The Different Snowboard Shapes and How to Choose One

JUMP TO: OVERVIEW  |  SHAPE VS PROFILE | WHAT IS SIDECUT  |  THE SHAPES  |  SUMMARY

Author: Holly Price | Updated: Nov 7, 2023
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Snowboarding only requires a seemingly simple set-up of board, boots, and bindings, but there’s actually quite a lot to consider before you invest in your kit. Among those considerations is which shape of snowboard is best for you.

The ideal snowboard shape depends on your skill level and the kind of riding you’re interested in The shape of your snowboard dictates how it feels to ride and how it performs in different styles of riding. There are six different shapes in total, each with different profiles, graphics, and binding mounts available between manufacturers.

Ultimately, there are a lot of terminologies to get your head around. We’ve broken it up into bite-size pieces below to help you find the best board shape for your riding.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SNOWBOARD SHAPES?

As we mentioned above, there are six different snowboard shapes. These are:

  • True Twin

  • Directional Twin

  • Directional

  • Tapered Directional

  • Volume Shifted

  • Asymmetric

We cover the benefits and drawbacks of each shape below. But first, let’s summarize some of the design characteristics that we are talking about when we refer to “snowboard shape”.

SHAPE VS PROFILE

A common mistake is confusing snowboard shape with profile. The shape of the board is the outline you would see if you were to draw around it when it is flat on the ground. The profile is how the board is engineered, which gives it a certain shape when viewed from the side. Put simply, the shape of the board is what you see from the top and the profile is what you can see from the side.

 

Snowboard shape is what you see from the top, while snowboard profile is what you see from the side.

 

WHAT DOES SIDECUT MEAN?

Picture your board from a bird’s eye view. You will notice that it curves slightly at the center, and that it is not just a wooden plank with the same width all the way down. This central curve is known as the sidecut. You may see it written or referred to as ‘sidecut radius’ which is measured in meters.

There are a few different sidecut types, and lots of variation within those types. Here’s a simple explanation of the different snowboard sidecuts:

RADIAL: The most simple and common sidecut, featuring the same, equal arc along the side of the board. Great for quick and small turns.

PROGRESSIVE: The radii here are different alongside the board, usually to add a directional push to help with initiating and exiting turns.

SERRATED EDGE: The sidecut is wavy or ‘serrated’, which provides more grip and stability at high speeds and in icy conditions.

ASYMMETRICAL: The sidecut on the heel and toe edge is different to counteract the weight and movement of the rider's body, making heelside turns easier.

THE DIFFERENT SNOWBOARD SHAPES

Equipped with a basic understanding of snowboard shape, profile, and sidecuts, let’s take a closer look at what make each snowboard shape special.

True Twin

The true twin shape is perfect symmetry, which means if you were to fold the board exactly in half, it would match up. If you have a very even riding style, like to keep your weight centered and are interested in versatile, freestyle riding, then this is the shape for you.

KEY FEATURES: The nose and tail are exactly the same length, width and flex. They are also usually equidistant from the center of the board, with an equal distance from the center of the front binding to the nose contact point and the center of the back binding to the tail contact point. In short, everything is equal.

BEST SUITED TO: Freestyle and all-mountain riders. This is because the shape of the board means it rides the same in both directions and makes it easier for setting up or landing different freestyle tricks.

Directional Twin

At first glance, a directional twin just looks like a normal true twin. However, when you measure it properly, you’ll see that there is a subtle directional push with a slight set-back stance, and a longer nose than tail. The ‘twin’ part of the board can be seen from contact point to contact point, where everything matches up. This shape of snowboard is also sometimes referred to as a Mountain Twin.

KEY FEATURES: The nose is slightly longer than the tail, giving the board a small setback stance.

BEST SUITED TO: All-mountain and freestyle riders. Riding switch on this shape of board won’t be as comfortable as a true twin, but it will give you that tiny bit of extra float in powder thanks to the setback stance, making it a better all-mountain choice.

Directional

Interestingly, the directional shape of snowboards is the OG. Since we spend our time riding sideways down the mountain going in one direction, this is exactly what they were initially designed to do. Directional snowboards have a longer nose to not only help with float in powder, but so that the rider is able to drive more force and power through the turn.

KEY FEATURES: Stiffer flex in the tail, longer nose, progressive sidecut and the same width in the nose and tail contact points. Directional camber profiles are common and sometimes they might even have a different shaped tail.

BEST SUITED TO: All-mountain hard carvers and freeriders.

Tapered Directional

Tapered directional models are a more extreme version of their OG directional predecessors. These boards have a longer and wider nose than tail (hence the tapered name) and will almost always have a differently shaped tail. As you can expect, your tail contact point will be narrower than the contact point in the nose, which will really help promote float in powder.

KEY FEATURES: Longer and wider nose than tail, swallow or blunt-shaped tail, set-back stance, directional camber and flex.

BEST SUITED TO: Freeriding and those dangerous, steep downhill shreds.

Volume Shifted

In essence, volume-shifted boards are short and fat. They are named that way due to the historical favorite feature for powder— length — being swapped out for a shorter, wider style board that uses clever engineering for added volume.

Essentially, the board covers the same surface area for guaranteed float but is shorter in length to make it a mean maneuvering machine. Providing a much more playful, surfy feeling, this variation on a directional board was designed with powder hounds in mind.

KEY FEATURES: Much wider nose than tail, 3-6 cm shorter than your ideal snowboard length, severe setback stance, progressive sidecut and usually a different-shaped tail to the nose.

BEST SUITED TO: Powder, tree runs and freeriding.

Asymmetric

The asymmetric board shape is all about maximizing your heel and toe turns, which is why it has different things going on down each side. Because the way our bodies move in terms of weight distribution and direction, the toe side turn is of course much different to the heel side. Asymmetrical design features are usually only found on twin-shaped boards.

KEY FEATURES: Centered stance, variation in heel and toe sidecuts, equal length tail and nose, equal width tail and nose.

BEST SUITED TO: All riders. Benefits both freestylers and hard-carvers due to the design really catering to what each turn requires.

SUMMARY

Although they can seem subtle and perhaps even inconsequential on the surface, the differences in snowboard shapes can dramatically influence your performance and riding enjoyment, depending on your abilities and riding style.

Hopefully, this guide helps you identify the best snowboard shape for you. For more advice and gear recommendations, check out the rest of our Snowboarding 101 series, along with our Snowboard Buying Guides!

MORE INFORMATION

Now you know the shapes, need to get shopping for a board? Check out our board guides for each style of riding:

Or see other articles in our Snowboarding 101 series:

Or check out our entire Gear Reviews Page, our Knowledge Base Articles, or Destination Guides for more snow and outdoors related content.