recommendations for snowboard

[jsn]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if any of you could give me some advice as to what snowboard would make a starting board. I already know how to snowboard, although i'm not great at it (only gone 7-10 times). What snowboard would you recommend for a beginner? I might pick up a k2 illusion for around 200 bucks. Is this one ok? or is there a better board you would recommend? My price range is probably max 2 to 300 for just the snowboard. And also, where would you recommend picking one up? i.e., if you've had good experiences with certain shops...

Thanks

[picmerollin]

you do get what you pay for, so i would suggest finding a good used board as opposed to buying a cheap sport check/sport mart special. there are so many posers who get all the gear and never ride so you should be able to get a wicked board for your price range.

try kijiji.ca and bargainfinder.com for used deals, plus i know alot of shops sell off their demo boards for a song. just make sure you get a wide board if your feet are bigger than 10-11, and wide boards are way harder to find used in decent shape.

also places like the-house.com and dogfunk.com have crazy deals on last year stuff and our $ is killing the US$ so ordering online is probably a good option too. (most online retailers will not sell burton goods to canadians)

[DENZILDON]

+1 on dogfunk I heard a lot of good reviews about them.
Some stuffs from what I heard is being held off for selling in Canada because of the dollar rate. It's not dogfunk but the actual makers. One of the brands is burton. You should have no problems if you go with lib-tech or gnu!

Here is a link from a snowboard forum...

http://www.snowboarding2.com/forum/s...hops-4886.html

What kind of riding do you like?

[Splooge]

sweet i'm also in the same position looking for a starting board. thanks for the links

[LUCKYSTRIKE]

When I first started I went with one of the elan brand snowboards. I only went on groomed but it sure did the job, never cracked or serious chips on me had the board for about 2 or 3 years, and I got it at a good price.

For sure dont get the cheapest board you can find but don't go overboard with a $600 burton if its your first board (youll probably find it will suit you just fine for a year or two). Find out what kind of riding you like the best (groomed, powder, park, allaround). There are lots of boards just as good as burton for less, they have really capitalized on their brand name thus being able to hike up their prices and get kids to pay.


Also are you getting boots + bindings as well?

[T78Supra1]

Don't Cheap out on Boots....these are in someways more important than the board. I have gone with so many guys that have cheap boats and they are always complaining about feet being soar or cold

[DENZILDON]

Originally posted by T78Supra1
Don't Cheap out on Boots....these are in someways more important than the board. I have gone with so many guys that have cheap boats and they are always complaining about feet being soar or cold

Sooooo true!!!!!!!!!

[Splooge]

so what's a good brand for boots + bindings?

[picmerollin]

board- any brand you want that isnt a capped design (if you can see the diff layers on the side of the board this is not capped, if the board topsheet curves down to the edge this is capped) there will be alot of people who may disagree but im sticking with this opinion of the most durable. i currently ride an Endeavor live series and this board should have broke many times on hard landing and tree mishaps- it didnt break. waiting for delivery of my new arbor roundhouse, i cant wait.

bindings- any kind that has a cap-strap, this is a burton thing but almost all brands have this sort of set up now that cradles the front of the boot as opposed to clamping down over the toes. it saves your feet big time. i ride burton missions.

boots- i will never wear anything that doesnt use the BOA lacing system, i figured i would try it out a couple of years ago to see if it was a gimick or not, and it is not. The DC's i bought 3 yrs ago are still awsome, i have had zero problems with the boa and absolutely love it, however the boot is getting a little tired (soft from wear) so i will probably upgrade this year. i ride DC with BOA, cant remeber the model but there are only a few with the BOA.

the last piece of advice i have is WEAR A HELMET, your not too cool. then get good ......then drop in to the Fuez bowl @ kicking horse and scare the living crap out of yourself (get comfy with blacks and double black diamonds before trying the fuez bowl)

wow i cant wait to ride this year

[DENZILDON]

The source on 17th ave downtown still has Burton 07 mission bindings for $150.00, it has the toe cap strap that picmerollin described.
They also have the Burton 07 Cartels for $200.00 I think.

Like we said don't go cheap on boots. On the same store they still have I think Burton 07 motto. It has the quick lace system and heat molded liners. They go for $200.00 bucks. Good thing is when you get it they will heat up the liners and let you where them, the liners then will mold to your feet as it goes cold.

If you are going to this direction, hurry up because they are selling like pancakes because they are the old models and they are 30 to 40% cheaper than the 08 models or when they first came out.

[DENZILDON]

Oh and regarding the board. Save up and just get a better board. Use your borrowed board or but a cheap secondhand for now. Use you money for the boots first, then bindings and then board.

But if you do decide to go all crazy and use the swipe it card. I heard a lot of good stuff about lib-tech and gnu's magnatraction boards. I just bought one last week so I can't really say how it rides but from the link I gave for the snowboard forum, magazine reviews and the crew at the source, it's all good and worth the money.

[TE4MFaint]

Tech Nine bindings for the win!
I love my Monster XL's..They are about 4 years old now, not sure how Technine is doin now quality wise, but these things are damn near bulletproof.


Spend a decent amount of money on your bindings and on your boots. Boards will come and go, but bindings and boots can last ages if you spend a decent amount of coin.

[jsn]

Hey guys thanks for the input. I've decided to go with a rome solution snowboard. But regarding the boots, how much do you think I'd have to spend to get decent boots? If possible I'd like to keep it at around 150 max. Is this enough to get me decent boots? I know it wont be the best boots you can get, but i just want a pair that will be comfortable and warm. I've seen alota boots at around this price but not too sure exactly what to look for in a good pair of boots. Is there any features in specific i should be looking for?

[boredengineer]

Originally posted by jsn
Hey guys thanks for the input. I've decided to go with a rome solution snowboard. But regarding the boots, how much do you think I'd have to spend to get decent boots? If possible I'd like to keep it at around 150 max. Is this enough to get me decent boots? I know it wont be the best boots you can get, but i just want a pair that will be comfortable and warm. I've seen alota boots at around this price but not too sure exactly what to look for in a good pair of boots. Is there any features in specific i should be looking for?

Look for inner lacing system and a stiffer boot(Softer boots are not for learning :P ). Not too stiff either just midway between a stiff boot and a soft one... Walk around in it and see how it fits and feels. DC makes excellent boots and so does thirtytwo(probably out of your price range though). Make sure your boot fits properly in your bindings and if you have big feet >size 10 or so make sure you get a board that is wide enough and binding that are wide enough so that your toes are on the toe ramp.

My big piece of advice when buying a snowboard is to *NOT* listen to the people at the shops when picking a board length... They always try to sell you what is there *NOT* the height you actually need.

PS: If you are just starting and you can't yet carve cleanly AKA you "surf" don't buy a board with an aggressive side edge... It will make you cry and either quit or learn how to carve properly in a hurry. On that note is it just me or is hilarious how many people don't have a clean carve yet still ride park... :\

[Splooge]

great info. in terms of a board, should the max board height equal your height? or the height to your nose? and is this with or without boots on?

aren't different board heights for certain riding occasions like park or just riding downhill? or is that just

[DENZILDON]

Originally posted by Splooge
great info. in terms of a board, should the max board height equal your height? or the height to your nose? and is this with or without boots on?

aren't different board heights for certain riding occasions like park or just riding downhill? or is that just

Great question!!

Right now, some manufacturers place a chart on their board where in you can check what size you need to get in terms of weight. Reason being is new boards have different cores or reinforcement inside them.

With length I would say it would be depend on what riding you do. If you just like riding on powder and riding fast it's better to get a longer and stiffer board. Normally this is about eyebrow length or higher but don't go extreme.

For pipe and park, shorter and soft boards would be better for tricks.

A good example for length preference would be a rossignol Mini. There are the shortest board you can ride in the market. It won't go fast but you can do a lot of tricks. As per reviews they call it a fun baord.

[MackDawg]

All mountain board, size between your chin and noise

Jib and Park, would be anything below your chin.

When measuring up your board just wear normal day shoes, it’s not going to drastically affect your ride height.

On an earlier note 150 bones won’t get you shit for boots, try $250 minimum.

[DENZILDON]

See jsn, spend a lot on boots!!! Go to the source. They might still have a size for you for the $200 Burton Motto.

I wish I could get a board up to the length under my chin for park. Problem is I have big feet!!!!!!!!

[jsn]

Hey thanks again for all the input.

http://www.romesnowboards.com/product/boards/solution/
thats the board i'll be ordering (although i'll only be ordering from another site for around 300 because of the price of the CDN dollar ) Does this have an "aggressive side edge" as mentioned above by boredengineer?
I was also wondering, why should you have a longer board for all mountain? Is it easier to control or turn as opposed to a board below chin level? I know shorter boards are easier to do tricks with, but are they harder to control or something?
Also regarding the weight limit, the board height i think would fit me is around 148 (as i'm fairly short), which goes up slightly above my chin. Problem is the weight recommended is 85 - 140 lbs and i weigh 155. Does this mean that the board would break easier? Would it be better to go with a slightly longer board (152 cms) which has a weight limit of 110-165?

on a side note: looks like i'll have to cough up more for boots

[Hash_man]

What kind of riding will you be doing? if you'll be mostly freeriding and not much park/jibing I would say check out the 152, but see how one fits you first. I mostly freeride and ride a 158, and im 5'10".

On the topic of boots though... dont cheap out for sure... you might still be able to find some of last years stuff at a couple shops, and save some money.

You can easily drop 300$ on a good pair of boots. Main thing is dont just blindly order boots online. Go into a couple shops, and try them on... be sure to wear ski socks if you plan to wear those boarding, and then keep them on and walk around and such for a fair amount of time. Like 20-30min.

If you feel any pressure points then don't bother as they'll just get worse once you're on the slopes. Make sure they fit right (toes just touching the end) and that your heels dont lift up when you lean forward. The most expensive boots in the world could be amazing but feel like shit and I wouldn;t buy them... But at the same time dont buy super cheap boots as they'll probably soften up too much and the seams can fall apart easily.