What to Look For
The Vision company produced skateboards before moving into snowboards in the early 1980s. Vision snowboards gained popularity in the '90s but have since lost ground to newer snowboards. Vision snowboards have a wooden core, and the edges are completely wrapped in steel, making for cleaner turning. They're designed mostly with beginners in mind and for that reason are most suited to snowboarding on groomed trails. Vision snowboard riders like these boards because they're lightweight and have more flexibility than the average snowboard. They're also inexpensive and have clean, simple colors and graphic designs.
Common Pitfalls
Because Vision snowboards are not as popular as they once were, finding them at retail shops can sometimes be difficult. And since they're designed for beginners, they aren't highly durable. They are not meant for tricks or heavy, rough mountain riding. Vision boards are made to be highly flexible, which is usually a good selling point, but sometimes the boards can be too flexible and therefore too shaky for large jumps. These boards are also noted to be very slow. The base of the board scratches easily, and the wrapped steel edges can rust. Also, because there is no company website, getting help, tips, or accessories for your Vision board can be difficult.
Where to Buy
The best place to buy Vision snowboards is from large snowboard retailers, such as online snowboard stores that sell many brands. Sporting goods stores that specialize in snowboards or winter sports may also have them.
Cost
Since Vision snowboards are not professional boards, are designed mostly for beginners and are not durable, they're inexpensive compared with other snowboards. They usually cost $30 to $50.