#CRAZY SNOWBOARD GEAR FULL#

Goggles don’t only protect you from UV rays reflecting off the snow, but also make a huge difference in the clarity and contrast you’ll see on the hill. It’s important to invest in a quality helmet.

Snowboarding (and skiing) are extreme sports. Not only do you avoid all the nasty sweat from strangers, but you have the peace of mind of knowing no one else has compromised the integrity of your helmet. This is why I recommend against rental helmets. It’s unfortunate, but after a big collision, your new helmet won’t protect you as well as it used to. Most helmets tend are built for a single (large) impact. If you’re on an advanced slope, while collisions are less common, they tend to be even more devastating. If you’re on a beginner slope you’re more at risk of being cleaned up by an out of control newbie.

Even if you trust your own ability, most injuries happen because of other riders! The majority of people on the slopes wear helmets now. Gone are the days where only the “uncool” wore helmets. A stiff boot can be less forgiving- shift your weight ever so slightly in the wrong direction and you’ll have caught an edge and be tumbling down the hill! Helmets You’ll always need to stay focused on your movements. While they can offer you more control over your board, they make for a less comfortable ride. Comfort comes with a tradeoff though, a soft boot will lack control on hard snow or at speed. Some are quite soft, which makes for a comfortable and smooth ride. There are many things that go into building snowboard boots, but the biggest difference is how stiff they can be. It can affect the ease of how you move the board, and of course how high you can jump! The more you spend on bindings, the lighter you can get them, so the weight of your binding will come down to your budget. Of course, the weight of the binding impacts your riding too. The amount of torsional (twisting) flex in the bindings has an impact on the way your board will flex and react to your movements. The stiffness of the binding front to back plays a large part in how your edges connect with the snow. Those things that connect your boots to the board? They can actually vary quite a bit. Splitboards are also a new trend for backcountry, and we’ll talk about those further on. Newer boards are even being made with a “swallow tail” or a cutout in the back of the board so you don’t need to lean back as hard to keep your front end (nose) out of the snow. They also can be longer which gives a more stable ride when you get going faster.īackcountry boards are built wider to float on deep snow better. This means it won’t grab an edge as easily but is great for presses and spins.Ī race board or something made to go fast might be stiffer so it can hold an edge at speed. They also have more of a dish-shaped base (called a rocker).

These can be more forgiving if you make mistakes and won’t take as much energy to flex and maneuver as an advanced board.īoards made for riding in terrain parks tend to be more flexible.

#CRAZY SNOWBOARD GEAR FULL#

In the future sometime we might make a full article about what kind of board will suit your riding!Ī beginner board will be softer and have less aggressive edges. Here’s a quick crash course in boards, without loading you down with jargon. Stiffness and shape of the edges are key factors that can drastically change the way a board rides. If you’re big into the sport, you might have a quiver of boards for varying conditions and styles of riding. These might all look the same, but the paint job is not the only difference between snowboards. If you’re riding from chalet to chalet, heading into the backcountry, or anything in-between, you’ll need a board and the clothing to match. The sports aren’t so different after all. NOTE: This checklist is for snowboarders, but if you ski you can swap out the boots and board, for skis boots and poles. Make sure next time you hit the slopes you’re ready for whatever the mountain throws at you. We’ve made a handy checklist with all the snowboard gear you need for a day on the slopes or a day in the backcountry. Nothing ruins a snowboarding trip faster than getting caught without the right gear.

Crazy snowboard gear