There are two brands on top of the mountain. No pun intended. That is Burton and Ride. These two companies have been going at it for years now, and there is no stopping the comp. But what makes one better than the other?
The real challenge when it comes to getting these boards down the mountain is their sustainability and their torsion.
Burton has been in the game for over 30 years. SO this gives them a leg up on the competition, but ride is not new to the game. Each offer a solid warranty on their products, but all in all you want to make sure that you have a board that you love riding.
Here are a few of the types of boards each of these companies make.
Racing/Alpine: long, narrow, rigid, and directional shape. Best during machine groomed slopes. Most often ridden with a “hard” boot, but also ridden recreationally with soft boots, particularly by riders in Europe.
Freeride: longer in length, and semi-directional. Moderate to stiff in flex. Used for long, fast turns in various types of snow from groomed hard-pack to soft powder.
Freestyle: Generally shorter in length with a Semi-directional or twin-tip shape. Moderate to soft in flex. Incorporates a deep sidecut for quick/tight turning. Used in the pipe and in the park on various jumps and terrain features including boxes, rails, and tables.
Park/Jib (rails): flexible and short, twin shaped with a twin flex to allow easy switch riding, wider stance, with the edges filed dull. Used for skateboard-park like snowboard parks.
All-Mountain: A hybrid between freeride and freestyle boards. The ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ Normally directional in shape with either a twin or directional flex. Moderate in flex for various types of terrain.
Split: Not to be confused with the swallow-tail, the split board consists of a stable powder board that can be broken down into two touring skis, used when hiking in deep backcountry conditions.
Hopefully this helps you find what you need in the vast world of snowboarding.
