Who says you can’t do it all? All-mountain snowboarding is for any rider who wants to be a jack of all trades, ripping through trees one second and hitting jumps in the park the next. All-mountain boards are versatile, forgiving, and very beginner friendly. 

What makes an all-mountain snowboard capable of everything? How do you find the best all-mountain gear? And how do you start learning to ride the whole mountain? We put together a quick guide to all-mountain snowboarding so you can enjoy everything the resort has to offer. 

All-mountain snowboarding just means riding every part of the mountain. Rather than having a board that's only for powder or groomers, you can transition between different terrain types. 

Part of this comes with experience. All-mountain riding takes an expert level of control and understanding, and if you’ve been practicing snowboarding for a while, you’ve probably had days where you did a little bit of everything. 

However, to ride that whole, big mountain comfortably, you’ll need a board that can do it all. All-mountain snowboards have a few special design tweaks that allow them to be a multitool. 

This is a huge bonus for newcomers to the sport. If you’re not sure what kind of riding you want to do, buying an all-mountain board allows you to experiment and find your comfort zone. Best of all, you might just find that your comfort zone is everywhere. 

Differences in Gear

Having a single board that can do it all seems too good to be true, and in a way, it is. While all-mountain boards are passable, even good, at doing just about everything, they don’t excel at any one thing. There are some variations on all-mountain boards that make them better in certain areas, but we’ll expand on that later. 

So what exactly makes all-mountain boards so versatile? Here are some of the design choices that make a snowboard capable of riding the whole mountain. 

Tip Shape

The most obvious thing about any snowboard’s design are the tip and tail. There are tons of different shapes and variations on snowboard tip shapes, but the most important thing to pay attention to is whether the board is a twin tip (rounded on both sides) or directional, with an asymmetrical shape. 

Because the goal of an all-mountain board is to be versatile, these snowboards typically use a twin tip. Their camber profiles might vary a little, but the shape is often fully symmetrical. This is also called a “true twin”. 

Tapering

Tapering refers to the difference in width between the widest point of the board in the tip, and the widest point in the tail. These points, where the board is widest, are also the contact points where the board touches the ground. 

A tapered board is wider at the contact point in the tip than in the tail. So, from the top, the board’s entire profile is “tapered”. 

Tapering makes your board better at floating in powder. Having extra surface area in the front keeps your tip on top of the fresh snow, so you can ride normally without leaning back. 

The drawback of tapering is that it decreases your ability to ride switch. True all-mountain boards are rarely tapered, but some variations have a slight taper. 

Binding Mounts and Foot Placement

One of the biggest factors that differentiates all-mountain boards from other boards is the binding mounts. All-mountain snowboards typically have many more mounting positions options for your bindings. This lets you change from center stance to setback stance or whatever riding style you want on the fly.

For example, if the conditions are slushy and you feel like riding park, you can stay center-mounted to easily switch, but, if it’s a big powder day, you can move your bindings back for a more directional feel. This improves your riding in deep snow by a lot. 

Rocker and Camber

Rocker and camber, or the profile or your board, has a huge impact on how you ride. Camber is a more traditional profile which elevates the center of your board off the ground. 

Camber increases turning performance and speed, while rocker does the opposite, curving the board up and away from the ground, which improves float in powder and choppy snow. 

Most modern snowboards use a combination of rocker and traditional camber. This is especially true for all-mountain boards. Lib Technologies took the lead on this innovative design. A board that crosses the rocker/camber profile allows you to get the best of both worlds, so you can float when there’s fresh snow, without sacrificing too much turning power on groomed runs. 

Flex Profiles

Flex matters a lot, particularly for beginners. As a snowboarding newbie, having a more flexible, forgiving board will help you learn to distribute your weight while riding. Softer flex is common with some kinds of park boards. Stiffer flex is better for charging hard off-piste and hitting big airs. 

Like almost everything else, all-mountain snowboards fall roughly in the middle of this spectrum. They commonly use a medium flex, although this may vary depending on the particular board. 

We recommend a medium or medium-soft flex for beginners, but some experienced riders prefer to ride this way too. If you like carving and surfing through features, a medium flex is the way to go. 

The One-Board Quiver

All this comes together to make what snowboarders call “a one-board quiver,” meaning that your one board does all the jobs that three or more could do. Having a rocker/camber profile, twin tip lets you ride however you want, wherever you are. 

Then, when the storms come in, all you have to do is re-mount your bindings a few notches back, and, just like that, you're primed and ready for powder hounding. 

Because all-mountain boards are so easy to use, they're a good match for newbies. The soft flex profile of the board offers a forgiving ride, without being too noodle-y. 

All-mountain riding opens up opportunities all around the mountain, so once you feel comfortable making turns on groomers, you can start experimenting with other kinds of riding. 

If you already have an idea of what kind of terrain you want to ride, it’s a good idea to pick a board that conforms to that style. For example, if you’re interested in riding in powder, find a board that’s wider, tapered, and has rocker or a rocker/camber profile. 

If you want to ride mostly in the park, make sure your board is a true twin with a rocker/camber or camber profile. Depending on your style, either a stiffer or softer board may be a good choice. Boards for pipe, big jumps, and rail tricks are usually very stiff. For laid back, flat ground presses, spins, and butter tricks, softer boards win. 

Variations on All-Mountain Snowboarding

There are other kinds of all-mountain snowboards that cater more to one style. This allows you to be more comfortable in your niche, while allowing you to still explore other terrain and styles. 

Where the all-mountain board is a good “jack of all trades, master of none,” specialized all-mountain boards are a “master of some.” 

All-Mountain Freestyle 

All-mountain freestyle snowboarding is more about terrain park riding and spring conditions, so if you’re a lover of rails, high speeds, big airs, and riding in corn snow, you’ll probably prefer an all-mountain freestyle board. 

All-mountain freestyle boards are still capable of riding in powder and off piste, they just lean more toward freestyle performance.

The main distinction with freestyle boards is that they have either a true twin or asymmetrical twin shape, which makes it easier to ride switch on any terrain. 

So you can throw freestyle tricks on natural features, just like you do in the park. Symmetrical true twin shapes perform better in the park. Asymmetrical twins are slightly better for pow and off-piste riding. 

All-mountain freestyle snowboards come in a lot of different camber profiles and flex patterns. They tend to be softer than medium. They often use either a rocker/camber or camber/rocker/camber (hybrid rocker) profile. 

These camber profiles are forgiving on lots of different kinds of terrain, which lets you float in powder without sacrificing performance on corn or groomers. 

Aggressive All-Mountain

Aggressive all-mountain snowboarding is all about going big off piste. Aggressive all-mountain boards put more focus on floating in mixed conditions. 

What this translates to is a tapered profile, with a wider tip than tail. They often have a rocker/camber profile, and binding mounts situated a few cm back from center. 

This slightly directional setup lets you charge harder in light snow. But it’s not so aggressive that it prevents you from riding groomers or in the park. Aggressive all-mountain boards usually have a stiffer than medium flex. This gives them extra stability when riding through trees or landing big drops. 

For deeper snow, a powerboard— a motorized snowboard— is also a great all-mountain board to conquer more demanding days on the mountain.