What Makes A Freestyle Snowboard Special?

On 11.13.09, In Snowboarding, Sport Equipment, Sports, By

Park snowboarding refers to freestyle snowboarding. The term park refers to the Terrain Park which is made up of man-made features such as jumps, rails, half-pipes and other obstacles for the riders to test themselves on. These parks have been introduced to just about all resorts to cater for those boarders who love spending their day in the air for about as much time as they do on the surface of the snow.

With the freestyle snowboarder it’s all about the tricks, the more creative and original, the better. Going downhill fast is not what these competitors are about, instead they aim to thrill the crowd and impress the judges. At least, that’s competitive freestyle snowboarding. The social freestyler is merely looking for the adrenaline rush that comes with sailing through the air, unsure whether the landing is going to be soft or hard.

To make things easier for the freestyle snowboarder, the snowboard companies have catered for their style by manufacturing shorter, more flexible boards. Burton freestyle snowboards are different to their all-mountain boards which are designed to maximize speed or to float over the powder of the softer snow. The freestyle boards are capable of wild turns and are light enough to easily grab some wicked air.

What we are seeing is that there is a strong interest in the sport from female riders who have come looking for the adrenaline rush that park riding gives you. To cater for this increase the snowboard companies have been quick to jump at the opportunity and have been bringing out new freestyle snowboards to cater for the market.

Some of the most popular women’s freestyle snowboards include Burton Stria, Roxy Ollie Pop, Ride Canvas, Never Summer Pandora and the Forum Craft. Each of these boards has been specifically designed for the smaller framed rider to perform all kinds of tricks in conditions that vary greatly. The graphics are often fun and very busy which also reflects the attitude of the freestyle rider quite well.

Buying the correct type of equipment is essential and if you are planning on hitting the terrain parks, there’s no point taking out a board that hasn’t been specially designed for the job. If you decide to take an all-mountain board in there, the chances are you’re going to have a miserable day and you could come out of it with a damaged board.

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Womens’ Snowboarding Is Growing In Popularity

On 11.11.09, In Snowboarding, Sport Equipment, Sports, By

Snowboarding is one of the fastest growing winter sports and is becoming increasingly popular with female skiers who are making the switch. Accordingly, there is an impressive array of womens’ snowboards being made by snowboard companies around the world. These snowboards differ from boards that are specifically designated as mens’ snowboards in height and weight so that they cater properly to the female body type.

Oh yeah, there’s another distinctive feature about snowboards that have been constructed for women. The graphics are distinctly un-masculine. It would be safe to say that most male snowboarders wouldn’t be seen dead with a pretty snowboard.

When choosing a new snowboard, there are some important considerations to take into account. You’ve got to take into account your own weight and height which will determine the height and length and the width of the board you will want to buy. The heavier the rider, the longer and wider the snowboard should be to take your weight.

For this reason you will generally find that the range of snowboards for women will start at a much shorter length than the range for men. This is due to the fact that the average size of a woman is smaller than that of a man.

Freestyle snowboards are generally wider and shorter than a freeride board and are also more flexible, too. All of these features give the freestyle snowboarder the opportunity to perform more daring aerial tricks than they would be able to do with a longer, less flexible board. As a beginner you will find it easier to control a stiffer, less flexible snowboard than a freestyle board.

As a general guide you will find that the average size of a womens’ freestyle snowboard stands at around 150cm. The need to cater for the smaller framed female form as well as the tight turns of the moguls and half-pipes means that smaller is better for the freestyle snowboarder.

Now, it would be extremely unusual for a beginner to walk straight into the freestyle realm and so for that reason they should head of the longer, stiffer snowboards and practice their turns on the groomed runs. When the confidence has grown to the point where getting air with their beginner board is rather run of the mill, then thoughts may be turned to investing in a board specifically designed for the park.

Burton Snowboards is one of the largest snowboarding companies in the world and has a good range of freestyle snowboards for women. Models such as the Stigma, Stria, Blender and the top of the line GTwin are all manufactured specifically to take advantage of the opportunities available in the Terrain Parks of resorts everywhere. Other top line snowboards can be found from companies such as Forum, Ride, K2, Never Summer and Roxy.

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