# Big and Tall - Beginner - Board to Buy



## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

Big dude myself. 6'4 and 235lb.
You'll need a wide board around the 165cm mark.
XL bindings and some boots that fit really well.
I started on a Burton King 167 camber board, 2nd hand find for 50€ 
Read up about board profiles, rocker, camber, everything in between. 
I can't tell u what to buy, way more experienced people here for that.
I bought a jones mountain twin 164w this season, rocker camber rocker profile.

Tell the guys here what style u ride/are interested in and where u ride.


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## Shred Shepherd (Dec 18, 2013)

*Snowboard Set-Up Suggestion*

One of the raddest wide boards on the market would have to be the LibTech Skunk Ape! It's made in the USA with some of the most eco-friendly processes in snowboarding. It's reverse camber which will make it float super good in powder and the magnatraction is perfect for holding a good edge on the groomers. The waist width is 26.8cm which should be plenty for any size 14 boot. 

I'd suggest Union Bindings in a L/XL if your looking for something with a lot of movement front to back to get your foot centered on the board and in the binding. The Union Force is what I prefer because it's got great response and is a little better built then the rest so you don't have to worry about breaking anything...even though they do come with a lifetime guarantee on a majority of the binding.

Good luck, happy shredding!


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## mitch_flaz (Dec 18, 2013)

Thanks Guys

I really appreciate the feedback and advice. 

Cozmo - 
Thanks I am hoping to pick up a similar deal if I can get one. I am however prepared to buy new if I know its worth it.

I snowboard in the Alberta/British Columbia Mountains in Canada. Mountains like kicking horse, panorama, lake louise, sushine and so forth.

Shred Sheperd: 
Thanks for the suggestions mate and actually the last two places I have been too have suggested the same board as well. It seems the lib tech skunk ape is the board to have as a big and tall boarder. Did you have any other similar alternatives to the skunk ape ? its just the board alone seems to be almost $700 bucks with tax/shipping inc. 

I like your suggestions on the bindings I will take a look.


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

the ride wild life 167W is a good choice, good for starting and will last you a long time.

union makes very high quality binding that in the past have had sticky buckles, but supposedly they remedied that this year. I have had good luck with burton, K2 and ride bindings.


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## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

Can't really go wrong with Union force or burton cartel bindings. 
I got the union contact pros, a bit more flex then the forces. 
Also when shopping for boots u might wanna stay away from BOA laces. 
From what I hear they can't handle our weight/force. 
They might have improved lately but it's something to think about.

As for boards check out the jones mountain twin in 164w. It's under the 500$ mark or shop last years models for a bargain.


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## Justin (Jun 2, 2010)

I am 200lbs 6'6" and ride in the same area as you. I agree that you should be looking in the 165w area. Lib is pretty pricey but you can find other decks that will work for you.

New Flow 2014 Drifter Men&apos;s Snowboard | eBay

Flow drifter wide 163, i think the k2 turbo dream comes in a 165ish, ride wildlife would work.

Boots you need to try on, i have just over a size 14 foot but i can ride in a RIDE 13 boot. Try on a few brands in a few sizes to know what you like.

For bindings i would say to take a look at rome 390 boss or targas so that you can know if you like canted foot beds with no risk if you don't (interchangeable foot bed).

For your budget check ebay as well as canadian retailers online for last years gear. There is a thread about buying online and it has a list of canadian sites.


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## kvw (Apr 2, 2013)

I can't imagine Rome 390 bindings holding up well to a big guys like this. Mine was falling apart in only half a season and there's no way I can exert close to as much force as someone who's 6'5"/245lbs (for reference I'm only 5'7" @ 170-180lb, intermediate weekend warrior rider, nothing crazy). I would imagine something built a bit more stout would be advisable, like something from Ride or Union or something else. 

Go in to a board shop, tell the salesman to just let you be and just closely look at their bindings yourself and take your time - you can sort of tell which are built more durable. Make sure to look at the straps and mounting disk and carefully compare (for example I can post a picture of a Burton disk vs my Rome and the strength between the two is blatantly obvious). If you want canted, most Ride bindings have it and I believe Union Factory has canted footbeds now and look and feel solid in hand. In all fairness, I haven't gotten a chance to closely inspect 2014 Rome bindings yet so things could be improved. Don't get me wrong, they perform well but just don't last. Just my opinion. Good luck!


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## trapper (Jan 15, 2013)

I don't have experience with a lot of boards at all, but I am almost the exact specs as you. Same height, same foot, about 20 pounds up on you. I'm on a 166w and started on a 164w. The 164 was a rocker and was very good to learn on as it was very forgiving in terms of edge catches. However it wasn't super stable when I started getting down the hill faster. The 166w is a CRC profile and a bit stiffer. There was only about a couple hours adjustment period I would say when I went to that board.

I think if you stay in the 163-167 range with a wide board you'd be fine. If you have a place to demo first, that's the way to go. Watch yourself with boots because some manufacturers have different charts. I.E. what Burton calls a 14 isn't going to be the same as what Ride calls one. I learned this from Wiredsport, who is in our forum and very helpful in this regard, but try sticking to using mondo (cm) sizing and that will help. Everyone else will say try in store before you buy, etc etc, but most of them don't understand the reality of having a size 14+ foot and that the majority of shops don't carry that size or very few models if they do. You'll probably have to get it online, which is why I suggest sticking with the mondo system after measuring your foot in centimeters.

Bindings, I'm just going based off the help I got here. Go at least medium stiffness, since for big guys like us everything will feel less flexy than rated because of our size. I'm on a Ride Capo which seems well suited for all-mountain for me. I wouldn't go less than a Burton Mission, which I've also used as well. And I can say from experience that both brands (Burton and Ride) will fit a big foot like yours.


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## mitch_flaz (Dec 18, 2013)

Hey All,

Thanks for all this great info

Just a quick question about camber, rocker 

I am a complete newby to this and I was wondering what is your suggestion in the way of board set up for my skill level/size ?


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## cozmo (Dec 12, 2012)

Ok here we go, some basics. 
(Disclaimer, I'm 38 and been boarding for 4 seasons, now at intermediate level. Haven't tried a lot of hardware but tend to read a lot about boarding and watch the budget closely. 
There are guys here way way better qualified at giving you hardware related advice, aka what to buy. I'm sure some will improve on my writing)

First off all start with buying your boots, try a lot, buy something that fits snug and without heel lift. Shitty boots is having a bad time riding. With our weight stay away from Boa laced boots, our weight/ force can pop them open under pressure. Also when u start with boots u can fit them into some decent bindings. 
Found a post by Poutanen that explains it very clear.

Poutanen:
Boots are the make or break item. Try on a million pairs of boots (hopefully with a GOOD shop person to help you) and go for the ones that fit the best, not the ones with the best features. They should fit snug, sort of like skates, instead of more loose like winter boots. Everybody I know that's gone from a bad fitting boot, to a great fitting boot has had a big "AH HA!" moment with snowboarding (myself included).

When shopping for bindings remember to never buy the low end of the line from any brand. Like I said before, Burton cartels or missions (one level down from cartels) are a safe bet. Also Union bindings are very good value, forces or a step up. Union has a member here on the board, search for union in house. Good guys. One thing is their nose strap is/was a bit sticky. Aka hard to get off. I've cursed em a few times hehe. Supposed to have improved it on the 13/14 models. 

Then the boards, first thing is to search for the thread called: rocker, camber and everything in between and read page one. This will explain the different profiles of the board undersides. Up to 2008 or something like that everyone was on a camber board. Then came lib tech with the skate banana. This had the banana aka rocker underside. Last few years you can find any sort combined. I went from a traditional camber board to a rocker, camber, rocker profile. 

As for sizing I'm going to borrow the text below from miss neni:

Originally Posted by neni 
Just a general (I don't know this specific board) remark that might clarify, why ppl recommend the shorter one: given you're in the weight range of two different board sizes, it'll depend on what you aim to ride and your level, which size you choose. In general, the longer one would have a better float and more stability at high speeds. The shorter one will be easier to handle, easier to turn. Which one you choose, is a trade-off between disadvantages and advantages. 
Now, an advanced rider into speed or riding deep pow would probably choose the longer one, since he'd have the experience to back up the more challenging handling but could exploint the advantages, while an inexperienced rider wouldn't expoint the advantages and just would have to fight with the disadvantages.

Stance is something u can search easily. Pure duck stance is -15 back and +15 front. For me this doesn't feel quite right on the back foot. I went with -10 and +18. Duck is meant for riding both ways aka switch.

Take from all this what u want, cheers.


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## Justin (Jun 2, 2010)

kvw said:


> I can't imagine Rome 390 bindings holding up well to a big guys like this. Mine was falling apart in only half a season and there's no way I can exert close to as much force as someone who's 6'5"/245lbs (for reference I'm only 5'7" @ 170-180lb, intermediate weekend warrior rider, nothing crazy). I would imagine something built a bit more stout would be advisable, like something from Ride or Union or something else.
> 
> Go in to a board shop, tell the salesman to just let you be and just closely look at their bindings yourself and take your time - you can sort of tell which are built more durable. Make sure to look at the straps and mounting disk and carefully compare (for example I can post a picture of a Burton disk vs my Rome and the strength between the two is blatantly obvious). If you want canted, most Ride bindings have it and I believe Union Factory has canted footbeds now and look and feel solid in hand. In all fairness, I haven't gotten a chance to closely inspect 2014 Rome bindings yet so things could be improved. Don't get me wrong, they perform well but just don't last. Just my opinion. Good luck!


I have 10-15 days on mine and they seem to be holding up ok. Maybe you got a lemon... or maybe i got a good pair...


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## mitch_flaz (Dec 18, 2013)

Hey All,

So I ended up getting a 164.5 cm Travis Rice Lib Tech Pro C2 BTX 2013 for $280.00 from someone needing to leave the country brand new in the packaging. I think this is a hell of a deal thoughts ?


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Wow great deal! Heard nothing but great comments about Travis Rice.


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## destroy (Dec 16, 2012)

Great deal on a great board. C2 is probably my favorite profile I've tried for most resort riding. Only way that could be better is either:

A) free 
B) it comes with a babe to ride (with)
C) Horsepower version
D) any combination of A, B, and C but preferably all of the above.

You'll like that board a lot. Libs work really well in the mountains out west and they're a great company. That's a board you'll be able to ride until it dies and you'll rarely be limited by it.

I would reccomend you become well familiar with your foot size (length and width) and then buy a boot online if you can. I know I have trouble finding 13's and ended up having to go to Seattle to pick up my DC T Rice boots since nobody in Vancouver or Whistler really has anything other than a couple pairs of Burton's in my size. Most shops here kinda stop around 11-12. I'd reccomend getting a decent boot now if you can then moving on to bindings. 

Most bindings in the largest size available from their respective decent brands should fit. I'm never even on the largest sizes for the straps on my bindings at only one size smaller, and I've even rode an ancient pair of size 14 boots. These were from before boots had shrinkage tech that made them have a smaller profile on the outside while still being the same size on the inside. You might even be able to find a deal on some used binders in your size. I'd sell you a pair of mine on the cheap if half of them weren't broken! I'm not quite as big as you (only 6'3" 210 lbs  ) but I still know what it's like to be stuck with the big boys toys.

Before you know it you'll be a shreddin' Skunk Ape, proud to the bone!


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