What are the differances between sidewalls, and capped edges on snowboards?
December 2nd, 2008 | by admin |I had capped edges, and just got a new board with sidewalls, but i don’t realy notice a differance? Then again i haven’t done any boxes or rails yet… Will i notice a $400 dollar differance when i do boardslides?
One Response to “What are the differances between sidewalls, and capped edges on snowboards?”
By Paul G on Dec 3, 2008 | Reply
To be quite honest, it’s just two different ways of making a board. Both have their pros and cons.
Generally a board with a cap construction allows the core material to extend out over the edges, giving you better feel and energy transfer. The biggest drawback to cap construction are a lack of dampening and it’s easy to nick the side and expose the core (which isn’t a good thing).
A board with a sidewall construction is a bit more durable and more damp (stable at speed due to reduced vibrations). You sacrifice a bit of feel and response but the general consensus is that sidewall boards overall perform better than cap boards. I believe this is simply because it is more popular at the moment and most board companies construct their best boards with sidewalls. I have ridden some very good cap boards.
As far as boardslides are concerned, the added dampening of the sidewalls will probably make it a little less likely for you to hang up on the rails. So yeah, you may notice a little bit of a difference.