What size snowboard do I need? Length and width by weight, height, boot size and riding style

Which snowboard should you ride? The question has two parts: how long the board should be and how wide. Manufacturers publish guides for both that will give you a good idea, but treat them as rough ranges rather than an exact formula. If you are just starting out, have a look at our beginners' article too, which covers regular and goofy stances and where to start nearby.

Chin height: a first guess from your height

A familiar rule of thumb says a snowboard stood on its tail should reach somewhere between your chin and nose. Salomon uses it as the starting point for versatile all-mountain boards: chin height, or roughly your height minus 20 cm. For someone 170 cm tall, that means a board of around 150 cm. According to Salomon, a difference of a centimetre or two is barely noticeable, while going more than 3 cm either way is. An article on the Czech ski portal SNOW.cz suggests a board 15 to 20 cm shorter than you for riding pistes.

Burton points out, however, that a board has no idea how tall you are. You flex it with your weight and through your boots, which is why manufacturers now give a recommended rider weight range for each length.

Weight matters more than height

According to Burton, every board size comes with a recommended minimum and maximum rider weight, usually on the sticker or in the product details. If you are lighter than the range, the board will feel stiffer; if you are heavier, it will feel softer. K2, for example, publishes a rough chart combining height and weight:

• height 152 cm: under 59 kg 138–144 cm, 59–82 kg 142–148 cm, over 82 kg 146–152 cm
• height 163 cm: under 59 kg 144–150 cm, 59–82 kg 148–154 cm, over 82 kg 152–158 cm
• height 173 cm: under 59 kg 150–156 cm, 59–82 kg 154–160 cm, over 82 kg 158–164 cm
• height 183 cm: under 59 kg 156–162 cm, 59–82 kg 160–166 cm, over 82 kg 164–170 cm

Charts differ between brands: at 173 cm, for instance, K2 comes out a few centimetres longer than the chin rule. Use them as a starting point. For beginners, both K2 and Salomon recommend the shorter end of the range, because a shorter board is easier to control and more forgiving.

Riding style: shorter for the park, longer for powder

Once you know roughly where you sit in the range, your riding style fine-tunes the length. Burton, K2 and Salomon agree that a shorter board is lighter and easier to turn, while a longer one is more stable at speed and floats better in deep snow.

• All-mountain, a versatile board for the piste and the occasional trip off it: chin height as the starting length, according to Salomon.
• Freestyle and snow park: a little shorter. K2 suggests taking off 2 to 4 cm, while the article on SNOW.cz suggests a board 20 to 25 cm shorter than you.
• Freeride and powder: longer. K2 suggests adding 2 to 4 cm, and Salomon starts 3 to 5 cm above chin height.

Stiffness, or flex, plays a part too. According to SNOW.cz, a softer board suits beginners because it is easy to control and forgives mistakes, while a stiffer one holds an edge better at higher speeds and suits heavier riders. Burton notes that each manufacturer describes flex in its own way, so descriptions from different brands cannot be compared directly.

Board width by boot size

Width is measured at the narrowest point of the board between the bindings, known as the waist width. If the board is too narrow for your feet, the toe or heel of your boot hangs over the edge and drags in the snow when you lean into a turn, which Burton calls toe drag and heel drag. A board that is too wide, on the other hand, is harder to roll from edge to edge and feels sluggish.

K2 aims for the boot to hang over the edge only slightly, about 1 to 2 cm on each side, and recommends a waist width by foot length:

• waist 235–245 mm: foot length 22.5–24.5 cm
• waist 245–255 mm: foot length 24.5–26 cm
• waist 255–260 mm: foot length 26–27 cm

Riders with bigger feet should look at wide boards. Salomon recommends considering them for boots larger than EU 44, while K2 and Burton put the threshold at around a US men's 11. According to Burton, riders in boots smaller than a US men's 9 usually do not need a wide board, and those above a 12 almost certainly do.

How we choose your snowboard at our rental in Vrchlabí

At our rental you can hire a snowboard set, meaning a board with bindings plus boots, or just the board if you have your own boots. We set the bindings up for regular or goofy. So that the board fits, put the following in your booking:

• your height and weight,
• your shoe size or foot length in centimetres,
• your experience, whether you are starting out, ride now and then or are already confident.

Have your own snowboard boots? Bring them when you pick up, so we can set up and test the bindings with them right away. If you are unsure about the length, we will advise you on the spot.

Snowboard rental

Our rental is in Vrchlabí on the main road to Špindlerův Mlýn. The routes to Špindlerův Mlýn from Prague, Hradec Králové, Jičín and Brno pass about 610 metres from us, and the route from Trutnov goes right past, so you can stop on the way. Online bookings need to reach us no later than the day before.

Book a snowboard online