Snowboards come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. This post aims to outline what the different snowboard shapes are and what style each shape is designed for.
The images below are just some examples of the different shape types. There are a large number of variations of each shape type available but all of those shapes should fit somewhere in the following broad categories:
- True Twin (and asymmetrical twin)
- Directional Twin
- Directional
- Tapered Directional
True Twin Shape
A true twin shape is completely symmetrical. If you cut a true twin in half exactly down the middle you would end up with two identical pieces of board.
This means that the:
- Nose and the tail are the same length
- Nose and the tail are the same width; and
- Bindings are typically centered on the board, meaning:
- The distance from the center of the front binding to the contact point at the nose of the board is the same as the distance from the center of the back binding to the contact point on the tail of the board (this is often referred to as centered on the effective edge)
- In the case of true twins it’s also true that the waist (center) of the board is equal distance to the very tip of the nose and the very tip of the tail – since the nose and tail are both the same length
Of course, you could create a setback stance if you were so inclined but this would be unusual on a true twin (but sometimes on powder days it’s a good idea, if you don’t have a more suitable powder board) and might be a strange feel depending on the camber profile (i.e. one foot could end up being over camber and the other over rocker which would probably feel odd).
In addition to this a true twin has exactly the same flex in the nose and tail.
Who Rides True Twin?
True Twin boards are most suited to Freestyle and All-Mountain-Freestyle riders.
Because it is completely symmetrical in shape, it will feel exactly the same riding switch as it does to ride in your normal direction. If you are riding freestyle you will likely be riding switch a lot particularly setting up for or landing 180s & 540s, performing tricks on or off rails/boxes, in the pipe and just in general.
Asymmetrical Twin
A common variation on the true twin is the asymmetrical twin (asym). Asym twins are designed to give you a more similar feel turning no both your heel edge and toe edge. There are 3 ways that a board can be asymmetrical:
- Asymmetrical sidecut
- Asymmetrical contact points
- Asymmetrical flex (between the heel side and toe side, rather than between nose and tail)
For more details on asymmetrical twins check out:
>>Asymmetrical Snowboards Explained
Directional Twin Shape
The directional twin at first glance can appears to be a true twin but is subtly directional.
A directional twin is usually labelled as such when:
- It has a setback stance – but usually no more than 20mm (3/4″)
- Has a nose that is slightly longer than the tail
So, inside the contact points a directional twin is a twin (hence the “twin” in the name) – but outside the contact points the nose is a little longer than the tail – but the width at the contact points will be the same. And then there’s usually setback stance (setback along the effective edge). Even if you were centered on the effective edge, you would be setback in terms of the overall length of the board – but setback refers to along the effective edge (between contact points). But a directional twin usually is setback along the effective edge too.
For example, a directional twin that has a nose that’s 1cm longer than the tail, and a setback stance of 12.5mm (aka 1.25cm, aka 1/2″), will be setback in terms of the overall length of the board, by 2.25cm.
Mountain Twin
Some directional twin’s have a centered stance (and this is sometimes known as a “Mountain Twin” – a term used a lot by Arbor – who have quite a few “Mountain Twin’s” in their lineup.
Who Rides Directional Twin?
A directional twin board is generally suited to anyone riding all-mountain-freestyle or all-mountain. It won’t be quite as comfortable riding switch but will still be able to handle switch fine.
Directional Shape
A Directional shape does at it sounds – it is designed to be optimal going in one direction.
A directional board will usually have a number of things that make it directional, which could be some or all of the following – but needs to be more directional oriented than a directional twin (or else it would be a directional twin right!):
- Longer nose than tail (always)
- Different shaped nose and tail (sometimes)
- A setback stance (a majority of the time)
- A directional sidecut
- A directional camber profile (often)
- Directional flex pattern (different flex in and towards the tail vs in and towards the nose)
One thing that is the same on a directional shape (as opposed to a tapered directional shape) is that the width of the contact points is the same.
Who Rides Directional?
Whilst you can still learn to ride switch on a directional board it would take a bit to get used to and will feel very different riding in one direction than the other.
Directional boards are mostly used for all-mountain riders and freeriders. Most, if not all, of the time you will be riding in one direction. And the board is optimized to make riding in one-direction better – particularly for carving, speed and powder.
Tapered Directional Shape
A tapered directional shape is like a directional shape but with one major difference – the width of the widest point of the nose (contact point) will be wider than the width of the widest point (contact point) on the tail.
Often on a board with a tapered directional shape everything about the nose and the tail is different, including:
- A wider nose than tail (tapered shape)
- A longer nose – often significantly longer
- Flex – the tail is often stiffer than the nose, to promote the tail to sink and the nose to float
- Shape
In addition, the stance will almost always be setback (though there certainly are exceptions to this.
There are many different levels of taper on boards these days – some with very subtle taper and others with more extreme taper.
Who rides tapered directional?
This one is definitely all about the freeriders and those who want a powder specialist board. A tapered directional shape is usually designed to provide the best float in powder – promoting the tail to sink and the nose to rise. And can also be good for maneuverability in the trees – with a short flicky tail you can kick around.
You could try riding switch but it is going to feel really strange and be really difficult.
Thanks for reading
Hopefully this post has increased your understanding of the various snowboard shapes and what each shape does well (and which shapes suit which styles of riding) and not so well.
There are of course a lot of different varieties of these shapes but all should fit roughly in one of the above categories.
Any comments, questions or feedback very welcome below, as always.
Photo Credit
Photo By San Andreas [CC BY 3.0, GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
Hello Nate, I am a student from grade 7 and I am doing a project in school to try and make a snowboard. I have to make a presentation on it and I was looking for information on snowboards and I came across your site.
Your site has helped me so much but I have a few questions:
How did you make this web site is there any special program or a website you used to make it?
Have you ever made your own board and have any tips for me?
What are the most essential things I would have to explain to the class so that they could get a good understanding of snowboards?
(I already have the types (powder, freeride, park etc.) I also have the profile (camber, rocker, hybrid camber-rocker etc.) and I am about to do the shapes(true twin, directional twin, directional etc.))
Hi Marc
Thanks for your message. Sounds like an awesome project!
I haven’t ever tried to make my own board personally, so I can’t give you much there in terms of making boards.
In terms of the essential things – you’ve got the types, profile and shape, which are all very important. There’s also the sidecut which plays a big role in how the snowboard turns. You can check out some basics on the sidecut at the link below:
>>Snowboard Sidecut Explained
Flex is another really important factor. The flex determines a lot of things – how good it will be for buttering (softer in tip and tail usually helps for this), stability at speed (where stiffer is better), maneuverability at slow speeds (where softer is usually better), flex on jibs – and it can affect pop. Also there is torsional flex and longitudinal flex. The torsional flex can affect how easy or hard the board is to turn and to initiate a spin. Some more on flex:
>>Snowboard Flex Rating Explained
Some other things to consider too:
>>Effective Edge
>>Snowboard Bases
>>Setback Stance
Hope this helps
Thank you so much Nate, but could you tell me how you mad this website.
Once again thanks a bunch,
Marc
Hi Marc
You’re very welcome.
Not sure what the website has to do with your project – but I use WordPress to run the website. There are a few options for creating websites, but WordPress is what I use and is one of the more popular options. Hope this helps
Thank you so much, Nate
we have changed our project quite a bit and we decided we will pretend to have our own company
thanks,
Marc
Ah I see.
You’re very welcome Marc – hope the project goes well!
It is interesting I saw this article. I am thinking about going to vacation in the snow this year and even though I have not skied or used a snowboard. I would like to try both. A true twin shape is what I should start with? Or should I opt for a special beginner board? I figured you would be able to tell me which would be best for a beginner. I doubt that any of the special features will make much since, or difference out on the snow, but then that is what I need to know.
I saw that you don’t usually let skiers leave comments…how funny!
I’m not a skier nor a snow boarder…hope you can give me some advice.
Also if you would, please send me an email if you have time. Great to chat back if I have more questions.
Rick
Hey Rick – thanks for your question.
Firstly, I have no problem with skiers, just busting chops (snowboarder – skier rivalry thing!)
In terms of e beginner board it is probably easiest to learn with a true twin or directional twin but there are other factors too. And these will definitely make a difference on the snow. What you want from a beginner board is a catch-free ride (so it’s harder to catch an edge which will cause you to wipe out) and also a stable base. For this the camber profile is really important. Check out my camber profile post to see the best camber profile for beginners (just scroll down until you get to the “Best Profile for the Beginner” part.
You can also find out the best binding angles for beginners here.
I hope this has answered your questions. Happy to answer more questions if you have any.
I’ve wanted to try snowboarding for the longest time. I had no idea that there were so many styles of snowboards! Is there a type that’s better for (short) ladies?
Hey Jenny – yeah there are heaps of different types. In terms of shape there wouldn’t be a better type for ladies or shorter people. The shapes are really dependent on how you want to ride. Most beginner boards will have a true twin or directional twin shape.
There are boards made specifically for women though.
And in terms of size, that would come down to the length of the board. The length of the board is mostly about how much you weight but also takes into account your height. You can check out my article at the link below which explains how to find out the right length for your height, weight, ability level and riding style.
How to find the right length snowboard
Hope this answers your question – thanks for stopping by.
Great information, I assumed all snowboards were shaped the same. I’m sure we all have a preference when we purchace things we like. Thanks for the great info! Evelyn
Hey Evelyn – yeah there are heaps of different shapes these days. Both in terms of differences between the tail and nose, the shapes of nose and tail (flat, fishtails, blunted, spaded) and the angle of the sidecut. Thanks for your input.
Hi Nate! What a great post! I never realized that there were so many different styles of boards. I guess I never really paid much attention. I’ve been interested in snowboarding for a while now and just never had the guts to try it. I think being able to understand technicalities like this make it easier for someone like me to give it a try! Thanks so much!
Hey Ashley – glad I could help! Hopefully you can get on a snowboard soon. Thanks for stopping by and check out the rest of the site for more tips on snowboarding set up and sizing.
Hi Nate
I never realised there was so much involved in the exact design of snowboards. You are obviously very experienced, which should attract your readers to the rest of the site.
Myself I am a skier which I suppose is a quite different experience, but I can relate to all you say on this page and I think it is well put together.
Best wishes. Glyn.
Hi Glyn – I would normally not let skiers comment on my site 😉 – but since you said nice things I’ll let it slide this one time!
There is a massive amount of technology involved in making snowboards and shape is just one of them. You don’t necessarily need to know a lot of it to choose the best snowboard for you but these are the things that make the boards do what you want them to do. Personally I love the technical side of it but so long as you know 4 important things about your board then it’s easier to choose without knowing the tech stuff.