How to choose the size of my snowboard ?

Lorsque l’on fait du snowboard, la planche idéale est celle qui vous offre l’équation parfaite entre maniabilité, stabilité et flottaison, grâce à une longueur optimale. Pour s’offrir une glisse 100 % plaisir il est donc primordial de savoir quelle taille de snowboard choisir.

---

Some guidelines for choosing the right size snowboard

To choose it, it's important to know a little more about how a snowboard works. This will indeed allow you to adjust the size of your snowboard to help you in your learning, but also in your progress. The length of your board will thus influence three points:

• Stability: it's not always easy to keep your balance on a snowboard, especially when you start to gain speed. Choosing a long snowboard will therefore help you to be more stable.
• Flotability: if on the slopes the question does not arise, in powder snow, you will have to favor a long snowboard so as not to sink.
• Handling: you might think that the shorter a snowboard, the easier it is to handle. And yet, this is not necessarily the case. It will indeed depend on your preferred gliding grounds.

---

Snowboard size chart

In order to choose the size of your snowboard, several criteria must be taken into account. Your body type (i.e. your weight / height ratio) will give you a first idea of ​​the optimal board length for you.

Size chart formen snowboard

Size chart forwomen snowboard

As a general rule, it is estimated that a board can be up to 25cm shorter than a snowboader. When you choose your snowboard size, it is therefore quite possible to adjust it by a few centimetres. If you are sturdier than most, this will allow you to choose a slightly larger board to ensure good glide and good stability. On the contrary, if you are rather lightweight, you can easily go for a snowboard a little shorter than the recommendations.

But before making your decision, it is important to  take into account the type of snowboard you are going to be practicing. Indeed, to take maximum pleasure in freestyle, freeride or with an all-mountain board, the size of your snowboard is a key criterion.

---

Their snowboard size recommendations for each practice

Now that you have the recommended size for your snowboard, you will be able to refine the choice by taking into account the type of snowboard you are going to practice:

• all-mountain snowboard : You need a versatile board that will love both groomed slopes and powder or even snowparks. To choose the size of your snowboard, it is therefore preferable not to stray too far from our size chart in order to be comfortable on all terrains
• freestyle snowboard : To facilitate your jumps and your rotations in the snowpark, you will have to choose a rather short size of snowboard. Be careful though, you also need a certain length to maintain stability when picking up speed and for landing your tricks. Likewise, if you are sturdier than most, you'll need a certain length for your board. A snowboard between 20 and 25 cm smaller than you, is to be preferred.
• freeride snowboard : To have fun in powder, you need a board that gives you good flotability. To do this, you will need to choose a snowboard size that is a little longer than average. This will also allow it to tackle rough terrain while ensuring good stability even when picking up speed.

---

Which snowboard size should I choose based on my level?

Now that you know the size of snowboard to choose based on your body type and have made your choice between freestyle, freeride, and all-mountain, it's time to consider your level. Indeed, depending on your comfort and technical abilities, you can adjust the size of your board to spend as much time as possible on your edges and avoid falls.

• Beginner: Let's be honest, stability is a major concern when starting out in snowboarding. So, even if you're diving into freestyle, choose the longest possible board that doesn't hinder you in jumps and spins. On the slopes, you can stick to the recommendations in the snowboard size chart and simply adjust based on your body type. For freeride, since it's recommended to opt for a longer board, that's a good thing for you. However, practice on groomed slopes first to get familiar with how your snowboard behaves before venturing into the powder.
• Intermediate: You have the basics and are starting to feel more confident. You need a snowboard that will challenge you. In all-mountain, go for longer boards that will help you pick up speed and improve your turns, whether you're a fan of short or long turns. For freestyle, it's time to shorten your board to smoothly perform tricks and gain height on rotations. You'll then need to work on your landings. For freeride, stick with a longer board to combine speed, floatability, and excellent grip on icy snow.
• Advanced: Since you now master snowboarding, you can afford to choose a board whose size will push you to improve. For freeride and all-mountain, this means a long snowboard that will force you to work on your curves at high speeds. This will also provide increased stability during fast descents. In freestyle, you will have two options: go for a shorter board for even more impressive rotations, or a longer board that offers stability at top speed in the half-pipe but will be more challenging to maneuver.

To ensure your board performs perfectly on all terrains, it's important to know which snowboard size to choose by paying attention to many criteria. Once you've chosen the right board length, you're ready for thrilling sensations!