# New snowboard and set up



## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Boots are the most important thing, start with those. A great board and bindings won't be any fun if your feet hurt.


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## kitkat_aki (Jan 4, 2020)

WigMar said:


> Boots are the most important thing, start with those. A great board and bindings won't be any fun if your feet hurt.


I decided id go to craigslist for boots, although I'm looking for a nicer double lined boot


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Craigslist can be fine for boots. Fit is most important. You don't want boots that are too big. They should feel more snug all around than you're used to footwear fitting. Think climbing shoes. Wiggle room = blisters, lost toenails, cold feet, and generally a bad time. Your toes should be pressed up into the liner without pain when you stand crouched in them. If you look at the boot section, there's tons of advise on finding your Mondo size. Boots are fit to the Mondo standard, and it's an easier way to tell if a size whatever boot is going to fit your foot. Hope that wasn't too much info, have fun on your search!


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## kitkat_aki (Jan 4, 2020)

WigMar said:


> Craigslist can be fine for boots. Fit is most important. You don't want boots that are too big. They should feel more snug all around than you're used to footwear fitting. Think climbing shoes. Wiggle room = blisters, lost toenails, cold feet, and generally a bad time. Your toes should be pressed up into the liner without pain when you stand crouched in them. If you look at the boot section, there's tons of advise on finding your Mondo size. Boots are fit to the Mondo standard, and it's an easier way to tell if a size whatever boot is going to fit your foot. Hope that wasn't too much info, have fun on your search!


that makes a lot of sense!! thanks so much for the info!!! I will definitely find my Mondo size then!


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## TheSalamander (Mar 11, 2019)

Probably best to spend a bit of time searching the forum and YouTube as a lot of useful info for beginners including board recommendations, stance recommendations and binding angles. Much of what you are asking is personal preference so there is no one correct answer.

I'm into my first proper season with my own equipment having rented for ~4 days at the end of last year to decide if I wanted to make the switch from skiing for this season.

My setup:

GNU Carbon Credit - good beginner board and good for the east coast ice.
Burton Step On Bindings and Swath Step on boots - I like the convenience of not having to worry about traditional bindings
I've tried, narrow, medium and wide stances and keep coming back to a medium stance - the difference in feel on the board is clear
I've tried various angles such as +15/-15, +12/-12, +15/-12, +18/-15 but am currently using +18/-12 and seems to work for me at my skill level.
The most important area to invest and get right is boot size, many people have snowboard boots that are too large. There is a very good thread on this forum about boot sizing by WiredSport. Post your feet photos following his guidelines and I would anticipate he would provide some sizing guidance.

The second most important tip is to wear a good fitting helmet and some form of tail bone protector - I wear Anon Echo and AzzPadz tail bone protector

The third most important tip is to invest in some lessons, if you haven't already.

hth

TheSalamander


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

To get the best boot fit you need to know your mondo point size. Measure your barefoot with your heel against a wall in cm, that will be your mondo point. Google how to translate it to whatever the sizes in your country are. If your feet are wide or narrow you might need specific boots.

I think the best place to look for reviews would be Angrysnowboarder.com





Snowboard Reviews | The Angry Snowboarder


A snowboarding website that will probably offend you.




www.angrysnowboarder.com




He goes pretty in depth with dozens if not hundreds of boards.
Brands are very subjective but you almost can't go wrong with any of the heavy hitters like Burton, Libtech/Gnu, Never Summer, Capita and the list goes on...As a beginner you can find a decent board at Sportcheck but if you keep supporting your local brick and morter snowboard shop you will probably eventually start getting good deals.

Setting up is the easy part, just try to center your foot on your board, and use the reference points if the board has any (usually the next set of inserts from the smallest possible stance)
To find your angles start with something like +15 -15 and try to consciously think if your feet want to rotate one way or another and make a small adjustment and try again and repeat till you find whats comfortable for you. There is no secret stance that works for everyone, its all about personal preference.

As far as upkeep just don't store your board wet or you'll get rust on the edges.
Get the items to do wax jobs yourself. Find a $2 travel iron or spend $80 if your rich both will perform the same, and get some good quality all temp wax (I love Hertel Hot Sauce) and a plastic scraper, and a scotch brite pad from the grocery store or a $20 one from a ski shop, again both will do the exact same thing. Thats all you need, but you can get super in depth with brushes and edge tuners but at a basic level all you need is the above list. Google how to wax your board or ask here and be prepared for pages of how people like to do it. Search the crayon method when you get sick of scraping.

And get a seasons pass and ride as much as possible.


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## kitkat_aki (Jan 4, 2020)

TheSalamander said:


> Probably best to spend a bit of time searching the forum and YouTube as a lot of useful info for beginners including board recommendations, stance recommendations and binding angles. Much of what you are asking is personal preference so there is no one correct answer.
> 
> I'm into my first proper season with my own equipment having rented for ~4 days at the end of last year to decide if I wanted to make the switch from skiing for this season.
> 
> ...


Okay thank you!! this is all very helpful to me! I'm currently used to a burton board and burton bindings, which models, I'm completely clueless but I will do some searching!!!


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## kitkat_aki (Jan 4, 2020)

freshy said:


> To get the best boot fit you need to know your mondo point size. Measure your barefoot with your heel against a wall in cm, that will be your mondo point. Google how to translate it to whatever the sizes in your country are. If your feet are wide or narrow you might need specific boots.
> 
> I think the best place to look for reviews would be Angrysnowboarder.com
> 
> ...


Okay, I will ask the guys at my local mountain what angle they've set theirs up as and I will try that first. as for waxing I will keep in mind the crayon method. I do have the season pass and have been getting it since I first started. I find it worth it since I go once or twice a week! now that I'm onto harder trails like double blacks and terrain parks I think it will be much easier to not have a rental but have something more fit to my liking!


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