What's the difference between a carving board and a race/alpine board?

Race/alpine boards are even more specialized than carving boards, designed specifically for competitive slalom and giant slalom events. They are typically narrower (sometimes under 200mm waist), stiffer, longer, and designed to be ridden with hard boots and plate bindings. Carving boards are the recreational counterpart — still stiff and narrow by mainstream standards, but designed for soft boots and standard bindings, with slightly more forgiving flex and versatile sidecuts. If you're not racing gates, a carving board is the appropriate choice.