When preparing for a snowboard holiday in Andorra, choosing the right snowboard equipment is essential for both performance and safety. Whether you’re a beginner and enrolling in snowboard lessons in Andorra or whether you’re a seasoned rider with years of experience, understanding your gear is key to an enjoyable and safe snowboarding experience. So, what are the essential tips when it comes to snowboard clothes and snowboard equipment? That’s what we’ll look at in this blog post.
Types of snowboards and their uses
Of course, the most important piece of snowboard equipment is the snowboard itself. But, this can be a little confusing for beginners, considering snowboards come in a whole variety of different shapes and designs, each one of them tailored for specific riding styles and conditions.
There are five main types of snowboard, namely: all-mountain, freestyle, powder, freeride and splitboard. While the all-mountain snowboard is the most versatile board and designed to perform well on any type of terrain, the others are more specialised.
With freestyle snowboards, these are generally best for riding in park settings, since they are shorter and lighter, making it easier to perform tricks. With powder snowboards, these work well in deep powder snow because they are wider. With freeride snowboards, these are stiffer to enable high performance in ungroomed snow, and it should be kept in mind that these are recommended for more advanced riders.
Then, with splitboards, these can split in half into two skis. The purpose of this is to allow the rider to ski uphill and then lock their board back into a more regular piece of snowboard equipment for the ride down. For those exploring the backcountry, this is a popular option.
Factors to consider when selecting snowboard equipment
When selecting your snowboard equipment, there is a lot to consider but the following are the main aspects to pay attention to. After selecting the snowboard itself, based on your specific size and on the type of terrain you’ll be exploring, you should spend some time picking out the optimal bindings.
What are snowboard bindings? Well, these are how your boots get connected to the board and there are a few different types, based on your riding style. There are strap-in snowboard bindings, which are the most widely used and which allow for greatest customisation. Then there are rear-entry snowboard bindings and step-on snowboard bindings, which allow the rider to connect faster but which don’t allow for as much customisation.
Finally, the next most important part of snowboard equipment are the snowboard clothes. As well as selecting comfortable boots, it’s vital that you have several layers and that these are made of waterproof materials.
Men’s snowboard jacket
Selecting the right snowboard jacket is really important, firstly because it’ll greatly impact your enjoyability and, secondly, because they can be expensive, so you don’t want to buy one you don’t end up loving.
When shopping for a men’s snowboard jacket, the most important aspect is waterproofing. You’ll fall on the snow a lot so it’s a must to have a very waterproof ski or snowboard jacket. At the same time, it’s good if the jacket can provide both insulation and breathability together, something most jackets of this type are specifically designed for. Finally, check out the extra features of any men’s snowboard jacket, since you might benefit from having one with an adjustable hood, storage pockets or reinforced seams.
Women’s snowboard jacket
Shopping for a snowboard jacket for women is much the same as for men’s snowboard jackets. They’ll have the same technical features, but just with slightly different fits adapted for women.
All of the above advice applies here too, and it’s worth taking time to make sure you’ve selected a snowboard jacket that you truly love, since you’ll be wearing it throughout your holiday on the slopes.