The last time i bought a snowboard was probably 12+ years ago. After a 5 year hiatus, I have started to ride again a couple of times a season. I live in NE and end up at Stratton, Killington, Okemo, etc. I currently have a Burton Rippey 158.5.
Given the majority of my riding is in the icy northeast, which board is best for getting down the mountain with the least amount of drama? As I'm a lot older now, I do not bounce back from falls as quickly as I would like.
Technology has changed so much since my last board that I am getting confused with all the new jargon and options. I do not go to the park, do not go into the trees and do not even do any jumps. Just looking to update my gear as the edges are pretty well rusted out and I really had a had time carving a couple of weeks ago.
I am partial to Burton (brand loyalty can be a good or bad thing I guess) and went to the Burton store where the salesperson recommended the Process, the Nug and said if I were to get a "Flying V" Board to get the Antler. Trying to read up on these different boards, but can't seem to find anybody who has ridden them on the east coast. Any east coast riders out there who have tried any of these boards? Or any other suggestions?
Thanks. First time on this board...feeling like the old man of the group.
I'd probably go with a Gnu rider's choice in a 154.5 or 157 depending on you weight and boot size....I'm 55, riding Baker 11 years at about 20-30 days/season, at 180# and size 7 feet... and would go with a 154.5. Its a good all round all mtn that offers a lot of control, has c2btx with regular full magnetraction.
If you hate ice, stay with camber, e.g burton process or custom. Good reliable boards.
If you hate ice to the point that you stay off the hill, then you could get a Flying V board, again either custom or process are good choices. Or for more fun, playful riding antler is good. Or if you don't mind ice and want to prioritize fun then the same applies, just know that edge hold is reduced for non camber burton boards.
If you hate ice but want to slay it and win the battle vs the evil ice, the burton custom X has best edge hold but it's a stiff board for charging.
If you want to have fun spinning around and so forth, the Nug is lots of fun.
Thanks for the replies! I will take a look at the Gnu boards, but I already have Burton bindings (from a long time ago, but I believe they sell a converter plate that will work the new binding mechanisms). I really don't want to have to buy all new gear for one or two trips a year.
LAMPS - when you say "but it's a stiff board for charging", does that mean it's harder to control at speed? I thought stiffer meant more responsive and would therefore be easier to control at speed. Should a be looking softer boards?
Thanks again, learning so much by reading through this forum!
LAMPS - when you say "but it's a stiff board for charging", does that mean it's harder to control at speed? I thought stiffer meant more responsive and would therefore be easier to control at speed. Should a be looking softer boards?
Thanks again, learning so much by reading through this forum!
A stiff cambered board is typically more controllable at speed and will hold well on ice, but it's not as easy to turn, and if you're lazy in the ankles your more likely to hook an edge. I have two flying V boards and a cambered board. My flying V Sherlock is in my opinion quite difficult to catch an edge with, even if you're careless. If I ride that board for a few days in a row and then switch back to the cambered board I have to pay attention as the cambered board isn't a forgiving and will make you pay if you're lazy.
Note that the sort of people who tend to ride the custom X know who they are, if you don't think if yourself as someone who likes to go very fast and carve hard you might find it too stiff and unforgiving.
Ideally you should demo a flying V board and a cambered board to feel the difference.
With the Antler, would going longer increase my effective edge enough to make up for the lost stability on the ice due to the flying v shape or would the increased length have some other side effect that would negate that benefit?
Does the light-weight help or hurt in terms of stability? I know it will certainly help the back when walking back and forth from the car!
A stiff cambered board is great at blasting and feeling stable on ice...but blasting like 40-50+mph with less agility/turning...and will be playful while going fast .
A softer board with magnetraction (grips/edge in ice) and some rocker in the middle and camber in the nose and tail...will feel a bit squirrly when blasting/bombing ice...but will be able to be more agile, playful when not blasting.
But advanced skills will be able to handle either board.
Have not ridden a burton or NS...but all probably have in general a similar design and would just be a matter of personal preference and a day or two to get its idiosyncrasies sorted out. I tend to think that boards are tested and developed somewhat as result of their regional environments and riding styles....Mervin/Lib/Gnu for PNW, NS for Co and Burton for EC.
As far as riding camber vs hybrid...since you started on cambered...a hybrid will be easy to dial in, fun and more agile...but you will eventually miss the liveliness of camber...so keep your old cam board to ride. I will say that riding the hybrid did help me up my cam riding...it really forced me to getting very dynamic, riding from the nose and my fore/aft movements.
This is NS's version. It's not as aggressive as magnetraction. I've never ridden a GNU, but I can say that the vario power grip sidecut on my Proto HD holds well. You won't go wrong with either GNU or NS. Ultimately, it will be your technique that makes the difference.
Gnu has full mag and mellow mag/0.5 mag. The full mag you can feel and is the real deal...the mellow mag is not very noticeable but is there when you need it...imho mellow mag for more advanced riding.
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