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Expensive Board, Crappy Riding

13K views 113 replies 47 participants last post by  speedjason 
#1 ·
Not to be a board whore or a fashionista, but what do you guys think of beginners~intermediate guys having expensive gear? Common sense says that if you see a kid with a permit go to his ferrari, you immediately hate him, but does that extend to snowboarding? The reason asking is that my friend, Will, got a raise and he's mad stoked to get a Burton Custom X but he isn't all that great, he can carve and stuff but he is a but awkward on the board, it's like he didn't get the basics down before moving on. I don't know what to think about that, I'm chill with him but will shredders be like "that rich fuck can't even ride" when they see him scorpion down a green?
 
#2 ·
At the end of the day, he rides. And he enjoys it, right?

So who cares what other people think?

People just need to stop caring about other people's opinions, and just do things for their own enjoyment. He's stoked on the board? Good, i would be too.

Now shut up and ride :D
 
#3 ·
Nope. Nobody cares. Except rich kids that can't ride. I have somewhat expensive gear and I fairly well suck and nobody gives me shit. Unless they do it after I ride away, in which case it didn't happen. :D
 
#4 ·
If I saw someone scorpion on a green, I'd ask the dude if he was alright and maybe help him up. I wouldn't give two fucks about what kind of board he was on and certainly wouldn't judge him as a poseur. Poseurs are the people who would waste their precious time on the slope worrying about such bullshit things like that.
 
#6 ·
I've wondered if people will think the same of me this season. I've ridden probably 8 times over 10 years so I was never able to progress as much as I would have liked. But I finally moved near some mountains and I didn't want to bother with renting or buying a board that I'd want to upgrade next season.

So I bought a Proto HDX (this forums most hated and beloved board), some cartels and burton raptors.

It's probably a bit much for me, but who cares? I plan to be on the mountain as much as possible to take advantage of it all. If anything it might just take me a little longer to get used to the board then some people.
 
#7 ·
Seriously nobody will care, and if they do who gives a fuck. Put your headphones on and fucking ride. I'm not very good but I have good gear, if someone doesn't like it they can suck my dick. Bitches.
 
#8 ·
Nobody cares.

I hate when I overhear people say that. My buddy sucks at riding and has all new fancy gear. He makes 150-180K a year and I got him to go last year, he loved it.

It's such a fraction of his budget why the fuck not buy new stuff? He's worked for everything he has, let the haters hate. Broke ass ski bums just need to feel like they're hardcore and better than everyone.

:)
 
#18 ·
This happens often in the horse world. People with little skill or experience but deep pockets will buy very highly trained and expensive horses, thinking if they buy the best they'll be the best riders. Not exactly the case.

Perhaps it's jealousy for some that they can't have/afford such a horse. If anything, I see it as wasting the horse's talent and potential a bit. I know I've seen horse/rider combinations like that and thought, "Man, what that horse and I could do together..."

So I wonder if it's the same thought on the hill when a more experienced rider sees a less experienced rider with better gear than their own. As in, "Man, what that board and I could do together..."
 
#20 ·
Now if that same kid on the top of the line board was nailing a swedish ski instructor and driving a Ferrari....

Under those circumstances, it may matter enough to start a thread asking about caring about it. To which, the answer would still be: nope. Nobody cares.
 
#23 ·
So a beginner should only ride a beginner tagged board?

I bet that beginners riding beginner boards (shit rentals) is the single biggest reason they try boarding once and quit. True story: friend rented a board a couple of years ago. 4 days later and he was struggling to stay standing because the bindings were such crap that he was catching an edge every few minutes, alternating with the board sliding out from under him. Went home with shin bruises from the poorly made boots. Bought a well used but quality all mountain board, decent bindings, and comfy boots. He was linking turns the next day.

Point is, buy good, or at least decent, shit and your learning curve is much much better.

Anyone who judges, or even bothers to figure out what the newbie rider on a green is riding, can suck it.
 
#24 ·
If he has the money for expensive gear then he might wanna invest in a lesson or two. He can tell them his skill level and what he is having trouble with and really gain from the critique and advise. Then you both can ride at equal paces. He needs to break his bad habits.

And no one gives a crap about someone else's gear. Unless they are douche bags themselves.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Perhaps the only one who cares, is yourself...giving yourself a good ass kicking by that brand new performance board that is taking you for a ride. The rest of us will be enjoying the spectacular yard sales...taking bets if you will be doing the walk of shame, calling in the bucket or claiming dibs on the practically new and hardly ridden board ur selling for cheap. However if you get up and continue to huck yourself down the hill...we'll probably buy you a beer and tell you that it gets better and to hang in there.
 
#30 ·
.....he isn't all that great, he can carve and stuff but he is a but awkward on the board, it's like he didn't get the basics down before moving on. I don't know what to think about that, I'm chill with him but will shredders be like "that rich fuck can't even ride" when they see him scorpion down a green?
If the boards a bit advanced for him, it might kick his ass for a while. But if he's as stoked as you say and is committed to learn to ride it? Properly? He will probably end up a better rider in the long run!

....ride with him, teach him what you can and have a blast!!!! Ignore the
asshats! They're r DB's everywhere and it's a waste of precious ride time to care about the opinions of retards! :thumbsup:
 
#31 ·
Honestly I could give two fucks about the gear. What I hate more than anything is someone being suckered into something beyond their riding ability because the sales person wanted to make a higher commission or the shop wanted to sell something that costs more to someone that knows less.

I'll be honest do most people need a high end board? NO. There's a reason some of the best boards I ride year after year are in the sub 399 price range.

What people need is what suits their needs, everyone's needs are different. That doesn't necessarily mean that the guy that's ridden 7 times in his life should go out and buy a T. Rice HP or something like that. This fear of "out growing" a board after one season is kind of silly.

Man I miss the 90's when shit was a little more black and white.
 
#32 ·
In the 20+ years I've been riding the only time I pay attention to someone else is if they do something awesome or eat shit or I hafta dodge them usually a ski'er or small children... The only time I ever worry about people watching me is when I get the super baked paranoia's but thats just from smoking too much weeds... Otherwise I'm just in my happy snowboard bubble doing my thang with a big shit eatin grin of happy happy joy joy snowboarding fun time... oh and lastly I do notice the occasional talented snow bunny sexies but thats when my penis radar takes over... So bottom line I dont think I've ever even noticed what other people have cause I got more important shit to do...
 
#34 ·
If he hasn't bought it yet and he is doing research, I would tell him, as a friend giving advice, that it's actually harder to learn on a high performance board. You can get a cheap mid-range all around board, you'll progress faster, and the board will still be plenty useful when you do get the skills. Then since you didn't spend a lot on it, you can be stoked next season to buy a new board then and not feel bad about it. Otherwise, you'll have this expensive board kicking your ass all season, frustrating you while you're trying to learn. It should sound closer to that than "you're not even good enough to deserve that board".

But if he doesn't care what you say, don't bother shitting on his purchase. At least it will get him excited about riding.
 
#40 ·
Zedekias - I went from jib stick to proto CT as a beginner. There was a learning curve, but after a few runs it was fine. I wouldn't worry about that too much :) If you got the basics down and you're happy staying on the edges (which it seems to love) you'll be fine. Grats on the new gear, you're going to freaking love it. Maybe get the base bevel set to 1degree rather than the .5 default (used to be 0 degree base) if you find it catchy. Helped me loads.
 
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