard construction.

Base Material

The two types of base material are sintered p-tex and extruded p-tex. Sintered bases hold wax longer and are more durable. Extruded bases are softer than sintered bases and will gouge easier. The upside to an extruded base is they are much easier to repair. P-tex is usually the most expensive material when it comes to building a snowboard. Because of this, you’ll find snowboards with extruded p-tex bases are less expensive than snowboards with sintered p-tex bases.

Snowboard Construction

The two main types of snowboard construction are cap construction and sidewall construction. With a cap construction, the fiberglass wraps around the topsheet and matches up with the steel edge. Caps are more rigid and lighter than snowboards built with sidewalls. The downside to caps is they are harder to repair and more prone to delaminating. Snowboards with p-tex or polymer sidewalls provide a damper ride and hold up better when it comes to rocks, stumps and other hazards. Sidewall boards are sometimes heavier than caps and will usually

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How do I know which size of snowboard boots to buy?

Ordering snowboard boots online isn’t as tricky as it sounds. The best way to make sure your boots will fit is to try on a pair of snowboard boots at a retail store. You don’t necessarily have to try on the same boot model or style you’d like to buy, as brands usually have symmetrical sizes across their boot models and boot styles. As an example, a Burton Shawn White snowboard boot in size 9 should fit the same as a Burton Freestyle snowboard boot in a size 9. Some snowboard boot brands also make shoes. ThirtyTwo snowboard boots is a good example. ThirtyTwo snowboard boots are made by Sole Technology, the same company that makes the skateboard shoe brands Etnies, Emerica and Es. If you own a pair of size 10 Etnies skate shoes, a pair of ThirtyTwo snowboard boots in size 10 would probably fit you well. The same is also true with Vans skateboard shoes and Vans snowboard boots.

Check out our wide selection of snowboard boots here.


What type of snowboard bindings do I need?

With the exception of Burton, most newer snowboard bindings will fit all newer snowboards, and vice versa. However, Burton snowboards and Burton bindings come with a binding hole pattern that differs from the industry standard 4x4 hole pattern. Burton snowboards and Burton bindings use a 3 or 2 hole pattern. If you’re riding a Burton snowboard, you’ll want to make sure your snowboard bindings will fit their 2 or 3 hole pattern. Burton snowboard bindings will most likely fit all other conventional snowboards with a 4x4 hole pattern. Most snowboard bindings are offered in S/M and M/L. A Men’s size 9 is usually the middle point. Smaller than a size 9 snowboard boot, go with a S/M, larger than a size 9 snowboard boot, go with a M/L.

Check out our wide selection of selection of snowboard bindings here.


What type of snowboard outerwear should I buy?

Most high performance snowboard jackets, snowboard pants and snowboard gloves have water resistance ratings and breathabilty ratings. The higher the numbers, the greater quality the garment is, and the more expensive it is. If you plan to snowboard in an arid climate like Utah or Colorado, you don’t need expensive waterproof outerwear or Gore-Tex outerwear. A water resistance rating of 10,000mm or below will keep you dry. If you plan on snowboarding in a wetter climate like Lake Tahoe or the Pacific Northwest, you’re better off spending the extra $ for Gore-Tex jackets or Gore-Tex pants. Look for water resistant ratings above 18,000mm. Unfortunately most online snowboard shops don’t provide this information. If you can’t find water resistance ratings for the snowboard outerwear you are interested in, you should check the brand or manufacturer’s website for further product details.

Take a look at our wide selection of snowboard outerwear here.

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