This site prides itself on supporting local shops in any capacity possible as they’re the ones that essentially built the back bone of the culture and lets be honest when you have some kind of malfunction you probably run here to have them fix it. So with that in mind Eternal Snow a shop that has embraced the local scene with being a brick and mortar store just as much as being an online presence asked to write a guest post on how to buy a snowboard. Being a friend of snowboard shops like this we kindly obliged them. Here’s what their employee Rory Alexander has to say on the subject.
Snowboard selection and purchase is a decision best made with an informed perspective. There are hoards of
good to excellent options on the market, and just as many poor options. An informed decision could mean the difference between the best snowboard season of your life, or a dreadful experience.
With Internet retailers being the primary source for most, it’s hard to know what you’re buying. But, if you know what you need to look for you’re likely to find the right snowboard. There are three basics that will lead you in the right direction regarding snowboard selection, and will help you find what’s best for you.
Size
First, you need to consider snowboard size. Weight, Height, and Shoe/Boot Size are the leading factors when
it comes to size – get something to small for your weight or height, and you’ll be a boat anchor on hill with no speed and no control, and a very similar outcome came stem from riding a snowboard too big for you. If you have big feet – Men’s Size 11 and above – you’re going to need at very least a mid-wide snowboard, or a snowboard designed for bigger feet and bigger riders.
Style
Don’t forget riding style – the driving force behind snowboard design. Snowboards are designed to be ridden on a certain type of terrain and for particular riding styles. While a snowboard may be suitable for multiple uses, each excels on one terrain or one use. By riding styles we’re referring to Freestyle, Park Only, Freeride, Big Mountain, or the catch-all All Mountain. By terrain we’re referring to icy snow, wet snow, terrain parks, urban jibbing, backcountry powder, and groomed trails.
Selection
Every snowboard you look at should have a few specifications on it to help you make your decision. From waist width to Snowboard Profile, the specs should help narrow your snowboard selection. Also, every snowboard has a little “Silent Salesman” sticker on the base that explains what size rider a specific board is best for. These guidelines are just that – guidelines. You can stray from the manufacturer’s recommendations, but if it’s your first time at the derby, don’t stray too far.
The long and short of all that is that there are a ton of options out there, and picking the “right board” is not
something to be taken lightly, or something that’s easy to do without considering all aspects of what you need. Most boardshops that have snowboarders on staff can help you pick the best board for you and your use, and they’re the ones to turn to for advice. Keep in mind that most online shops are not rider owned and operated, and getting advice from most of them isn’t really what you want to do. On the other hand, most local shops and a few online are fully staffed by snowboarders, so pick your reference wisely. At Eternal, everyone we have ever employed and all current staff members are avid snowboarders, and we’re more than happy to help you get the snowboard setup that will best suit your needs. Simply give us a call at 800.8.ETERNAL with any and all questions and we’ll steer you in the right direction.
This author of this post, Rory Alexander, is an integral member of the Eternal Snow team. EternalSnow.com is
our online snowboard shop that offers a variety of snowboarding gear such as snowboards, gloves, outerwear
and helmets. We carry all the best snowboard equipment from your favorite core brands, like Academy, Capita, 32 boots, and so much more.
9 Comments
I hope there’s a second and third part to this commentary. Seems way too rudimentary to be of any real help. How about what to look for in equipment within each riding style/terrain. Diiferences in ride between camber/rocker/reverse camber, etc.?
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Shred Union. Shred Union said: angry's POV – Eternal Snows Guide To Picking A Board http://bit.ly/g3NbU5 […]
Good Stuff!
glad to see my local shop getting some press.
Check out our video about buying a board…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BP9G3DybZg
Eternal? full color catalog, huge online presence hardly a local shop. No different than “the House”, Dogfunk, Whiskey Militia, Porters etc…maybe they were local at one point now their internet footprint is so good i’m sure it’s put other true “local” out of the biz. the ultimate bummer is that small core brands have decided to see out to these types of shop rather than organically grow the brand in local markets. maybe the really sad part is that ultimately shredders don’t care and they’ll buy from these DB’s before they support the true local guy…
Actually if you look at their online presence vs others it’s nothing. They’re still local especially in the Reno/Tahoe area.
I guess sending out junk mail catalogs to people who never signed up for it doesn’t feel very local to me…
Actually you want to blame anyone blame Transworld, Snowboarder, and Snowboard Mag for selling your info.
@ That one guy.
I have no idea where you live…
but…
ETERNAL IS LOCAL AS FUCK. The Only other competitor was Out of Bounds Reno they went out of business, unfortunately they had a kinda weird vibe. Eternal also fosters a great local scene!
the only other shop in the area that might have better vibe is Dave’s in tahoe. I’ve never been there but I hear good things about it. they don’t really do any type of special events like Eternal does though.
Also Porters is fun when Andy or Joe(one of the owners @ smokin) is there too.
(there was a Out of Bounds in Carson City that was run by a different owner, they have gone out of business too, but that was because of poor business decisions)