OBERSON BUYING GUIDE
How to Choose a Snowboard
Choose the right board type, flex, profile, and size for your riding style and terrain.
AT A GLANCE
Choosing a snowboard starts with your riding style. Your preferred terrain type—all-mountain, freestyle, freeride, or powder—gets you to the right snowboard category. From there, flex, profile, shape, and sidecut radius let you dial in the precise feel and performance you’re looking for. Then you need to find the right size: your weight largely determines length, and your boot size, width.
What Terrain Do You Ride?
For riders who want to do a bit of everything at the resort, an all-mountain board is the right choice. If you spend most of your time in the snow park, a freestyle board will perform best. Freeriders and powder enthusiasts have their own board types.
| Board Type | Terrain | Flex | Profile and Shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-mountain | Groomed runs, glades, moguls, park | Medium | Hybrid camber-rocker and directional twin shape |
| Freestyle | Snow park, side hits | Soft to medium | Rocker, camber, or hybrid and true twin shape |
| Freeride | Steep terrain, off-piste, variable snow | Medium-stiff to stiff | Camber or hybrid camber and directional shape |
| Powder | Deep pow, trees | Soft to medium (stiffer tail) | Rocker or hybrid rocker and directional or volume-shifted shape |
All-Mountain
Choose an all-mountain board if the whole mountain is your playground. These boards shred everywhere—groomers, glades, moguls, and the park. They typically have a medium flex and a directional twin shape, with a hybrid camber-rocker profile that gives you edge hold on hardpack and float for big powder days. All-mountain boards are an excellent choice for beginners who want to explore different terrain types.
Freestyle
If you live for tricks in the park and doing side hits all over the mountain, a freestyle board is the right call. A true twin shape lets you ride switch, and a soft to medium flex makes butters, presses, and jibs easier. A rocker profile keeps your edges catch-free when playing around on features, though advanced riders focused on jumps benefit from the extra pop in camber. Park riders often size down slightly for more agility.
Freeride
For riders who love exploring the sidecountry and bombing down steep lines, a freeride board is the natural choice. These boards are stiffer for stability at speed and powerful edge hold on variable snow. A directional shape with a longer nose and shorter tail gives you float in powder and control when you’re charging hard. Camber or hybrid camber profiles help you set an edge.
Powder
For maximum euphoria after a major snowfall, you need a powder board in your quiver. When an overnight storm leaves 20+ centimetres of fluffy pow, nothing gets you into a surfy flow like a powder board. They typically feature a wide, rockered nose, a tapered tail, and a directional or volume-shifted shape that keeps the nose riding high while the tail sinks naturally into the snow. The downside is that on groomers and hardpack, a powder board is out of its element, and you can struggle to set the edge.
Thinking about the backcountry?
Splitboards are a different category designed for riders who skin up and then ride down lines in the backcountry. See our splitboard guide.
How Do You Choose the Right Flex for Your Riding Style?
For most riders, a medium flex is right for all-mountain riding. It’s versatile enough to handle varied terrain. Softer flexes work best for beginners and park riders; stiffer flexes suit experienced riders who charge hard and want power coming out of turns. Flex describes how easily a snowboard bends from tip to tail, affecting pop, responsiveness at speed, and forgiveness.
Soft
The most forgiving option. Soft flex boards make turn initiation easy and respond at low speeds, making them perfect for beginners. Park riders enjoy the natural feel of butters, presses, and jibs, and forgiveness of small mistakes.
Medium
Medium flex strikes a balance between forgiveness and response, handling varied terrain and conditions. Most all-mountain boards fall in this range, and it’s a solid choice for intermediate to advanced riders.
Stiff
Stiff flex boards are demanding but reward riders who can drive them hard. The upshot is powerful edge hold, explosive pop out of turns and off jumps, and high-speed stability. They’re best for advanced and expert riders who let it rip down steep terrain in variable snow.
Camber, Rocker, or Hybrid—Which Profile Do You Need?
For riders seeking versatility, a hybrid camber-rocker profile is a good choice. Camber works well for riders who prioritize edge hold and pop; rocker works best in powder and for beginners. Flat profiles appeal to riders who want quick turns and a surfy feel.
Camber
The traditional snowboard profile. Camber arches up between the bindings, creating powerful edge hold, explosive pop, and high-speed stability. It’s the profile of choice for carving-oriented riders or those looking for explosive pop off features.
Rocker
Rocker curves up at the tip and tail. This makes for easy turn initiation and effortless float in powder. It’s a forgiving profile—catch-free and surfy, ideal for beginners and riders who spend most of their time in soft snow and glades or the park. It has less effective edge, so less grip on hardpack than camber.
Flat
Flat profiles sit level underfoot. Versatile and intuitive, they’re good for quick edge-to-edge transitions and have a surfy feel.
Camber-Rocker Hybrids
The best of both worlds, this profile can have different configurations of camber and rocker for edge hold and pop and rocker for float and easy turn initiation. Most all-mountain boards use some variation of this profile. It’s versatile enough for everything from fresh corduroy to deep pow.
How Do You Choose the Right Snowboard Shape?
Shape follows riding style: directional twin for all-mountain versatility, true twin for the park, directional or volume-shifted for freeride and powder.
| Shape | Best For | Switch Riding | Powder Float |
|---|---|---|---|
| True Twin | Park, freestyle | Excellent | Low |
| Directional Twin | All-mountain | Good | Medium |
| Directional | Freeride, powder | Poor | High |
| Volume-Shifted | Powder, trees | Poor | Very high |
| Asymmetrical | All-mountain, carving | Good | Medium |
True Twin
The freestyle shape par excellence. True twin boards have the same nose, tail, and flex in both directions. This makes them ideal for riding switch and spinning.
Directional Twin
The all-mountain workhorse. Directional twin boards look symmetrical but ride slightly directional—a subtly setback stance or stiffer tail gives them a bit more drive and float than a true twin.
Directional
Made to rip. Directional boards have a longer, softer nose and a shorter, stiffer tail that drives power into turns, floats in powder, and keeps you stable when things get spicy. It’s the shape of choice for freeriders and powder lovers who rarely ride switch.
Volume-Shifted
The playful powder hound. Shorter and wider than a standard board, volume-shifted shapes let you ride a smaller size without sacrificing float in deep snow. The extra width keeps the nose riding high; the shorter length makes the board flowy and nimble in glades and tight terrain.
Asymmetrical
The natural. For most riders, heel-side turns are harder to initiate and less powerful than toe-side turns. Asymmetrical boards have a deeper sidecut on the heel edge for heel-side turns that feel as natural and powerful as your toe side.
How Do You Find the Right Size?
Length
Weight is the primary factor in determining length. Use the manufacturer’s sizing chart to find the recommended length for your weight. The old method based on height also often works: a correctly sized board will stand somewhere between your chest and your eyes when rested on its tail. Riding style also shifts the calculation: freestyle riders often go shorter for quicker response on features, while freeride and powder riders go longer for stability and float.
Width
Your boots should overhang the edges by about 1–2 cm on each side. Too much overhang and your toes and heels drag in turns; too little and the board feels sluggish edge-to-edge. Most boards come in regular and wide versions. Riders with larger boots should look for a wide model.
Women’s Boards
Women’s boards are typically narrower in the waist and have a softer flex to match smaller boot sizes and lighter average body weight. Taller women or those with larger boot sizes may find a better fit in men’s or unisex models, depending on the brand.
Kids’ Boards
Resist the temptation to buy a board your child will grow into: an oversized board is harder to control and slows skill development. Kids’ boards are built lighter and softer to match lower body weight and strength. Choose the right size for where they are now, not where they’ll be in two years.
Sizing Checklist
Use the manufacturer’s sizing chart to match board length to your weight
The board should usually stand between your chest and eyes when rested on its tail
Freestyle riders: consider sizing down for more agility on features
Freeride and powder riders: consider sizing up for stability and float
Verify your boots overhang the edges slightly on each side
Check whether you need a regular or wide model based on your boot size
Kids: size for now, not for growth
FAQ — How to Choose a Snowboard
What’s the best snowboard for beginners?
An all-mountain board with a soft flex is an excellent starting point: it’s forgiving when you make mistakes and versatile so you can explore different terrain as your skills develop. Look for a directional twin shape and a hybrid rocker or flat profile for easy, catch-free turns. When in doubt, go with a board on the shorter side of your size range because shorter boards handle better at low speeds.
Is there a type of snowboard that works for every terrain?
Yes, an all-mountain board can handle groomers, glades, moguls, and the occasional powder day without too much compromise. It won’t be the best board for every terrain type or all conditions—a powder board floats better in deep snow, a freestyle board is more playful in the park, and so on—but for riders who want a quiver of one, an all-mountain board is the way to go.
Do I need a women’s snowboard?
Not necessarily. Many women prefer to ride men’s or unisex boards, particularly taller riders or those with larger boot sizes. That said, women’s specific boards work well for many snowboarders because they are designed around female body mechanics with narrower board waist widths to match smaller boot sizes, a softer flex to account for lighter average body weight, and, on some models, fine-tuned sidecut, profile, and stance options for better balance and edge hold. For many women, that translates to a more natural, responsive ride.
What snowboard is best for icy conditions?
On ice, edge hold is everything. A camber profile with a stiff flex gives you the most grip on hardpack and ice patches. This drives power into the turn without losing control. A directional or directional twin shape with a longer effective edge adds stability when things get slippery. Softer boards and rocker profiles tend to skid on ice, so save those for powder days.
Can I use my snowboard in the backcountry?
Yes, with limitations. You can get into the backcountry on snowshoes with a regular snowboard strapped to your back. Freeride and powder boards usually work best in soft snow. However, for longer approaches and bigger climbs, this can quickly feel like a slog because you’re lifting your feet with every step (rather than gliding like splitboarders) and carrying extra weight. Plus, in popular backcountry zones, ascending a skin track on snowshoes is considered bad form. A splitboard—which separates into two skis for the climb and locks back together for the descent—is the better tool for anyone who ventures out regularly.
What’s the best snowboard for riding trees?
It depends on conditions. On a powder day, volume-shifted powder boards excel. Shorter, wider, and rockered, they float effortlessly as you weave and pivot through the woods. For skied-out glades with variable snow, an all-mountain or freeride board with a hybrid camber-rocker profile handles chopped up pow with aplomb. It will float when it gets deep and set an edge on hardpack. Either way, look for a shorter sidecut radius and a board on the shorter end of your size range for quick turns and maximum agility.
Snowboards at Oberson
Oberson carries a wide selection of snowboards from leading brands, including Burton, Bataleon, K2, Lib Tech, and Jones. Whether you’re buying your first board or adding to your quiver, our experts can help you find the right setup. Stop by our Laval and Brossard stores or reach out online.
