How to choose a snowboard by height and weight?

Snowboarding is a fairly popular sport, so it’s not difficult to buy a board for it, but there is one catch. When that very exciting moment comes - the choice of the board, many are simply lost, making irreparable mistakes. How to choose a snowboard for height and weight, so as not to be mistaken? Please note that the choice of boards for this type of outdoor activity is influenced by many different factors, which primarily depend on the comfort on the ski slope, as well as your safety. The beginner's snowboard will differ significantly from the board of an advanced rider in various individual design features. By what? Today we will try to answer the exciting questions of a novice snowboarder.

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What are the riding styles?

Before you lay out a considerable amount for the product, suitable boots and equipment, you must determine the type of skiing. This is necessary so that the seller can choose the right board specifically for your type of ride.

Important! A board designed for professional skating will not be able to control a beginner because of the design features created to perform complex tricks and jumps.

Consider the famous styles of snowboarding.

Free ride

Universal skiing style for free descent on any slopes and type of snow. The design must be rigid enough to provide stability and safety during the descent.

Try to make sure that the surface of the snowboard is in maximum contact with the ground, and the length is greater than the individual size of the board. This will help to properly distribute the load of your body over the entire surface of the board.

Important! This style does not imply a special concentration on speed and technical techniques when riding.

Free style

Snowboarding in this style is very popular among climbers. It copes with the implementation of complex tricks, jumps, sliding on the rail, riding in the reverse stance.

The freestyle board should be slightly smaller than your individual snowboard length. The design should be moderately flexible and soft enough so as not to break during possible bumps and collisions.

Important! This style does not require certain physical training from an inexperienced snowboarder.

All mountain

Suitable for skiing on smooth tracks and well-groomed wild slopes. Such boards are universal, not rigid, of mixed shape with ends of different lengths. This is a great solution for beginners due to its soft design. If you want to try everything - sliding in the snow, jumping in the park or tricks on ski jumps, then this style is for you!

Having studied all the listed styles, then you need to study in detail the characteristics and criteria for choosing a future board, and then go to the store for the desired purchase.

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Snowboard Choice Features

Before choosing a snowboard for height and weight, you need to familiarize yourself with their main parameters: length, width, stiffness, shape and fastenings of this design. We will discuss these points further.

Length

The length of the product directly depends on the height and weight of the snowboarder, on the type of surface for future skiing. For example:

• If you like freestyle skiing that runs on compacted snow, you need to choose a snowboard 10 cm shorter than a freeride-style board, which most often occurs on mountain slopes with fairly loose and unprepared snow.
• If you often ride in urban conditions, but sometimes go to the mountains, then it is better to use the universal All Mountain snowboard, which is perfect for any conditions. The length of a universal snowboard is the average size of freeride and freestyle boards.

Important! If you only plan to conquer the snowy peaks, then we advise you to buy the shortest board. Having trained on it, you can switch to a longer snowboard, which requires special training in the technique of skiing in the snow.

Width

Depends directly on the size of your leg. The leg should not hang down on the side of the board, so if you have a large size, then, alas, you can’t get a narrow snowboard.

Important! Snowboarding boards need to be selected for pre-purchased special shoes, since the width of the future board depends on the length of your boots.

Rigidity

This indicator is usually measured on a ten-point scale - from 1 to 10. The softer the board, the easier it forgives mistakes, but hardly listens at high speeds.

For tougher snowboards, the toughest bindings and boots are suitable, and for soft ones - from lightweight materials.

How to choose the right snowboard:

• If you are new to this sport, choose the mildest snowboard that will protect you from a lot of injuries at the beginning of your training.
• If you ride well, you should choose a medium hardboard.
• But the boards with the greatest rigidity are suitable only for professionals.

Board shape

The controllability of a snowboard directly depends on its form. Properly selected form will help to slide along the slope and greatly facilitate the implementation of various jumps and even tricks.

There are such forms of a snowboard:

• Twin-tip. The nose and tail of the board have the same stiffness, shape and design flexibility. Classic freestyle is perfect for users of such a snowboard. Thanks to a fairly soft nose, you can ride on both soft and hard surfaces.
• Directional. It is a lightweight construction with a wide geometry and the presence of a special wooden core. This form is perfect for riding on a soft surface, but is not recommended for smooth descents. The most suitable disciplines are freeride and freestyle.
• Wide. A wide board that fits only in freestyle style. Such a snowboard is very convenient and mobile to use. Due to the large width of the surface, the rider’s leg will not hang from the board, which will save you from unnecessary inconvenience on the track.

Important! Male and female models of snowboards differ in design and construction structure. Design is an important criterion for choosing a board for skiing, since first of all you should like the chosen snowboard in all its respects.

Types of deflections

Another criterion that you should pay attention to if you plan to choose a snowboard by height, weight and all other important characteristics is the degree of deflection. Now we will consider three main types of deflections of boards for snowboarding:

• Camber. A classic snowboard shape with a central bend that is well suited for all types of riding. That is, when the rider enters the board, it is immediately leveled, maintaining a uniform load over the entire area.
• Rocker It is especially popular with lovers of freestyle and driving on freshly fallen snow. Due to the presence of a central point of contact with the ground, the nose and tail of the product minimally contact the surface.
• Flat. The board has a completely flat shape, which is well suited for professional freestyle.
• Hybrids. Such snowboards are equipped with multiple bends in different parts of the product. Most often, hybrid forms are used for specific purposes that are able to adjust the speed or more accurately perform tricks.

Important! Each snowboard manufacturer has its own technology for using mixed deflection of the board, which helps to combine the advantages of the main types, cutting off their shortcomings.

Mount

When choosing a mount, pay attention to the recommendation of the manufacturer of this snowboard. If you prefer such an active riding style as freestyle, then you need to buy only metal mounts, but not automatic ones.

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Selection of a snowboard by height and weight - table

Selection of a board by height and weight of a rider is the final criterion for choosing a board immediately before the purchase. How to choose a snowboard for height and weight of a person?

Sales consultants in sports stores practice one way that is easy to follow:

• To do this, you must vertically put the product in front of you.
• If it is to the tip of the lips or nose, then this will be your size.

Important! With high growth, small errors are possible, but with a small and medium growth there will be no problems.

To more accurately determine the appropriate length of the board, it is necessary to use a special calculation methodology, in which such parameters as weight, rider physique, type of track, style and riding skills take part.

Important! The weight should be distributed evenly over the entire surface of the snowboard in order to avoid unpleasant distortions, which can lead to serious bruises and falls from a large height of the snow slope. It follows that the less a person weighs, the shorter he needs a snowboard, and vice versa.

Calculation of the size of the board according to the formulas

Calculation formulas when choosing a snowboard for the height and weight of the future rider:

• Weight x 0.4 + 127 - for women.
• Weight x 0.3 + 136 - for men.

If you used such calculations when choosing a snowboard, we recommend that you go down moderately on the rolled slopes.

Now we will consider the calculation of selecting a board for snowboarding by height:

• Subtract 15 cm from your height.
• If you have a solid physique, add another 5 cm. If you are thin - subtract 5 cm.
• If you are a beginner in this sport, then subtract 8-10 cm. If you skate skillfully, subtract 4.5 cm.
• For skiing in the mountains, add 6–9 cm to the original length, and for a park, subtract 3-4 cm.

Important! The size of the snowboard directly depends on your preferred riding style. For example, for freeride you need to add 5 cm, and for freestyle - 3 cm.

Calculation Example

Now we will calculate the size of the snowboard for a rider weighing 90 and a height of 180, taking into account all the adjustments, equipment and riding conditions. Our "example" of a large physique owns a board on an average level and prefers freestyle on steep slopes.

So, we begin to make a calculation for choosing a snowboard according to standard formulas.

• Height: 180-15 = 165 (cm)

• By weight:

• 90x0.3 + 136 = 163 (cm)
• 163 + 5 = 168 (cm) - body type.
• 168-4 = 164 (cm) - level of skating.
• 164-3 = 161 (cm) - freestyle skiing style.
• 161 + 9 = 170 (cm) - highlands.

It follows that the length of the snowboard for our rider is 170 cm.

Important! Do not forget that the base length of a snowboard, calculated by weight and height, may vary slightly. If you have chosen the optimal riding style and type of track, it is better to take a board using the above calculations.

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Recommendations

The list of basic recommendations for choosing and snowboarding:

• We do not recommend saving on the product itself or on the installation of shoe mounts. This service is provided in the same place, in the sports store, where this equipment was purchased. By paying a little money, you will protect yourself from possible falls due to improper fixing of fixtures on the board.
• Only be guided by your opinion when choosing a product in the store, as for the manager the main thing is to sell the product, and for you to buy a quality snowboard that meets your needs.
• Take a snowboard only with a guarantee that in case of breakage you can repair it for free in the service of this store.
• When buying a board, first of all, consider your personal parameters - height, weight, length and width of the foot, and after that - personal preferences regarding the appearance of the product and its configuration.
• Before purchasing, read reviews about this or that product, ask more experienced snowboarders for advice, and then go for the long-awaited purchase.

Important! Snowboarding is a traumatic sport, therefore it is better to entrust your training to a professional.

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Stock footage

That's all! You could say that now you know everything you should know about snowboarding.We hope the question of how to choose a snowboard by height and weight, you no longer have. We advise you to choose the perfect board, and go ahead - to conquer the peaks and descents that you have been dreaming about for so long! Good luck in your endeavors and easy riding!