When you go to buy a snowboard you usually look at the board’s length, width, sidecut radius, and the graphics. But, how the snowboard is made, and what materials are used in making the board should also be considered. Every snowboard manufacturer has their own special trick when it comes to making their snowboards. But, there are some basic components that go into the construction of every snowboard. Every snowboard has a base, an outer edge, a core, and a topsheet.
Snowboards are constructed in three different ways, which are: Sidewall (sandwich) construction, cap construction, and hybrid (half-cap) construction. Sidewall and cap constructed boards are the two most popular types of boards. The two drawings below show cap constructed, and sidewall (sandwich) constructed boards.
The base of the snowboard is made out of a polyethylene material. There are basically three different types of snowboard bases. The three types of bases are: Extruded, sintered, and graphite. Extruded bases are long lasting and easy to repair. But, they are the slowest type of base, and they hold less wax than the other types of bases.
Sintered bases hold more wax than extruded bases, and they are faster than extruded bases. But, sintered bases are more expensive than extruded bases, and they are not as easy to repair.
Graphite bases are the fastest type of snowboard base. Graphite bases are usually found on high-end snowboards. In a graphite base, graphite is added to the polyethylene pellets that are used to make the base. The Electra 4000 base has graphite in it.
Snowboards also have an outer edge. The edge of the snowboard is made of metal. This metal edge serves many functions. The metal edge protects the board from damage, helps the board grip the snow, and gives you control in your turns. Some companies use a four piece edge, while others use a two piece edge. Some companies fully wrap their boards with the metal edge, while other companies partially wrap their boards with the steel edge (leaving the edge off of the tip and tail of the board).
The snowboard’s core is what the rest of the board is wrapped around. Cores can be made of wood, foam, honeycomb panels, or a combination of wood and other composite materials. With a wood core you are usually assured smooth response and lively flex. Foam cores can sometimes loose their flex. Some snowboard manufacturers have started to use honeycomb panels in their cores. Honeycomb cores are lightweight and surprisingly strong. Sims and Palmer both use honeycomb cores in some of their boards.
The topsheet is the top of the snowboard. The topsheet protects the insides of the snowboard from damage and exposure to ultra-violet rays. The material used for the topsheet can vary, but there are basically two types of topsheets. There are glossy and matte topsheets. Glossy topsheets usually come with sublimated graphics, while matte topsheets usually have screened-on graphics. Neither is better, it just depends on what you like and what you can afford.
There you go. A quick look at what makes up a snowboard. The next time you go to look for a snowboard consider how the snowboard is made, and what materials were used to make the board.
Beyond the basics, there are many other materials that go into the making of snowboard. Different types of core materials, resins, fiberglass weaves, and other composite materials are used. To learn more about how a snowboard is made, and more about the materials involved, visit Sticky Fingers.
