Many people might say the length should be "between
your chin and the middle of your nose". My question for that
is, how does the board know how tall you are? It doesn't. It does,
however, know how much you weigh.
Most
major board companies have a chart on the back of each board with
a weight range for each board and board length. Boards have also become
very specialized in the past few years. Some boards are made just
for the park or for powder. The correct board size for me can range
from a 156 to a 176, depending on the make and model.
My
first suggestion would be to figure out what type of riding you'll
be doing. Snowboard catalogs list boards according to riding style.
After you have a few boards in mind, then look at the charts. The
bigger you are (mass wise), and the more powder and backcountry you'll
be in, the bigger the board you'll look at. Wanna play in the park
and pipe or if you're on the light side, go for a smaller board- No
matter your height.