Do you enjoy cruising groomed trails? What if you could float through powder? What exactly are hammer chutes? Or do you like to take the train? The best snowboard, according to Billy Crafton from San Diego for you, is one that gets tailored to your preferred terrain. The learning curve on a snowboard is steep, so if you’re a novice, but for where you want to be, and look for a board that will grow with you.
- Freeriding
It’s all about a learning style that allows you to ride, carve, and jump on any terrain. It’s also known as “all-mountain snowboarding.” Beginners should start with freeriding, which focuses solely on having fun while riding rather than being technical. Soft snowboard boots, plate bindings, and strap or flow-in bindings get commonly used in freeriding. Freeriding snowboards have a narrower width and a deeper sidecut than regular snowboards.
- FreeStyle
For its thrills and stunts, it is the most popular style of snowboarding. Jumps, tricks, rail slides, halfpipes, and switch riding are the mainstays of freestyle snowboarding. Because the techniques are aerial, it is best suited to pros. Snowboarders wear softer boots to save weight and make maneuvering in the air simpler, and their snowboards are shorter, lighter, and gentler, with the tail and tip having the same form.
- FreeCarve
In snowboarding, it’s also known as Alpine Snowboarding because it’s all about speed and the ultimate carving turn. Freecarving takes place on hardpack and groomed runs and needs less jumping but a lot of strength and concentration. Freecarve snowboarding is an Olympic event that requires the rider to maneuver past gates and poles. Free carve snowboards are usually longer, narrower, and stiffer. Plate binding snowboard boots, which are comparable to ski boots but less stiff around the ankles, are used by riders.
- Splitboarding
Splitboarding allows riders to ski and snowboard at the same time using the same piece of equipment. Splitboards have the same shape and construction as regular snowboards. They get meant to split into two parts. It gets used as skis, according to Billy Crafton from San Diego. The rider may quickly switch between the ride mode and ski mode interfaces on the board. It just takes 1 to 2 minutes to go from ride to ski mode by unlatching the snowboard’s tips and tails and shifting the bindings from this to ski mode.
The next step is to skin the board using the climbing skins affixed to the side. The same actions must get followed in reverse to return the board to ride mode. The split board’s dual-purpose allows the rider to ski and snowboard downhill. When wearing a backpack, a split gives you float, gliding ability, and convenience of use. The climbing skins on the underside of the split boards provide traction while on the mountain, which is a unique feature.
If you’re unsure, start with freeriding to obtain a feel for the sport. Decide what kind of snowboarder you are or want to be before you invest in any equipment. Snowboarding has evolved into styles, each with its equipment and techniques, since its inception as a well-known winter sport. Every snowboarding style has its community, fans, and competitions.