Due to a career in rather long career in sports, for over a decade snowboarding has been put aside. Now that I am able to ride again it was time to get a snowboard setup, ideally I would have liked to demo boards, boots, and bindings before purchasing but as us big guys know that is not a realistic option. Options are so limited that the decision is almost made for you!
This forum was a great resource, user "Big Foot" unsurprisingly was a great help. There is however a lack of pictures of such rare-hugemungo setups so I hope these pictures help.
BOARD
I am 6'8" 250lbs w/ a size 17. Board options I considered were a 2014 LIB Skunk Ape HP 170uw, Artec Phenom, Elan El Grande. As far as I know, Artec is/was made my Elan and the board is the same as the El Grande with the exception of the core material being of a lower quality, it is also ~$100 cheaper. Where the LIB is expensive, it is only available in a 2014 model so there is no deals to be had. Both the Artec and El Grande are hard to find in the sizes I want, I was shooting for a 171 ideally but may have settled for a 167.
After scouring eBay, Craigslist, and all the online distributors I found an used 2013 Artec Phenom 167 for sale in NC, and a brand new 2012 El Grande 171 being sold by CBS down is Southern California. Prices were $250 and $400 respectively. I was torn on getting a deal on a slightly less than ideal board versus paying more than I was hoping to for the 2012 El Grande.
On eBay I saw Waterski World list El Grandes for a more modest price of $360 but they were out of the 171. I inquired if they had any unlisted stock or were planning to receive any additional 171s, they said no.
...then they emailed me back to inform me they discovered a 2012 in the back that was never sold due to a small blemish from the bag-zipper. I confirmed that the blemish was in fact minute and would in no way lead to further damage and the shop even went through with repairing the board prior to sale. Due to the blemish (which is almost impossible to see unless you know where to look) I snagged to board for $250.
BOOTS
This was an easy choice, Ride Bigfoot 17s, done. The only place I could find them were directly through Ride.com It is such a tease seeing other Big Foot boots being sold for $50 or $75! Mine were $200, whatever!
BINDINGS
After some research on this forum and help from a few members, I ended up with Ride Revolts. It appears that Ride Foundation Chassis were the best option (where the Infinite Chassis lacked the forward and rearward adjustment due to their smaller mounting discs). I went with the Revolts over the EX because they are slightly stiffer and have a more substantial highback. I snagged a brand new of 2014 Revolts on eBay for $110.
RISERS
It seemed like a logical move to get a pair. I was not really convinced with the design of some risers. After some internet scouring I found Edge Risers, the simple and sturdy design caught my eye. I ordered up a pair from here: Amazon.com: Edge Risers: Sports & Outdoors
As it turns out it is a small time product and the guy who designed them lives near me in the Bay Area. He asked for my feedback and although I have not had time to ride yet, here is my feedback after mounting them: They are simple light, and strong. Even with my bindings elongated and boots being as massive as they are, the risers seem to offer adequate support front and rear, width-wise it is nearly as wide as the Foundation Chassis. If I was to suggest some constructive criticism:
1. Mount some thin but dense foam on the bottom of the risers to help protect the board, my bindings have this (as I assume most do).
2. It would be nice if the supplied bolts had thread lock already applied.
So far, it seems like a great product and I am excited to see how they perform.
Here are some pictures of my setup, please note the early photos have only 1 riser installed to show the difference in overhang angles.
I hope this helps other BIG GUYS!!!
Evan
This forum was a great resource, user "Big Foot" unsurprisingly was a great help. There is however a lack of pictures of such rare-hugemungo setups so I hope these pictures help.
BOARD
I am 6'8" 250lbs w/ a size 17. Board options I considered were a 2014 LIB Skunk Ape HP 170uw, Artec Phenom, Elan El Grande. As far as I know, Artec is/was made my Elan and the board is the same as the El Grande with the exception of the core material being of a lower quality, it is also ~$100 cheaper. Where the LIB is expensive, it is only available in a 2014 model so there is no deals to be had. Both the Artec and El Grande are hard to find in the sizes I want, I was shooting for a 171 ideally but may have settled for a 167.
After scouring eBay, Craigslist, and all the online distributors I found an used 2013 Artec Phenom 167 for sale in NC, and a brand new 2012 El Grande 171 being sold by CBS down is Southern California. Prices were $250 and $400 respectively. I was torn on getting a deal on a slightly less than ideal board versus paying more than I was hoping to for the 2012 El Grande.
On eBay I saw Waterski World list El Grandes for a more modest price of $360 but they were out of the 171. I inquired if they had any unlisted stock or were planning to receive any additional 171s, they said no.
...then they emailed me back to inform me they discovered a 2012 in the back that was never sold due to a small blemish from the bag-zipper. I confirmed that the blemish was in fact minute and would in no way lead to further damage and the shop even went through with repairing the board prior to sale. Due to the blemish (which is almost impossible to see unless you know where to look) I snagged to board for $250.
BOOTS
This was an easy choice, Ride Bigfoot 17s, done. The only place I could find them were directly through Ride.com It is such a tease seeing other Big Foot boots being sold for $50 or $75! Mine were $200, whatever!
BINDINGS
After some research on this forum and help from a few members, I ended up with Ride Revolts. It appears that Ride Foundation Chassis were the best option (where the Infinite Chassis lacked the forward and rearward adjustment due to their smaller mounting discs). I went with the Revolts over the EX because they are slightly stiffer and have a more substantial highback. I snagged a brand new of 2014 Revolts on eBay for $110.
RISERS
It seemed like a logical move to get a pair. I was not really convinced with the design of some risers. After some internet scouring I found Edge Risers, the simple and sturdy design caught my eye. I ordered up a pair from here: Amazon.com: Edge Risers: Sports & Outdoors
As it turns out it is a small time product and the guy who designed them lives near me in the Bay Area. He asked for my feedback and although I have not had time to ride yet, here is my feedback after mounting them: They are simple light, and strong. Even with my bindings elongated and boots being as massive as they are, the risers seem to offer adequate support front and rear, width-wise it is nearly as wide as the Foundation Chassis. If I was to suggest some constructive criticism:
1. Mount some thin but dense foam on the bottom of the risers to help protect the board, my bindings have this (as I assume most do).
2. It would be nice if the supplied bolts had thread lock already applied.
So far, it seems like a great product and I am excited to see how they perform.
Here are some pictures of my setup, please note the early photos have only 1 riser installed to show the difference in overhang angles.
I hope this helps other BIG GUYS!!!
Evan