New Snowboarder

kayakArkansas · 11-10-2006

Hello all. I am basically new to snowboarding (sort of) I've been renting/borrowing boards from the mountain my gf works at for the last year and a half and can basically cruise about anything I want to at the resorts but I'm ready to have my own board etc.....I have no idea what size board I should look for or the type of board I should look for. I'm 5'11" 175lbs. I'm looking to be able to do a bit of everything but definitely more of a cruiser than a park-junkie....I would love to get into back-country but that will be down the road when I figure everything out a bit more....so my question is....Any advice on size, style, brand, etc etc etc....thanks in advance....

--Zach

DanOrion · 11-10-2006

You are about my height and weight and riding style. I've ridden a 161 cm Burton Custom and a 163 Never Summer T3. Both have been great boards. The Never Summer has been tougher, but is heavier. The Burton noodled after one season. If I were you, I wouldn't go below 159 and not above 165. My .02. hope it helps.

liam dunn · 11-10-2006

at pure mountain outlet in the outlet mall in castle rock we have an 05-06 demo burton custom up to 162 for $250. come check it out we also have some other 162s and will be getting more soon

paddlehead21 · 11-10-2006

i am 510 175 i ride 158 but i ride the park a lot .... like the others said 160s if you want to cruz ....60 -62 will give you much more control on the hill... have a good season bro............
peace nm

robatnordic · 11-11-2006

All good advice. You should look for a board with decent sidecut radius (8.0 to 9.0) for easy turning. Wood core boards are "snappier", meaning that as you finish a turn it will pop you into the next turn. Urethane or foam cores are softer and more forgiving, but breakdown quickly. Bindings for backcountry and all mountain should be stiff for more control, as should be your boots.You want bindings that will hold your boots securely, with little sideways freedom. Bad for park but good for control in powder. Everybody has an opinion, and all are valid. It should depend on the kind of riding you see yourself doing. If carving huge arcs and gliding down backcountry powder is what you see yourself doing these ideas should help. If you find yourself in Summit county (Breck-Keystone-Copper), and want to do a seminar (free to a fellow river rat) hollar out and we'll hook up. I used to coach and have been riding since '89.

fet123 · 11-11-2006

I been looking a lot into buying to and I finally bought 2 sets one for me and one for my friend i did a lot reserch mostly on pages such as http://www.the-house.com/site/info/i...-05boards.html
http://www.alssports.com/custompage2.asp?pageid=98
http://www.cs.uu.nl/~daan/snow/stance.html

I made some mistakes fortunetlly I could return the merchandise, consider you have to buy a bag to carry it in the airport if your traveling, damn boots are expensive and cheat boots feel cheap, If your on a budget you can find some good deals on eBay, I bought a Allian board, with burton custom bindings and Burton carrying bag for 190 shipped the set is used but in good condition, there are also a lot of people selling new stuff on eBay. I live in fort Lauderdale and there is one ski shop here, I am sure theres got to be some store near you look for it go there, and ask salesmen there for help, try boots, size boards try bindgins, after you found out what feels good to you go and buy of the internet the odds are that you can buy it about half the price, just make sure the source you buying it is reliable, look at the return policy on the stuff, make sure they pay for the return it can get very expensive. What else can I say I guess hit me up if you have any questions, this boards can get very expesive and since your a beginner just like I am you don't need top of the line.

kayakArkansas · 11-14-2006

Thanks everyone for your feedback! To those that offered free instruction thats awesome, but sadly I'll have to decline as I'm stuck out here on the East Coast Ice for the winter....nonetheless....manmadesnow/ice is better than nothing i suppose so I'll at least learn a thing or two! Thanks again,

Zach

AdrenalineRush · 12-03-2006

try talking to some of the east coasters on www.snowboardaddicts.com
theyre usually really helpful.

heliodorus04 · 12-04-2006

I'm in the same boat as the original poster.

I rented a board for the season last year and went out about 3 times a month. This year I can't afford gas that much, but I thought if I bought a used board, and bought a few single day passes, it'd make it that much easier to go out next year and do with a season pass again.

I'm 6'3 and 240 (which is a bit high for me) - what size should I be looking for, and does anyone have any advice on used/demo boards.

Are used boots a bad idea?

What does one need to know about bindings?

DanOrion · 12-04-2006

Used boots are a bad idea. They break down with time and give up their support. I tend to get new boots every other season. There's great deals on Sierra Trading Post today, extra 20% off **and today only*** for Salomon bindings...I have a pair and like 'em plenty. For bindings: bigger more supportive if you're gonna be big-mountain, little time in the park. smaller and more flexible if you're gonna be in the park. Generally best to try bindings on your boots.