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发表于 2005-12-16 09:15:00
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Have heard a lot of versions on how to buy a snowboard. Feel this one is good:
http://www.wiredsport.com/Catalog/02snowfacts.htm
SNOWBOARD 101
As in many industries, there is an abundance of misinformation in the
snowboard world. The following tips come from years of experience in the
industry, and are designed to cut through some of the tech talk and misleading
jargon. If you would like us to find you the perfect board for your needs,
please e-mail the following information: Weight, Shoe size, Preferred style of
riding, Ability level, Areas at which you most typically ride. Click the
highlighted link to view all of our current snowboard deals. Click the
highlighted link to view all of our current snowboard packages .
Where your nose is, does not determine what size of snowboard you should ride!
Or your chin, ears, shoulders or any other body part for that matter. These
are the silliest rules for sizing boards that could possibly be imagined, and
yet they persist. We hear new ones everyday, "my friend told me that a board
should come to in between my chin and my nose." Why, are you planning to
nibble on it? These generalities are good ways to end up with a completely
inappropriate board. Why do such rules exist, you ask? It is due to the
fact that finding the right board takes a bit of research and knowledge. The
easy way, however incorrect, is much quicker. A snowboard reacts to only two
factors, how much pressure is being applied to it (weight), and where that
pressure is coming from (shoe size). Boards are designed around riders of a
certain weight. The total weight range for a given board will be around 50
pounds (although manufacturers tend to exaggerate this range to make their
products sellable to a wider variety of customers). Two men who stand six
feet tall and have there noses at identical heights, may be separated by 100
pounds of weight. This would change the boards they should ride by two entire
categories of stiffness, and length. You will also want to make sure that the
board is appropriate for your shoe size. One half to three quarters of an
inch of overhang (yes, overhang) off the edge of your board is ideal (when
wearing snowboard boots, and measured at the stance angle that you will ride).
We will discuss this more below when we address width in detail.
There is no best level of stiffness for a board! At least five times a day we
hear,"the guy at mountain told me that I want a soft board." This is the part
that we were discussing above that relates to weight. Snowboards react to
pressure that is applied to that hourglass shape (sidecut) that they have.
This shape, when flexed, creates an arc on the snow. You are planning on
turning on that arc. If you can't flex the sidecut into the snow (because the
board is too stiff for you) you simply can't turn well, or not at all. If the
board is too soft for your weight, it will constantly be overflexing, and
"twisting off" of the edge that you are relying on to carve. In this scenario
you will have a terrible time on hardpack and ice, because the "effective
edge" (amount of edge that should be in contact with the snow) will be twisted
out of shape, and not doing it's job. Softer flexing boards tend to be better
for lighter riders, while stiffer boards are needed for the big boys. Only
for extreme freestyle, or extreme race applications, should this rule be
broken (and in those instances, a second board will be needed for all mountain
riding).
Buying by length is the hardest way to end up with the right board! "My last
board was a 156, and I liked it, so tell me about the 156's that you carry."
The trick here, is that two boards of identical length, may be designed for
completely different riders and types of riding. For example a 156 may be a
"big mountain board" for a small woman, or a "park" board for a big guy,
depending on the manufacturer's design plan. Those two boards, however, would
never be appropriate for the same rider. Length is often discussed in terms
of: longer equals faster, and more stable, while shorter equals more
maneuverable. This can also be deceptive. The "running surface" of a board
(the base area that contacts the snow) is a useful measurement, because this
is the amount of board that you actually are riding upon. The overall length
(the measurement usually considered) can be misleading, as it also contains
the raised tip and tail, which do not contact the snow, and have only nuance
differences in affecting your ride. Your best bet is research. Look into who
the board was made for, and for what type of riding. Leave the rules of
thumb to the rental guys, who are trying to get through the line of renters as
quickly as possible, and get on the slopes (can't blame 'em for that).
Wide boards are not usually the answer! "You have size 11 feet so you need a
wide board." True, if you want to ride the slowest, least maneuverable board
you could buy. Remember, wide rides can fix your "toe drag" problem in an
instance. But, you will end up with three worse problems to take it's place.
Namely, Lack of speed, sluggish heel/toe response, and more "lateral flex"
(the tendency that all boards have to twist off of an edge). Toe drag is only
one problem, and it is livable, with many good workarounds such as:
appropriate forward binding angles, well designed boots and bindings, and good
binding adjustment. It is important to note that your toes and heels (with
boots on) must hang over the edge of your board at least one half inch. This
is necessary for leverage over the edge, to make the board carve correctly.
Many believe that the only benefit to wide boards, is for pure park and
freestyle riding, at close to zero degree stance angles, with huge feet. One
final note: there is a very good reason why wide board sales are in decline,
and used wide boards are the most common trade ins on the market today.
Definition of board types: Freestyle, park, and halfpipe: These boards are
generally the shortest boards that a given rider will select from his/her
range. The stubby shapes and shallow sidecuts are optimized for trick riding
on "flatland" or manmade "terrain parks", halfpipes and natural formations.
These generally softer boards are designed to get instantly on edge, but lack
a lot of carving potential when they get there. These are one trick ponies,
and are not usually the only board for the riders who buy them. Freeride, all
mountain, and freestyle/freeride boards: This is the catch all category in
snowboarding. It refers to boards that do everything pretty well. They can
be taken into the halfpipe, or ridden at mach one speeds. They are not
designed to win halfpipe events, or compete with race boards on the course.
Slalom/Race boards: These specialty boards are easily identified by only
having one raised tip (the nose) and a flat tail. They do one thing
exceptionally well. They go fast in hardpack conditions. They are not
optimal for other types of riding. Big Mountain: A term sometimes used for
the biggest possible freeride board that a given user would choose. This is
the one you take heli-boarding to Valdez.
Sidecut: As noted above when discussing freestyle boards, sidecut greatly
determines the type of turn that a board "wants" to do. The deeper the
sidecut, the more aggressively the board wants to turn. Some boards have
symmetrical sidecuts while others have progressive sidecuts. This effects the
feel of the board through a turn. Progressive sidecut boards tend to flare
out at the tail and are designed to "kick" the rider out of a turn, while
symmetrical boards are smoother when riding "fakie" or "switch" (backwards).
Directional or twin: All boards today, outside of race boards and the
occasional concept board, are really twins. This means that both tip and tail
are raised from the snow, and that the board can be ridden switch. The
distinction then, should really be between "pure twins" and "directional
twins". A pure twin is a board that is shaped identically on each side of
it's center point, and has the same flex pattern in it's nose and tail. A
directional twin will either have a longer nose than tail, or a softer nose
than tail (and many times both). This is a game of nuance and will make less
difference to the ride than other features. Here is a summary of the effects
of these properties: Longer noses tend to ride up better over powder, but
spin slower due to added rotational weight. Softer noses will also help in
powder, but are a little unstable when riding switch.
Don't spend too much time debating tip and tail construction: Many first
time buyers become focused on the differences between manufacturer's
approaches towards tip and tail construction. Some brands argue that wood in
the ends is the way to go for a consistent flex pattern. Others state that
you need fiberglass for low swing weight. Some argue that extra metal edge
should be laid in, to protect from damage, while others feel this added weight
is unacceptable. Truth is, it really doesn't matter much at all. First off,
most boards are damaged in the pickup on the way up the hill or by trying to
jam the tail into snow that turns out not to be snow on the way in to grab a
burger, or by the baggage handlers at La Guardia. No type of end structure
will prevent against this. Metal edges all around, when struck hard, often
wedge themselves into the board, creating more damage than had they not been
there. On the other hand, the weight of the small amount of metal added, can
barely be felt by even the most seasoned rider. Similarly, wood in the tip,
adds almost no weight, but doesn't really enhance the ride either. Let's face
it, you don't spend that much time doing "manuals" (tail wheelies) and when
you do , the difference is negligible. The downside of having wood to the end
is that if the board does sustain edge damage to the core, the wood will
absorb moisture and is much trickier to fix. The bottom line is, be careful
with whatever board you choose, and don't let this be the deciding factor.
All boards are not created equal: There are many different constructions of
snowboards. You want to be sure to buy one of the better construction methods.
Wood is good. Vertically laminated, wood core, cap construction snowboards
are the state of the art in the industry today. The wood lasts, and the cap
(the structural wrapper that covers the wood from edge to edge) helps to
torsionally stiffen the product, keeping the edges firmly planted in snow or
ice. Sidewall or sandwich boards are good as well, although usually
considered a small step down from their capped brothers. This is older ski
technology. The boards, instead of having a top and bottom like the capped
boards, have a top, bottom and two laid in "sidewalls". This adds weight and
can leave an opportunity for lateral flex to creep into the picture. Foam
core boards used to all be considered inferior (and for a long time they
were). The foam inside did little to reduce twist, and didn't give the same
confident ride as good old wood. Some hybrid boards with composites of
foams, metals, and thermoplastics, have made headway in the marketplace, but
have not received the widespread rider support of wood yet. Reaction
injection molded boards (RIM), and all foam boards, make up the lowest end of
the marketplace. Be careful of the former, as they are sometimes the ones
that most aggressively state "WOOD CORE", knowing well that the wood is just a
wafer floating in foam or resin, only there for bragging rights in
advertisement, and not capable of any potential gain except weight gain.
Manufacturers: It is very likely that the company whose name is on the board,
did not manufacture the board. Snowboarding is an OEM (Original Equipment
some or all of their boards for them. In many instances one board company
will have boards produced for them by many factories. You would be surprised
at how many different brands have their boards pressed in the same factories.
That being said, it becomes much more crucial to determine what construction
method was used (see number 8) than what brand label is on the topsheet. One
major manufacturer used to grade label it's boards from "banana split" to
"single scoop." Let's just say, your better off riding a premium, wood core,
cap construction board, out of a great factory, from any brand, than anyone
else's single scoop. Sorry Jake. |
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发表于 2005-11-27 17:26:26
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