Different Tools for Different Terrain

If you’ve had the same kind of board for your snowboarding life, it may be time to buy a different board. If you’ve always had a flexible snowboard that’s easy to turn, buy a stiff one. If you’ve got a stiff board, buy a board with noodle-like properties. In either case, use your new board to explore different types of terrain.

At least that’s the conclusion I’m coming to after my second summer with a mountain bike, which is demonstrating the value of different rides for different types of terrain.

My 1985 Motobecane Super Mirage is an old-school road bike. It’s got 10 speeds, drop (curled) handlebars, shift-levers on the stem, two sets of brake handles (including “suicide levers”), and rim brakes. The tires, which should be inflated to 90-100 psi, are a mere 1.25 inches wide. Everything about the bike encourages the cyclist to ride in the classic hunched-over position.

Last year I purchased a mountain bike, a 2010 Gary Fisher Piranha. It’s got 27 speeds, flat handlebars, handle-bar mounted brake and gear levers, and hydraulic disk brakes. The tires, which should be inflated to 55-65 psi, are 2.25 inches wide. Everything about the bike encourages the cyclist to ride in a sitting-up position. The bike, by the way, also has a shock absorber in the front.

The differences between the two bikes represents more than the passage of time. They also reflect differences in design and intended use. While you can certainly ride the mountain bike on a paved road, its wide tires and lower psi will impede your progress. These two qualities, which provide stability on an off-road trail, also increase the rolling resistance. This means that on a paved road, you’ll have to work extra hard to get anywhere. (The same logic explains why your car gets lower gas mileage if the tires are under-inflated: the engine must do more work than it otherwise would.)

The road bike, which excels on the road, can indeed be taken to an off-road trail. Compared with the mountain bike on the same terrain, however, you’ll have a more uncomfortable ride (you’ll feel every bump). You will also have less control. Worse yet, the tree roots, rocks, logs, and drops on the off-road trail may damage the wheel or other components of the bike.

In other words, different terrain, different rides.

To a certain degree, the same logic holds for snowboards. A board that is extremely flexible may be good for hitting objects in a terrain park (jibbing), but it’s not so good for making large, sweeping turns at high speed down the mountain. A big-mountain board, meanwhile, will be so stiff that it will be hard to use in a terrain park.

Now, it’s important to not overlook the importance of learning good technique. But if you’re having trouble getting your board to do what you want, perhaps you’re using the wrong board. Extremely skilled riders can get away with a mismatch and still look good. Shaun White could outperform 99 percent of all snowboarders in the halfpipe, regardless of the kind of board he uses, while Jeremy Jones could scream down an Alaskan glacier while riding a park board. But I’m not White or Jones, and chances are, neither are you.

So before the season begins, consider the terrain you’re going to ride, and then ask whether it’s time to buy another board. Stiffness is just one quality that sets one board apart from another, so ask at your local shop.

Getting a second (or third) board will cost you some money. But it may be one of the best things that has happened to your snowboarding experience.