Another helpful Sporting Goods guide by "The Coach"
Brought to you by Bargain Sports USA 
  

Buying a snowboard is not as easy as it might seem and the main question should certainly not be: 'How will this cool board look with the rest of my gear?'. You need to know quite a few things about yourself, about snowboards and about riding styles before you can choose a board that will fit you and your riding style. This guide will help you through the basics.

A Detailed Look At Snowboards

   Before you can learn snowboarding you will first need to learn about its primary piece of equipment: the Snowboard. You will need to know what a snowboard consists of and what the different elements are before you can choose which snowboard is best for you and how you should use your snowboard. In this section you will learn that snowboards now-a-days are highly technical feats of engineering. If you have a snowboard yourself make sure to identify the following elements

Base

  The snowboard's base is the Bottom side of the snowboard or the part of the board that touches the snow. Most snowboard bases are made from a polyethylene called P-Tex. These bases are made in one of two ways: sintered or extruded. Extruded bases are melted and cut to shape. Sintered bases are ground into powder, heated, pressed and sliced into shape. A sintered base is superior - it's more durable, faster and holds wax better than an extruded base. It's also more expensive and difficult to repair. If you're looking for high performance, go with a sintered base; for a board on a budget, an extruded model will do. Even better than sintered P-Tex base is a graphite base. They hold wax even better and run even faster. Graphite basis are always deep black and are mostly found on fast racing boards.

Camber

Camber is the amount of space beneath the center of a snowboard when it lays on a flat surface and its weight rests on the tip and tail. In other words, This is the gentle arch the board makes when you rest it on a flat surface. It's closely related to flex: the higher the camber, the more pressure the board puts at the nose and tail. A Flat camber indicates a board may spin easily, which can be good for certain freestyle moves. In a used board, however, it may also be a sign that the board is worn out. In most new boards you want a slightly springy camber, which helps stabilize the board at higher speeds and on harder snow. It also makes it easier to turn the snowboard.

Contact Points

Contact Points are the points at which the board contacts the snow without the pressure of the rider being displaced on the board. This is also called the board's wheel base. The contact points can be found by placing the board on a smooth, flat surface then slide a piece of paper under the center of the snowboard, slide it toward the nose or tail until it stops.

Edge

Edge refers to the metal edge of the snowboard. The toe edge is the edge at the toeside of the snowboard. The heel edge is the edge at the heel side of the snowboard.

Effective Edge

The length of the metal edge on the snowboard which touches the snow, known as the edge and is used to turn the snowboard. Therefore, it does not include the edge of the tip or tail. The effective edge is in contact with the snow when the board is in a carved turn. A longer effective edge makes for a more stable, and controllable ride; a shorter effective edge makes for a looser, and more easily turning board.

Sidecut Radius

Sidecut Radius is the measurement of how deeply or shallowly the boards cut is from the nose of the board to the waist (or middle of the board). This is what helps the board turn. The smaller the sidecut radius the tighter you will be able to turn. A board with a larger sidecut will make big arching turns. It is the radius of a circle that makes the hourglass shape of the snowboard and thus how it is defined and measured. It works in conjunction with the running length of the snowboard.

Flex Point

The flex point is located between the two bindings and is the point where the board begins or ends its flex and allows for sidecut radius contact.

Nose/Tip

The nose or tip is the front end of the snowboard. If your snowboard has a similar front and back side then the side that is turned up higher is usually the nose. A higher nose/tip is needed for higher speed alpine riding as you will need to keep your snowboard from digging itself into the snow. Alpine boards often have a pointier nose also.

Nose/Tip Length

Length of board from the widest part of the board's nose to the tip of the nose.

Nose/Tip Width

The widest part of the board measured across the front tip or nose area of the board.

Overall Length

Overall Length is measured from the tip of the board to the tail and is generally expressed in Centimeters (cm).

Stomp Pad

A stomp pad or nonskid pad is a rubber mat that you can stick on top of your snowboard next to your backfoot binding. It is used when you need to slide with only your front foot bound to your snowboard, for instance when you are exiting a lift. Without a stomp pad you could slide off your board, catch the snow with your back foot and pull your legs apart, which could be extremely painful.

Tail

The rear end of the snowboard, which is opposite of the nose/tip. Often the tail is flatter than the tip and is more squarely cut. Some alpine boards have a split in the tail to give more turning power and coordination in high speed turns. Freestyle boards will often have similar tips and noses to make it easier to ride "fakie" (with the front foot in the back).

Tail Length

The length of board from the widest part of the board's tail to the tip of the tail is referred to as the tail length.

Tail Width

The widest part of the board measured across the tail's tip or tail area of the board is the tail width.

Top/Deck

Opposite of the base, the top or deck of the board is where the bindings are mounted and the rider stands. Most boards have mounting holes in the deck where the bindings can be screwed into. Place the holes enable you to connect your bindings to your board at different angles or stances.

Waist Width

Waist width is the narrowest point of the board. This is usually the middle of the sidecut, located between the bindings. Waist width of a board should be relative to the size of your feet. Boards with a narrow waist width are quicker from edge to edge, but if your feet are size 11 or more you will most likely require a wider board. Otherwise, your toes may hang over the edge and cause toe drag, which will slow you down.  

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