A lot has changed since the early days of the sport when “snurfers” (our modern-day snowboarder ancestors) strapped themselves to a piece of wood and prayed they would make it to the bottom of the hill without splitting their all-wood board in half on a tree.  Learning a bit more about what your snowboard is made of makes you a smarter person and lets you impress your friends with lots of irrelevant knowledge.  Plus, chicks dig guys with skills.