On Glisshop.co.uk, you will find one of the largest selections of snowboards available online. With such a wide range, you might feel a bit overwhelmed. What size, which model, which camber? Why a swallow tail? A twin-tip board? Carbon stringers? A freestyle or all-mountain snowboard? What’s your preferred riding style? Should you choose a soft or stiff snowboard? For many riders, this information can seem like gibberish. That’s why we’ve created this snowboard buyer’s guide. Easy to use, it aims to help you better understand your needs and narrow your selection down to just a few models. You need to go step by step, starting with defining the following:
- Your snowboard length- Your snowboard width
- Your ability level
- Your riding style
How to choose the right snowboard size?
Choosing the right snowboard size is crucial. A board that’s too long will be harder and less intuitive to control. On the other hand, a board that’s too short will be less stable and much less versatile. So, it's important to find the right balance based on your height, as well as your weight, skill level, and riding style. You’ve probably heard that the board should reach your chin to be the right size. This isn’t entirely true. Snowboarding has evolved, and so have snowboard profiles and shapes, so this rule needs to be adjusted depending on various factors, including the type of snowboard and riding style.
If you're going for a jib board and you're on the lighter side, you'll want to choose a shorter snowboard. You’ll find it easier to spin and hit features. On the other hand, if you're planning to ride backcountry powder and are on the heavier side, you'll need a longer snowboard to give you more float and support in soft snow. We’ve developed a calculator to help you find the snowboard length that suits you best.
Keep in mind that this is just a guideline—don’t get too stuck on it. Personal preference plays a big part too, as it’s all about the feel. Some riders prefer boards shorter than the recommended length.
Choosing the right width: Should you opt for a wide board or not?
While we tend to focus on the length of our snowboard, we often overlook the width, which is just as important!
On a board that’s too narrow, your boots will hang over the edge, either at the heels or the toes (this is called toe drag). In both cases, you’ll be hindered when turning. Your boots will scrape the snow, and at best, you’ll be slowed down and unbalanced; at worst, it could lead to a fall or injury.
On a board that’s too wide, your heels and/or toes will be too far from the edge to apply enough pressure. The leverage will be too weak, making it difficult to initiate and hold a turn. Therefore, it’s important to choose a snowboard with a width that matches your boot size.
Generally speaking, boards are divided into 4 width-categories:
- Less than 25 cm: Narrow boards for small feet. Their waist is less than 25 cm wide.
- 25 to 25.5 cm: Standard boards. These boards suit most riders and are adapted to boot sizes ranging from 7 to 9.5
- 25,5 to 26 cm: Mid-wide boards for 10 and 10.5 boot sizes.
- 26 cm +: Wide boards for riders with large feet (10.5 and more).
| Board width in cm | < 25 | 25 > 25,5 | 25,5 > 26 | > 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR / EU boot size | < 41 | 41 < 43,5 | 44 < 45 | > 45 |
| UK boot size | < 7,5 | 7,5 < 9 | 9,5 < 10 | > 10 |
| US boot size | < 8 | 8 < 9,5 | 10,5 < 11 | > 11 |
What is my snowboarding skill level?
To make things a bit simpler, we classify boards into three categories: Beginner-Intermediate, Intermediate-Advanced, and Advanced-Expert. You might be wondering: ‘If I’m an intermediate rider, do I fall into the first or second category?’ A snowboard isn’t designed for just one specific level. A board should be progressive; it should allow you to improve and reach the next level while having the most fun. That’s why we categorise boards across two levels.
Beginner-Intermediate
This type of board is designed for novice or recreational riders. They are generally softer and more forgiving than higher-end models. They will suit you if you’re not yet fully comfortable on a snowboard. If you make edge mistakes, primarily ride on groomers, but still hesitate when standing at the top of a black run, you can consider yourself a beginner-intermediate rider.
Intermediate-Advanced
You ride regularly, about one to two weeks a year. You’ve mastered the basic skills and feel comfortable both on groomed snow and off-piste. Edge mistakes are rare, and you can confidently pick up speed without hesitation. You know there’s still room for improvement, but you want a board that’s still forgiving enough to avoid wearing yourself out. Then you belong to the intermediate-advanced category.
Advanced-Expert
The mountain holds no more secrets for you. Edge mistakes are a distant memory, and you ride everywhere without hesitation. Whether it's groomers, powder, or choppy snow, you’re also comfortable hitting features in the park or taking on forest runs. You need a precise and responsive board that holds up at high speeds. You're an advanced-expert rider.
What are the different types of snowboards?
At Glisshop, we classify snowboards into 6 categories, or 7 if you count splitboards, but we'll come back to that specific category later. The snowboard category refers to the type of terrain and riding style for which the board will perform best. The categories are:
- Freestyle/Park Snowboards
- Freeride Snowboards
- All-Mountain Freestyle Snowboards
- All-Mountain Freeride Snowboards
- Pure Powder Snowboards
- Carving Snowboards
By definition, a snowboard is much more versatile than skis. Within reason, you can ride almost any type of snowboard on any terrain. For example, buying a freestyle/park board doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use it on groomers. Similarly, buying a freeride board doesn’t mean you can’t ride on groomed snow or take a lap through the park if you feel like it. However, their construction, shape, materials, or camber will offer better performance in specific conditions. Many models fall into the all-mountain snowboard category and allow you to ride on all terrains and in all conditions.
Freestyle Park Snowboards
Freestyle boards generally have a twin-tip shape, meaning they are symmetrical and can be ridden in both directions (regular or switch). They are also perfectly balanced, which is useful on rails, boxes, or ledges, referred to as jibbing. Freestyle boards are also shorter, making them more manoeuvrable and playful. Manoeuvrability is key as it allows you to hit features quickly. There are various profiles, from flat camber to traditional camber, offering different levels of edge hold and pop depending on the model.
In general, a freestyle board is playful and responsive, much like a skateboard. Jib boards are more fun with a softer flex, perfect for doing nose-presses. For half-pipe or big air, snowboards are stiffer, making them more powerful but less playful. These are designed to grip strongly on the icy walls of the pipe.
Freeride Snowboards
Freeride boards are designed for backcountry enthusiasts. They have a stiffer construction and are slightly longer than standard boards. This gives them more stability and power when riding on rough terrain.
Often featuring a directional shape and rocker, they float better in powder with a smooth and intuitive feel while still offering optimal edge hold on hard snow. The setback stance makes it easier to initiate turns.
Although freeride boards are associated with off-piste riding, they also perform exceptionally well on groomers. Carved turns are precise, and the rebound out of turns is powerful thanks to the common use of traditional camber between the feet. Freeride boards are generally high-performance, top-end models. They are well-suited for those who ride fast and aggressively.
All-Mountain Freestyle and All-Mountain Freeride Snowboards
If freestyle interests you but you want something less specialised, opt for an all-mountain freestyle board. These snowboards strike a good balance by offering the playfulness of a pure freestyle board with the versatility of an all-mountain snowboard. In this category, you’ll find many boards with a directional twin shape. This shape retains the symmetrical form of twin-tip snowboards but combines it with a slightly setback insert position, improving manoeuvrability and versatility.
Similarly, if you lean towards freeride but still want to maintain maximum versatility and the ability to perform a few tricks, you can opt for an all-mountain freeride snowboard. In this category, you’ll also find many snowboards with a directional twin shape, providing the perfect platform for all-round riding.
If you’re a beginner and unsure which style to pursue, we recommend these categories as they will allow you to progress on all terrains. They are also a great choice for experienced snowboarders who enjoy variety.
Pure Powder Snowboards
This is a relatively new category of boards, yet it also harkens back to the roots of the sport. Originally, snowboarding was all about snow surfing. No groomed runs, no cambers or rockers, just surfing the powder like you’d surf the Californian waves.
Manufacturers are bringing these powder boards back into style with the use of modern technology. They are easily recognisable by their highly directional shape. Typically shorter and wider than usual, they often feature an oversized nose with a massive front rocker. Some models also come with a swallow tail (split tail), offering better manoeuvrability in deep powder. These boards are agile and a lot of fun, but beware—they don’t perform well on hardpack!
If you’re considering buying such a board, we strongly recommend having another more versatile option. You’ll want to take this one out on deep powder days, but it’s more of a second board, a bonus board, rather than something you can rely on for everyday riding.
Carving Snowboards
Carving snowboards are highly specialised boards, similar to those used in alpine slalom and boardercross. Long, with a stiff flex and traditional camber, they are designed to provide maximum edge hold on groomers and improved stability at high speeds. They are unforgiving with edge mistakes and require physical strength to ride, making them suitable for experienced snowboarders whose goal is to ride exclusively on-piste and link fast, carved turns at high speed.
Splitboards
Finally, splitboards. This category includes a very specific type of snowboard that deserves close attention. Relatively new to the snowboarding world, splitboards are designed for those who love exploring the backcountry. These boards feature constructions and profiles similar to freeride models, but with a unique detail: they split to form a pair of skis. There are several systems, including two-part or four-part splitboards, Voilé kit or Karakoram bindings, making the splitboard world quite technical. The key takeaway is that a splitboard allows you to climb like touring skis, using climbing skins, and then ride down as if you were snowboarding as usual. This discipline requires good fitness and a solid understanding of mountain environments to venture outside ski areas and riding in powder. To help you better understand how splitboards work and the choices available, we recommend reading our splitboard buyer’s guide.
The other criteria for choosing a snowboard
Once you have picked your board length and width in accordance with your ability level and style, you have done the most important part of the selection process. You should be able to shortlist a few boards. But you still have some more features to define, such as the board camber, shape, flex… We have written the following guides for you. They will help you to refine your choice and buy the ultimate board.