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beginner+ level boarder, need gear advice

956 views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  Grasschopper 
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#1 · (Edited)
Hello all,

I'm sure there are tons of these types of posts, but I've been snowboarding and renting for the past 3 years and I absolutely love it and I'm sick of renting and want to get my own board, boots, and bindings.. Problem is, I am having a hard time making up my mind.

Quick Stats: I'm 5'8" weight 155 pounds, size 9-10US shoe.

I plan on trying on the boots in a local store to make sure they fit perfectly and then buying from there or buying the same model online, but as far as a board/bindings I'm kinda stumped. My main interests is FREERIDE / All Mountain and at this level I can do basic carving and turns but I still feel shaky, and would like a board that could last for a few more years. The guy at the local shop suggested a Ride Agenda twin shaped, but when I did further reviews online on that board it seems to be geared more towards freestyle, which isn't what I'm really interested in at the moment.

Can someone please give personal opinions / experiences with beginner boards and bindings? Brand names and models? Do I want a longer or shorter board for freeride (I'm on east cost US, so mostly packed snow and snowmakers)? Should the board have flex for my skill level? Thanks much!

On another note, I don't want to spend a fortune but I can do around $500 for everything, more or less.
 
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#2 ·
Most people will suggest getting something with Magnatraction since east coast is icy. I can't personally speak for your weather conditions, but Lib-Tech has a lot of boards with that...
If you want to stick with Ride, a Control or Antic is considered more of its all mountain boards. The Yukon (or Concept TMS) is even moreso geared towards freeride rather than freestyle (not that you can't dick around, but they're not made for that).
Binding wise, no personal experience (yet), but Ride makes their bindings out of metal and are supposed to be pretty good in the durability department. I have Ex's at the moment.
The general rule of thumb is that a freeride board would be longer than a freestyle board.

Personally, I'm not so sure if flex is that necessary for your first board. You're going to have to get used to it sooner or later anyways.
 
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#3 ·
Thanks for the input. Yeah, definitely can tend to be icy conditions around here for sure, and as far as sticking with Ride, I'm not really partial to that brand it's just one that I've seen thrown around alot on here and other sites.

So would you think a 155 size board would be appropriate given my height/weight and for riding freeride or should I go larger?
 
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#4 ·
Anyone else with some input? I really like the Concept TMS suggestion and looking at the board it's pretty much what I want with it's waist/length and being an all mountain/free ride board. The only problem is it's a bit pricey. I checked the other Ride boards mentioned and I'm just not too sure.

Can anyone recommend a board similar to the Concept TMS with maybe a lower price, say something like $350? Or personal experiences with other boards of similar build/category?
 
#5 ·
I don't know the Concept TMS but another board to consider would be the GNU Carbon Credit. Retails for $399 but you should be able to get a deal on them soon if not now (I just got one for my wife for $280). Made in the US in the same factory as LibTech and has Magne-Traction which does really help in icy conditions (I ride a Lib Tech T.Rich C2BTX with Magne-Traction).
 
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