Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

Help and old man find his 2nd board!

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  KC10Chief 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, I'm not that old. I'm 33. That's older than pretty much any other snowboarders I see out on the hill though. I started snowboarding when I moved to Alaska in 2009. I had been here about three days when I went out and bought my first setup. Prior to that, I had never been skiing or snowboarding. Ever. I came from Oklahoma. Snowboarding SUCKS in Oklahoma. People eat fast food for fun in Oklahoma. Between feedings, they watch shows on the Food Network about people eating food. That's what people do for recreation in Oklahoma.

I bought my initial setup at Sports Authority. If you're not familiar with Sports Authority, they're a general sporting goods store. They sell snowboards, baseball bats, golf clubs, guns, pilates balls, etc. I made the typical noob mistakes when buying my gear. Since then, I've read all of the stickies in this forum and all about snowboards on other sites as well so I don't piss off the regulars with dumb noob questions. :D Since I bought my original setup, I have replaced my bindings with Burton Cartel bindings and I bought some DC Judge double BOA boots as well. That was a gigantic improvement in my ride right there. Especially the boots. I couldn't be more pleased with the boot and binding combo. It's very comfortable, warm, and I have good control. However, I'm still riding the same old snowboard and it's time for an upgrade. The board is a Salomon Ace, 163cm, wide. It's a flat board too. No camber in either direction. I think I paid around $200 for it brand new. It's an okay board I guess. It's about the biggest board I ever see. It's like an ironing board or something. It's pretty stiff as well.

A little about me:
Age: 33
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 220lbs (I'm done growing. I could stand to lose 10 pounds but I drink too much beer for that to ever happen. I've been holding on to 220 for about 5 years now :D)
Boot size: 12
Stance: +15/-6
Offset: Zero
Location: Anchorage, AK
Riding style: I ride the lift up, and then ride my board down the nice groomed trails and avoid anything that looks like a big jump or a rail or picnic table or anything else that scares people that have to go to work on Monday. I avoid the parks. I started snowboarding when I was 30. Maybe if I had started when I was younger. Anyways, I will occasionally hit a few small, safe jumps. At one of the places I go in town, there's a pretty sad half pipe. It's more like a quarter pipe. I'll go in there sometimes and catch an inch or two of air and feel pretty good about myself. But no rails or anything like that. I just like to ride up the lift and then down the hill on my board for the most part. My snowboarding experience seems fulfilling enough to me, that way. If I can find some fresh powder, I like that but for the most part, I'm riding groomed trails 95% of the time. I take it easy. I like to go fast, but not TOO fast. It feels fast to me, but there are usually teenagers blowing by me like I'm standing still. My current board seems pretty dang fast to me. I can ride it pretty good these days. It does feel a bit sluggish I guess but it's the only one I've ever ridden. Also, I try to ride once a week. Work and other things don't always allow that. This year, the weather has really sucked up here. Warm temps and rain!

I've been looking into all of the info on here and on other sites. I'm thinking that the best board for me, is probably a mid-wide rocker. Correct me if I'm wrong. I don't need anything faster than my current board. If I go to Alyeska, which is my favorite place to ride here, I'm riding my back edge most of the time anyways because my brain is like, "OMG, slooooowwwwwww doowwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn". It is ridiculously steep out there. I feel like I could control my speed a bit better if I could switch side to side faster. My current board seems slow to initiate a turn. Once I get it going though, I can crank it around as well as any other 220 pound fat kid. That being said, I'm looking at the Arbor Roundhouse RX in a 166cm. Would the 162 be better for me? My current 163 feels about right, length wise. I am also looking at the Element RX but feel it might be a bit too narrow for my size 12 boots. Also, the Arbor boards are damn sexy looking to boot! I love the wooden look. I'm not hung up on any particular brand though.

I hope I was specific enough. Please let me know if I'm way off base here or what. Any other board recommendations are appreciated as well! If I were to buy a Roundhouse, do you think I'd notice much of a difference between it and my current board?
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Well you've sure done your homework. :laugh: Ya, you'll want a wide board for 12's especially without really ducked stance angles.

The Roundhouse RX sounds like it'll be perfect for you and you feel the same, but you want some head nods before you pull the trigger on buying it hehehe. I'm not familiar at all with your current board, though I'm guessing at $200 it's super basic with no frills. If you get the Roundhouse you'll most likely feel a huge difference in all facets of performance; more dampening, better edge-hold, better float in pow, etc.
 
#3 ·
166 is way huge for just cruising groomers. If I was to recommend a board with no limitation it would be a Neversummer Legacy 161 or a Proto CTX 158

By the way 30 isn't that old. My friend started boarding at 30. Here he is last year at 32. He is 5'10" 230lbs and rides a Neversummer Revolver 156.

 
#5 ·
I started at 42 and never skateboarded either, I did ski. Now I'm getting efficient not great in the park and jumps. you'll progress faster than you think.
I don't have a recommendation on board, just glad your out there enjoying. It's a blast keep at it!!!!!
 
#6 · (Edited)
I started at age 33, and am now 35 in my third season of riding. I'm very close to your size: 6'1" 235-245 lbs. size 11 boot. I started out on a traditional camber 164W board which worked great for all around riding, even ride-able in powder as long as I back-seated a bit. I got a new board for this year which is a 161, but is a flat/rocker mix so I'm hoping it will still work in powder, though I haven't gotten to test it with the terrible season so far. I ride similar to you, except I also spend quite a bit of time in the park on easier boxes and rails as well since my home resort is small and I like to try everything. I just take it slow and cautious.

I'll defer to the experts for more specific board advice, but I would think the 162 would be a better size for easier turns, and the rocker profile should help a bit with powder.

BTW, I'm very jealous of your location! :)
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the advice! I'll think twice about a longer board. Also, Alaska is pretty awesome! However, there is only one ski resort here and that's Alyeska. The place is insane and VERY steep. It's beautiful though and a lot of fun. There are a couple of places in town that are just in town ski hills. There's a ski hill in Fairbanks (400 miles from here) and a ski hill in Juneau I think (can't drive to Juneau). It's hard and very dangerous out in the remote areas. Honestly, I think the snowboarding would be a lot better in Colorado, California, Utah and places like that. I've never ridden anywhere but here so, I can't say for sure.
 
#8 ·
alaska is the best place to ride on the planet if you can handle the terrian, but as you said most is remote access. All the big mountain footage from videos is almost always from alaska, not the jumps, but the terrain that is so steep and scary most couldnt even ride it. Not the best place to learn but if you can ride there you can ride anywhere.
 
#9 ·
That's what everybody tells me. If I can ride at Alyeska, I can ride anywhere. They have easier stuff there. It's just the steepness of the whole place. HA! I know there are people that get dropped off on helicopters to ski and board some of the really remote slopes. People die in avalanches here all the time. I won't be doing anything like that. I just want a good board for riding the groomers that will last me a while. I'm in the Air Force and am stationed here in Alaska. I will be here for this winter and next winter. In the summer of 2013, it's time to move again. I'll likely be headed back to Oklahoma. But I'd definitely get up to Colorado or New Mexico a few times a season to do some snow boarding.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top