Is a 156cm snowboard too small for a 6' 175lb guy?

Answer 1

As a general rule the length of the snowboard should be about 88% - 91% of your overall height, but this is generally regarded as a helpful guideline as opposed to any hard and fast rule (This should come in around your chin/mouth when the board is vertical against your body).

Ultimately it comes down to preference and riding style, but obviously the further you deviate from this range, the more "unorthadox" you are becoming. Riding on a board that is either way too long or short, will bring its own problems (i.e. a board that is way too long could may make it more challenging for the rider to turn competently, whilst a board that is way too short may cause stability issues). But a little outside these paramenter is not going to make a massive difference - again it comes down to experimentation and what length you feel comfortable on.

So here's the numbers based on the 88% - 91% guideline. Someone 6ft would be in the board length range of 161 - 166, based on these guidelines, so a 156 board would be considered too short, but bear in mind we are talking about 5cm short of this range at the bottom end of the scale (probably shorter than your little finger), so not disaster really. I am 5ft 10" so applying this range, my board should be between 156 & 162. I ride a 154 board, as that is what I am comfortable with. As is often the case in these conversations, comfort is far more important than "compliance" to any guideline, so just go experiment and enjoy the ride!!