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1977 Burton Backhill |
1982 Burton Backhill |
Check out this
Burton History page.
Tons of good information and photos about the creation of the
Burton snowboard company.
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1986 Cruiser 165 |
1990 Craig Kelly Air |
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The 2011 Gear Guide is out now! Everything you could ever need is inside: boards, boots,
bindings, outerwear, helmets, gloves, beanies, layering pieces … we even
include the much-anticipated results of the 2011 Good Wood Board Test !
CHECK
OUT THE ONLINE 2011 GEAR GUIDE HERE
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The new Buyers' Guide issue of Snowboard Canada
is in the hands of
subscribers right now and on stands
The Definitive Snowboard Buyers Guide
The Bottom Line
Everything you need to know about snowboards.
The whole notion of
purchasing a snowboard can be extremely intimidating And with the
rising cost of a snowboard, being educated about the topic to find
the right board is extremely important. I should know, because I own
four snowboards at the moment! During my long time snowboarding, I
have looked at all aspects of the snowboards, and would like to
share it with you.. From materials to construction, this guide will
cover all you need to know about buying a snowboard.
First off, Whats a snowboard?
Well, I'm glad you asked! A snowboard is a multi-component,
technical product make to glide over frozen water. They come in
sizes made for children to the tallest adults. If you visit your
local mountain, its not a good idea not to have one.
First, think about your budget and company when selecting a
snowboard. Many unknown companies sell their boards for low prices
trying to gain a hold on some market share. I personally stray away
from brands I have never heard of because I just don't think the
risk is worth taking with that company. You never know how its going
to ride or if the company will stand behind their product and offer
any kind of warranty. For the beginning boarder, a no name brand may
be a good idea because beginners are normally not too picky about
their board and the inexpensiveness helps when they want a different
brand of board. This is just a personal thing, but I don't think its
right for someone who has never boarded to purchase an expensive,
big name board just because the individual thinks that will
instantly make them a snowboarder or gain them respect because,
trust me, it won't.
Board Type
The two basic types of boards are freestyle and freeride, but there
are plenty of categories of boards that can fit your riding style.
Freestyle boards are typically shorter, have more flex, and are
wider for stability. An example of an extreme freestyle board would
be one without edges, its useless for regular riding. Freeride
boards are typically longer, stiffer, and narrower than freestyle
boards. Powder and carving boards are examples of extreme freeride
boards. Two of the categories that are in between the main two are
All-Terrain, and All-Terrain Freestyle. Remember that, the
differences between two types of board typically isn't that much, so
picking the wrong type of board is not the end of the world.
Into the Technical Info
Core
The first thing to find out about a board is the core material.
Morrow snowboards used to be made with various materials as cores,
and some extremely cheap beginner boards have foam cores! Just about
every company in snowboarding now makes their cores out of wood,
including Morrow. What the companies have done with the wood is
simply phenomenal, and could make a difference in the way a board
rides. A lot of cores have many different types of wood located in
strategic places to increase durability or reduce weight. There are
also many boards that feature "carbon stringers", that to my
knowledge increase the "pop" of the board and help it keep its shape
longer.
Edges
Edges are fairly uniform across the snowboard industry. The best
material for them is stainless steel because it won't rust as must
as other materials and stays sharp longer. Be careful that you
inspect the tip and the tail to see if they have edges. If not you
could take a chunk out of your expensive snowboard or leave a large
ding or dent from a rock. Very few snowboards are not equipped with
any edges at all, that are made exclusively for rails and nothing
else. Also the brand Lib Tech
started manufacturing a board named "Magne-Traction",
with a new edge design that was increases your edge hold
significantly.
Topsheet/Mounting System
In the early days of snowboard design, the topsheet was simply a
strip of material that kept the core from being exposed. For todays
snowboard design, companies are experimenting with different
materials as the topsheet and snowboards are performing better and
better because of it. One example of a material used in topsheets is
Quadrax, which stiffens the overall flex of the board. The mounting
system is how you attach your bindings to the board, so it is quite
important. Most companies use pre-drilled holes with metal inserts
as the mounting system. Brands such as
Forum, Capita, and Jeenyus utilize the
"slider system"
on some of their boards. The slider system allows riders to make
adjustments to their stance angle and such without even removing the
bindings from the board.
Base
The differences between bases really isn't that great, but if you
are purchasing an expensive snowboard you will want to be sure you
have the best base you can get. The two basic types of base
materials are sintered and extruded, with sintered being the faster
of the two. All sintered bases are given a number that I really
don't quite grasp the concept of. Example: One of Forum's lower-end
boards is the Recon, which has a sintered 4400 base. The Forum
Division, one of Forum's best boards, has a sintered 7400 base. This
leads me to believe that a higher number indicates a faster and more
durable base. If you are lazy and don't like to wax your board, I
believe an unwaxed extruded base is faster than an unwaxed sintered
base.
Choosing A Board Size
This is one of the more important processes in selecting a
snowboard. Board size is almost always given in centimeters. The
advice from many is to stand the board next to you and see if it
measures in between your chin and nose. This works in many
situations, but a more accurate way is to look at a chart that is
often provided by manufacturers that recommends board sizes by
weight. For example, I was looking at purchasing a
M3 GT 158cm
snowboard this year. The board fits in between my chin and nose, but
M3
recommends that only riders over 170lbs ride it because it is so
stiff and aggressive.
Final Thoughts
Snowboarding is a great sport, and I think that if more people try
it, they will most definitely like it. Graphics are fairly important
for me, and they can influence your decision. Renting a snowboard is
good for the first one or two times, but if you are serious after
that you almost need to buy a snowboard for your own sakes. I hope
this guide helped in your quest for a new board.
Snowboard Reviews:
Burton
Dominant 154
Forum Street
Dweller 152
Forum Peter
Line 155
Forum Devun
Walsh 157
GNU Carbon
High Beams 156
Other Guides By Me:
Selecting A
Freestyle Snowboard
What You Should
Know About Forum Snowboards
Frequently Asked
Questions when Buying a Snowboard:
-Which
board to buy?
-What is my skill level?
-What size board should I buy?
-What Width Snowboard should I buy?
-How flexible should my Snowboard be
-How deep should the sidecut be on my Snowboard?
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