The more I snowboard, the more I find that I want a board with a larger sidecut radius.

What the heck is a sidecut radius?  It is one of the specifications of a snowboards.  They all have different geometry.  You know how the sides of the board get narrow at the waist like an hourglass shape?  Well, the sidecut radius is a measurement of that.  The larger the number, the straighter the cut.  The smaller the number the deeper the cut.

Most snowboards have a sidecut radius of approximately 8 Meters.  I have a Burton Custom 158 and it's SR is 8.  I used to have a Steepwater Steep and it had a sidecut radius of 10.8 meters! (That's one of the largest I have ever seen)

What does it mean?
It's simple really.  When you put a board into a carve turn, the smaller sidecut radius board will turn sharper, and a larger will go straighter.  That's it.



So do you know the sidecut radius of your snowboard?  Do you like it?  Do you wish ti have a larger or smaller radius?

I know this is an older post but I'm just reading it for the first time and have a question-- are there specific riding conditions/terrain in which you would want to go with a board with a larger sidecut radius than a smaller one, or is it more personal preference?

My board has a SR of around 7.5, is this narrower than average cuz its a girls board?nbsp; (Burton feelgood 152)     

On average, larger sidecut radius is better for big mountain riding and higher speed stuff.  Smaller sidecut radius (like yours) is better for smaller mountains and slower speeds.  Other than that it is personal preference.  For example, some freestylers like being able to make sharper carve turns in the halfpipe (smaller radius) and some like longer turns in the pipe to maintain speed better.