Snowboarding is one of those sports that can get expensive very quickly, so you want to make sure to choose the right gear for your style. By careful searching, you can save yourself from spending $500 on the wrong type of snowboard... and still enjoy the riding that you like to do.
A great place to find good deals on snowboards is at your local snowboard shop (if you have one in your area). You can also check shops near your favorite snowboard locations. It is also good to look on the internet to research prices and manufacturers and ratings of the various snowboards.
After snow season, mainly during the spring and summer, you can find good deals on snowboards (since they are not being used much). Oftentimes, during the off season, rental shops ugrade their equipment and you can find good deals on their used stuff. Also, you might be able to find a good deal on a snowboard by checking the classifieds at the local college or university school newspaper.
In snowboarding, there are three main styles. Freestyle, Freeride and Freecarve-Race. Snowboarders are fairly divided between Freestyle and Freeride, and Race boards are fewer, as you'd probably already know if this is your style. The manufacturers design these boards for an intended style of riding, so once you know what style you like, you can narrow you choices to that style of snowboard. Knowing this in advance can save you a lot of money.
One of the things to do is to try different styles by renting the various equipment for a day and try riding. See what you like... and if you want to invest in your own equipment... go for it!
Here's a brief description of each style.
Freestyle
Freestyle riding is whatever you feel free to do at the time. It focuses on tricks, jumps, rail slides, halfpipes and switch riding. Snowboard videos usually show freestyle riding; since it is easier to film, it's entertaining to watch and gives the snowboarder the chance to really showcase their skills. Also... the most popular snowboarding events are freestyle competitions. And... many places will have a snowboard park for the freestyle riders, with halfpipes, rails and some jumps.
Freestyle boards have a soft boot and are comparatively shorter. This helps the maneuverability for doing tricks, jumps and getting airborne. Some freestyle boards are designed for a speciality, such as the halfpipe. If you can afford a board for every occasion, these specialty boards will ride extremely well in the condition for which they were designed -- but are not likely to perform well outside of that specific terrain.
Freeride Style
Of all the styles of snowboarding, Freeriding is the most general. Freeride equipment also uses a soft boot. Boards in this category are relatively longer and more directional in their shape. If you don't know what kind of surface terrain you like, or you like everything, this would be for you.
This is where you get to experience all of the mountain for yourself. You can snowboard through open terrain, hit backcountry chutes, get the fresh powder, and manuever through trees. This is where the rider and the mountain can come together, with no one else to interrupt.
Freecarve - Race
Freecarving is done on hard pack or groomed runs and focuses on hitting the ultimate carving turn. Usually here, there's not much jumping. In contrast with the other two styles, Freecarve equipment has a hard boot and the boards are narrow, long and stiff. This style can have competitions that are similar to skiing events, with the snowboarders going around poles.
So what type of snowboard should you get? In making a choice for the right equipment for you, if you are just starting out, get a general all-around design snowboard, setup for freeride or freestyle.
Try renting some equipment that is not highly specific to any one style. This will give you the chance to try out a variety of your skills, so you can see what you like before spending the money on any specific board (or if you like a couple different styles, and can afford it... get a couple different boards).
Just be sure to understand riding styles before you buy, then look for equipment that meets your needs.
From Jessica Deets. For a free snowboarding newsletter, see the website at http://www.GoodSnowBoarding.com