How do i decide which snowboard length is right for me?

Question

I'm 5'5' and 110 lbs. I ride freestyle, with intermediate skills. I am planning on making a major investment in a premium board, but now i cannot decide which size i should get. i'm told that i should ride about a 38-143cm board, but those are typically kids lengths - so i'm concerned with the flexibility of the board. Would i be capable of snapping it, if i did get a child's board?

Answer 1

I weigh about the same as you, but a few inches shorter. I have a Burton Lux 143 for all-mountain, than is still short, light and flexible for freestyle, especially for the stability to land jumps (though I don't recommend geting the Lux, it's a good size though). I recently bought a 2nd board purely for jibbing. and I had the same issue with the size, because it needed to be small for jibbing. I talked to several people at shops, etc who though going down to a 138 would be good and thought the Rome Label (kid's board) I bought was a good idea. It's very flexible so I have some concerns, but Rome takes their kid's board very seriously, it's designed for "mini-shreds", who ride some serious park. So make sure if it is a kid's board you look for a good quality one, where the company has put the same quality in as it does for it's other boards. I just got it so I haven't been able to test it but I strapped it on and played with it in my house, it seems like it's going to be insanely fun for flat tricks, rails, and of course them butters...

It partly depends on what kind of board you want, if you are expecting it land medium-big jumps then a really small board won't be very stable, but if it's for rails, jibbing etc, then something like a 138 would be great. The smallest size jib board for girls without going down to kids was the K2 VaVaVoom which was 139 but I wanted to stick with Rome. I'll be snowboarding in a Canada in a week and will test out my new board if youd like to know how it handles.

Answer 2

a very good rule of thumb:

stand the board up on its end in front of you. the top tip should hit the middle of your forehead.

Answer 3

no the 143 cm is completely correct

i am 5'7 and 120 pounds and i ride a 146

its perfect for freestyle

Answer 4

you line up the edge of the snowboard with your body and it should be up to your chin if it isnt thats not right =)

Answer 5

Pretty much all replies so far are un reliable.  It really does all depends on what your going to be riding, back country or terrain?  or All mountain?  If you hit the terrain park id reccomend you go for a 140 or so.  If your going all mountain id reccomend you hit mid 140's

Answer 6

If you manage to snap a snowboard you would have to be an elephant bouncing on it, which at 110lbs you aren't going to do. A friend of mine fractured the tail by going off a kicker and landing just on the tail, that's how much force is needed to do even a little damage.

Don't whatever you do base it upon where it comes up to on your body (eg. your chin) like another answer suggested as this is what many rental shops do, especially in france, so they can get your money and get you out of their shop quickly. Most people now base it upon height but mostly weight. Have a quick search on the internet for the best lengths, or try a few lengths at a rental next time you go riding to get a feel for them. Try this for now;

http://www.snowboardlengthcalculator.com...

then have a look around for snowboards that meet your criteria. Salomon have a really nice range of '09 girls boards coming out for next season so might be worth waiting a bit if you have time and money spare.

happy shreddin'