# Mom in need of advice



## bkcowell (Dec 9, 2013)

First off hello to all you awesome enthusiasts out there!! I do not snow board myself but my 16 years old son has just started out this last year. He has previously but just on them cheap big box type boards. We live in northern MN. He has currently been using his friends old gear which i have no idea what kinda or anything. I would really like to get him some gear board,bindings,boots,helmet and so on for christmas but i am not sure wear to start or what types or brands are good, so i thought all you pro's out there could give a ol mom some advice. He is about 5'4 138 pounds i read on a previous site that was imortant. Thank you for your time in advance.


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

I think adding a price range you are looking to spend will help everyone make recommendations. Also does he have a preference for any type of riding? Park (jumps and grinds) vs. cruising around? How many times does he plan on going snowboarding this year? Average prices for decent gear would be around $300 for a board, $200 for bindings, $200 for boots and $100 for a helmet.

One thing I will say is that boots are the most important article listed, and if they fit improperly, it can make learning more difficult, and often cause pain. For that reason, I would hold off on making a boot purchase and offer to buy him a pair that fits well by taking him to a snowboard shop. It is pretty important to have him try on a few pairs to get the best fit, as boot fit can be all over the place between different brands.


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

Maybe a gift certificate to a local shop?


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## bkcowell (Dec 9, 2013)

*Thank you*

I believe he has been boarding everyday this year so far except now (sub-zero temps).. Mostly they just cruise around, hit a couple of the smaller jumps. We have a ski resort 20 miles away so thats kinda nice. He also skateboards when the weather is nice. I was hoping I would be able to get away with maybe spending between 250-325 honestly.


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## stan_darsh (Mar 10, 2013)

big mtn vmd ^ this is good advice so far. very cool mom, thumbs up!


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## Casper (May 22, 2011)

When on a small budget, in my opinion I would get used better brand gear at a board swap or shop than new cheaper stuff.

Brands and boards..... it can get confusing with all of the advice you can get.

If he likes to skateboard I will assume he will like to hit the park often.

I would look for a rocker profile board. 140 cm - 150 cm size range.

Some people like extra edge bite for ice, you might find out what he thinks about that. If he does, look also for a board with magnetraction (Gnu, Lib Tech, Rossignol) or other manufacturer designs- Arbor has grip tech... different companies have different designs to accomplish the same thing.

Basically, they have a bump or serrated edge. -if you look at the side edge of the board it will be wavy.

Hope some of this helps...


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## BigmountainVMD (Oct 9, 2011)

bkcowell said:


> I believe he has been boarding everyday this year so far except now (sub-zero temps).. Mostly they just cruise around, hit a couple of the smaller jumps. We have a ski resort 20 miles away so thats kinda nice. He also skateboards when the weather is nice. I was hoping I would be able to get away with maybe spending between 250-325 honestly.


It's going to be difficult to find a complete, decent quality setup (boots, bindings, board AND helmet) for $325. Even if you get everything on sale, and last years equipment, it would still be a bit more than that.

Here is a great board that would fit your son, would be good for his riding and has good reviews. It's 50% off and still $200... YES Basic Snowboard

That is one of the cheapest snowboards on the site too. Another good site is EVO You can find great deals on Whiskey Militia, but they are 1 deal per 30 min or so, not a traditional shopping experience. You can sign up with Whiskey for free and browse their members only section (click "Private Stash), and they often have great deals on there as well, but it is not a full stocked store or anything.

If I were you, and didn't want to spend more than 325, I would get less equipment, but make sure it is quality stuff. Like just boots and bindings or just a board and boots. Don't go with Walmart crap cause it will just fall apart if he is serious about riding and going every day.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

bkcowell said:


> 16 years old son is about 5'4 138 pounds


Well he is growing and will outgrow stuff...perhaps even this season....thus another option is to do a seasonal lease of board, boots and bindings. That way if he out grows this year, he can just get equipment switched out and he will be able to get reasonably quality stuff. Anyway, seasonal leases around here go for abt $200.


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## nsrider121 (Jan 22, 2012)

theclymb.com is a really good site that has lots of 2012 and 2013 gear. You can use coupon code: GOLDENTICKET to get 10 bucks off too. 

Snowboards don't change a lot from year to year. I would look at the YES basic, Big City and Jackpot on the clymb. All really good boards and at around $200 you cant beat the price. It looks like they are sold out of bindings but look around at other sites in their 'clearance sections' and you should be able to get a really solid pair for less than $100.

If the boots he's wearing right now fit well, maybe he can just have them/buy them?


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## Casper (May 22, 2011)

Make sure to pick a board within size range for him.

Board and bindings for boots around 10....

On Sale Rossignol Contrast Snowboard w/ Forum Republic Bindings Dark up to 55% off board-binding-package-0627

for smaller boots about 8 or smaller....

On Sale Rossignol Contrast Snowboard w/ Rossignol Cobra V1 Bindings Black up to 55% off board-binding-package-0629

Just bindings if you got a board from what the others suggested...

Bent Metal Venom Snowboard Binding | Backcountry.com

Gnu Street Snowboard Binding - Men's | Backcountry.com


There is a sticky for various online retailers...

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/1265-online-retailers.html


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

You need to look on craigslist:thumbsup:.

You find some cheap deals & we'll tell you if they're good or not.:eusa_clap:

With our help, it shouldn't be very hard to get a wicked setup for dirt cheap.:bowdown:


TT


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## tradnwaves4snow (Nov 19, 2013)

timmytard said:


> You need to look on craigslist:thumbsup:.
> 
> You find some cheap deals & we'll tell you if they're good or not.:eusa_clap:
> 
> ...


Really good idea. Some ads are very misleading though. (A forum member recently posted about getting a board that was claimed used for 1 season and it looked like it was from 15 years ago.) So check with someone that snowboards first before you buy anything off craigslist.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

In all honesty and I know I am guilty of slinging it around but up your budget. Bv gave you a very good and reasonable ball park for a decent set up. Take him to a shop for boots. At 16, I don't think his feet will be getting larger. Boots really make a huge difference. Wrath's idea of a seasonal equipment lease is not bad either. Still buy the boots. 

For a helmet, search around. You can find a quality helmet sub $100. Look at the sites you were linked too. I got a feeling that your son is more of a park rat than you might realize. Minnesota kind of breeds them. 

Good on you for doing this.


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## Deacon (Mar 2, 2013)

I got the stuff for my kids off of geartrade.com, lightly used, and it works perfectly well. No real reason to buy him brand new, if he's going that often, his gear will get scratched and dinged pretty quick anyway


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## mojo maestro (Jan 6, 2009)

+1 on the seasonal rentals..........


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Craigslist might get you a complete snowboarding gear. Boots??? pay the extra bucks at a local shop.


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

Here ya go.

http://stcloud.craigslist.org/spo/4218295894.html



TT


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

ah shit, I wrote that last night & forgot to post it.

Now it's gone.

There is no northern Minnesota on craigslist.


TT


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## conspiracy (Dec 11, 2012)

TT the oh wholly god of craigslist look up duluth mn on craigslist.but yeah as a duluth mn rider i can defianately confirm what killclimbz said about wnting some park gear. even if he isnt a park rider yet, the odds are extremely high that he will become one because there really isnt much else to do here 

heres a great all around board thats cheap ($170): Rome Garage Rocker Snowboard 2013 | evo outlet

bindings (140 or less if you sign up and get a code which happens very often):Union Contact Snowboard Bindings 2013 | evo outlet

ignore evos discount promotions. they are used to get people new to the site to go oh i gotta buy that now! when in reality if you sign up, they actually have a "discount" going all the time

hope this helps


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

conspiracy said:


> TT the oh wholly god of craigslist look up duluth mn on craigslist.but yeah as a duluth mn rider i can defianately confirm what killclimbz said about wnting some park gear. even if he isnt a park rider yet, the odds are extremely high that he will become one because there really isnt much else to do here
> 
> heres a great all around board thats cheap ($170): Rome Garage Rocker Snowboard 2013 | evo outlet
> 
> ...


I guess those are aright deals, but there's your $350 bucks & you got no boots.:icon_scratch:

Boots are by far the most important part, if you really only want to spend $350 tops? You should find the booties first.

Otherwise you'll be capped on what you're able to buy.
A super fancy board, ain't no fun if your feets hurts:thumbsdown:

This guy has a Never Summer & that Lib-Tech Dave Lee snowboard is kinda a sought after board. Depending on the condition & price you might be able to buy both for cheaper then throw the Dave Lee onto ebay & get some/all your money back?:dunno:

snowboard sale!!!


TT


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

A bit too big for him, but that's a pretty sweet deal.

You should be able to trade that to someone for a more appropriate sized one:dunno:

**SNOWBOARD** 2013 LibTech WITH Burton Malavita bindings

I'm not even through 1/4 of the first page:dizzy:


TT

Nike Snowboard Boots


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Jump all over the buysnow.com 50% off deal

Flow Era (12) (Flow FD11M5ERATSTD), Cheap Snowboards | Snowboard Sale ($102.50)
Flow M9 (Black 12) (Flow FI11M2MNINBLK), Snowboard Bindings | BuySnow.com ($67.50)
Pro-tec 2013 Riot Snow (Matte Black/Citrus) (Pro-tec VN0KTG6N8), Snowboard Helmets & Pads | BuySnow.com ($38.50)
Anon Hawkeye Printed (Bluerayz 12) (Anon 255127859), Goggles | BuySnow.com ($34)

That's a good all around board and bindings and mid-westerners love the Flows for their quick entry. You've got his noggin protected and those goggles are tough to beat for the price.

That leaves you a little over $100 to play with to get him some boots locally. You may have to bump your budget just a bit, but you should be able to get him everything he'll need for not much over $350 if you take advantage of that sale.


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

Snowboard (2013 Rome)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Fr-voila.ogg
DC Torstein 150.5 Snowboard

Nitro Snowboard

K that's page one, I'm done


TT


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## C.B. (Jan 18, 2011)

If I were you I'd drive down to st. Paul and hit up "The House" outlet store. It isn't going to be top of the line gear, but you will be able to find stuff that fits him in your price range, but that's fine if he's just starting and he can pick up better stuff as he progresses. Most of the Craigslist stuff around here is over priced old junk. 

Where is your local hill if you don't mind me asking?


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## Eightfingers (Feb 12, 2010)

As what you're doing for your kid is super rad and trying to stay on budget is very hard, I'd be willing to sell you a pair of K2 Indy's only used a couple times, mainly just sat stored away. I'd like, idk, $50 shipped? They are size Large and for K2 thats 8.5 - 11 boot size. Assuming shipping will cost me 10-20 dollars, you'd be grabbing a decent used binding for ~30. Hell, if shipping is less than $20, you can have them for $40. They are doing me no good sitting on the board and since my daughter took my man cave and claimed it as her throne room, I can no longer admire the board on my wall. 

Here are some pics I took last night, they definitely need to be cleaned up a bit. I believe they are 7 years old. I bought them in the winter I was still Ten Fingers, then I became EightFingers a month later and never had a chance to use them. A few years later I got back on a board and was finally able to use them, only used them a couple days until I upgraded all my equipment. 
*K2 Indys Photos by Eight_Fingers | Photobucket*

Here's today's equivalent. 
http://www.evo.com/snowboard-bindings/k2-indy.aspx


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