The Different Types of Snowboards: Why You Need to Know
Every snowboarder can agree, there is nothing quite like the thrill of snowboarding. The wind in your face, the sound of speed, getting a deep carve in fresh powder, and best of all; waking up to a bluebird day. One thing sure to improve a shredders season is having the right board. The types of snowboards can be broken down into four categories: All-mountain, free ride, freestyle, and powder snowboards.
Having the right snowboard can determine how well you ride, comfortability, and endurance levels. Having a good understanding of the 4 main snowboard types, and what conditions they work best in will not only help you choose the best snowboard, it will drastically improve your experience on the slopes.
This guide will cover all the basics of the different types of snowboards, their benefits, and hopefully help you choose the best snowboard for your riding style and the conditions you’re riding in.
Related: Best Women’s Snowboards 2023/24
Related: Best Women’s Snowboard Boots and How to Choose
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The 4 Main Types of Snowboards at a Glance
| Type | Shape | Profile | Flex |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Mountain | Twin/Directional Twin | Camber/Rocker Hybrid | Medium-Stiff |
| Freeride | Directional | Camber/Rocker Hybrid | Stiff |
| Freestyle | Hybrid Directional/Twin | Camber | Soft-Medium Soft |
| Powder | Directional | Rocker | Medium-Stiff |
Note* These are general specs for each snowboard type. There are hundreds of combinations of these shapes on the market. This is a good reference to think about when discussing or purchasing a snowboard.
Snowboard Structure
On top of this, it’s important to know the general structure of a snowboard. Our picture here gives you a good overview.
Snowboard Types: All Broken Down
All-Mountain Snowboards
Average Specs
Shape: Twin/Directional Twin
Profile: Camber/Rocker hybrid
Flex: Medium-Stiff
All-mountain snowboards may be the most popular type of snowboard because it is the most versatile. Like the name implies, an all-mountain board is meant to be ridden just about everywhere, from the park to the powder covered peaks.
These boards also make a great beginner snowboard. This is because they usually come in a true-directional shape along with a medium flex rating and a subtle camber profile. True-directional just means both ends of the snowboard are the same profile and flex rating. The flex rating determines how stiff the board is. With a medium flex rating, an all-mountain board helps to sit back while floating in powder, pop up for jumps and jibs. Still though, it’s stiff enough to maintain total control. The camber profile helps initiate turns and decreases the risk of catching an edge, helping beginners and seasoned riders alike have a smooth ride, and take over the entire mountain.
While every brand has their signature all-mountain snowboards to choose from, I’ve definitely developed a favorite over the years. The best women’s all-mountain snowboard is hands down the Birds of a Feather from Capita seen linked above. I even know a few guys that ride this board as their daily driver, it’s that badass.
Freeride Snowboards
Average Specs
Shape: Directional
Profile: Camber/Rocker Hybrid
Flex: Stiff
If there’s one word to describe a freeride snowboard it’s “aggressive.” These boards are usually stiff and come in a directional shape to help them navigate off-piste, technical terrain and in deep powder. To also help out in these conditions, often you’ll find that these boards have a wider nose than usual to help float in powder and new paths in the backcountry. Another typical feature of these boards is an asymmetrical flex pattern. Usually, it’s the nose and tail that have different flex ratings, helping maintain that directional feel. Similar to the all-mountain snowboards, these usually come in a hybrid camber profile.
Freeride types of snowboards won’t do you any extra favors in the park due to its extra stiff nature. However, this board is often used in a freestyle style in the backcountry, specifically on a nice powder day. You can often see riders pulling huge cliff drops on these snowboards.
While I don’t typically find myself on a freeride snowboard, I have plenty of friends that do. The Black Snowboard of Death from Capita is a top choice amongst my local friends along with the Burton Flight Attendant seen linked above.
Freestyle Snowboards
Average Specs
Shape: Hybrid Directional/Twin
Profile: Camber
Flex: Soft to Medium Soft
A freestyle snowboard gives you the freedom of expression in the park and on the groomers. While these types of snowboards don’t play too nice in deep powder or off-trail, they’re sure to help you dial in your style. On that same note, a freestyle snowboard might be more suitable for an experienced rider. A freestyle snowboard is often interchangeably called a park snowboard, because of their unique shapes, flex and profile patterns that help riders land the most rad tricks.
The term freestyle can leave a lot up to interpretation, leaving the board creation also up to interpretation. People often choose freestyle boards because of their versatility and flex, creating a super fun and unique ride of presses, spins and butters, to jumps and jibs.
Freestyle snowboards are unique, but still we can find typical design patterns in them. The shape can range from directional to twin, but most often we find a more hybrid version of this in these types of snowboards.The snowboard profile can also range, but typically a more pronounced camber is present giving the board an assertive pop into the air with little effort. The flex on these is what truly makes them so fun because they’re often soft, allowing for maximum maneuverability through park features and the most buttery butters you’ll ever feel. GNU, and Lib Tech are famous for their crazy good park snowboards.
Powder Snowboards
Average Specs
Shape: Directional
Profile: Rocker
Flex: Medium to Stiff
What makes a powder snowboard so unique and its ride so smooth in powder comes down to surfing shape nature. These types of snowboards are meant to excel in the deep powder. No more being slowed down from having to plow through the pow and yes to surfing on top of it like the true powder hound you are.
What makes these specialized snowboards so special? We’ll start off with the obvious visual feature; these snowboards are short, and most of that length is cut off from the tail. This truly unique directional shape allows for that “surfing” on the powder by helping lift the nose up and pressing the tail deep into the snow behind you. With that, these snowboards are stiff, helping navigate turns in powder and stay in control while blasting down the slope. Another added feature is the typical rocker shape, creating a boat silhouette. Again, this helps the board float on top of the powder instead of getting stuck in it.
If you ride big mountain backcountry that often finds itself with feet of fresh pow during the year, you’ll want to invest in a powder snowboard and change your experience for the better forever. My home resort is small, and is often left out of big winter storms, however when I had the chance to ride a powder board I was impressed with the Ride Peace Seeker linked above.
Conclusion: The Different Types of Snowboards
Having the right snowboard can be a determining factor of how well you ride, to your comfortability and your level of endurance. With so much information about the different types of snowboards out there, I hope this guide truly helps deepen your understanding of them, and makes your first or your next purchase that much easier. Once you discover the best snowboard for your style and the conditions you ride in, it’s all fresh pow ahead.
Don’t stop at just one board either, all the different types of snowboards can offer different benefits in different conditions and mountain types. Try them out via mountain demos, borrow your friends’ board or take a chance and upgrade this year to a different style.
Additional Resources/Recommendations
What I covered in this blog is just the tip of the iceberg. Throughout this post, there are terms like snowboard profiles, flex and shape. I also didn’t mention the sidecut, or sizing of the snowboard. Besides the 4 types of snowboards, there are many hybrid snowboards and snowboards that overlap in category type. While I could talk forever about this stuff, and I will in future posts, here are some great resources for more in depth information on snowboard types and how to choose them.
