what's up guys... just started boarding this past spring... picked it up fairly quickly and can't wait for this winter already. The board i was riding this year was a 165" K2 rental board. it was alright but it seemed a lil hard to turn. tried a 161" for half a day a seemed a bit too squirrelly for me. So I'm lookin at the 162 Skunk Ape BTX. I'm 6'3 205lbs. Size 13 boot. I'll be riding just about everything once i get some hours on the snow behind me. I'll spend most of my time at Powderhorn in western CO just because it's convenient but i've got a few trips already planned to Steamboat, Vail and a few others here in CO. Just wondering if the BTX is a good board for beginners. I figure if i start out and learn with it i'll never know the difference.
well, if you felt squirly on a regular board, BTX will feel more squirly. That being said, at your weight, I'd actually recommend something around 157. To be honest, what you mistook as squirly, very well may have been what snowboarding is supposed to feel like.
thanks...that's kinda what i was thinking. i think after riding such a long board for a while and then switching to a shorter one made it feel pretty loose and i would slide out quite a bit. i think hopping on a 161-162 after an 8 month layoff will be like starting all over. i've been reading that u can ride a shorter MTX board than u usually would. a 157 seems awfully short though.
B-Avenger- not sure what you consider a "strong" rider. I was wondering something along the same lines though... whats the difference between say a 162 Skunk Ape and a wide board from another series the same length? I'm guessing from your comment it'll be a softer board. Dark Series and such. i've noticed quite a few WIDE 157's in other series. i may have to try one like Nivek originally suggested.
then yeah i guess i would fall into that category. i don't find any fun in a lazy, nonchalant rides down the hill. i like to fly down the hill... which usually resulted (because of my lack of riding experience) with me doing 100 yard Pete Rose slides down the mountain. i'm not afraid of falling hard...
aight... so just for my knowledge, how is a stiffer board going to perform as opposed to a more forgiving board? more prone to sliding out? just curious for future reference.....
I ride a 148 and I weigh 140lbs. and my board is much softer than the Ape. - Thats a quote, tho it didn't show up as one.
Thats just cuz you're probably into park/street/jib stuff. Daz a little short for normal people. I'm 6', 140ish and ride the 07/08 (08/09 looks like SHIT) Rome Machine 157. Yeah, It's a Park/Jib board, but it handles the rest of the mountain, to sum extent. I luv it.
LIB shows the skunk ape to be a softer board than the dark series. so what are u talking about as far as more forgiving? it's also wider which will be nice with size 13 boots...
Hey guy's was just up at the local board shop looking at the Skunk-ape 162 BTX and they had a GNU Rider's Choice 162W BTX sitting right next to it. Other than the graphics, $20 diff in price and a blunted nose on the GNU, they seemed to be identical. Y'all were saying i probably needed a softer board, would the GNU be it?
My understanding is that the Riders Choice is softer than the Ape (i.e. more freestyle). I've got last years GNU 11up which I think is similar to a wide Riders Choice. They didn't have wide options for Riders Choice last year and now they no longer make the 11up. I use it pretty much for freeride and some freestyle. It's a pretty good all round board for charging down the hill but still has some flex and pop.
As for size, it really is a comfort and feel thing, but at 200+ I would think you want something in the 160s for freeride. I'm 6'4'' 200 and ride a 167 all over the mountain with no problems. I guess there are other guys on here that like smaller boards, but it's really up to your preference.
thanks man that's what i wanted to hear. i rode a 165 rental last year and it felt pretty good but i'd like a little bit smaller board so I'm going with the 162.
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