• • •

• •

Design & Construction

Designing a Snowboard

There are three main areas that are important to consider when constructing a well-made snowboard: weight, torsional stiffness and vibration damping.

• Weight: lightness is one of the primary goals of higher-end boards. It makes lift rides a lot more pleasant and is easier to handle during tricks, especially spinning tricks.
• Torsional Stiffness: is defined as how stiff a board is as it twists. Additional torsional stiffness is often added to increase the board’s ability to carve during fast turns.
• Vibration Damping: helps the most in chopped up snow, and can also increase the durability of a board. A snowboard’s performance can be improved by adding materials to reduce vibrations traveling through the board.

Constructing a Snowboard

Although many manufacturers differ in technique and material when constructing a snowboard, they all start with a basic structure.

Basic Structure
Snowboards are composed of several layers of different materials that are molded together. Some of the most basic layers starting from the bottom of the board include:

• Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or plastic. This material provides the slippery surface that allows the snowboard to glide on snow. Throughout its use it is preferably waxed to keep it running fast.
• The base material is then surrounded by steel edges so the board will dig into the snow while turning.
• Fiberglass is a layer that provides stiffness and strength to the board.
• Wood or foam is the core of the board and makes up most of the thickness. It also includes sets of metal inserts needed to mount bindings.
• Another layer of fiberglass lies on top of the core.
• Lastly, a top sheet – which is a protective plastic layer – is added to provide a good surface for graphics.

Molding the Layers Together

Each layer of a snowboard is placed into a snowboard mold or press. A snowboard mold is similar to a large waffle iron with the exception of a shape of a snowboard. The following steps are conducted to mold the layers of the snowboard together.

• One by one, each layer of a snowboard goes into the mold along with an adhesive or glue that holds the layers together.
• The mold is then closed and heated for approximately 30 minutes. This causes the liquid-like glue to harden.
• The mold is then opened and the snowboard is removed. Any excess glue and material is trimmed off.