Board, Binding and Boots!

[Megaside]

Hi. I am pretty new to snowboarding and I've probably been 3 times in my life. But I've recently purchased a snowboard and intend to do more of it, an Arbor Westmark 156.

For now, I am planning to just do some swooshing down greens and maybe blues and possibly advanced to doing some park stuff. I have yet to buy my bindings and boots. I was hoping for some suggestions, but what I've researched and think I will get are:

Flux RK30

Salomon Faction BOA

What do you all think? Thanks in advance for your consideration.

[areveruz]

The Westmark is a great board. Solid choice there. I don't see a problem with the bindings either. Only issue is the boots. Don't just buy a highly rated boot you find online. Go to a local shop and try on a whole bunch. Boots are the most crucial part of the setup. If they're not comfortable or don't fit right, the rest doesn't matter. So in short, it's all good but make sure you try on some boots and find a pair that fit just right.

[Megaside]

Thanks, areveruz!

[AssassinMonLV]

Agreed. Boots have to be tried on. I tried 10+ pairs before I settled before I settled on my Burton Hail.

[Basti]

The RK30s are VERY soft which is nice for the park but lacks response all over the mountain. As a beginner I would suggest you buy bindings that are capable of doing everything. Flux are great and you should check out the TT30. Mid-flex and much more versatile than the RK30.

[GreyDragon]

Originally Posted by areveruz

The Westmark is a great board. Solid choice there. I don't see a problem with the bindings either. Only issue is the boots. Don't just buy a highly rated boot you find online. Go to a local shop and try on a whole bunch. Boots are the most crucial part of the setup. If they're not comfortable or don't fit right, the rest doesn't matter. So in short, it's all good but make sure you try on some boots and find a pair that fit just right.

Agreed on the above.
FWIW, I have ridden Salomon boots the past two years. They are VERY comfortable. Supposedly they run on the narrow side of things in terms of fit. With the Faction, my concern would be that they use a single boa lace. Double boa is the way to go, so you can tighten the top and the bottom of the boot to your preference.

But yes, try on different brands. I'm now riding DC boots and quite liking them.

[Extremo]

Skip the RK's. The hollow Flux ankle strap makes it feel sloppy enough as is. With the urethane highback you may as well be riding a no back.

[m0rph3us]

Originally Posted by areveruz

Only issue is the boots. Don't just buy a highly rated boot you find online. Go to a local shop and try on a whole bunch. Boots are the most crucial part of the setup. If they're not comfortable or don't fit right, the rest doesn't matter. So in short, it's all good but make sure you try on some boots and find a pair that fit just right.

+1 for this.

Bad-fitting boots can ruin your day reaaaallly fast. Get a good pair, and they'll make a world of difference.

[Megaside]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I guess I will be skipping the RKs, but Extremo, what do you feel about the Flux TTs?

[Extremo]

Originally Posted by Megaside

Thanks everyone for the replies. I guess I will be skipping the RKs, but Extremo, what do you feel about the Flux TTs?

I'm not a Flux fan. I find the hollow design of the ankle strap to be too flimsy and on softer boards they have a large deadspot. Plus the unibody baseplate limits stance options.

A lot of guys like them on this forum though and they're pretty high quality bindings. I'm just not the guy to ask when it comes to flux.