Alpine or Carve Style

This type of riding style is one of the fastest growing segments within the snowboarding world. Commonly referred to as "cross-over," a majority of these riders were once skiers. A freecarve rider enjoys the full-length and width a mountain has to offer, continually transitioning from one turn to the next. More a European discipline by riders crossing over from skiing, alpine riding is all about high speed and hard turning on groomed runs. Expert skiers who take up snowboarding tend to like the performance of carving boards, although stiffer flex and narrower width can make them unforgiving for beginners. These type of riders are easily picked out of the crowd. They are always seen laying a trench in the snow with each turn. These riders "use" a snowboards edge like no other rider. Using powerful body movements and gravity as their friend, alpine riders enjoy the sport only when they are connected to the snow.

Carving boards/Alpine boards

Carving boards are narrow, stiff boards designed for fast direction changes. Carving, Alpine or race boards as they can be called are narrower than freestyle or freeriding boards. Carving boards permit quick edge changes and have excellent high-speed superior edge-holding power on hard snow and good stability for speed. Awkward in spins and tight turns. Freecarve boards are most often found at the higher price points. They are almost always constructed with the same materials as the technical freeride boards, but configured so that the board is more suitable for higher speeds and cleaner carved turns Also, these boards tend to be longer and are usually preferred for a great day of fresh unriden powder. These boards are long, narrow, stiff, and flashy. They are made for serious downhill boarders because they are for riding and carving downhill, they are stiffer and narrower than other types of boards. Alpine/Race boards are not made for doing tricks.

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