# I'm hooked



## Guest (Jan 3, 2007)

Hey all, just joined as I'm hooked on snowboarding and plan on getting better. I went for lessons last friday and stayed on the mountain a little while before heading home. I can't wait to go back out. I went to Sunday River in Maine and had a blast with my brother.

I'm planning on making this a once a year thing until I can move to a place closer to the mountains, but I want to get my own equipment so I don't have to deal with rental stuff since the tongue in the rental boots kept slipping and making my toes go numb, hehe.

Couple questions for everyone, are there boots that either don't have that inner tongue or have a way to keep it in place? It kept slipping around my shin/calf to the outside which put pressure on my leg to make my toes go numb.

I'm 22 years old, male, 5'6", 170lbs and dropping, and wear a size 10 WIDE shoe. I ride regular by the way. What board dimensions should I look for if I plan on doing the mountain trails mainly and not freestyle or alpine?

I really have no clue about the brands but I've heard a lot on Burton, Rossignol, Salomon, K2, and a few others, but brand name isn't always something to go by. Any in particular that I should look into and/or stay away from? I read that Burton has their own proprietary binding holes; good/bad?

I also read that for boots and bindings I should shop in-person at a snowboarding shop to get those to make sure they fit properly, but do you have any suggestions for starting gear?


Sorry for the long paragraph, but I hope I gave you enough details to work with. =) Glad to meet you all and join the community.


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## vanish217 (Jan 1, 2007)

congrats dude on starting to snowboard

for the boots you definetly wanna make sure you try them on in store because each persons foot is different and so are the boots of each company. if you wanna spend the most money on anything i would say it should be boots because you are going to want a boot that is super comfy seeing as how long you will be in it. even if you ride once a year, its gunna be a long day with bad boots.

as for a board......don't get sucked into thinkin that burton is the king of all brands as they are not. im not saying there bad but there are other companies out there i and others are very satisfied with.

also, don't think that height has to do with your board selection, weight is what matters. a board can't tell how tall you are but it will be able to tell how much you 
weigh. 

but to help you better how much are you willing to spend?

oh and for the burton question, yes they use a three hole pattern on their boards so your bindings are going to need baseplates to match.

but thats all i got for now but ne questions just post em up

late
vanish


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## KIRKWOOD-$LUT (Dec 16, 2006)

i would go nothing less than 158
Burton Rossi or k2
remember addias bought out Salomon so there technology is coming to and end

spend the money on boots


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2007)

KIRKWOOD-$LUT said:


> i would go nothing less than 158
> Burton Rossi or k2
> remember addias bought out Salomon so there technology is coming to and end
> 
> spend the money on boots


FORUM FTW!! ahaha i'm just a forum freak sry


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2007)

Thanks for the help fellas. I just graduated from college and have a job now so money really isn't an issue for me. I just don't want to spend a fortune on something a beginner wouldn't necessarily need. Maybe down the road. 

Has Salomon quality really gone down since Adidas bought them? My parents who skiied 20 years ago swore by their bindings.


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2007)

RavynX said:


> Thanks for the help fellas. I just graduated from college and have a job now so money really isn't an issue for me. I just don't want to spend a fortune on something a beginner wouldn't necessarily need. Maybe down the road.
> 
> Has Salomon quality really gone down since Adidas bought them? My parents who skiied 20 years ago swore by their bindings.


yea saloman has just gone downhill...since adidas baught em...sigh...its sad...it really is...another company that's been around for so long is going to ****


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2007)

So what would I have to pick from as far as boot designs are concerned? Are they all inner & outer tongue designs? What have you all seen/experienced?


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## Guest (Jan 3, 2007)

RavynX said:


> So what would I have to pick from as far as boot designs are concerned? Are they all inner & outer tongue designs? What have you all seen/experienced?


well there are various designs..some thick...some thin...some that inflate...and some have the new boa lacing system...it's really something you have to do on your own...just roll into a local board shop and try a ton of boots on and let us know what ones fit the best i love my Forum boa boots...they are really lightweight but yet fit my feet good...(wide with a small ankle)...i've also had k2 boots in the past and had problems with keeping my feet warm


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2007)

Been looking at a couple of boards so far in no particular order...


Burton Triumph 160
Burton Custom X 160 a bit pricey though
Rossignol Scope 161
K2 Nemesis 161
Ride Havoc 159

Any recommendations from the Forum fanatic? 


Also, I noticed some boards were labeled as "wide." Is this determined from your shoe size or something else?


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## vanish217 (Jan 1, 2007)

RavynX said:


> Been looking at a couple of boards so far in no particular order...
> 
> 
> Burton Triumph 160
> ...


you are correct. wide boards have a larger waist so they are able to fit people with larger fit......id say 11's(in snowboard boots not street shoes) are where you boarderline between normal and wide board, but then again your stance width and angles are also a factor


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2007)

RavynX said:


> Been looking at a couple of boards so far in no particular order...
> 
> 
> Burton Triumph 160
> ...


well it's really going to determine on what kind of riding you are wanting to do...but i think the team youngblood is definately a sweet board this year by forum...but it can get pretty pricy...and also the 2 boards i have are wide but not to wide


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2007)

I don't plan on doing park stuff. I want to do the trails you take the lifts to; I guess that would be in the piste and powder ratings in the Burton stuff?

I'm on the right-hand side in the picture below; brother is on left. I'm 66 inches tall (167cm) and it's about 144cm from the ground to the bottom of my chin, which is pretty much the height of the board. My brother is 72 inches tall (183cm).

http://www.ravynx.net/img-lj/snowboard/2006/dec29/IMG_3476.jpg

Here's a somewhat-better shot of the board. I'm assuming that says 143 under the stomp pad? Not sure if that's the height or for something else. Been trying to figure out what my board length was.
http://www.ravynx.net/img-lj/snowboard/2006/dec29/IMG_3426.jpg

Is this roughly about where your board should stand or should I have gotten a longer one? Didn't have much choice since they picked out that one for me based on the weight/height I gave them.


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## vanish217 (Jan 1, 2007)

RavynX said:


> I don't plan on doing park stuff. I want to do the trails you take the lifts to; I guess that would be in the piste and powder ratings in the Burton stuff?
> 
> I'm on the right-hand side in the picture below; brother is on left. I'm 66 inches tall (167cm) and it's about 144cm from the ground to the bottom of my chin, which is pretty much the height of the board. My brother is 72 inches tall (183cm).
> 
> ...


don't believe that height B.S., or the where it should fall in between. I don't know of any snowboard that when you step on it, it can tell you how tall you are, but it can feel how much you weigh. granted when learning or starting out your going to want a softer more forgiving board but don't think you have to be a certain height to ride a board. its your weight that matters.


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## Guest (Jan 5, 2007)

vanish217 said:


> don't believe that height B.S., or the where it should fall in between. I don't know of any snowboard that when you step on it, it can tell you how tall you are, but it can feel how much you weigh. granted when learning or starting out your going to want a softer more forgiving board but don't think you have to be a certain height to ride a board. its your weight that matters.


Ah ok. I was just puzzled on the height issue until you guys mentioned that the board only knows how much you weigh and not how tall you are. I've looked at charts online and they have such a wide range of weight for a certain board length. Just found a calculator that says for 150-170lbs I should have a 155 board for freeride and 161 for backcountry. Calculator Here

So as far as weight is concerned, can you have a short board that's flexible and compare it to a longer board that's stiff if you want to vary the board length?


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## vanish217 (Jan 1, 2007)

basically, your not going to want a long stiff board for park riding but a shorter flexier one. if you however prefer freeriding then you will want a longer stiffer board.


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## KIRKWOOD-$LUT (Dec 16, 2006)

Burton Triumph 160
i would go with that one, it is the supermodle which they re-made again this year


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