Hitting the slopes on a board? You won’t do it alone. More than 7 million people considered themselves snowboarders in 2020.
Maybe you’ve gone out a few times with rented snowboards. Perhaps you’ve been borrowing a board from a friend. Now that you know you enjoy the sport, though, you’ve started considering your snowboard.
Why not look into a carbon fiber snowboard? They offer some unique advantages most boards don’t. Paying attention to your snowboard’s material can pay off in repair and replacement costs later.
Keep reading to see the benefits of carbon fiber sports gear.
1. A Carbon Fiber Snowboard Is Light
Carbon fiber equipment beats any other material in lightness, driving its adoption for sports equipment. While snowboards use more than one material in their construction, using carbon fiber in the board makes it lighter. Choosing carbon fiber makes the board easier to carry and can improve handling.
2. Durable Materials
Boards that use authentic carbon fiber will stand the test of time. Carbon fiber handles many kinds of stress well, which drives its adoption for sports equipment.
If you invest in a lot of snowboarding gear, you may end up with more than just a board using carbon fiber. Carbon fiber shows up in helmets for many sports where speed can lead to injuries. It’s also earned popularity in skiing and snowboarding boots, too.
3. Reduced Deformation
Material deformation refers to the way a snowboard bends and twists during use. Carbon fiber construction reduces the way a snowboard bends.
This change comes at a cost to the snowboarder, though. While the board deforms less, some of that energy transfers to the snowboarder’s feet through imperceptible vibrations. A cheap carbon fiber board can lead to a fatiguing snowboarding experience, so don’t settle for less than the best.
4. Snappy Turns
If you want a board that lets you spring out of turns with some real force, give a carbon fiber board a look. The lightness and rigidity of these types of snowboards lends itself to these sorts of maneuvers. Carbon fiber equipment will treat you right if you prefer a speedy, agile descent down the slopes.
5. Resistance to Humidity
Snowboards get exposed to a lot of water in the form of snow. As a result, any snowboard should use a material that will stand up to a little bit of wetness.
While carbon fiber’s properties can change when exposed to enough water or humidity, carbon fiber will stand up to these stressors longer than the usual life of a snowboard. If you store your snowboard in a temperature-controlled environment that isn’t damp, it’ll give you its full operating life.
Lightness and Durability
While a carbon fiber snowboard won’t suit every snowboarder, the low weight and solid construction draw many enthusiasts to such a board. SMI Composites takes pride in being part of the sport.
If you’re a snowboard manufacturer looking for a partner with a deep knowledge of composite materials like carbon fiber, fiberglass, and Kevlar, give us a call. We’ll find the right material for projects of any size.
