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Pop and jib this winter with our snowboarding flex guide

It's important to opt for the right snowboard flex rating for you

Tom Kilpatrick
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Along with snowboard length and style, one of the first things you’ll see when looking at a new board is the flex rating. A list of numbers is one thing, but what really matters is performance. Picking any snowboard gear is a highly personal choice. Some snowboarders get on with the flex and bend of a softer board, while others enjoy the float and stability of a stiffer model.

Once you’ve ridden enough snowboards, you’ll start to get a feel for what you prefer. With that in mind, we strongly recommend taking any and every opportunity that you get to test out or borrow boards. But while you’re finding a way to get your hands on every snowboard on the market, we’ve put together this snowboard flex guide so you can make the right decision on your next snowboard.

Snowboarder mid-flight
Photo by Victor Rodvang for Unsplash

What do snowboard flex ratings mean?

Snowboards are generally rated out of ten for flex — with one being the most flexible, and ten the stiffest. Generally, these ratings fall into three categories.

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  • 1 – 3 — Soft flex. Flexible snowboards are best suited to tight turns and jibbing around on the mountain. Beginners can get to grips with low-speed turns and understand how a snowboard moves more easily on a flexible board, while advanced freestyle riders can pop and spin more easily.
  • 4 – 7 — Mid flex. Most all-mountain snowboards have a medium flex, offering a balance that allows you to ride every style of snow. These vary from soft-mid to stiff-mid flex, but they are generally capable in every area, without necessarily excelling anywhere.
  • 8 – 10 — Stiff. It can take some time to get used to a stiffer snowboard, but for snowboarders with certain styles, they’re exactly what you need. At high speed, stiff snowboards don’t have the same chatter and instability as a flexible board, making them popular with racers and carvers. They also float better on steep powder runs, so they’re great on the deep stuff — unless you’re in tight trees, that is.
Snowboarder on halfpipe.
Unsplash

Longitudinal vs. torsional flex

The majority of the flex that is spoken about when it comes to snowboards is longitudinal flex — this is the flex from the front to the back of the board. This can either be progressive or continuous. Continuous flex is uniform throughout the board, while a progressive flex will differ between the center of the board and the tip and tail. This could either be a stiffer center with softer ends, or, more commonly, a stiff tail and softer front end for increased pop and float on all-mountain boards.

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Torsional flex is not talked about as much. This is the flex that a snowboard has across the center, and it’s generally understood to have less effect on how a board performs. That said, a board with a higher torsional flex can be easier for beginners who can feel that their feet have different roles on the snowboard, and for those who want to perform tight turns or quick tricks. Like longitudinal flex, torsionally stiffer boards are more stable at high speed and float better in powder.

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Tom Kilpatrick
Tom Kilpatrick
Contributor
A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as…
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