-
Step 1
If you don't live near any independent snowboard shops, or don't want to pay full price for this year's boards, consider buying a snowboard online.
-
Step 2
Don't get ripped off by deals that are too good to be true. If you are buying a new board, expect to pay at least $200-$300 dollars for a board made by a quality company, and about $100 dollars for quality bindings, and about $150 dollars for quality boots.
-
Step 3
Don't buy a board advertised as a "beginner board." You'll outgrow it really fast, mainly because beginner boards tend to be heavy and cheaply made.
-
Step 4
Check out websites like transworldsnowboarding.com and read board reviews online to see what boards and board companies other people really like.
-
Step 5
You can buy a much higher quality board from the previous season at the same price as a beginner board from this season. You won't have the newest graphics, but you'll have a high quality board.
-
Step 6
If a company is selling new, totally cheap boards at the $100-$150 dollar level with brand names no one seems to know, don't buy them. These are very poorly made. You need to invest a little money in a quality set-up.
Why buy a terrible board for $150 when you can get a pro-model from last year for $250.
As much as the snowboard industry tries to conceal the fact, these days the technology improves very little from year to year. -
Step 7
This site, http://www.snowboardlengthcalculator.com/ has the length and width of your snowboard totally figured out.
Keep in mind that really long boards, over 159 cm's are more for big mountain riding and/or tall people.
Most average sized riders ride a length between 153-157 at ski resorts.
