What's the difference between a freestyle snowboard and an all mountain snowboard?

What is the difference between freeride, freestyle, and all mountain snowboards?

• I just started snowboarding the past couple months and I have been renting equipment but now I am looking to buy my own board. I mainly snowboard just down the trails... not very ...show more

• Answer:

  Freeride boards are generally a stiffer, longer boards designed to float over powder and hold carves through all surface conditions. Albeit being stiff which makes them hard to maneuver at slow speeds, they are stable at high speeds and won't get wobbly on you. Freestyle boards are generally the opposite. They are flexible, shorter boards that can be manipulated to do different tricks and be forgiving when you make mistakes. Most beginners start with these type of boards for these exact reasons. All mountain boards are generally a various combination of the qualities of the previous two types. The different styles can be mixed to put something together that meets your needs. Many companies make women's versions of their popular men's boards. They are generally shorter and have a softer flex. You should be able to find them on most snowboard retailer websites, such as sierrasnowboard.com or dogfunk.com