Beginners Guide to Snowboarding

It may seem like a daunting task, to take on snowboarding and the shopping for gear that comes with the hobby, but it's worth it. Start first off by choosing a board, as this will be the most important piece of equipment you'll buy. Make sure to get the right one for you, or else it will make learning a hard task. Before starting, first assess your abilities, your budget, and where you'll most likely be riding it.

Abilities. Know what type of riding you'll be doing and where. Decide if your a deep snow sort of person or a shallow snow sort of person. Are you a trickster that will want to be getting mad air at the terrain park or being dropped from a helicopter into a couple feet of powder? Whether your looking to take it to the extreme or keep it to the trails, decide now, because it'll make a difference on the type of board you buy. Most riders will hit up a variety of terrain, so your best bet if you all into this category is a versatile, all-mountain board that will allow you to ride most anywhere. Most flexible boards are used when doing more tricks, and strictly speed boards are usually less flexible.

Budget. When first looking at gear it can often look like you'll be living in the poor house for shelling out all your hard earned cash, however if you know where to look and what to look for, that won't be the case. You can often get deals and buy board, boots, and bindings all together for a discounted price. That's the best way to go if your looking ot save, rather than buy them all separately. Another thing to keep in mind is that this gear will last you years, it's a good investment if you plan on using it. The performance difference between the high priced boards and the lower priced boards is next to nothing, so forget around brand name and go with what you can afford.

After assessing these 2 main things, the next thing you'll need to know when buying a board is how big of one to get. Board length is based on your height and the type of riding you plan to do. If you want something that's easy to manage and better to do tricks on, buy a board that comes up to between your nose and chin. These are best for recreational boarding activities, but not good for speed in deep snow or on ice. If you want something stable, fast and great in powder, go for a longer board that should measure between your nose and eyes. Any longer than that and you'll just trip over it and it will get in your way. Board width is a problem for those with feet sizes over 11 in mens. When that happens, your toes hang over the edge and drag in the snow, making it easier to catch an edge and wipe-out. In this case, you'd want to look into buying a specialized wider board.

Boots and bindings are pretty self explanatory. Find some that fit and feel comfortable, remember you'll more than likely be wearing thicker or more than one pair of socks so keep that in mind when trying them on. Other than that, buy your gear, start boarding and enjoy yourself!