A gliding board may have less resistance to bending in portions within one or both binding mounting regions as compared to portions at or near ends of the binding mounting regions. Some embodiments provide for increased ability to store and release energy when performing certain maneuvers with the board, such as nose presses, ollies and similar moves. Regions of greatest stiffness may be arranged at outer ends of the binding mounting regions, and may be arranged along lines that are transverse to a longitudinal axis of the board. Alternately, a board may include heel and toe convex portions in the heel and toe side edges that are offset along the board length, e.g., so that the heel convex portions are closer to each other and to a longitudinal board center than the toe convex portions.