Woman s boards?

Is there such thing as a womans snowboard? is it just a smaller and
softer with a narrow waist?
Venture doesnt make one because,they claim ,there is no such thing.
I would agree but i am not a expert in boards sales or design.grg

wrote:
Is there such thing as a womans snowboard? is it just a smaller and
softer with a narrow waist?


When you ask Burton you get this answer:
http://www.burton.com/eu/de/gear/tec...chCategoryID=1

But I have never heard a girl saying that she can't ride, because she
had a mens board.

Women are lighter in weight generally, but not always.
Women tend to have smaller feet, both obvious.
Now do women want to advance their own style, or do they want to ride
like the better men?
If it's the latter, then no need for women's specific boards.
If it's the former, then an easier turning, slower responding board
designed for snowboarding ballet ??????? Just kidding, just how do
women WANT to ride?

Originally Posted by

Is there such thing as a womans snowboard? is it just a smaller and
softer with a narrow waist?

Just a hunch... what percentage of board purchases are based on size, flex characteristics & riding preferences? And what percentage are based on graphics (or even the color of your jacket -- men and women included).

I don't know the answer, but I'll bet my guess is in the ballpark.

wrote:
Is there such thing as a womans snowboard? is it just a smaller and
softer with a narrow waist?
Venture doesnt make one because,they claim ,there is no such thing.
I would agree but i am not a expert in boards sales or design.grg

Think of it more as a "customized" board.

If you are more of a finesse style rider, you will want a more moderate
flex that will respond to the subtle movements and weight shifts.

If you are lighter than the average person for your height, you would
want a board with a softer flex to it so you can flex the board
properly and control the radius of your turns.

If you have smaller feet, you would want a narrower board to maximize
edge-to-edge quickness and responsiveness.

If your center of gravity is lower, you would probably want a flex
pattern that is different since you cannot shift your weight along the
board as as much (a little bit of a guess here).

Now since women tend most often have all these feature requirements, it
is easier to group all of these together and call it a "women's board"
as opposed to offering a board with every single combination of
flex/width/etc... Venture Snowboards is trying to do just that (offer
all combinations of features) although they don't appear to offer
different flex patterns for a particular length/width model

Is there such thing as a womans snowboard? is it just a smaller and
softer with a narrow waist?

Generally speaking, a "women's board" would be softer and narrow than a
"men's board" of the same length. When you go really short and with a
really tight sidecut, you lose a certain amount of stability at speed.
"Women's boards" offer lighter, smaller-footed riders boards that are more
stable at speed but still with an appropriate flex and waist width for their
intended riders.

Of course, hard-charging, freeride-oriented gals may find many "women's
boards" too soft.

My wife's last women's specific freeride board was a Burton Feelgood 155,
she is more of a finesse rider than a power rider and still overpowered it
at times. She's on a slightly customized Donek Phoenix 155 now - 23.5 cm
waist for her size W6 feet and slightly larger-than-stock sidecut radius
because she commented that her past two boards were less stable than she'd
like at higher speeds. She does very well on the Phoenix anywhere from
groomed to tight trees. The .5 m extra sidecut radius does seem to make a
difference to her - and she's not a gear geek like I am (Only need one
in the family!)

Venture doesnt make one because,they claim ,there is no such thing.
I would agree but i am not a expert in boards sales or design.grg

Well, I think the idea boards in the 150's / sidecuts of 8+ for lighter
riders is a good thing, especially outside the park and pipe. It's nice to
have choices. Those uber-tight sidecuts are not necessaily desitable
outside of freestyle; they make for a nervous ride at speed and more
potential for edge-catches.

My wife's old Feelgood 155 has an 8+ sidecut radius. The new 156's are
7.66m. Darn shame.

Mike T







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I was riding a womans burton face 59(that i picked up for a song
thinking i had a real steal of a deal)
i bought it thinking that it would be soft being a womans board and
very narrow at the waist ,as it tuned out its a big mountain board that
was really stiff in the middle and a soft tail.
It was a interesting flex pattern but way to stiff for my weight,anyway
a hard lesson learned.

wrote:
I was riding a womans burton face 59(that i picked up for a song
thinking i had a real steal of a deal)
i bought it thinking that it would be soft being a womans board and
very narrow at the waist ,as it tuned out its a big mountain board that
was really stiff in the middle and a soft tail.
It was a interesting flex pattern but way to stiff for my weight,anyway
a hard lesson learned.

Interesting, that flex pattern is exactly what I was thinking about
when I mention that womens boards might have a different flex pattern
to take into account of their lower center-of-gravity (proportionally
less upper body weight). This means that they are less able to shift
their weight to the nose and tail of the board by moving their upper
body. If I were a board maker, I would have tried to compensate for
this by making the middle stiff, while leaving nose and tail of the
board softer. The extra stiffness is also probably because you went
with a 159 instead of 152 (big mountain boards tend to be stiffer as
well).

I think it was just a big mountain board the nose was actually stiff to
hammer the edge down when in such extreme conditions;the tail soft for
powder conditons.It was a board that sold poorly
for some reason and why the board sold for so little cash.but this has
been a educational thread.grg

I suspect women come in different dimensions, just like guys, and NO
one design works best for all....
And I like having 4 snowboards for soft boots, all different, for
different conditions.
OTOH, most women I know use only ONE board, all the time, and just
make do.......
I do find that most women's boards are proportionally much much wider
for their weight that what a guy's board would be ... or is that due
to smaller feet size generally?