The most important thing to consider when buying a board is the length. The length is measured in centimeters and depends on a few aspects. One aspect is your weight. Most boards come with size guidelines. However, a good rule of thumb if a size guide is not available is the longer board goes fast and the short board has more control. Stand the board up on its tail and hold it up to you.

Short (collarbone to chin) – shorter boards lead to more control. Riders who are inexperienced would probably want a board on the shorter side. Boarders who ride mostly in the park would also consider riding a shorter board.

Long (nose to chin) – all-mountain riders love the longer boards. The longer the board, the faster you will go. You forgo some control; however, you get more speed and float on snow.

Longest (nose or above) – if you ride in deep powder, a really long board might be a good option.

The next thing you need to consider is the width of the board. You want your feet to expand across the whole width of the board to ensure control. If your toes or heels hang off the edge of the board you need a wider board.

The size of the board is the most important when picking out a board that is right for you. There are many other variants in the board that you may want to consider. There is the flex of the board, camber and base. Although these are just small things, experienced riders may want to consider these when buying a board.

The camber of your board refers to the arch that extends the length of the board. For a more in depth overview of camber check out this post.

There are two types of bases: extruded and sintered. Extruded bases require less maintenance and wax. The extruded also is easier to fix when broken. A sintered base requires more waxing and maintenance but have better performance. The sintered base requires a regular wax otherwise the performance will decrease.

The flex of the board is basically how flexible the board is. A soft board is easier to control and less likely to catch edges. It’s a good option for freestyle riders. All-mountain riders usually prefer a mi-range flex, which is the most common. This flex is good for a variety of riding. If speed is your name, you will want to look for a stiff board. The stiffer boards are more stable at high speeds. They are also good for riding in powder.

When it comes to finding your perfect board, ignore the graphics and focus on what you want your board to do for you. Find out what aspects are important to you and find the board that fits your needs.

Rob Foy visited his daughter’s school for discovery day to speak about his job with Blank Snowboards. He told the class how cool the boards are because you can create your own art on the boards. Each member of the class drew a picture on a white Blank board.

Below is a picture of the board with the classes art. The class did a great job.

]]> http://www.blanksnowboards.com/2012/hdgh/feed/ 0 http://www.blanksnowboards.com/2012/why-i-board-2/ http://www.blanksnowboards.com/2012/why-i-board-2/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 20:28:27 +0000 Hannah http://www.blanksnowboards.com/?p=1386 The vision of Blank Snowboards is to remove all the excess that comes with the snowboarding culture and focus on the love and passion of the sport. So, we are creating a video called “Why I Board” explaining all the reasons we love to snowboard.

So we want to hear what snowboarding means to you. Is it to go where no man has gone before? Hit a trick you never have before? Hang with your buds? Get outside? What is the reason that pushes us to walk into ridiculous snow storms, sit on a lift slowly moving upward at 3,000 feet when it’s 5 degrees, wake up at the butt crack of dawn and spend every Saturday and holiday of the winter on a mountain? Everyone has a reason and we want to hear them. Send us a video, a picture or just a comment or tweet explaining why you snowboard. We will compile the clips and comments into a video called “Why I Board.”

Slough off the stuff that doesn’t mean anything and tell the world why you board.

Post it on our Facebook wall here

Tweet it @blankboards #WhyIBoard

Here are a few examples of what we are looking for:

Daniel Video

Hannah Video

Clint Video

If you are new to snowboarding or just looking to upgrade some gear before the next season, here are the basic accessories every snowboarder should have before they head up to the mountain:

Music: No doubt about it, plugging in to your favorite tunes can make you shred harder than anything else. Make sure you have a protective case and good sturdy headphones.

Helmet: If you want to ride hard don’t forget to pick up a helmet. It may look silly, but it will make crashing a lot more enjoyable. And don’t pretend like you don’t crash. If you don’t crash, you aren’t going hard enough.

Warm socks: Don’t underestimate the importance of good, warm socks. Keeping your feet warm will keep you on the mountain longer. Nothing can end a trip faster than frozen toes.

Gloves: Pick sturdy, warm gloves that aren’t too bulky or hard to work with. Some people prefer mittens with liners, while others want gloves. It’s all up to your personal preference. But whatever you pick make sure you can do your bindings with ease and without compromising hand warmth.

Goggles: Picking the right goggle is important. It’s too scientific to explain here so check out this site. It will tell you everything you need to know about the goggles you need for the weather you will be boarding in.

Shovel: You don’t need a fancy shovel, but if you feel like making a quick kicker it will help a lot. Any shovel that can collapse or fold in to make it more compact and easy to throw in a backpack will do.

Screwdriver: If your bindings come loose on the mountain having a tool kit handy could save your day. You can purchase small ones that you can carry around in your bag or jacket pocket.

Leash: Yup, you need one. Most mountains won’t even let you on the lift without one. Save a lot of grief by getting one before you get there. It’s not fun to be inches from the gondola just to be told you need a leash before heading up.

The snowboard design, done by Star Moose Marketing’s Jen Lee, of a troll on a mountain represents the folklore of trolls, which is a huge part of Norwegian culture. The stories of trolls are told to teach children lessons of living. Lise-Lunge Larsen, a Norwegian born author and story teller said the need for stories is like the need for fire. “While ritual and storytelling now many seem unnecessary for the survival of the body, they are necessary for the survival of the soul.

Like the stories of trolls, the NOEC strives to teach children how to be happy and respectful and find answers to life’s problems in a natural environment. They base their curriculum on the Norwegian way of life called the Friluftsliv or Free-Air-Life. The NOEC works with youth ages 10 through 18 teaching skills from hiking to rock climbing. They focus on children and educating adults to provide support for the youth. For more information on the NOEC visit www.noec.org.

Blank Snowboards is proud to help the NOEC and its attempt to bring children back into the outdoors.

The sun comes out and the lifts shut down, but those muscles you’ve created from all your winter shredding can be kept all year long. Staying in snowboarding shape during the off season can leave you ready to hit the slopes as soon as the snow comes. Here are some tips to stay ready for winter, even in the summer:

Mountain Biking
Mountain Biking is a great cure for the summer blues. It’s a good workout for your legs and as an added bonus it keeps you close to the place you call your winter home — the mountains. Many of the same mountains you shred in the winter are available for mountain biking in the summer. Check with your local hill to see if they offer summer lifts.

Riding other boards 
Keep in touch with the feel of a board by trying one with wheels or one in the water, such as a surfboard, skateboard, wakeboard or mountain board. Nothing can compare to the feel of fresh pow underneath a freshly waxed board, but it can keep the boarding cravings under control until snow can be found. And hey, many new boards now mimic the way a snowboard feels, so it will be like you never left.

Aerobics
Endurance is important. Come winter time you don’t want to be about to hit a sick kicker and feel the gnawing pain of fatigue. Running and hiking can help with your endurance and keep your heart going. A good cardio workout is important to keeping in shape.

Anaerobic (Strength training)
If you are lazy or just low on cash and can’t hit a gym very much this summer, here are some things you can do in your own home to strengthen your muscles so you can nail a backside 360 without breaking a sweat or worse, a bone. Pull out some old soup cans or weights and do lunges and squats. These will help strengthen your quads which is important in pulling off a sick trick or just casually maneuvering down the hill. You can also do some calf raises to keep the burn off when your flying down toeside. Your core and arms are just as important when being impressive on the mountain. Make sure you spend some time doing push ups, crunches and planks.

Any abs, arms or leg exercises you can do will help. Stay strong and fit and maybe the pain of snow-less days will subside with time. But, if you can’t quench your summer frustrations by working out, try strapping in anyway. Salt Boarding

Because let’s be honest — nothing feels as good as being strapped into your favorite board.

We were pretty stoked about being included in the SSX release because it’s the biggest extreme sports video game release in nearly a decade. For some reason or another, extreme sports video games died temporarily, but with SSX they have come back with a bang.

Video games have come a long way since Blank owner Jason Murphy was involved in the development of Amped and Amped 2 for the original Xbox. Many gaming critics rated the new SSX as a 9 out of 10 or better. Developed by EA Canada, SSX takes you through a race down the nine deadliest descents in the world that definitely raises the bar for extreme sports games. Though the snowboarding season is coming to a close, you can still get your rush playing the new SSX, at least until it snows again.

Check out this review to learn more about the new SSX.

Everyone wants to be “paid” to snowboard, everyone wants to get boards and gear for free, but the truth is not everyone can. As snowboarding has become more prestigious and competitive, so have the sponsorships. Because there are a lot of talented young snowboarders out there, gone are the days when all you have to do is wander into the local snowboard shop and boast your skills to the owner to get a sponsorship. There is an unwritten code of conduct for getting a sponsorship, so follow these tips before sauntering into your local board shop.

Skills
First of all you have to have skills and talent. Put in the time and effort on the mountain it takes to polish those skills, but make sure you are a well-rounded boarder. Your specialty may be freestyling, but if you can’t freecarve, you aren’t going far. One of the best things you can do to improve is to have your friends film you and watch it to find things you can improve on.

Know the Sport
Submerge yourself in the snowboarding world. Pro boarders live and breathe snowboarding, so dive in now with these tips:

- Watch snowboarding videos
- Go to contests, even if you aren’t competing
- Know who the pro boarders are
- Learn the lingo

Snowboarding needs to be more than just a sport or hobby, it needs to be a lifestyle. To make it as a pro, you need to start young and go all the way.

Contests
Enter some of your local contests; you have to start somewhere. One of the best ways to get noticed is by winning contests. If you are good enough, sometimes a sponsor will come to you and offer you a sponsorship. But realize in the beginning it may just be free gear here and there; it could take a long time before you make real money snowboarding. You may have to invest a lot of your own money traveling to competitions and on gear before you make it.

Networking
Get to know people at your local shops, resorts, and get to know other riders. Be friendly and outgoing; make sure people know who you are. Soon people will know who you are and then others will get to know who you are by word-of-mouth.

Also follow pro boarders and snowboard companies on Facebook and Twitter. Start chatting with them and build a relationship. You never know what connections and opportunities might present themselves online.

Portfolio
Again, have your friends film you. No one will know how good you are unless you can show them. Not only will you be able to fine-tune your skills by watching yourself, but you will also be building your portfolio. Every sponsor will want to see some footage before making a decision.

Get an Education
Some of you may not want to hear this, but you will want to make sure you also get an education; a snowboarding career can be over after just one bad fall. Some boarders board and go to school at the same time. Pro boarding can be a great career, but don’t bank on it being your only career.