Modern snowboards come in several distinct styles, each designed for specific riding preferences and terrain types.

All-Mountain boards are the most versatile option, featuring a directional or twin shape with medium flex. They handle groomed runs, powder, and park features reasonably well, making them ideal for beginners and riders who want one board for everything.

Freestyle boards are typically shorter with a twin shape (identical nose and tail) and softer flex. This design enables easier spins, tricks, and switch riding in terrain parks. They prioritize maneuverability over stability at high speeds.

Freeride boards are built for aggressive all-mountain and backcountry riding. They're usually longer, stiffer, and directional with a setback stance. These boards excel in deep powder and variable conditions but require more skill to control.

Powder boards feature unique shapes like swallow tails or dramatic taper to enhance floatation in deep snow. They're highly directional with the binding stance set far back from center.

Alpine/carving boards are narrow, stiff, and designed for high-speed turns on groomed runs. They're less common but offer unmatched precision for carving enthusiasts.

Splitboards can separate into two ski-like pieces for backcountry touring, then reconnect for the descent, combining snowboarding with mountaineering access.

Sidecut refers to the hourglass shape of a snowboard or more accurately the specific shape that is cut into the sides of the board. As noted above when discussing board types, sidecut greatly determines the type of turn that a board "wants" to do.

The deeper the sidecut, the more aggressively the board wants to turn. Some boards have symmetrical sidecuts while others have progressive sidecuts. This effects the feel of the board through a turn.

Progressive sidecut boards tend to flare out at the tail and are designed to "kick" the rider out of a turn, while symmetrical boards are smoother when riding "switch" (backwards).

Be warned that sidecut technologies have advanced greatly over the past 10 years and there are a multitude of varieties currently in production. Sidecut can be symmetrical, where the sidecut is uniform (radial) from tip to tail. Asymmetrical sidecuts can refer to the toeside and heelside edges having different shapes or to the sidecut not having a uniformly radiused shape from tip to tail.

Twin originally was the term used for any board that had a lifted tip and tail. All boards today, outside of race boards and the occasional concept board, are really twins by that definition. This means that both tip and tail are raised from the snow, and that the board can be easily be ridden switch.

The distinction then, should really be between "true twins" or "pure twins" and "directional twins". A pure twin is a board that is shaped identically on each side of it's center point (from tip to tail), and has the same flex pattern in it's nose and tail.

A directional board or directional twin will either have a longer nose than tail, or a softer nose than tail (and many times both). To complicate this further, there are also "asymmetrical twins" which have identical tips and tails, but the toe and heelside edge shapes are different from one another.

Many first time buyers become focused on the differences between manufacturer's approaches towards tip and tail construction.

Some brands argue that wood in the ends is the way to go for a consistent flex pattern. Others state that you need fiberglass for low swing weight. Some argue that extra metal edge should be laid in, to protect from damage, while others feel this added weight is unacceptable.

Truth is, it really doesn't matter much at all. First off, most boards are damaged in the pickup on the way up the hill or by trying to jam the tail into snow that turns out not to be snow on the way in to grab a burger, or by the baggage handlers at La Guardia. No type of end structure will prevent against this.

Metal edges all around, when struck hard, often wedge themselves into the board, creating more damage than had they not been there. On the other hand, the weight of the small amount of metal added, can barely be felt by even the most seasoned rider. Similarly, wood in the tip, adds almost no weight, but doesn't really enhance the ride either. The downside of having wood to the end is that if the board does sustain edge damage to the core, the wood will absorb moisture and is much trickier to fix.

The bottom line is, be careful with whatever board you choose, buy a good bag, and don't let this be the deciding factor.