Type of Board
Snowboards have become increasingly specialized. Companies make snowboards for all mountain use, alpine/carving, freestyle snowboarding/trick riding, and backcountry snowboarding. In addition, there are snowboards designed for women and kids, in addition to men's models. Snowboards are available in a variety of lengths and widths as well, and the width and length are partly decided by the rider's weight.
Rider Ability
Snowboards are also designed for different ability levels. More expensive boards are lighter and are designed to work better under certain conditions. Entry level boards are typically heavier and stiffer. If you are just riding a couple times a year, an entry level board is probably fine, but if you plan to pursue the activity and develop into an advanced rider, an all-mountain advanced level board is probably worth consideration.
Riders looking at getting a new snowboard should rent a board and see how they like it before buying it; most shops have demo programs and will let you apply some (or all) of the rental cost towards the purchase of a new board.
Prices
Entry level boards can vary in price in 2009 between $100 and $300, while more advanced boards start at $250 and can go to $600. You can often find excellent deals on start of the season and end of the season sales.
Used snowboards can sometimes be a good bargain, but be careful with used boards. It's hard to tell how much they have been used, and snowboards will wear out under heavy use.
