Directional boards are designed to travel forward. The Shape differs from front to rear, whilst the flex, sidecut and stance are setback from the centre. Directional boards have a longer nose and shorter tail; this increases lift and float. The setback stance and flex enhance carving performance.
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Swallow Tail
Swallow Tail splits the board's tail into two sections with a gap between them. This gap helps sink the tail of the board in deep snow by releasing the pressure of the snow so it has little float, allowing the nose to rise. It can also whip out the back of the turn, as the forks deflect more than a traditional tail shape.
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Taper
Taper is where the nose of the board is wider than the tail. Taper has two main benefits. Firstly, it allows the tail to sink in deep snow, making powder riding easy. Secondly, it smooths turn exit as the sidecut fades out at the narrow tail.
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Progressive Sidecut
The sidecut radius is incrementally increased as the edge reaches the contact point. By gradually increasing the sidecut radius towards the contact point, you get a smoother turn initiation and exit as the edge tracks in and out of the snow with a less abrupt transition.
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