How does your riding change on a shorter vs. longer board?

I%26#039;m used to riding a 164 and demoed some 161 boards last winter which allowed me to carve a lot better. When looking for a new board, I noticed that a lot of the boards for my weight (205, 6 foot 1 inches, 12.5 size boots) are actually a little longer than my current board, and I can%26#039;t imagine riding a longer board would improve my performance. Any opinions on going shorter (158-161) or stick with a longer board?

How does your riding change on a shorter vs. longer board?
I find that the suggested weight ranges are just that, suggestions. I%26#039;m about your weight but an inch shorter and I ride a 162 as my all mountain board and a 157 for my park/jib/messin%26#039; around board. I also have a 166 for going really, really, stupidly fast in powder.





Anyway, longer boards have a tendency to be %26quot;more stable%26quot;. This is due to their longer contact patch with the snow. While this sounds like a good thing it can make it more difficult to ride as that added stability means you have to work harder to get the board to do what you want it to. Conversely, a shorter board becomes a lot more maneuverable by sacrificing stability. It%26#039;s all about finding the balance point that suits your style of riding. If you%26#039;re into park riding or cruising and enjoy small to medium size turns, shorter boards will work well. If you%26#039;re into mach speeds and turns as big as the hill will allow, well then you should go bigger.





Now, board construction can also make up for some of these issues. Perhaps you really like that small board maneuverability but want to ride really fast? Well, stiffer boards usually %26quot;ride longer%26quot; than similarly sized boards with softer flex and vice versa.





In my opinion, for my style of riding I%26#039;d stick with the 162 as my one and only ride if I could only have a single board. But my style of riding is more off piste and high speed than a lot of people. I ride the park just a little bit and hardly ever hit rails or boxes. Big, natural hits in powder are a regular occurance for me but big park kickers don%26#039;t really do it for me any more.
Reply:Paul G,s answer pretty much sums it up. If i were you i would stick to the board length that feels best for you and not to worry too much about what other people tell you, or what some chart says you should ride. Only you can tell what board length feels best for you. I myself prefere a shorter board than what my weight would recommend, but then again i dont really ride at mega high speeds and like a small board as its easy to manouver and spin.
Reply:i ride my longer board in the deep freshy powpow


and ride my shorter one on old snow or in the trees.


you should have a couple different boards, go to a used snowboard shop. that way you can get a few without breaking the bank



tanning