Which type of snowboard is right for you?
Whether you’re shopping for your very first board or something to add to the collection, knowing what different types of snowboards are out there is helpful. Of course, there’s huge range in each type to be tailored for your style or local conditions. But knowing a guideline of what each snowboard type excels at can help you narrow down all the options out there.
We dive into four main types: freestyle, all-mountain, freeride, and powder. There’s certainly boards that overlap these categories and it’s all a spectrum. But there’s no denying some boards are better at floating in powder and others are better at spinning tricks and stomping landings.
Freestyle
If you spend your time in the park or spend every minute on the rest of the mountain finding side hits and jumps, this is the category for you. Freestyle boards are tailored to be poppy, stable on landings, and balanced in the air.
These boards will usually offer a true twin shape, with a soft to medium flex. The true twin shape means the board is completely symmetrical. Your stance is centered on the camber underfoot, with equal amounts of rocker in front and behind you. That allows the board to feel more balanced in the air and easy to swing around. You won’t feel extra weight in front o you to have to maneuver. This is great for folks spinning a lot or who like to ride or land switch.
Like with the rest of these categories, some freestyle boards are more freestyle-specific while others are more versatile and can fall into the “all-mountain freestyle” realm. Those boards might be a bit stiffer, but a good hallmark of a freestyle board is the true twin shape. It’ll just be more playful.
Examples:
The K2 Medium is a versatile freestyle board. A true twin shape blends with K2’s balanced construction to make a board that rips the park as well as groomers and trees.
We love the stable platform for stomping big landings. The stiffer flex is ideal for high-speed drop-ins and run-outs. The Huck Knife works equally well as a stiff, park-specific board for more aggressive park riders.
All-Mountain
The ones that can do it all. Designed to carve and tackle choppy snow, while feeling fun to dip into the park and take off of sidehits. They’ll find some float in softer snow, but are maneuverable enough to dive into trees and bumps with confidence.
These boards normally have medium to stiff flex patterns. The stiffer the board, the more stable and powerful it will be for carving on firm snow or when cruising through challenging snow conditions. You’ll find some all-mountain boards with a softer flex, and those will be great for playful riders looking for something easier going or more bendy for side hits.
All-mountain boards can come in a huge variety of shapes. Quite a lot of them will feature a slightly directional shape to help give you extra edge hold on harder snow as opposed to a true twin style. It’s usually quite subtle, so you still have an easy time getting switch and spinning in the air. Others will feature a true twin-tip shape but with other features that help stabilize them. The best of both worlds.
Examples:
The Party Platter is a very playful and fun-oriented board. It features a more directional shape that offers more stability for all-mountain terrain, but because it runs shorter, you get better maneuverability for trees and other tight features.
This board offers a super snappy and responsive ride that tackles the whole mountain. Arbor’s four-point camber gives unrivaled stability on firm snow, along with the stiffer flex.
Freeride
Freeride boards are what we’re taking into big mountains with deep snow in mind. These boards are optimized for floating in deep powder just as well as for carving and navigating harder snow conditions. They’ll usually be stiffer too. That gives you the stability you need to charge through tough snow with good trust in your platform underneath you.
These boards can range in the shape, but will usually have some element of a directional shape. Sometimes it will be a setback stance, and other times the shape will be more similar to a powder board with a really pronounced tip and significant directional shape.
There’s a lot of range here, but generally these boards are more oriented for deep snow, higher speeds, and more aggressive riding. The can still flip tricks and support freestyle moves, but maybe won’t feel quite as nimble or light in the air as freestyle specific boards.
The stiffer flex adds power for speed and stability on spicier conditions. Directional camber gives you extra power to lay down some carves, but the shape remains easy to initiate turns with and get you out of dicey situations.
A stiff flex and directional camber give you extra power to blast through challenging conditions and take some speed.
Powder
Some powder boards look like fish. Fish swimming through deep snow. Pronounced noses with lots of taper and a set-back stance to help you rise above the powder. Other boards might look a little more normal, but they’re all optimized for deep snow and to help you cruise through the powder.
The boards can flex can range from soft to stiff. Most people associate softer boards and skis with powder, but you can easily find stiffer powder boards that cross over into the freeride category. The K2 Excavator is a great example, as a very stiff board with a mega pronounced nose to help you float in deeper snow. That gives you stability to cruise through chunder and choppy snow, or just provide a trusty platform for the aggressive rider.
Powder boards are going to be a little less versatile for daily riding. Their unique shapes can occasionally make them feel unbalanced in the air. As with anything, you can use them however you want. It just may take more of a learning curve to learn how to ride them switch.
Examples:
The volume shift design gives you extra width to float and push through deep snow. Salomon’s design features add loads of pop to this ride, giving you a boost off everything from groomer kickers to bigger features on powder days.
Built for premier powder surfing, Arbor designed this board with deep channels in the tip and tail to keep snow flowing underneath you. That prevents snow build-up, letting you ride faster in even the deepest snow you can find. This powder board is unique since it’s a true twin.
