Thu, 01/14/2010 - 2:33pmEverything you needed to know about buying a snowboard: topsheet

There's more to the topsheet of your snowboard than a bit of fancy design

The type of fibre glass used in the top sheet and the way it’s laid can make a big difference to the characteristics of a board. These are the main terms associated with snowboard fibreglass.

Different types of fibre glass weave and what they do:

Bi-Axial

The fibres in the fibre glass are laid at 90 degree angles to one another. One running along the length of the deck, the across.
This is the most straight forward style, and produces the softest flex pattern. Usually found in beginner and jib boards, due to the forgiving nature of the flex.

Tri-Axial

The three fibres are laid straight down the length of the board, and at thirty degree angles either side of that.
A stiffer flex than the Bi-Axial is produced as a result. This is what the majority of boards will use. The flex produced is stiff enough to allow for a decent amount of power, yet whilst retaining enough bend for buttering and jibbing.

Quad-Axial

A four layer fibre glass pattern, essentially a combination of the bi and Tri-Axial patterns. One layer runs tip to tail, another intersects this at 90 degrees and the other two intersect the tip to tail layer at 45 degrees.
This produces the stiffest flex pattern of all, and is only really used in high end boards, where riders are looking to ride hard and fast. The flex pattern means that at speed there is little risk of washing out although at low speed it could be a bit like sliding on a door.