# New with gear questions.



## Guest (Jan 9, 2009)

Hello, I'm relatively new to snowboarding. I first went three years ago with a good friend of mine. Though I have not been able to go the past two years, (and most likely won't be able to go this year either, but here's hoping!) I still fell in love with the sport. After only a few hours on my rental board I was able to keep up with my buddy who had been skii'ing and snowboarding for about 4 years.

When I get done with my tour over here in Afghanistan I plan on trying to catch the tail end of the season up in the Appalacians with my friend. And for the following season planning a trip out to the Rockies.

Anyways, this leads me to my predicament. I don't remember anything about snowboarding other than the actual feel of going down the mountain. I don't know anything about the gear or even what board I used.

Anyone have any suggestions on board types or companies? I'd rather have a new board over a used one, but if highly suggested, I'll go the route of used. I'm 5'11" and 150 pounds.

Other than a board and boots, what else, non-clothing-wise, is suggested?


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## sedition (Feb 8, 2007)

Hey Man,

First, thanks for serving. What branch are you in?
Second, welcome to the fourm. Some good people here. 
Last, the best thing you can do right now is read through some of the FAQ's on types of riding, types of boards, etc. Links to those threads are here and here. Check those out, and if you have any more questions feel free to post them up. People will be glad to help you. 

Once again, welcome.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2009)

*Holy carp its a long post.*

Thank you for the informative links Sedition, helped a lot, and aided me in making more educated decisions. I like the friendly vibe in this place, its a shame more Forums can't be this constructive... anywho...

I took the advice from there and went to three more sites to look around. They all were fairly similar in their statements. I'm going to take it to heart as information from people who have been where I am, and experienced enough to share with others.

I decided I'm going to go Freeride, though on some sites its called Powder, or All-Mountain boards. I've also decided on dropping some money on a new board instead of risking a used one that was used hard and has damage to one of the inner layers. I have a pretty good idea on what I need to be looking for, however I'd love feedback on if the decisions I'm making are good or not.

After looking at a few companies, I started leaning towards Prior's boards. The ones in question I'm looking at are the Khyber and the Spearhead.

I'm 5'11" (though I've read that doesn't matter as much), and I weigh 150 lbs (Will probably lose 3-7 pounds when I go back to America). So I picked the boards closest to 145 lbs(65 kgs) but included the ones that would be the second closest fit by what I've learned.

Khyber (Most likely the 160cm)(Sorry about the Colons, this forum doesn't like my tabs)

Length (cm) 156 :: 160
Effective Edge (cm) 114.6 :: 118.3
Nose Length (cm) 24.7 :: 24.9
Tail Length (cm) 16.7 :: 16.8
Nose Width (cm) 30.8 :: 30.9
Tail Width (cm) 28.7 :: 28.7
Waist (cm) 25.5 :: 25.5
Radius (m) 7.58
Taper (mm) 21 :: 22
Insert Setbacks (cm) 2.5
Stance (in) 18"-23" :: 19"-24" 
Suggested Rider
Weight Range (lb) 45-75/100-165 :: 55-85/120-185

Spearhead

Length (cm) 161
Effective Edge (cm) 109 
Nose Length (cm) 35
Tail Length (cm) 17
Nose Width (cm) 30.1
Tail Width (cm) 28.6
Waist (cm) 25.5
Radius (m) 8
Taper (mm) 15
Insert Setbacks (cm) 2
Stance (in) 20"-25"
Suggested Rider
Weight Range (kg/lb) 55-85/120-185

I've got boots that fit, should I assume that bindings that fit a size 9-12 (I wear 10.5's) will fit and get the Prior brand bindings, or does the brand not really matter?

I'll mostly be on the Applachians (Most notably in the Pennsylvania region, with trips up north with a few friends), I saw that region sometimes matters on the board you want.

Anything else I should be looking for?

On more personal notes...

I am in the Airforce (No Chairforce jokes you USAF nonners). I'm a Mechanic on the A-10. I'm not frontlines, but I deal with the same elements, minus the terrain, I work on a giant parking lot. I'm a Weapons System guy, so I load bombs and 30mm rounds, troubleshoot why things don't work, or pawn it off on other people to troubleshoot why things don't work. So I can fix them, or pawn it off to other people to fix them. Basically, on the A-10, we're incharge of all the things between the Button and the Boom.

If our replacements get in place and all things go well, I should be getting back to catch the tail end of some powder! Looks to be End Feb Early March.


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## sedition (Feb 8, 2007)

Ok, if your going into the land of powder riding and freeride boards, your _way out_ of my area of expertise. I live on the east coast, and I don't think I've really even _seen_ real powder (well, once), let alone have experience with freeride boards. There are a number of other people on here who have a great deal of experience with powder riding. I'd suggest making another post with some like "Freeride Board Questions" in the subject line to get their attention. I also know little about Prior decks. But I will also put in a plug in for Never Summer decks. Handmade in the USA, 3-year warranty, and have never heard a bad thing about their products, and have heard great things about their freeride decks. Sorry I couldn't be of more help on this one!


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