Buying a snowboard setup for a young rider

• Boots matter most. Spend your time, and your money, getting boots that fit right now, not boots to grow into.
• Size the board by weight first, then height. The brand’s size chart is the place to start.
• Softer is better for kids. Light riders can’t flex a stiff board.
• Growing kids don’t need new gear every year. Season lease programs, trade-ins and used gear exist for exactly this.
• Helmet always, and impact protection for park riding.

Snowboard boots should feel snug. Standing up, her toes should just touch the front. When she bends her knees into a riding stance, her toes should pull back slightly, and her heel shouldn’t lift when she leans forward.

• Don’t buy boots two sizes big to grow into. Extra room means her heel lifts, the board responds late, and she works twice as hard to turn. Half a size of growing room, at most.
• Try them on with the sock she’ll ride in: one thin or midweight snowboard sock, never two pairs or cotton.
• Try them on at the end of the day when feet are their biggest, and have her wear them in the shop for 10 minutes.
• Lacing system is personal preference. Speed-lace and dial systems are easier for small hands with gloves on.

Length

Kids’ and youth boards are sized mostly by weight, because weight is what bends the board. Every brand publishes a chart, so start there. As a quick check, a kid’s board usually stands somewhere between her chin and her nose.

• Park, slopestyle and halfpipe: at the shorter end of her range. Easier to spin and press.
• All-mountain and freeride: in the middle to longer end. More stable at speed and in powder.
• Boardercross: longer and stiffer for stability at speed. Her coach will have opinions.

Profile: camber, rocker or hybrid

Shape and flex

• True twin: the same shape at both ends, so it rides the same forward and backward (“switch”). The standard for park and pipe.
• Directional: built to ride one way, for all-mountain, freeride and boardercross.
• Flex: kids and light riders need a soft to medium-soft board. A stiff board for a 70-pound rider is like a plank.

Bindings are sized to the boot, so buy them after the boots, or together. Look for bindings she can strap in and out of on her own with gloves on, and a flex that matches the board: soft and forgiving for park, a little stiffer for speed. Have the shop set her stance width and angles; her coach may tweak them.

Prices are rough ranges and vary a lot by brand and season. End-of-season sales in spring are the best time to buy for next winter.

Established brands with good youth and women’s lines include Burton, Ride, Lib Tech, GNU, Capita, Salomon, K2, Rossignol and Roxy. Any of them, from a real snowboard shop, will be fine. The fit matters far more than the logo.

Buying used

• Check the base for deep gouges, especially “core shots” that go through to the wood.
• Run a finger along the edges. Small rust spots are fine; cracked or missing edge sections aren’t.
• Look for delamination: layers separating along the sides or tips.
• Check binding straps, ratchets and highbacks for cracks.
• Boots pack down with use. Used boots are the part least worth buying.

• A snow helmet certified for snow sports (ASTM F2040 or EN 1077 on the label). Expect it to be required at every contest and club practice. Replace it after any big hit.
• Goggles that fit with her helmet. A darker lens for sunny Southern California days and a lighter one for storms.
• Impact shorts and a back protector for park and pipe riders. They take the sting out of the falls that come with learning tricks.
• Wrist guards for newer riders, who tend to catch themselves with their hands.
• Layers, no cotton: a base layer, a mid layer, and a waterproof jacket and pants. Mittens are warmer than gloves for small hands.
• Sunscreen. High-altitude sun and snow glare burn fast.

1. 1.Can you fit her boots first, and check her heel doesn’t lift in a riding stance?
2. 2.What length is right for her weight, and for the riding she does (park, all-mountain, boardercross)?
3. 3.Is this board soft enough for a rider her size?
4. 4.Do you offer a season lease or a trade-in for outgrown gear?
5. 5.Can you set up her bindings, stance width and angles?
6. 6.Is there last season’s model on sale in her size?