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An elegant yet powerful setup, this Cheyenne complete snowboard package will have you riding better than ever. The Cheyenne features a flatrock camber allows for easy catch free riding and superior float on those dreamed of powder days. Paired with the Siren Lux boots, these things are the ultimate in fit and comfort.

As in many industries, there is an abundance of misinformation  in the snowboard world. The following tips come from years of experience in the  industry, and are designed to cut through some of the tech talk and misleading  jargon. If you would like us to find you the perfect board for your needs,  please contact us and provide the following information: Weight, Shoe size, Preferred style of  riding, Ability level, Areas at which you most typically ride.

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Where your nose is, does not determine what size of snowboard you  should ride!

Or your chin, ears, shoulders or any other body part for that matter. These are the silliest rules for sizing boards that could possibly be imagined, and yet they persist. We hear new ones everyday, "my friend told me that a board should come to in between my chin and my nose." Why, are you planning to nibble on it? Buying based on these generalities is good way to end up with a completely inappropriate board. Why do such rules exist? It is due to the fact that finding the right board takes a bit of research and knowledge. The easy way, however incorrect, is much quicker. A snowboard reacts to only two factors, how much pressure is being applied to it (rider weight), and where that pressure is coming from (foot size and position). Boards are designed around riders of a certain weight range. The total weight range for a given board will be around 50 pounds (although manufacturers tend to exaggerate this range to make their products sellable to a wider variety of customers). Two men who stand six feet tall and whose noses are at identical heights, may be separated by 100 pounds of weight. This would change the boards that they should ride by two entire categories of stiffness and running length. You will also want to make sure that the board is appropriate for your foot size. Up to 1 centimeter of barefoot overhang for both the toe and heel sides (yes, overhang) off the edge of your board is ideal (when measured at the stance width and angle that you will ride). We will discuss this more below when we address width in detail.

There is no best level of stiffness for a  board!

 At least five times a day we hear,"the guy at mountain told me that I want a soft board." This is the part that we were discussing above that relates to weight. Snowboards react to pressure that is applied to that hourglass shape (sidecut) that they have. This shape, when flexed, creates an arc on the snow. You are planning on turning on that arc. If you can't flex the sidecut into the snow (because the board is too stiff for you) you simply can't turn well, or not at all. If the board is too soft for your weight, it will constantly be overflexing, and "twisting off" of the edge that you are relying on to for control in turning. In this scenario you will have a terrible time on hardpack and ice, because the "effective edge" (amount of edge that should be in contact with the snow) will be distorted or twisted out of shape, and not doing it's job.

Buying by length is the hardest way to end up  with the right board!

"My last board was a 156, and I liked it, so tell me about the 156's that you carry." The trick here, is that two boards of identical length, may be designed for completely different riders and types of riding. For example a 156 may be a "big mountain board" for a small rider, or a "park" board for a big guy, depending on the manufacturer's design plan. Those two boards, however, would never be appropriate for the same rider. Length is often discussed in terms of: longer equals faster, and more stable, while shorter equals more maneuverable. This can also be deceptive. The "running surface" of a board (the base area that contacts the snow) is a useful measurement, because this is the amount of board that you actually are riding upon. The overall length (the measurement usually considered) can be misleading, as it also contains the raised tip and tail, which do not contact the snow, and have only nuance differences in affecting your ride. Your best bet is research. Look into who the board was made for, and for what type of riding. Leave the rules of thumb to the rental guys, who are trying to get through the line of renters as quickly as possible, and get on the slopes (can't blame 'em for that).

How wide of a snowboard do I need?

"How wide of a snowboard do I need? Where is the width of a snowboard measured? What does width mean in terms of my boot size?   

Let's start by talking about measurements, because this is where a lot of the confusion arises. The most common width measurement that is provided by manufacturers is "waist". The waist is measured at the narrowest point near the middle of the board (usually). But like with all things in snowboarding, different brands measure different things. Some measure the midpoint between the tip and tail and call that "waist". Others simply provide a measurement they call, "width", but do not really specify what width they are referring to.      

If that has you a bit confused, don't worry, because regardless of where these "waist" measurements are taken, they are not very useful for what they are typically used for. Most people think that this measurement is a good indicator of what foot size a board will handle. It is not, and for a simple reason: you do not stand at the waist, you stand at the inserts. A board's waist measurement is always less than the measurement at the inserts and often the difference is significant. Additionally, two boards with the same waist dimension, may have very different measurements at the inserts, depending on each board's sidecut. Measurement at the center insert is a much better way to compare boards for shoe size compatibility, but for some odd reason, manufacturers do not publish this info.         

OK, so now we have told you why we think the commonly provided measurements are pretty silly, but what good does that do you? You still need to know how to figure out the correct width for your new board. Well, here comes. There are two easy steps to getting it right every time.              

First, measure your bare foot. It is important that you do not try to use a boot size. It is also important that you measure in centimeters, because the board measurements that you will be comparing to will be in cm. Here is the method that we suggest:                 

Kick your heel (barefoot please, no socks) back against a wall. Mark the floor exactly at the tip of your toe (the one that sticks out furthest - which toe this is will vary by rider). Measure from the mark on the floor to the wall. That is your foot length and is the only measurement that you will want to use. Measure in centimeters if possible, but if not, take inches and multiply by 2.54 (example: an 11.25 inch foot x 2.54 = 28.57 centimeters).                      

Second, measure the board you are considering. This measurement is easy. It should be taken at the inserts. Try to measure at the inserts that you will be using to achieve your stance position. If you are unsure about this, simply measure at the center of the insert cluster (that will still be very close). Be sure to measure using the base of the board, not the deck. This is important because the sidewalls on many boards are angled in, and will therefore give you a smaller measurement on the deck than on the base. For our example's sake, let's say the measurement is 27.54 at the center insert.                         

Still with us? You are almost done. You now have a way to compare foot size to board width where it matters, but how do you interpret this info to get the correct width? Well that depends a little on stance angle. If you ride a 0 degree stance, you will want your foot size to be the same as the width of the board at the inserts or up to 1 cm greater. If you ride at an angled stance, you will want to measure the board across at the angles that you will be riding. Again, you will want your foot to at least match this measurement or exceed it by up to 1 cm. So using our example above, this guy has a foot 28.57 cm that exceeds the board with at the inserts 27.54 cm by 1.03 cm at a zero degree angle. But, when he angles his feet to the 15 degree angles that he rides, voila, he has .10 cm of overhang for a perfect fit.                             

But wait a second. Are we saying that you should have overhang, even with bare feet? Yes. You will need overhang to be able to apply leverage to your edges and to get the most out of your board. 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of boot overhang for both toe and heel is ideal, and will not create problematic toe or heel drag. Remember that boots typically add 1/2 at both the toe and heel to your foot measurement from above, due to padding, insulation and the outer boot materials. We do not suggest using the boot length to size boards though, as the extra padding etc, cannot be used well to create leverage, that has to come from your foot itself. We highly recommend that riders do not choose boards where their feet do not come to or exceed the real board width.                            

OK, that's all well and good, but where can you get the information on board width at the inserts if the manufacturers don't provide it? That's easy. Email the store that carries the board(s) that you are considering. Give them your foot length in cm (and your stance width and angles if you know them). They will be able to provide you with the width at the inserts that you will be using and can factor in your stance angle as well to get you the exact overhang that you will have with bare feet.                                 

PS:                                      Once mounted, the best way to test is to put your (tightly laced) boots into your bindings and strap them in tightly. It is important that you have the heel pulled all the way back into the bindings heel cup or the test won't help. On a carpeted floor place your board flat on its base. Kneel behind the heelside edge and lift that edge so that it rests on your knees and so that the toeside edge is angled down into the carpet. Now press down with both hands using firm pressure, one hand on each of the boots. This will compress the board's sidecut and simulate a turn on hard snow. You can change the angle of the board on your knees to become progressively steeper and you will be able to see at what angle you will start getting toe drag. You will want to repeat the test for your heelside as well. If you are not getting drag at normal turn and landing angles, then you are good to go.                                     

PPS:                                          Also a note about boots: Boot design plays a big role in toe drag as does binding ramping and binding base height. Boots that have a solid bevel at the toe/heel drag less. Many freestyle boots push for more surface contact and reduce bevel. This helps with contact, but if you have a lot of overhang with those boots it hurts in terms of toe drag.                                        

Definition of board types:

You may have noticed that there are a lot of categories for snowboard types these days! To make that even more confusing, there is a lot of duplicate names that describe the same riding type. Freeride, All Mountain, and Freestyle/Freeride boards all refer to the same board type. This is the catch all category in snowboarding. It refers to boards that are designed to do everything pretty well. They can be taken into the halfpipe, or ridden in powder and cranked up at mach one speeds. They are not designed to win halfpipe events, or compete with race boards on the course. Jib, Freestyle, Park, and Halfpipe boards are generally shorter and have shallower sidecuts that are optimized for Jibbing, hitting rails and obstacles, riding on "flatland" or manmade "terrain parks", halfpipes and natural formations. These generally softer boards are designed to get instantly on edge, but lack a lot of carving potential when they get there. These are more specified boards, and are often not the only board for the riders who buy them. Slalom/Race boards: These uncommon specialty boards are easily identified by only having one raised tip (the nose) and a flat tail. They do one thing exceptionally well. They go fast in hardpack conditions. They are not optimal for other types of riding. Big Mountain: A term sometimes used for the biggest possible freeride board that a given user would choose. This is the one you take heli-boarding to Valdez. Powder Specific. These are just what they sound like. Boards optimized for those perfect powder days.

Sidecut:

Sidecut refers to the hourglass shape of a snowboard or more accurately the specific shape that is cut into the sides of the board. As noted above when discussing board types, sidecut greatly determines the type of turn that a board "wants" to do. The deeper the sidecut, the more aggressively the board wants to turn. Some boards have symmetrical sidecuts while others have progressive sidecuts. This effects the feel of the board through a turn. Progressive sidecut boards tend to flare out at the tail and are designed to "kick" the rider out of a turn, while symmetrical boards are smoother when riding "switch" (backwards). Be warned that sidecut technologies have advanced greatly over the past 10 years and there are a multitude of varieties currently in production. Sidecut can be symmetrical, where the sidecut is uniform (radial) from tip to tail. Asymmetrical sidecuts can refer to the toeside and heelside edges having different shapes or to the sidecut not having a uniformly radiused shape from tip to tail.

Directional or twin:

Twin originally was the term used for any board that had a lifted tip and tail. All boards today, outside of race boards and the occasional concept board, are really twins by that definition. This means that both tip and tail are raised from the snow, and that the board can be easily be ridden switch. The distinction then, should really be between "true twins" or "pure twins" and "directional twins". A pure twin is a board that is shaped identically on each side of it's center point (from tip to tail), and has the same flex pattern in it's nose and tail. A directional board or directional twin will either have a longer nose than tail, or a softer nose than tail (and many times both). To complicate this further, there are also "asymmetrical twins" which have identical tips and tails, but the toe and heelside edge shapes are different from one another

Don't spend too much time debating tip and tail  construction: 

Many first time buyers become focused on the differences between manufacturer's approaches towards tip and tail construction. Some brands argue that wood in the ends is the way to go for a consistent flex pattern. Others state that you need fiberglass for low swing weight. Some argue that extra metal edge should be laid in, to protect from damage, while others feel this added weight is unacceptable. Truth is, it really doesn't matter much at all. First off, most boards are damaged in the pickup on the way up the hill or by trying to jam the tail into snow that turns out not to be snow on the way in to grab a burger, or by the baggage handlers at La Guardia. No type of end structure will prevent against this. Metal edges all around, when struck hard, often wedge themselves into the board, creating more damage than had they not been there. On the other hand, the weight of the small amount of metal added, can barely be felt by even the most seasoned rider. Similarly, wood in the tip, adds almost no weight, but doesn't really enhance the ride either. The downside of having wood to the end is that if the board does sustain edge damage to the core, the wood will absorb moisture and is much trickier to fix. The bottom line is, be careful with whatever board you choose, and don't let this be the deciding factor. 

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