# New Rider, New Gear! :)



## Rating001 (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey everyone I stumbled upon this forum after about 15 hours of board and gear research!

Feel free to skip the next two paragraph if you don't want the pre-story 

My friends recently brought me snowboarding for a Christmas present on Monday (we ended up riding for 4 hours) and I'm COMPLETELY addicted now. I rented a board and boots from the mountain (We went to Silver Mountain in Kellogg, Idaho) so it was probably a basic camber board, and I have no way of knowing for sure unless I go back up there because I didn't know anything about boarding at all then... I had managed to borrow some snowmobiling pants and coat from my father in law and since then I purchased some 10,000mm Aperture pants and Sessions Coat, and for this Wednesday I'm borrowing my friend's flat board, bindings and size 13 boots. His board is a bit short on me by 5cm, but it will do to get a bit more practice in.

As previously stated I'm a new rider, 4 hours of experience. First 20 minutes were me on the bunny hill with 2 friends, next 2 hours and 40 minutes were 3 runs of the green runs, then the last hour were 2 blue runs with some pretty steep grades and turns. I picked up the balance and heel side quickly and have no attempted toe side beyond realizing that if I try it when I should be heel siding I eat snow  I'll be practicing carving this Wednesday, but I am loving everything that has to do with boarding.

So I'm getting my own board, bindings and boots and have been researching as stated above for about 15 hours over the past 5 days.

I ordered some Burton Ambush boots (size 13) which are a bit too above my skill level, but most places recommend spending a bit more on the boots that you can grow into. They are light and have a speed lacing system, and I tried on a few pair of boots at Sports Outlet here in Spokane and at Zumiez and the Burtons fit the best, and were very comfortable. They also have a boot size reduction so I won't be as much at risk for the overhang.

As far as the board though, hence me posting on the board topic, I'm still a tiny bit up in the air about a traditional camber board or a reverse camber board. My girlfriend and one of my friends use a positive camber board, and one uses the flat one I'm borrowing, and they don't ride in the park much at all. I'll ride the same way and it is mostly powder where I live. I am worried if I get something like the Sapient Stash with bindings (Sapient 2012 Stash 164 cm Mens Rocker Snowboard + Sapient Stash Bindings | eBay) that I won't be able to keep up speed wise with them. They use groomed runs a lot, and then do tree runs whenever possible. I also want to be able to carve effectively and plan on having this board for the remainder of the season (I'll buy another board when the season ends and the prices drop, preferably a different style) so I need to be able to grow into it a little.

My other choice is going to the Discount Sports shop here in Spokane, WA and get a LTD Ace traditional camber board like this one (LTD Ace Snowboard Reg Camber LTD Ace NEW Snowboard Regular Camber 148 cm Retail: $379.99 sku- 38453 Detail Page) along with some full support bindings (Roughly $180 bindings) that are probably better if not a little heavier than those sapient ones for the $260 in a package.

I am 214lbs in my boarding gear (minus boots that aren't here yet)
6'0"
Boot size 13
I will probably not do much freestyle/park riding but do like to pull tricks on the wake board and probably will on the snowboard on groomed runs.

I also understand that most of this is a matter of "Ride and realize how you really want to ride" but I'm on a low budget here and want to have gear I can "Learn in too" for the rest of the season so I would REALLY appreciate some experienced riders opinions  I'm a quick learner, so if one board is much better to have after the learning curve I'd rather go with that because I'm not crashing on runs anymore, but I'm sure I'll crash when I am learning carving lol.

Thanks! Also thanks for this forum, it is an awesome compilation of information!


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

if you really are on a budget , find a used board from craigslist, buy one from one of the big companies. anything size 160-165 will fit you.

get one for cheap and shred it up your first season. and save for something nice next season when your new skills will appreciate it more. 

the ones you mentioned aren't bad but you can find nicer used stuff.

also check out these boards, i bougth one but havent ridden it yet, seems pretty solid http://www.blanksnowboards.com/
the 160 regular camber would work


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## SnowSource (Aug 21, 2011)

First, the 148cm board you provided a link to is awfully short. As a beginner, it may be okay to go a little shorter but definitely not that short. Next, you did a wise thing by purchasing a quality boot that fits well. Now you need to wisely choose a board and bindings. I recommend buying something that won't punish you while you're in a learning period and will also not limit you when you're ready to progress. I would buy a board with a moderate flex rating, hybrid camber or regular camber, and directional twin shape. I would buy a binding with a medium/soft flex rating and a lot of adjustability so you can pin point exactly what you want out of a binding.

I assume your budget is in the $300 range for board + bindings? This is difficult to work with so I will give some options in the $400 range.

*Budget-Friendly Boards that "Fit" under $300* 

1. K2 Playback 159 (wide)
2. FLOW Merc (wide) 159cm
3. Ride DH Wide (2011 model still around for <$300) this board will support progression well

*Budget-Friendly Bindings that "Fit" under $150*

1. Flux PR15
2. Ride LX
3. Salomon The Boss

____

I recommend camber, camber hybrid, or flat because the edge hold sacrificed in a pure rocker board sucks IMO. I also feel a pure rocker board fails a beginner by making the turn initiation too easy without proper form - this will catch up to you. (pun intended)


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## SnowSource (Aug 21, 2011)

Riley212 said:


> if you really are on a budget , find a used board from craigslist, buy one from one of the big companies. anything size 160-165 will fit you.
> 
> get one for cheap and shred it up your first season. and save for something nice next season when your new skills will appreciate it more.
> 
> the ones you mentioned aren't bad but you can find nicer used stuff.


I agree here as well. If you aren't fixed on buying new then this option is better. There are a lot of people who purchased top of the line gear and then gave up on snowboarding following day 3 .


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## Rating001 (Jan 1, 2012)

Awesome! just a side note though, the board I linked was just an example  The boards at the sports outlet range from 152 to 163cm 

I'll look on Craigslist, I looked for used boards and found a couple used ones on ebay too, but many people are taking advantage of the season just starting so their prices are high  I also was mostly looking into the reverse camber boards when I originally looked on ebay so I ignored most traditional cambers, so I'll go d that now 

My budget is not locked into the $300 per say, I was just attempting to get a board I could use for this season that wouldn't break the bank so I could save some money for next season's board (that I hope will last me a good long while since I'll know my riding style more by then!) which is one of the reasons I was looking into some decent bindings and a cheap board ^^ I could transfer them that way...

Thanks for the advice  Any other advice or other opinions are still welcome I'd like all the sides of the story I can get here :thumbsup: !


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## Bayoh (Dec 17, 2010)

Agreed, buy a cheap board(in your weight range) and bindings this year. 

When you're starting out, and even into intermediate, you will not really notice any of the tech shoved into some boards. Buy higher-end equipment once you've progressed more and know what style you like to ride. When you do get new equipment you can use your cheap board for just absolutely wrecking on rocks/trees and stuff.


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## Rating001 (Jan 1, 2012)

SnowSource said:


> *Budget-Friendly Boards that "Fit" under $300*
> 
> 1. K2 Playback 159 (wide)
> 2. FLOW Merc (wide) 159cm
> ...


I'll go check out these boards now!  I see so many different board makers on the net that I couldn't figure out which ones really have a good reputation! Having these names will help out a lot.


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## Bayoh (Dec 17, 2010)

Don't think anyone's stated it yet, but you will most likely want a wide board for size 13's.


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## Rating001 (Jan 1, 2012)

Bayoh said:


> Don't think anyone's stated it yet, but you will most likely want a wide board for size 13's.


Yep, thanks for the heads up! I haven't found anywhere that says my clompers will fit on anything less than a Wide board >< Some say anything shorter than a 160 length and the waist might be too narrow even on a wide board...


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## Bayoh (Dec 17, 2010)

Rating001 said:


> Yep, thanks for the heads up! I haven't found anywhere that says my clompers will fit on anything less than a Wide board >< Some say anything shorter than a 160 length and the waist might be too narrow even on a wide board...


I'm not sure on board lengths for your weight range(I only weigh 140-145lbs heh), but I don't think you'd want to be on anything shorter than a 158/159 anyways. Any less and even a stiffer freeride board might feel like a noodle jibstick to you. :laugh:


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

Common companies who make a quality board for the most part(no particullar order). some of these companies made lower quality boards at one time, but most of their new stuff is good. 

Burton
Ride
Gnu
Lib-tech
Neversummer
K2
Capita
Forum
Rome
Salomon
Signal
Nitro
Flow
Rossignol
Arbor

id you want to get a deck that will definitely last you a a few seasons and will be good to learn/progress on look at the Ride Antic, its 400 bucks but like i said you probly wont need to get a new one for a few years.


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## Rating001 (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks for these brands! I get off work in about forty minutes so I'll go check them out.


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## Nsane1 (Jan 25, 2011)

I'm 6'3" 230 with sz 13 boots and I picked up a GNU Carbon Credit in 162w for cheap at the end of last season. I ride a little ducked out at about 17 and 15 and I have about an inch of overhang front and back. I've never had any issues with toe or heel drag but I can't see me ever fitting on a board that's not a wide. 

Although I think the Mervin boards waist widths might be a little slim compared to other boards. Also, met a dude at Snowshoe that was riding a 162 T.Rice Lib-Tech and his board was as wide if not wider than mine... Weird. 

But, I bought all my gear new and really happy I did. Just go to your nearest pro shop or check online for last years model. Sometimes they'll even have some brand new gear from a couple years back and let it go cheap.

A buddy of mine just picked up a 300 dollar pair of Burton boots for 125 because they were the '09 season's. Brand new though.

Also, keep an eye on sites like:
WhiskeyMilitia.com
GearSlash.com
SteepandCheap.com
GearScan.com
Those sites will have clearance stuff all the time.


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