By John Chorlton

November 1, 1999

Snowboards designed specifically for kids make it easier to welcome little riders into snowboarding. You could talk to a kid about angulation, cap construction, carbon fiber, cost, and marketability of the product, and they would probably respond with something cute like, "I have to go to the bathroom." But strap a board to those little feet and watch their understanding of the sport grow.

When choosing a board setup for a grommet, parents should not get a board taller than the rider's nose or shorter than their chest. If the child's feet grow faster than their vertical growth, adjusting the stance to greater angles will increase the longevity of the board. The boards built for children, usually between 98 to 140 cm, are built to their anatomies: smaller and lighter. Softer flex patterns allow for easy turning. They are forgiving but also designed to accommodate and facilitate progress. -J.E.C.