Disciplines

There are four primary sub-disciplines or sub-styles within snowboarding with each favouring a slightly different snowboard design.

Freeride

The object in freeride is simply to have fun cruising down the mountain. The majority of snowboarders reside within this sub-style category. Freeride is also known as all-mountain snowboarding. Another variant of Freeriding is extreme snowboarding.

Freeride snowboarding, where the focus is on making clean lines in the snow, is influenced significantly by surfing. Many freeride purists attach an almost spiritual connotation to carving down the mountain.

Freestyle

Freestyle snowboarding is the practice of carrying out different kinds of tricks on a snowboard. Tricks can either occur on the ground, (for example, jibbing, bonking, grinding or pressing) or in the air (such as spins, flips or grabs).

Freestyle snowboarders typically use shorter, softer boards and softer boots than other snowboarders, as the shorter board length reduces the weight and moment of inertia, making it easier to spin and manoeuvre. The softer gear makes the board more forgiving to control for the particular demands of freestyle riding, such as slower speeds, high landing impacts, quick turns, and imperfect landings. Softer boots and boards also allow riders more flexibility in body movement and the ability to reach very convoluted or stretched out, stylish body positions - known as tweaking it.

Freestyle snowboarding is arguably the most popular discipline, and is certainly the focus of most of the lifestyle marketing in the snowboarding industry.

Freestyle snowboarding is influenced greatly by skateboarding. Many ski resorts operate terrain parks which often simulate the urban skateboard environment, complete with handrails, funboxes and machine-formed jumps.

Alpine

Alpine snowboarding is the practice of turning by carving the snowboard (such that the board is tracking along the edge of the board), as opposed to skidding the snowboard (where the board is travelling in a different direction than it is pointing). Both snowboard racers and recreational carvers are alpine snowboarders.

Alpine riders use hard plastic snowboarding boots, which resemble ski boots, except that they tend to be less stiff in the ankles and have a shortened heel, to minimise hanging over the edge of the snowboard.

Alpine snowboarders tend to angle their feet farther forward than other snowboarders, and ride narrower boards. Alpine boards are usually, but not always, longer and much stiffer than freeride boards, as the particular demands of carving usually require as much usable edge length as possible. The hard plastic boots stiffens the ankle joint up significantly, making it more difficult to make small ankle adjustments while making regular snowboarding skid turns, but making the board much more stable and powerful at higher speeds and the much higher g-forces typically felt by an alpine snowboarder in carved turns.

An analogy made by some alpine enthusiasts is that freeride and freestyle snowboards are like dirt bikes, and alpine and carving snowboards are like road bikes. Hence riding a freestyle snowboard on groomed slopes is like riding a dirtbike on a road track.

A common misconception is that alpine snowboarding necessitates riding very quickly or racing. In fact, the only real defining characteristic of alpine snowboarding is that alpine snowboarders turn often and very hard while engaging the board in a carve. Short slalom boards with very short sidecut radii, for example, are alpine boards but can only be carved at slow speeds.

Alpine snowboarding is significantly less popular than other kinds of snowboarding, especially in the United States.

Backcountry

This type of boarding began with fresh powder-craving snowboarders who didn't have the money to spend at crowded upscale ski parks. In fact, before snowboarding was allowed at resorts, this was the only form of snowboarding.

Today, backcountry snowboarding is often for those who have enough to cash to afford trips to Alaska or the mountain ranges of the West, to ride outside resorts. Donning snowshoes or a split-board with skins, the backcountry snowboarder cuts a new path up the side of the mountain in search of the very best vistas and untouched snow. Some riders even hire snowcats or helicopters to take them where they want to go; this is known as catboarding or heliboarding respectively.

The split-board is exactly that, a snowboard cut right down the middle. When apart, the two halves can be used like cross-country skis to shuffle up the hill. At the top of the run, the halves are recombined, and the bindings rotated back into their sideways positions. Those who don't make use of the split-board will usually strap their board to their back and hike with snowshoes.

Snowboarders also use snowmobiles to ride in the backcountry, although if the hill is too steep a snowmobile may not make it up the hill.

Safety is key when hiking and riding in the backcountry, especially after a fresh fall of powder. Snow can be extremely unstable, often leading to avalanches. Backcountry riders are advised to take extreme caution in all conditions, to carry avalanche equipment including a probe, beacon, and shovel, and never to ride alone in the backcountry. Avalanche equipment can be purchased or rented at outdoor equipment stores, and courses in avalanche safety are also available.