Carving Snowboards

To carve means to turn by using only the edge shape (side-cut) of the board; it’s a fundamental snowboarding skill to master before moving to other technical disciplines like riding powder, halfpipes, or bigger kickers.

Snowboard carving consists of linking carved turns, pushing the limits of the centrifugal force to the point where you can literally lineup your body with the ground by holding on only to the snowboard’s edge and your hands or stretched-out forearm. For this reason, it is also known as “extreme carving” or “euro-carve”.

Despite what you may think, carving as a discipline was originally pioneered by snowboarders before skiers; remember that only hardboot snowboards and bindings were available at the beginning of the sport. Nowadays, all-mountain softboot carving snowboards offer a more versatile but still high-performing experience.

I spent the ’90s competing as a racing athlete first, and as a coach afterward. I know exactly how important the turning ability is in snowboarding, and that knowledge is the starting point for every Sandy Shapes board design and choice of materials.

Once you can master your turns, there’s no limit to what you will be able to do on a snowboard. Get ready to change your gloves and jacket pretty often.

Carving snowboards are designed for leading turns on groomed slopes thanks to a structured construction and a medium-stiff flex. This guarantees an excellent grip and allows you to maintain high speeds without losing stability.

These are the key factors to consider when choosing your Carving Snowboard:

Camber

Camber is the profile of choice for carving, guaranteeing the best edge grip on hardpack, also when riding at higher speeds.

Directional Shape

Directional snowboards have been developed to give their best in one direction. The tip is longer and wider than the tail, while the bindings are moved backward (set-back). The outcome is a more intuitive turn initiation and better control at high speed.

Most of our carving snowboards have a directional shape, but there are some exceptions, like our versatile model: Zingara!

Woodcore

The high-quality stiffer, and stronger woods used for the Sandy Shapes snowboards assure that our carving boards are responsive and lively in every turn. Read more down below about our “positive” and “negative” core profiles.