How do you know if your snowboard is too long?
You can get a general idea of the length you will need for snowboard sizing, by standing a board up vertically, and comparing the height to your chin. If the board length is in between your chin and nose, then typically, that board is within your size range.
Snowboard length: As a general rule, if you stand a board on its tail, the nose of the board should reach somewhere between your nose and chin. You can use size charts and recommended rider weights to get more precise. Types of snowboards: Your choices include all-mountain, freestyle, freeride, powder and splitboards.
The typical snowboard length ranges from 90 cm, which can accommodate a small child, to 178 cm, which can support the weight of a rider well over 200 lbs. Shorter snowboards are easier to maneuver when learning, while longer boards are more stable at higher speeds, as with skis.
If you're riding is mostly all mountain, powder or freeriding, consider a snowboard on the longer end of the size range or grabbing a volume shifted board. If you are above average weight consider a longer snowboard. If you are a beginner, aim for a shorter board in your size range.
A longer board is more difficult to control. Therefore beginners are often recommended to choose a slightly shorter board than a more advanced rider might go with.
Yes. You will need overhang to be able to apply leverage to your edges and to get the most out of your board. 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of boot overhang for both toe and heel is ideal, and will not create problematic toe or heel drag.
Depending on your own preferences and what you like to do, most freestylers will typically choose a board that is between 2cm and 6cm shorter. Freeriders will tend to go with longer boards in order to help with speed and stability. Freeriders tend to choose a board that is between 1cm and 4cm longer.
Short snowboards will be easier to turn, making them great for beginners. A longer board will be more stable and have more contact with the snow ensuring they are perfect for carving. Advanced snowboarders who favour park may choose to downsize their board by around 2-4cms.
Longer snowboard will be faster and more stable, making them good for great for heavier, more advanced, or aggressive freeriders.
About an inch to an inch and 1/4 of overhang on each side of your boot is okay. More than that and you might start dragging your boots on the snow when you carve. One thing to remember when checking your overhang… Make sure your bindings are centered on your snowboard when measuring overhang.
What should you not do while snowboarding?
- Ignoring Skating. Skating, or riding with your backfoot unstrapped form your binding and using it to push yourself forward, is a vital snowboarding skill that is often forgotten about in learning guides and videos. ...
- Rushing Your Turns. ...
- Leaning Back While Turning. ...
- Leaning too Far While Riding an Edge.
Older snowboarders have the advantage of being more mature and aware of their boundaries than younger snowboarders. After 40, if you've been riding since you were a kid, you might want to ease off on the jumps and rails. However, if you're in good form, there's no reason to cut back any further on your riding.

How fast is fast on a snowboard? While averaging 25 mph is the norm for weekend riders, those in the top-percentile can reach speeds between 45 and 60 mph before they begin to lose control. How fast you ride has a lot to do with the snow conditions.
Both feet being attached to the board means snowboarders are likely to experience more injuries when at the beginner stage than skiers. The most common injuries for snowboarders are wrist, shoulder and ankle injuries.
Rider Weight | All Mountain Length (CM) | Freestyle Length (CM) |
---|---|---|
Up To 80 lbs (36 kg) | 137 | 132 |
80-120 lbs (45-59 kg) | 140 | 135 |
100-130 lbs (45-59kg) | 143 | 138 |
110-140 lbs (50-64 kg) | 147 | 142 |
Rider Height (ft/in) | Rider Height (cm) | Snowboard Size (cm) |
---|---|---|
5'6″ | 168cm | 148-153 |
5'7″ | 170cm | 150-155 |
5'8″ | 173cm | 152-155 |
5'9″ | 175cm | 153-157 |
When it comes to choosing your snowboard size, weight is a far more important factor than height. If you choose a snowboard that you are too light for, you won't be able to flex the board whereas if you are too heavy for the snowboard, your board won't be stiff enough for your weight to be stabilized.
Snowboards can be used or stored for up to 15 years before they begin to really deteriorate from age. As long as a board still has decent pop and flex, an old board purchased for $50-$100 and is a good option for riding in rocky spring or fall season conditions.
A thicker ski or snowboard sock (or even worse, using two pairs of socks) can restrict the blood flow in your foot, making them colder rather than warmer, and also cause blisters from rubbing This means that you should prioritize a snug bootfit, and in turn thinner socks.
Snowboard boots should feel comfortably snug everywhere—heel, instep, and toebox. Your toes should be barely touching the front edge. If a boot fits "just right" out of the box, chances are it will be too big when to boots break in.
How tall should a snowboard be compared to your body?
Since most snowboarders ride a board that is 85% to 92% of their own body height, plugging a couple numbers into a simple formula can tell you the board length that might fit you best. The formula is as follows: Your Height (in inches) X 2.54 X 0.88 = Your Recommended Board Length.
Snowboard Width
Look at your feet. If you have smaller than average feet for your height, you will want to look for a slightly shorter and narrower board. If you have larger than average feet for your height, you might need a longer and wider board.
Length by itself will not make a snowboard go faster. It is mass that matters. Assuming that two boards are made of the same material and the same thickness, then a longer board will have more mass and will therefor be pulled down by gravity a bit faster.
More surface area means your weight is distributed more evenly, meaning more speed. Another important point is that when you can divide your weight on multiple edges then that also means more speed. Snowboarders must put everything on a single surface/edge, whereas skiers get to divide it between multiple (two) edges.
You can tell when your snowboard needs to be waxed simply by how it feels, as well as how the base looks. If you notice that your board is slowing down, particularly on flat sections, or that the base is looking white and dry then it's probably time to give it the wax treatment.
Long (nose to chin) – all-mountain riders love the longer boards. The longer the board, the faster you will go. You forgo some control; however, you get more speed and float on snow. Longest (nose or above) – if you ride in deep powder, a really long board might be a good option.
The width of your snowboard should allow your toes and heels to overhang the edge of your board by around 1/2 an inch. By having this slight overhang, your toes and heels will be directly placed above the edges of your snowboard.
The wrong size board could make your board harder to control than it should be, hindering your improvement as a rider. A board that is too long becomes difficult to manouvre, too short and it will become unstable to ride as your speed gets higher.
Standard countertop overhang is 1 ½ inches.
Keep in mind that this is 1 ½ inches over the front edge of the base cabinet. While some countertops may have different overhang measurements, this is the number that is seen as standard for homes.
Skiing is usually easier to learn but in order to perfect the sport, you are required to become extremely technical. On the split hand, snowboarding techniques are harder to master but can help quickly achieve impressive levels once nailed.
What is the most common injury in snowboarding?
Sprains and fractures are the most common injuries among snowboarders, followed by contusions, lacerations, dislocations, and concussions. A high proportion of snowboarders who are injured are beginners. Novices are at increased risk for fractures and injuries to the wrist, in part because of frequent falls.
According to the non-profit trade association Snowsports Industries America, alpine skiing burns approximately 500 calories an hour while snowboarding lags slightly behind at 450. Neither stat includes time spent on the lift.
Skiing is easier to learn for adults and follows a more natural stance than snowboarding. Older learners can learn to ski much quicker and should be able to cruise down a bunny hill unassisted after a day of lessons.
When a snowboarder points the nose of his board across the fall-line instead of straight down hill, he is now positioned in such a manner that in order to keep from sliding down the hill, he has to be in some more-or-less squatting position which exerts a lot of pressure on the quadriceps if facing downhill (or the ...
“snowboarders are 50% to 70% more likely to get injured but they're also a third less likely to be killed on a mountain than skiers.” Potential reasons for these statistics include more safety measures for skiers since the 1970s.
As gravity pulls the snowboarders down the halfpipe, they gain speed. At the same time, they are being pushed against the sides by contact forces. Snowboarders push back against the G-forces and build speed by pumping their legs up and down.
Jamie hit a top speed of 211kph (131.11mph); the fastest speed on a snowboard – ever! And not one you'll best on your next snowboarding holiday!
Astonishingly, only three months after his accident, Jamie clocked a time of 151.6kph (94mph) to set a British snowboard downhill speed record.
In an hour-long session, snowboarding can burn between 300 and 600 calories. Snowboarding helps burning calories and making your abs, butt, and thighs stronger.
The most common knee injuries when snowboarding are torn ligaments, especially the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL). These injuries can occur when you land a jump incorrectly, when you try to stand in a fall, or from improper “twisting” while you're on your ride.
Can you learn to snowboard in a day?
Although challenging, it is possible to learn the snowboarding basics in a day. It will take hard work, a willingness to fall over and a little bit of prior preparation.
You can get a general idea of the length you will need for snowboard sizing, by standing a board up vertically, and comparing the height to your chin. If the board length is in between your chin and nose, then typically, that board is within your size range.
Rider Height | Range of Board Length (Centimeters) |
---|---|
5'4″ | 140 – 148cm |
5'6″ | 145 -152cm |
5'8″ | 147 -155cm |
5'10” | 154- 163cm |
Rider Height (in) | Rider Height (cm) | Snowboard Size (cm) |
---|---|---|
5'6" | 168 | 149 -157 |
5'8" | 173 | 154 -162 |
5'10" | 178 | 159 -167 |
6' | 183 | 160+ |
Heavier riders need longer snowboards, whilst lighter riders need shorter snowboards. How long or short depends partly on your height, partly on your ability level and partly on your style of snowboarding.
Rider Height (ft/in) | Rider Height (cm) | Snowboard Size (cm) |
---|---|---|
5'3″ | 160cm | 135-145 |
5'4″ | 163cm | 140-150 |
5'5″ | 165cm | 145-152 |
5'6″ | 168cm | 148-153 |
Length by itself will not make a snowboard go faster. It is mass that matters. Assuming that two boards are made of the same material and the same thickness, then a longer board will have more mass and will therefor be pulled down by gravity a bit faster.
Generally, smaller snowboards are easier to manoeuvre, allowing you to carve smaller turns. Longer snowboards, on the other hand, will be harder to control when going slow but will be more stable at high speeds.
Anthropometric Characteristics. Several studies describe the anthropometric variables present in elite snowboarders (Table 1). The mean height is between 165.7 cm and 183.4 cm.
References
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