Hi guys, I know I'm a n00b but I need a recommendation. I'm a relatively new snowboarder - good enough to run blues and a diamond or two without many problems, competent, can control the board and all - but thats' about it. Not a pro. I've done it 4 or so times with skiing in my background as a kid.

Anyone recommend a couple of things. A) Brand of board? B) type? size? I'm 6'0, right handed, 180 lbs. C) bindings? I hate the snap on things they rent you at the slopes sometimes

Also, one for my wife who is left handed, 5'5 or so. She's about at my skill level. Any ideas?

Even suggestions in any form would be great, the guys at some store i went into a couple of weeks back were assholes and really non nonchalant, not helpful.

12/11/2007 9:44:32 AM

IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO RIDE AND HOW YOU WANT TO RIDE. IF YOU ARE TRYING TO GO TO A PARK OR SOMETING LIKE THAT OR RIDE ON THE EAST COAST STICK WITH A SHORTS STIFFER BOARD. IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE OUT WEST AND MORE FREE RIDING YOU MAY WANT A LONGER BOARD THAT WILL LIKE TO NICE POWDER. AS FAR AS BINDING AND BRANDS STAY AWAY FROM THE REAL CHEAP CRAP AND YOU REALLY CANT GO WRONG WITH ANY OF THE MAJOR BRANDS. I DO PREFER FLOW BINDINGS BECAUSE OF THEIR EASE OF USE BUT I KNOW OTHER THAT DONT CARE FOR THEM. ALSO GET NICE BOOTS. THEY WILL MAKE A BIGGER DIFFERENCE IN YOUR EXPERIENCE THAN AN OVERPRICED BOARD WILL.

12/11/2007 10:19:06 AM

Most of the riding will be in NC and WV. I'm sure conditions will likely not be powder unless we are lucky. I'd like something that is more flexible, don't care about speed so much - just want good turning capability and agility.

Not something that is a 'trick' board if they even make that. Just something that's stable and a good starter intermediate board.

Flow bindings? I'll look that up, never heard of it.

12/11/2007 10:24:40 AM

I DO MOST OF MY RIDING IN WV AND I RIDE A 168CM K2 NEMESIS. HOWEVER IM A LITTLE LARGER THAN YOU AT 6'2" 220LBS. BUT THE LAST BOARD I HAD WAS MUCH SHORTER 150CM AND IT WAS THE BOARD I HAD SINCE I STARTED RIDING 8 YEARS AGO. I LIKE THE SHORTER BOARDS FOR LEARNING TO MANEUVER AND SINCE THERE REALLY ARE NOT A LOT OF LONG FAST RUNS ON THE EAST COAST. THAT SAID ITS REALLY ALL ABOUT PERSONAL PREFERENCE. I GOT A LONGER BOARD SO THAT I COULD RIDE FASTER NOW THAT IVE BEEN RIDING FOR A FEW YEARS. IF YOU GET SOMETING TO LONG AT FIRST IT WILL BE HARDER TO TURN AND FASTER THAN YOU PROBABLY WANT.

12/11/2007 10:36:13 AM

i have a head board and bindings, and am very satisfied. other guy gave good advice about board length, don't skimp on the bindings.

12/11/2007 2:39:01 PM

your standard burton board should be fine, just go with some basic...get used to it...you'll suck it up anyways for a long time till you get acquainted with it all anyways.

flow bindings are a good choice, just remember the bindings are the most important part really...they are the extension of your feet to the board.

without a good response your performance from the board will suck...just like if you drive a car and your steering is loose...same idea.

12/11/2007 2:50:04 PM

will any boots work with any binding? I do not want the ankle bite associated with those hard terminator boots they give you for rentals on the slopes. Not sure if they make something softer...

also, is flow easy to get in and off and is it pretty stable? I hate the click on things you stomp in to get set

12/11/2007 3:17:23 PM

don't get the click things, lol.....also pretty much any boots will work, also i recommend toe lifts.

12/11/2007 3:19:20 PM

what are toe lifts? A feature of the boot?

12/11/2007 3:28:04 PM

I am 5'-9" and 160 lbs. I am currently riding a 156, but I also have a 152 for park. I would say my range of board could go as high as a 164. So for someone your size and weight, I would recommend a 156 as the shortest and you could go as long as 166-168. The real advantage of a longer board would be bigger mountain riding. If you want to be able to cruise around in the park and do some jibbing, go shorter. I have ridden Forum, Ride, and now I have a Burton. Once you go Burton you will never go back is what they say. I am super pleased with my Custom. It has enough butter to it to play around on the east coast, but in Utah and Vermont last year it was stiff enough to handle just about anything I tried. As far as bindings go, I like Burton here too, but I have heard Flow has fixed most of their flaws with the cable system and is making a very nice binding. K2 also makes a binding similar to the Flow, called the Cinche. Boots are all about feel, 32's are light, but they aren't very stiff.

As far as your wife goes, she could ride anywhere from a 146-154, same reasons as before. I would say around a 150 would work great for her. Women tend to like a little softer board, so something like the Burton Feather would work well. The Burton Feelgood might be a little too much to handle. Make sure you get women specific bindings for her(women have long calf muscles, therefore their bindings have a shorter highback).

My g/f may want to sell her snowboard set up. It has only been ridden a total of about 8 hours. She is an excellent skier and just did not take the time to learn how to board b/c she didnt want to miss out on the places we were at. I can run it by her if you are interested.

Hope this helps.

[Edited on December 11, 2007 at 3:33 PM. Reason : spelling]

12/11/2007 3:32:14 PM

That helps a metric ton. Thank you, and the others that are recommending things.

I would be interested potentially, i want to get us both a setup we can use. We both are at the same skill level, maybe I'm a bit better

12/11/2007 3:36:07 PM

im 5'10" 165 lbs and I ride a 160

girlfriend rides a 150 but shes 5'6" 120 or so maybe taller

12/11/2007 5:48:35 PM

What do you think about this for her?

http://www.rei.com/product/741029

12/11/2007 5:55:26 PM

still some good deals here: http://www.sierrasnowboard.com/tag/cheap-snowboards-0.asp
they had some crazy $99 board sales but that ended. still worth looking. especially for the womens boards, $130-$160 for nice boards.


got my ski boots from them, they're good people.

12/11/2007 9:04:19 PM

^^

looks good

id try ebay tho, they have some good deals, great deals if you catch em at the right time..

got my burton for $5 including shipping one summer.

12/11/2007 10:09:04 PM

i need new boots and bindings. i don't know what to get. i have a K2 board but i don't remember the length and its at my apt in gboro and i am at my parents house in raleigh. i'm 5'2 and like 120 so i got whatever length i was told to get...i think its like 145 or maybe 148? my board came in a package with the K2 unisex V7 bindings but they are a size medium. apparently that fits women's shoe size like 7-10. but i wear a 7 or 7.5. i believe my boots are a 7.5. but the bindings are too big for the boots. small bindings usually fit 4-7. if i did get a 7.5 boot i feel like small bindings would still work better than the ones i have now. they just do not get tight enough on my boot. i just don't know. i have no idea what to get. the boots i have now are a no name brand and SUPER uncomfortable.

any suggestions?

12/16/2007 4:47:52 PM

Fiance is 6'0'' rides an Arbor (not sure on the length...hmm, longer for carving) with Flow bindings and I'm 5'4'' with a Rossignol 146 and bindings. We both have Vans Boa system boots. We're happy with our current set-up.

^Take the bindings off, check out some new good brand boots (they'll be a lot better for your feet and might even fit the bindings better) and put them in your bindings to see how they fit.

[Edited on December 16, 2007 at 6:26 PM. Reason : mreowf]

12/16/2007 6:23:40 PM

you should not be buying a certain length board based on your height. your weight is the most important factor, followed by riding style. there's tons of credible info online, or just go to a local reputable board shop.

12/17/2007 11:49:47 AM

Quote :

"Technine Split Swowboard w/ MFM Combo Binding Package $149.99 50% off Reg. $299.95 "

http://www.whiskeymilitia.com/wm/wm

Pretty good combo deal today on a beginner board. I'd probably go with the 153 or 157 if you're 6'/180 depending on whether you want more of a park board or a good freeride board.

12/17/2007 12:27:41 PM

http://www.sierrasnowboard.com

12/17/2007 12:49:05 PM

It can't be stressed enough how important it is to get a good pair of boots, regardless of how often you go riding. I spent 10 years with aching feet and sore ankles after riding, just thinking that it came with the territory because I always bought boots that were in the lower price range. Then one faithful day I had to borrow my friend's Burton Sabbath's, and it was like putting on Air Jordans for the first time. I had no idea Snowboard Boots could be so comfortable.

Of course, they were like $100 more expensive than any boots I'd ever bought, but man, you get what you pay for.

12/17/2007 2:11:38 PM

I've got a bunch of giftcards left over from last year from dick's. Do they have anything worth a damn? I imagine it is over priced at the very least but I'm interested in getting what I can there with these things around the first of the year...

12/17/2007 2:13:27 PM