Snowboard – A board that means the world!
Tom Sims built the first “skiboard” in 1963, laying the foundation for snowboarding. The scene developed around legends Shawn Farmer and Chuck Barfoot, only to name a few. In 1976, the world-class brand Burton Snowboards was born. It opened the doors for the boardsports scene as we know it today. It turned snowboarding into a lifestyle, influenced by Tom Sims and Jake Burton Carpenter. Having the perfect setup for your style is very important for unlimited fun on the mountain! Here at Blue Tomato, we live and love this way of life that has been carried across generations.
The right setup for every rider – from freeriding to jibbing
Freestyle boards are the basis for park, pipe and all-mountain riding. A true park weapon stands out through its short and soft construction. This configuration gives you more flexibility and pop. To avoid catching an edge, these boards often come with a rocker shape. This means you can approach large kickers or ride rails with ease. The ultimate pipe board is slightly harder, giving more stability during takeoffs and inruns. The power transmission is very direct, allowing you to get maximum pop at the right moment. If you don’t only ride park and pipe, an all-mountain board is a great alternative. These boards combine the strengths of both park and pipe boards. You can ride on any terrain and still enjoy piste riding. The mix of stability and flexibility is great for riding fast and natural jumps.
Freeride boards feel most at home on untouched slopes, steep terrains and isolated peaks. They have a low flex, making them relatively stiff. Whether camber or rocker - this board will support you in steep and technically challenging terrains.
If you love speed and absolute edge hold, an alpine board will serve you well. They are a lot narrower, offer absolute stability and precise manoeuvring. This set up requires hard boots, so that your are always in control of your board, even in extreme situations.
Splitboards are an integral part of the snowboarding scene. You use them like touring skis. Just take the board apart, shift your bindings, attach skins, and head out to explore untouched nature. When you get to the top, just put the board back together and enjoy the best powder runs of your life – over and over again.
Taping, pressing, and a lot of know-how – what snowboards are made of
The heart of your snowboard – the core – is made up of wood-fibreglass, aluminium, or carbon-Kevlar. Specialists build together the different components. The right choice of material and pressing give the board the preferred shape. The base also plays an important role: generally, there are extruded and sintered bases, as well as graphite laminates. Depending on the price class and intended use, these are chosen by the producer.
An extruded base gives you the advantage of not needing to wax your board as often. However, this base is slower in warm conditions than a sintered base, which is super fast even in spring. It requires more maintenance, however, as you will need to wax it more often to keep its full potential. If you’re looking for the ultimate speed kick, you should go for a graphite base. This laminate will keep you going when everyone else needs to unstrap.
Positive, negative or neutral – Camber, Rocker and Flat
A positive camber board is ideal for all-mountain and freeride boards. This shape gives you optimum edge hold and a fast power transmission. Rocker boards are the opposite, with a negative camber. They are perfect for park and learning your first turns. The happy medium of these two boards is a zero board. It offers more stability than a rocker and is still playful. Perfect for exploring the whole mountain. If you love freshies, you should get a powder rocker. The nose curves upwards to give you a surf-like ride. If you love riding all terrains and want good edge hold and fast turns, the hybrid rocker is for you. By mixing rocker and camber, this shape offers the best of both worlds, creating the perfect all-rounder!
Without the right support, even the best board can’t play to its strengths – bindings and boots
Once you’ve found your perfect snowboard, it’s time to think about the right bindings and boots. Your choice of gear depends largely on your preferred riding style. Soft bindings and boots are best suited for freestyle. They give you more manoeuvrability for tricks. Freeriding calls for harder snowboard boots and bindings. They will give you enough support and help you stomp even the highest cliff drop with ease.
Snowboards need some TLC!
There are many important little helpers to make sure your snowboard lasts for many years and is prepared for all situations. These include wax, tools and spare parts. We have a huge selection of tuning gadgets to make sure you can give your snowboard the care it deserves.
Blue Tomato gives you exact details about each product. From flex to terrain to riding level, we’ll help you find the most suitable board for you. Whether you’re eyeing up a board by Burton, Jones or Lib Tech, we’re here to support you for the perfect shred – keep on riding!
