hi, new looking for snowboard

[balagan]

hi, i am new on this board and to snowboarding, i will probably get my own board at the beginning of next season (a.k.a my birthday. lol) and i have been looking at some good boards recently. I was on the burton site, and i think it said it was the 2003 line of stuff, if that is true, and even if it isnt, i was wondering if any of you had heard of their board called "feather" and i was wondering if that was any good, or if you had any other sugestions for me.
thanks!

[Stu Brodie]

heres my theory on boards...its not board its whos riding it, so as long as buy from a decent company and u get the right size it really doesnt matter, but to answer ur question i know a chick who rides a feather and she doesnt have any gripes about it, i think shes gonna get a feelgood though but prolly just cause shes likes the graphic on that one better....

[balagan]

yeah, ure probly right. i was also wondering what you all preferd, step in bindings or strap ons?
thanks

[GNUworld]

As far as boards go, when you're in the store, put the tail on the floor and hold the nose in one hand, then push hard on the middle of the board with the other hand to see how easy it is to bend the board. Notice how some boards are really hard to bend, and some are really easy to bend. The stiffer boards are better if you are heavy for your height, or if you like going really fast. More flexible boards are good for when you're first learning and are easier to control when you're moving slow, but will be harder to control when you're going fast or in bad snow conditions.

For racing, people generally go for super-stiff boards that are a little longer than usual. Half-pipe riders go for shorter than usual boards with medium stiffness. Only beginners like the extra-flexible "noodle" boards, as far as I know.

[balagan]

well i would like a board that i can carve with, since that is what i mainly do, but i am hoping to get into tricks, so maybe a freeriding board would be best for me?

[GNUworld]

Well if you want to get into the pipe, you don't want the stiffest board on the block, which sometimes the freeride models are. If the board is too stiff, it won't bend enough and can actually pop you off the pipe wall. But for carving, the stiffer the board is, the better, pretty much.

Some companies (like Burton) mostly only make quality stuff. On the other hand, some companies (Like Lamar) make both high-quality boards like their pro models, and cheap junk boards, like everything else they make. Look for a board with a P-tex 2000 or 4000 sintered base. If it has a "P-tex 900" or extruded base, or if it doesn't say what the base material is made of, that usually is a sign of a low-quality board.

[balagan]

i think i will probably be focusing more on jumps, i mean, eventually i might try halfpipe, but i really wanna be able to just carve, and if i get into tricks i wanna be able to just do that, are there boards that are made for both? burton says that the "clash, the custom, and the feather are all-around boards and can do anythign" do you know this to be true or not? im not planning on doing some incredibly complicated tricks lol, just spins, stiffies, a few easy grabs lol

[Stu Brodie]

straps...theres is no substitute for straps no step ins or "flows" if u are serious about boardin theres no alternative, and as far as all around boards go the burton custom will do just about anything u want to do, powder, pipe, jib, it can handle it all

[balagan]

yeah, that makes sense... custom... lol, thanks, as for strap in bindings, i think i will get those, i trust u lol thanks 4 the advice

[GNUworld]

Whoops, I take back what I said about Burton only making quality stuff. The Custom is a great board, but they have expanded their product line since I last checked it out to include some stuff that looks like junk to me... The Clash looks like a mid-range board, OK quality, but I would spend the extra cash for the Custom if you want to go Burton. I haven't seen the Feather.

[balagan]

while i am looking for quality, i do not have to have the 800 dollar boards, money is an issue, i am also, just a beginner, not planning to go backcountry or anything soon. so i really just need a board that can help me get better at carving, and get started with tricks, and just be a little of both, i really just carve mostly, but hopefully i can learn a few tricks, and while i know the rider makes the run, not the board, the board is still important... right? so im really just looking for a quality board, but not super expensive thing that can help me get better, so, if you know any boards for beginners thats good for the above, sugestions would be appreciated. im not attached to burton or anythin, a frend of mine just told me they were good, other sugestions would be cool.
thx

[GNUworld]

Well, like I said above:

"when you're in the store, put the tail on the floor and hold the nose in one hand, then push hard on the middle of the board with the other hand to see how easy it is to bend the board. Notice how some boards are really hard to bend, and some are really easy to bend."

You can get some pretty good deals right now on decent boards. Go to a board shop, find a board with a sintered base that is the right length for you, and test the flex of the board compared with other boards in the shop that are similar length.

Find one that's near the middle of the range, or a little on the stiff side, especially if you are heavy for your height. You don't want a super-flexy noodle with no spring. If you were only interested in carving, I'd recommend you find the stiffest board in the shop that is the right length and in your price range, but for park and pipe you want something with mid-range flex. Also take note of how much the board weighs. Lighter is better, but having the right flex is a lot more important and should come first.

A sintered base (p-tex 2000, p-tex 4000, or Durasurf) is not the most important feature in a board, but in my humble opinion it is a very good indicator of overall board quality. Good base materials are expensive, and moving to a cheaper base material is one of the first things that a manufacturer does when they start cutting corners. If they use a non-sintered base material, then it is probably a low-quality board that you will outgrow quickly.

There's more info at http://learning.snowboarding2.com

[balagan]

ok, thank you so much, so its true that they are having some really good sales now? i wasnt sure if it was a year round store gimmick thing, or a real sale lol

[GNUworld]

Yup, now is the time... if you're in the northern hemisphere. It's getting near the end of the season and the shops are trying to get rid of this year's leftover inventory. If you're in Australia or NZ the ski season starts in June so I guess the end-of-season sales probably happen somewhere around October.

[balagan]

but isnt it all '02 gear? can i buy '03 gear now? or do i have to wait till next season? is there really gonna be a humongous difference between '02 and '03 gear even at all?

[GNUworld]

The biggest difference from season to season is topsheet graphics. It's all just fashion, people want to have their egos stroked by having all the kids drooling over their sweet brand-new gear.

If you don't care about fashion, and more interested in getting the best ride for your money, now is the time to buy.

[balagan]

ok, so ill go look around in places with sales, i dont care that much about fashion that i cant find something this year lol, not that anybody i know would care either haha, i only know a couple of kids who even know what a snowboard is lol

[GNUworld]

I don't know what kind of shops you have locally... I should mention that a lot of places have already sold off a lot of their inventory and the selection will be better at the beginning of the season next year. But if you can find a good board now, you can save a lot of money.

[balagan]

well im in NYC so theres quite a lot of shops, worst case scenario, i get a board next year right? lol

[Stu Brodie]

not really, they may have a small differences like a new base the makes u go faster!!! or carve better!!! or some other crap like that to get u to buy their board, but its all about the rider anyways so the only difference i see is in the graphics

[balagan]

yeah, also being a beginner, extremely specific specs arently like incredibly important, u noe? i just need something thats gonna work for me now and help me progress, while i agree its mostly the rider, there is a tiny bit that the board plays a part in it. i also dont want a board thats going to be going at like the fastest speed possible, as i said, im still a beginner, u noe?

[boarder_punk]

make sure the board fits your style, i think u should go with a freeride board, those are good for anything and good 2 learn on. i bought a Ride before the 01-02 season, it was a tempest 161 (now discontinued model) i think its a great board well worth the almost 400 i spent, but now since its last years model you can can them for around 200, the same goes for alot of other great boards, if they are last years model they are not necessarily bad they are just last years model and will definitely be cheaper.

[Swarthy]

Just to get my opinion in here...

Complete newbies (less than 10 times out) will do well with a shorter board. Chin-high or less. Soft boards are nice and forgiving but allow you to develop some bad habits like sloppy edging, which is okay as long as you're going to eventually start learning to carve properly. But a stiff board is great to learn on IMHO.

Also, new boards are neato but borrow or rent a few different styles to give you a better idea of what you like. Then buy when you know what you want.

Definitely straps. Eventually you'll go there anyway so you might as well start off with them.

Most critical element of boarding is good boots. Go to a good shop with lots of selection and a crew that knows what they're doing.

[Stu Brodie]

Dont spend too much money either, cause ur first board is going to get thrashed and scratched up pretty bad and if it happens to be a 500 dollar board you might be a little pissed