# Recommend a board for intermediate to advanced SoCal park/mountain riding?



## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Look for a 2011 Flow Verve. That's your best bet for under $300 in a good ride that will grip ice.


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

I was told that flow boards are generally lower quality boards? Im seeing Ride Kinks and Societies go for around 250 on ebay, are those worth a shot? The DH can be had for a little more.

Is there a list of manufacturers/boards that use magnetraction?


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

look for last years models, Ride Kink Snowboard 2011 | evo outletthat would be a pretty good board.

Lib-tech, gnu, rossignol, jones snowboards, smokin snowboards. all use some version of magnetraction

if you can find used any of those they would work. lib skate banana's are pretty easy to find.
like this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lib-Tech-Skate-Banana-Snowboard-152-w-Rome-SDS-390-Bindings-CHEAP-/280792855726?pt=Snowboarding&hash=item41608ef4ae


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

DerangedGoose said:


> I was told that flow boards are generally lower quality boards? Im seeing Ride Kinks and Societies go for around 250 on ebay, are those worth a shot? The DH can be had for a little more.
> 
> Is there a list of manufacturers/boards that use magnetraction?


You don't need magnetraction in So Cal. Yes there is some ice due to warm weather and lack of significant snowfall, but I grip just fine without Magnetraction. I've never rode magne so I'm not saying it won't help. I'm saying so far I haven't exactly needed. My Evo and the SL I rode last year cut through it just fine once I learned that I shouldn't be skidding over the ice.

That said Smokin, Rossi both have magne on some models. Lib and Gnu of course. Arbor has grip tech.

Never rode east coast so I don't know who has worse ice. So Cal isn't that bad though. Most of the time it's packed powder/hardpack. Late spring though it's rock hard in the morning (that's what she said) then softens up after 10-11am


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## Lstarrasl (Mar 26, 2010)

Gnu Carbon Credit series. They make them in wide, if you are going that route. It has MAgnetraction


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

DerangedGoose said:


> I was told that flow boards are generally lower quality boards? Im seeing Ride Kinks and Societies go for around 250 on ebay, are those worth a shot? The DH can be had for a little more.
> 
> Is there a list of manufacturers/boards that use magnetraction?


Not so, Flow actually makes some of the most underrated boards. I have not been on one that I wouldn't want to own. Really dialed designs.

Kinks are great boards and will do well at Bear, but if you want grip they wont help. Though to be honest if you're still riding Bear after 3... why? The park sucks after that point, and High is worse. They're terrible at feature upkeep...

Also my experiences at both don't make me want magne... griptech at the most...

My daily is a Signal Park Flat. Radial sidecut. I don't have any issues.


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

jdang307 said:


> You don't need magnetraction in So Cal. Yes there is some ice due to warm weather and lack of significant snowfall, but I grip just fine without Magnetraction. I've never rode magne so I'm not saying it won't help. I'm saying so far I haven't exactly needed. My Evo and the SL I rode last year cut through it just fine once I learned that I shouldn't be skidding over the ice.
> 
> That said Smokin, Rossi both have magne on some models. Lib and Gnu of course. Arbor has grip tech.
> 
> Never rode east coast so I don't know who has worse ice. So Cal isn't that bad though. Most of the time it's packed powder/hardpack. Late spring though it's rock hard in the morning (that's what she said) then softens up after 10-11am


GNU is way out of my budget and there dont seem to be very many used ones out there.

Do all arbor boards feature grip tech?

Can anyone comment on the Sierra Stunt or Reverse Crew?




Nivek said:


> Not so, Flow actually makes some of the most underrated boards. I have not been on one that I wouldn't want to own. Really dialed designs.
> 
> Kinks are great boards and will do well at Bear, but if you want grip they wont help. Though to be honest if you're still riding Bear after 3... why? The park sucks after that point, and High is worse. They're terrible at feature upkeep...
> 
> ...


I ride all day because ticket prices are a total scam as it is. Holiday pricing is 60+. Should I go with an arbor board? 

What about the kink makes it lack grip? Is it the rocker shape?


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

DerangedGoose said:


> GNU is way out of my budget and there dont seem to be very many used ones out there.
> 
> Do all arbor boards feature grip tech?
> 
> ...


60+ Move to colorado and see how you like that. Peak season is 90+

Kinks a jibstick. Soft flex with a single radius sidecut just means you don't get a lot of bite. There is very very little rocker in the Kink. It's effectively zerocam.

Don't buy from Sierra, they are a shit company and did some really shady things a couple years ago in chase of the almighty dollar.


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

Nivek said:


> 60+ Move to colorado and see how you like that. Peak season is 90+
> 
> Kinks a jibstick. Soft flex with a single radius sidecut just means you don't get a lot of bite. There is very very little rocker in the Kink. It's effectively zerocam.
> 
> Don't buy from Sierra, they are a shit company and did some really shady things a couple years ago in chase of the almighty dollar.


Thats absurd! That means it doesnt matter either way whether you have your own gear or not, you are getting totally hosed! Are there places around here to get lift tickets cheaper? 

Soft flex with zero bite seems to suggest that I wouldnt be having much fun around the mountain. Should I go with the ride society or DH? Can you comment on the fleetwood?

As for sierra, I dont really care about a company's sales practices, Im just out for the best board. But if their boards are crap, I will stay away.

Are there any Arbor models you can recommend?


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

You maybe be able to find a 2011 Draft. That is a great board at Bear and High. If you want more board look for a Westmark.


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

So Ive narrowed it down to Ride (Society and DH), Arbor (Westmark or Draft), or Flow 

Is there a board that is clearly the best in this category? Im intrigued by the concept of rocker, but Im worried about losing edge hold and stability (although the arbor draft seems to pack features that are designed to counter this tendency), since my last board was camber. What differences can I expect?

Also, hows the arbor heritage board?


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

I have a guy who sells Bear/Summit tickets for cheap. Not terribly cheap. But anytime holiday (now until jan 8) is $50, anytime non-holiday is 45 and m-f non holiday is $40.

He's in San Diego


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## Dim Mak 1470 (Dec 7, 2011)

DerangedGoose said:


> Thats absurd! That means it doesnt matter either way whether you have your own gear or not, you are getting totally hosed! Are there places around here to get lift tickets cheaper?


I re-started snowboarding late last season (Very late Feb.) and I bought all of my tickets from skiforfree.com

My cousin n' I always did their "Two for one Tuesday" deals. Right now, they have individual lift tickets for $40.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

DerangedGoose said:


> So Ive narrowed it down to Ride (Society and DH), Arbor (Westmark or Draft), or Flow
> 
> Is there a board that is clearly the best in this category? Im intrigued by the concept of rocker, but Im worried about losing edge hold and stability (although the arbor draft seems to pack features that are designed to counter this tendency), since my last board was camber. What differences can I expect?
> 
> Also, hows the arbor heritage board?


Society is waaay too much board for Socal. DH would be good if you do wanna stick with camber.

Most rockers have some way of compensating for lost grip over camber.

Arbor Heritage? No such board...

All the Flow's I have ridden have been great on stability as well as the Arbors. I rode the Westmark in a jib size and was more than comfortable bombing -40* slopes at Winter Park. Snow acts weird in those temps and the Westmark didn't have a single problem dealing with it.


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## Beschatten (Oct 4, 2011)

DerangedGoose said:


> So Ive narrowed it down to Ride (Society and DH), Arbor (Westmark or Draft), or Flow
> 
> Is there a board that is clearly the best in this category? Im intrigued by the concept of rocker, but Im worried about losing edge hold and stability (although the arbor draft seems to pack features that are designed to counter this tendency), since my last board was camber. What differences can I expect?
> 
> Also, hows the arbor heritage board?


sorry to bust your nut but any snowboard can handle what you listed granted it's not a piece of shit. 

a rockered board will get you down a mountain, but personally i ended up disliking it. they're definitely much more suited towards west coast pow riding and jibbing. camrock or rockcam provides a much better sense of stability for bigger air and carving on groomers and hardpack.

look into last years flow quantum lago's board or last years dh2.0, mother fuckers are stiff for landings, pops like my morning woods, and carves well. you can't go wrong with either or. 

im seeing them for 280-350 on e-bay and evo.com


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

Of course you can "get down the mtn" on anything. But I'd rather not have to do high speeds on something that's a little squirly or not built well to handle it. Yeah normally you'll need combo camber to have some stability, cause there is only one company out that can actually make full rocker work, Arbor. I would take an Arbor Coda over an SL, Yes Great____, Yes Basic, any Mervin, or Rome Agent Rocker...

Have you ridden Arbor System? I would take very few all mountain boards over a Coda.

The kid is riding Bear and Mt. High and wants something primarily for park riding that wont make him suffer on the rest of the mountain. I ride Bear, you don't really need that much board for their park. If you're a jump jock in Colorado then yeah, DH2's, Quantum, DelReys... But Socal? Not so much.

Drop down from the Quantum to the Shifty (though thats only 2012 so...) and DH from DH2.

Look for a 2011 Nitro Rook maybe too. Midwide so you should get enough board under you. Midwides are really designed with 10-12's in mind.


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

Nivek said:


> Society is waaay too much board for Socal. DH would be good if you do wanna stick with camber.
> 
> Most rockers have some way of compensating for lost grip over camber.
> 
> ...


What do you mean by way too much board? Its too wide/heavy/massive/stiff? 

Can you comment on the Ride Fleetwood? Im seeing a lot of them for sale at decent prices

also, here is the arbor heritage I found:

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

I saw several of these on ebay, I was attracted by the wooden topsheet (know of any other good boards that sport this look?) but with the extruded base and everything it seems like this is a lower end board



Nivek said:


> Of course you can "get down the mtn" on anything. But I'd rather not have to do high speeds on something that's a little squirly or not built well to handle it. Yeah normally you'll need combo camber to have some stability, cause there is only one company out that can actually make full rocker work, Arbor. I would take an Arbor Coda over an SL, Yes Great____, Yes Basic, any Mervin, or Rome Agent Rocker...
> 
> Have you ridden Arbor System? I would take very few all mountain boards over a Coda.
> 
> ...



So is it safe to assume that if I go with rocker, I should stick to arbor, and that if I decide to go with cam or some sort of mix, I can go with flow or ride? Are there any good mixed-camber models you could specifically recommend?



Thanks for all the help guys, its really appreciated!


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

That Arbor is from the early 2000's at best.

You don't have to go with Arbor for a rocker, they just make the best FULL rocker. There's also 3 stage which is flat between the bindings and rocker after and plenty of brands boards of this rocker variety are great.

Every company makes some good boards and some bad boards. So you cant just say if i want this type of board this comapny is the best. Its model by model.

The Fleetwood is a wide stiff all mountain board. Probably wont like it in the park.

The Society is too much board as in its designed for guys who like to chuck themselves off the biggest stuff they can find. It will be ultra poppy, but that also means very stiff. It's like pealing an apple with a 6 foot greatsword, you can do it, but its massive overkill.


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

are there any mixed camber models in my price range? Or is it just rocker and camber? 

Also, are there any specific bindings I should be looking for? I like Flow's idea of linking the highback to the center plate with cables (although this would seem to only affect heel turns?)


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

you probably wont find exactly the perfect board for you at that price point. you could get lucky and find a sweet deal on a used board but its probably not gonna hapen. 

that being said ANY of these boards will be better than your old morrow board. They cost about $350 give or take $20 brand new(they are all the wide version). they will be fun anywhere in the mountain. 

Salomon Drift
DC-Focus or PBJ
Ride-Kink(the best IMO)or Crush
Rome-Artifact
Capita Stairmaster or Horrorscope FK
Nitro-Addict
K2-WWW

if you have the cash get the arbor westmark, its freekin sweet, but it's not a wide


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

Riley212 said:


> you probably wont find exactly the perfect board for you at that price point. you could get lucky and find a sweet deal on a used board but its probably not gonna hapen.
> 
> that being said ANY of these boards will be better than your old morrow board. They cost about $350 give or take $20 brand new(they are all the wide version). they will be fun anywhere in the mountain.
> 
> ...



The westmark info said that they designed the board so that it could be ridden with bigger boot sizes without having to purchase a wide. Half of me thinks I should maybe wait till this season is over and people are selling all their gear...


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## Riley212 (Nov 9, 2011)

yea the grip tech points are right at you feet i didnt even think about that, blacklist would work to its just a mid-wide version of the westmark


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## DerangedGoose (Dec 25, 2011)

Having done more reading, Im starting to reconsider a rocker board. It sounds like rocker is only really suited to someone who does almost all park riding, as the extra float makes it easier to set up and perform tricks. But it seems that as I progress and become more skilled and confident, I will want a board that is more precise, responsive, and has the snap to get me higher. At that point, a rocker will be a false security blanket. Thoughts?


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

DerangedGoose said:


> Having done more reading, Im starting to reconsider a rocker board. It sounds like rocker is only really suited to someone who does almost all park riding, as the extra float makes it easier to set up and perform tricks. But it seems that as I progress and become more skilled and confident, I will want a board that is more precise, responsive, and has the snap to get me higher. At that point, a rocker will be a false security blanket. Thoughts?


In some ways yes, but it will only be a problem with response and precision if you get to a pro level, and then there is the whole Arbor Team, some of the Lib guys, Joe Sexton, a couple of the DC guys, LNP, Nyvelt... they all ride rockers with no camber zones.

It's all about personal feel, I prefer zero camber or camrock. Camrock is more responsive and better all mountain, for park I really like zero cause I'm lazy and prefer the way flat pops to three stage rocker. Most they guys I ride with are on rockers with no camber zones as well.


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## Beschatten (Oct 4, 2011)

Lib's team doesn't ride their banana rockers in competitions or during filming, they're on C2's. all their pro models reflect this as well as the shots of them in movies/competitions. Believe Rice admitted this as well.

This is far from the point though. Just demo a rockered board maybe it'll help you decide. Maybe even borrow a buddies rockered board the next time you're out. I know you dont want to buy something you regret but it's just all part of the process of figuring out what you like. 90% of snowboarding is your developed skills and the remaining 10% is probably board tech/size.

you've gotten at least 10 solid recommendations ffs.


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## snow_bored (Dec 16, 2011)

*2 Cents*



DerangedGoose said:


> Having done more reading, Im starting to reconsider a rocker board. It sounds like rocker is only really suited to someone who does almost all park riding, as the extra float makes it easier to set up and perform tricks. But it seems that as I progress and become more skilled and confident, I will want a board that is more precise, responsive, and has the snap to get me higher. At that point, a rocker will be a false security blanket. Thoughts?


I have almost the exact same physical stats and budget as you and also ride in SoCal. After much research and almost going for the Carbon Credit, I decided on a Rossignol Taipan for $349:
Rossignol Taipan and Amptek Wide Snowboard Review

I bought it from REI and since I am a member I will be getting roughly 10% back (~$35) in my member dividend for this purchase. So basically $300 for a pretty good board that I think matches requirements. I posted a thread asking folks on here if they had any problems with the Taipan and I got zero responses, so unfortunately I don't think anyone on here will be able to second this. Good luck...


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## Nolefan2011 (Mar 12, 2011)

I second the Salomon Drift. You are riding park and some run in So Cal? If your price range is really $350, and you will be riding Bear all the time, this is your best option.

Others are suggesting Arbor? Why? He is riding park and So Cal. If a DH is overkill, so is spending another $100 for an Arbor's stable rocker which is made to bomb a freaking hill, or get you through huge jumps. No point.

The Salomon Drift was one of the best park boards I rode. I was down to that and a Capita Ultrafear, and bought the Ultrafear just because I ride CO, and wanted something I could use all day and not switch out. Rode the EVO, Coda (all mountain, not really park) Superpark, Honeypot, Forum Youngblood DD, and WWW. My two favorites were the Salomon Drift, and the my Ultrafear. I could see buying an Evo, or a Westmark if you were going to ride the entire mountain, making the whole mountain your park (which is what CO is great for), but in So Cal? 

Get the Drift, save the cash, and enjoy an awesome board that is fun outside the park still, has some solid pop despite being rocker, and is perfect for jibbing, pressing, small to medium jumps, etc. You don't need to spend the extra $100 for a board that is built to ride bigger mountains with more varied terrain.


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

You can find 2010 Arbor Drafts for well under $300 so I would recommend that.


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## jdang307 (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm no expert but the Arbors rule Socal. Hell they're based in So Cal. Drafts and westmarks all over the mountain. Go watch arbor's videos they're all Bear, Mt High and occasionally Mammoth

Bear is just one big park anyway and so is Summit (although longer and more numerous runs).


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