snowboard advice

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jamaican

jamaican

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hey, i'm going to buy a snowboard and i want some adive one some good brands. last time i went snowboarding i used a rossignol snowboard, and that board felt pretty good. i'm about 5'7" and i think i used a 155cm board. can i get some advice on what size, brand, to go for... it'd be nice if someone could just list a couple trustworthy brands :indiff:

i'm going snowboard on saturday. someone near me is selling this one... please answer quickly
http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/204525
 
I'm not a snowboarder, and I'm not a winter sports lover (except for hockey), I heard and still hear alot about Burton. I dont know about it, but it maybe good :)
 
Watch the Winter Olympics that are on at the moment.

I'd say the brands that they are using are bound to be pretty good.

Personally, I'd go with Burton. 👍 :)

:Edit: - Although, if it's a one or two time thing you might be better off renting rather than buying. It'll be a lot cheaper unless you plan on taking the sport up for a while. $500 worth of board and kit is a lot for something you'll only use once, or twice, or three times even...
 
Liquid Venture is where it's at. I've got one that's been run over by skiers, and taken a beatng over the last 3 1/2 years, but It's handled like a charm, and I think it's better than many of the Burtons I've had as rentals when I first started. (then again, I've got really good Drake Bindings:dopey: )

Hmm.. I got mine a bit big when I was 4'11 in 7th grade it's a 144, not it's about 3 inches too short. I believe the rule of thumb is that it needs to come up to your nose. The again, I could be wrong.

I'll post pictures when my dumb phone sends them to my tzones album.

But, Right on dude, Show those skiers who's boss.

Get whatever suits you and what you feel comfortable with. If it's a board that does exactly what you tell it, then by all means do it. 👍 :)
 
I prefer a shorter board to a longer one. My board is way under-sized for me, but I find I get more versatility from a shorter board.
 
I've been snowboarding for 11 years now, and taught for 8 of them. Of all the boards I've used/seen, Burton's the most reliable and least prone to de-lamination. I've seen Lamar, Liquid, 51-50, World Industries, K2, Rossignol, and some others fail in one way or another. I've used Option, Forum, and Burton boards for years without issue.

As far as Bindings and Boots go, you'll be better off with a Drake, Burton, Northwave, 32, DC, Forum selection.
 
I've been riding a 1999 Burton Custom since 2000 and it's been really good to me, it's great for all kinds of riding, I'm starting to fear Burton is getting to be a bit too commercial and they sure aren't cheap. Some mags say they tend to lose their pop after 2-3 years, but I guess this depends on your riding style, and how much you use the board.

If you decide to go the used route, check the deck for deep gouges into the wood, check the base to see if it's been well maintained or if it has deep cuts from sliding every rail in the city, check the edges for delamination to make sure they won't pop out when you're riding, and ask the guy how long he's had it and how much he uses it. If you want to test the pop, stand the board up on it's tail edge, then with the deck facing down put some weight in the middle of the base, this will cause the board to flex in the middle - then quickly take all your weight off - the tail should pop into the air, if it pops a lot you're in good shape, if it barely moves this board is just about dead - account for the flex built into the board too though, some are meant to be more rigid (according to the primary purpose). You should read reviews of the board you're considering online if you can, or go to the manufacturer's website and read up on the current year's model of board you're considering.

I'm not sure about shops in your area, but you might want to consider Lib Tech or Gnu too.

And finally, boots and bindings are more imporant than a board, you should get the most comfortable, best boots you can afford and make sure your heel doesn't lift up walking around. Then shop for a comfortable binding and one that is reputable. You might even want to consider warranties for bindings. I know a guy who bought Drakes and they broke the first time he used them, even the toe strap on my bro's burton's broke off. I'm not a big fan of Flow or step-ins.

Buy a board for your size, stand it up straight, for all-around you want to have the nose around your mouth, go shorter for smaller mountain and park/pipe boards and bigger for big mountain/powder riding, and if you can only have one board it's best to get all-around, IMO, but if you know you're only going to hike the pipe all-day doesn't make sense to go out and buy a big powder board, likewise if you know you're only going to go crusing in 10ft. of power you'll sink and be slow if you're trying to ride your 151 Jeremy Jones jib board.

Or you could just go with this Ducati-Burton special edition
B60741031.jpg
 
thanks for the help/tips and everything. i think i'll just rent a board if i go this weekend just to see i really like snowboarding, then 'll go spend money.

i actually liked step-ins, because as soon as i came off the lift i could just step in and be on my way... other people had to sit down, strap, etc. i guess the strap way is better
 
oh, I meant to add this. If you're going to buy new you should buy off-season you can get a "new" last year's model, but never used, board in the later summer or early fall for up to 50-60% off MSRP. In Toronto, there's a ski and snowboard snow in September every year where you can get great deals.

I bought my board in August like this, at a shop - paid $487 CDN, regular price was like 600 or 650 then, now I guess they're $700 or so, I haven't been shopping in a while.
 
The only problem with step-ins, is that you'll never have as much heel/toe edge control, when compared to straps. Sure, there's some great examples out there of great step-ins (Switch). But, there's huge examples of terrible systems (Flow). Never buy Flow, I don't care who you are. The straps break, the boots never feel "in", the baseplates crack, there's never enough heel/toe clearance over the edge of the board... take your reason.

dbartucci brought up a great poing, buy a new last year's model. You'll save tons, due to the clearance pricing they throw on previous models. My 2000 162 Canyon was $320 CAD on Boxing Day. It's MSRP was $550 USD. I basically saved about $300 USD.
 
I snowboard a ton, and I currently run a POS Lamar snowboard, like mentioned, the topsheet is peeling like mad. The board is a noodle, but great for buttering a jibbing, if you're going to be into that.

Burton bindings are currently the best thing you can get. There isn't any other product out there that has better adjustablity. The Burton's are durable, have the best capstrap (best invention in the industry of the last 5 years) in the industry, lifetime waranty on baseplates etc etc. I have last year's Burton Missions. They're great, worth every penny.

Boards, get a reliable company like Burton, Ride or Rome. If you get a nasty coreshot on your Forum and then a couple days later you blow out and snap your board in two, they will not replace it because of the coreshot. My friend's Rome just got replaced no questions asked after he snapped the nose on a frontside 1.

My brother rides an Endeavor Paavo 157. This is still one of the best boards around, and the best company around. Ask anyone who works at a board shop or anyone who is unbiased about the product, they'll tell you Endeavor is an amazing company. I'm getting next year's Live 159 at the end of this season.

Another note for boards. I will never buy a board or product manufactured by a ski company (Solomon, Rossi, Atomic etc). It's a moral thing, I want to support my industry, not the skiing industry. I've driven this year's Solomon Arnie 5000 (he's one of my fave riders) and I must admit, it was a dream in the air, but I have a moral obligation to keep the snowboard industry afloat before supporting some old dude with a one-piece outfit riding 1200$ skis and cutting my lines in the park and pipe.

Boots, buy what fits and feels good. There's no other advice I can give you. DC, Burton, Northwave, 32 are all good companies, as mentioned. I have last year's Northwave Legend. They're getting small, so I'm selling them and picking up a pair of Burton Boxers (park-specific, their lightest boot). Buy what feels right. Small boots suck, but ask the boardhsop clerk for advice.

Outerwear is straightforward. I laugh at the sylin' fashion police at the hills, so I rock a greenish Volcom Ligament jacket with neon yellow and pink Oakley Puffy 2.0 pants and a red and orange Airblaster, a funny Volcom hunting hat and red Anon Figments.

Anon Figs are probably the best goggle you can get, I've tried 'em all. This is my second season, so far no problems and pure comfort. Go with what feels good on your face, a lot of people like Oakley Wisdoms (they don't fit my face), Oakley A-Frames have been the standard in the business since they came out (but I hear the new Crowbars are pretty comfy). Electric EL1s are also solid, but I'd recomend Anon Figments above all (and they look sooo steezy).

DO NOT GET BURTON GLOVES.

A little bit of advice from my snowbaord experience.

If you are going to go often, buy the best you can afford, it'll be worth it in the long run, trust me. My first year I had to replace my gogg's, boots and bindings. It sucked, 'cause I just bought new stuff and now I had to get better stuff already.

Yesterday was my 30th day of riding this year. I'm going for 50 days this year, it'll be tight.

Good luck. Other than ski racers, I don't know anyone who's tried snowboarding and not had the time of their lives. I still have a grin on my face every day, which makes my life a lot happier and my summers oh-so-much longer ;)
 
You should rent as many types of boards as you can. Also you can find demo days at your local ski hill. These are convenient and free ways to test out some boards.

Personally, I'd go with NeverSummer. Hands down the best board on the market and with a 2 year limited warranty, you can't go wrong. But be prepared to pay for it.

As far as board size, I'm about the same height as you and I ride a 155cm. I've had longer (175cm, that's my back country board) and a 150cm, and a few others in between.
I find the 155cm worked the best for me.

Other things you want to take into consideration is what style of riding do you do. Do you do all mountain, park/pipe or a bit of both. The flexability of the board you chose should take this into consideration.
I ride all mountain now, but tend to stay out of the park/pipe, so my board is a bit stiffer than others I've had in the past. It's definately much harder to butter, jib or do any sort of flat land tricks, but, I've grown out of that phase.
A stiffer board will really cut through choppy powder and will offer you precise turning. Really helpfull when you are riding the trees. ;)

Boots, well, I'm a die hard Airwalk fan. Been that way since '92 and I'll probably never buy another kind of boot. I've actually had a pair of Airwalk boots last me for 9 seasons of 100+ day riding.
 
Cool, I'm also going snowboarding on Saturday. It seems that we have a lot of seasoned snowboarders here.

I have a question: Any tips on learning to do the back/forth motion going down the hill? I can't really seem to be able to control my movement well enough to do it, and I end up just going waay to fast. Thoughts?
 
Airwalk? They went belly-up and haven't had quality gear since. I had Airwalk stompers my first season. I wasn't pro, so they really should've lasted a while, right? At the end of a long 11 day season, I could see my sock while on the chair going up, not to mention the heel and calf area literally bent over the top of my highback on heelside turns.

NeverSummer does have quality products, I know the rep for my province, who's also the distributor for Endeavor around here. I haven't tried any of them, but they do look decent.

Out here, East Coast, we never get decent snow, so park is pretty much all we got. This is my first year of spinning on full size park jumps, so the progression there is really rewarding and satisfying.

I still love the buttery style of snowboarding every inch of shreddable terrain. Seen the movie December? Or any of the Robot Food movies? There's my inspiration every time I strap in.
 
Zrow
Cool, I'm also going snowboarding on Saturday. It seems that we have a lot of seasoned snowboarders here.

I have a question: Any tips on learning to do the back/forth motion going down the hill? I can't really seem to be able to control my movement well enough to do it, and I end up just going waay to fast. Thoughts?
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Start by going diagonally across the trail slowly, on your heel edge. Turn your shoulders back in the direction you cam from and lean onto your toes. This will make you turn to toeside. Again, turn your shoulders downhill and lean onto your toes and you're back heelside.

It's a simple explination, but it works like a charm. Shoulders, lean onto other edge, done.
 
eliseracer
Airwalk? They went belly-up and haven't had quality gear since. I had Airwalk stompers my first season. I wasn't pro, so they really should've lasted a while, right? At the end of a long 11 day season, I could see my sock while on the chair going up, not to mention the heel and calf area literally bent over the top of my highback on heelside turns.
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Well, I bought my first pair of Airwalks back in '92, so that was quite some time ago, and they really worked well for me. I never had a problem with them, and as I said before, they lasted for a long time. I actually still have them and could probably still ride with them, but they are rather loose now. ;)
The last pair of boots I bought were Airwalks, hmm, that was back in '00, still some time ago, and the boots are still working great.
If they have gone out of business since then, I haven't heard, but I don't really pay that much attention. It's a shame if they have.

NeverSummer does have quality products, I know the rep for my province, who's also the distributor for Endeavor around here. I haven't tried any of them, but they do look decent.
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I really like them. I've had many differnt boards from many different companies and by far, this NeverSummer is the best board I've had. At least as far as quality is concerned.

Out here, East Coast, we never get decent snow, so park is pretty much all we got. This is my first year of spinning on full size park jumps, so the progression there is really rewarding and satisfying.

I still love the buttery style of snowboarding every inch of shreddable terrain. Seen the movie December? Or any of the Robot Food movies? There's my inspiration every time I strap in.
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East Coast boarding/skiing is quite different than it is here in Colorado. Actually, it was a good learning experience. If you can get good on the East Coast, you can rip anywhere.
I learned to ride in Colorado before I moved to Vermont. (Used to ride at Stowe and Smugglers Notch)
What a difference. I spent most of my time on my ass in Vermont until I finally tuned my edges. (you don't really need edges out here in CO ;) )

@zrow, to expand on what eliseracer already said, I find the biggest problem with people learning to ride is that there vision becomes fixated on an object that they are headed towards.
You need to look in the direction that you want to go. Turning your head and looking in the opposite direction will help you to bring your body around. Your body has to follow where your head goes, right?
 
I so badly wanna take up snowboarding, I'm actually actively searching for my sister's skateboard just so i can take the trucks off and then tape it too my feet! :lol:

From what I've seen on the Winter X Games and more recentally Winter Olympics, burton is a good choice, but I wouldn't know much. :indiff:

Now, wheres a mountain in England... :dunce::lol:
 
I got hold of a GNU Danny Kass Rider's Choice 158cm, wide board at the end of last season. It's brand new, should have been $379 by itself, and worked out at $359 all-in with a $180 set of Agency bindings attached! Bargain!
It has some wicked graphics too! Rides wondefully, had 2 trips in Tahoe so far, got 2 days at Kirkwood this weekend coming up, and 3 days at Snowbird in Utah in March....:drool: to look forward to!

I'd advise renting until the end of the season, and then buying something like I described above, not necessarily the same board, shop around and see what you can find. I bought that one because I'd rented the same thing several times during the season. You'll save 40-60% by waiting, as long as you're not bothered by having "this year's" graphics.



 
boombexus
Well, I bought my first pair of Airwalks back in '92, so that was quite some time ago, and they really worked well for me. I never had a problem with them, and as I said before, they lasted for a long time. I actually still have them and could probably still ride with them, but they are rather loose now. ;)
The last pair of boots I bought were Airwalks, hmm, that was back in '00, still some time ago, and the boots are still working great.
If they have gone out of business since then, I haven't heard, but I don't really pay that much attention. It's a shame if they have.
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Airwalk used to be really good in snowboarding and skateboarding, they had a kickass snow team and everything. They went bankrupt in the last few years, maybe 2003 or so. Someone bought the name and they're a crappy K-Mart brand. I didn't want to offend you by telling people not to get Airwalks just after you tell them to get a pair, but that said:

Don't get Airwalks. They're now a cheap crappy brand.


boombexus
East Coast boarding/skiing is quite different than it is here in Colorado. Actually, it was a good learning experience. If you can get good on the East Coast, you can rip anywhere.
I learned to ride in Colorado before I moved to Vermont. (Used to ride at Stowe and Smugglers Notch)
What a difference. I spent most of my time on my ass in Vermont until I finally tuned my edges. (you don't really need edges out here in CO ;) )
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I have never been to Stowe, and I went to Smuggs a couple times about two years ago. Last year I broke a wrist at Sugarbush (excellent resort). This year I've been riding local in Quebec plus a few days at Jay Peak (when they get the good snow).

I'm planning a trip somewhere out West in a few years, maybe spend a couple weeks or months out there riding like in the movies. :)

EDIT: Agency are pretty good apparently, and Gnu's a solid brand. Nice buy.
 
Is Gnu? I've been tempted to try Lib-Tech, they had a demo when i was at a resort once, but I didn't have a credit card and didn't want to wait for the parents - was some years ago.
 
right now i rent, but next season i'ma get a burton. The rental snowboards are decent, but have peelage like crazy and the bindings suck ass.
 
I'm not nearly experienced enough to offer any usable advice on gear, but I will tell you that, a Leatherman with a Tool Adapter and the correct bits will allow you to make adjustments to bindings etc. - while on the slope.. I found that was pretty good when trying to figure out what works best for one self...
 
LibTech is a good company as well. A lot of 'core riders will recomend these board companies (Ride, Gnu, etc) before Burton, but I can't really comment on that. I trust Burton, but there are other decks I'd get before a Burton.

A Tool is a very good idea having. Board companies make them, I always ride with a Burton Nugget Tool (discontinued), it's about the size of a PS2 memory card. Saves the day sooo many times.

I know some binding companies live by metal baseplates (Ride does it, I think drake too). I'd really tell you to avoid those. The metal is hardly as flexible and light as the poly equivalents. Light stuff is good in snowboarding, but the flexibility of the baseplate is pretty key as well, you don't want to be messing up your board's flex characteristics with a baseplate. The Poly is also very durable, and I know Burtons have a 25 year waranty.

And Rag, you can keep trash-talking our dollar. It's 86 or 87 cents to yours, and growing while yours keeps dropping. This isn't the first time you've come into a thread and not contributed whatsoever and then said some stupid sly comment. You're great. 👍

Your face.
 

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