Setup for weak ankles - Snowboarding Forum

sugar_099 · 12-14-2010, 12:21 PM

Looking for some help buying my first board. Id like a board under 400$, preferably something that I can purchase online, to canada, free shipping. I guess I'd be an intermediate rider? I rode when I was younger, moved south unfortunetely, and have been back at it for a year now.

Anyway, 5'4, 140 lbs female. Closest hill sucks, hard and ice lots of the time. So that's mostly my riding conditions. May be some nice powder if we get good snow this year, doubt it. Looking for an all mountain board, Im more into just carving and taking what comes in my path versus time in the park. We don't even really have a park lol. There's a better hill 10 hour away, but i'll get three times maybe twice this season. But it's better than nothing, and I love the sport.

I have very weak ankles. I found shorter boards help that at the rental, but they were garbage anyway. I really have no clue what I'm looking for. Either way rentals at the hill are crap, I don't even know what they were, completely dinged couldn't even find the make. 5150 male boards i think

As for bindings/boots. Any suggestions? I think i'd pay up to 150 for boots maybe a bit more, as I want to compensate for my ankles. whatever for bindings, probably cheaper ones. Be nice for the boots to tie well as my laces always seem to come undone no matter if i'm wearing shoes, boots, whatever. And also something a bit tighter maybe help with me ankle problems (tore them up when I was younger). I don't know much about bindings...

I have size 8 feet in shoes (womens, sometimes smaller), so I'm not worried about board width.

Thanks for any input guys!!

edit: I was also pointed towards the Rossignol Diva Magtek. Opinions? Similar boards?

KIRKRIDER · 12-14-2010, 12:49 PM

stiff boots should help with your ankles, I would suggest Burton Driver X or similar moddel, but they aren't cheap. GEt a cheaper board, you won't notice much difference while still learning, but a comfy stiff boot will let you ride longer, and learn faster.

wrathfuldeity · 12-14-2010, 12:58 PM

Stiff boots, e.g. 32 focus boas, spare no expense...stiff boots = ride a season...cheap soft boots = tweak your ankles...done for a season. Last year my daughter severely sprained an ankle (crutches 4 weeks and rehab) during volleyball season...6 weeks later, the day before Opening Day, she begged the doc to ok her for the hill...he said ski boots only for at least a month but no sb boots....well she skied the season.

mbesp · 12-14-2010, 01:05 PM

Good boots as others have said, Also go old school and tape those ankles. or i suppose some lil ankle braces might work.

sugar_099 · 12-14-2010, 04:26 PM

Thanks for the reply guys, I'm going to invest in good boots for sure now. Don't want to inure myself further or have to sit out!

kls · 12-14-2010, 06:13 PM

Good stiff boots. I've sprained both my ankles three times so I can completely related. I bought a pair of Roxy boots that have a J-bar built in which holds my ankle in place and I love it.

john doe · 12-14-2010, 06:26 PM

Before going and getting stiff boots are your ankles week because of injury or just lack of use? And If you have only used rental boots then there is a very good chance those boots were trashed and had zero support. I just don't want you to by something close to a ski boot when it isn't needed or wanted.

lilfoot1598 · 12-14-2010, 07:03 PM

Boards: Never Summer Infinity, Roxy Eminence, Gnu B-nice

Bindings: Rome Madison, Burton Lexa or Escapade, K2 Virtue, Union Milan or Trilogy

sugar_099 · 12-14-2010, 08:07 PM

Ankles are weak because of injury. Torn ligaments in both feet when I was younger, and I'm constantly twisting, spraining, etc all the time. I use support during any other exercise and goood shoes, which does help. I've also taped my feet when I went out boarding, but it only did so much. I do recognize that rentals were crap, and anything I get will feel much better. I ride horses, so i'm used to sinking a lot of weight in through my ankles, and horseback ride in great equipment which helps my ankle thing, so I'm looking for snowboard boots that will similarly help.

12-14-2010, 12:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
sugar_099 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 8	Setup for weak ankles Looking for some help buying my first board. Id like a board under 400$, preferably something that I can purchase online, to canada, free shipping. I guess I'd be an intermediate rider? I rode when I was younger, moved south unfortunetely, and have been back at it for a year now. Anyway, 5'4, 140 lbs female. Closest hill sucks, hard and ice lots of the time. So that's mostly my riding conditions. May be some nice powder if we get good snow this year, doubt it. Looking for an all mountain board, Im more into just carving and taking what comes in my path versus time in the park. We don't even really have a park lol. There's a better hill 10 hour away, but i'll get three times maybe twice this season. But it's better than nothing, and I love the sport. I have very weak ankles. I found shorter boards help that at the rental, but they were garbage anyway. I really have no clue what I'm looking for. Either way rentals at the hill are crap, I don't even know what they were, completely dinged couldn't even find the make. 5150 male boards i think As for bindings/boots. Any suggestions? I think i'd pay up to 150 for boots maybe a bit more, as I want to compensate for my ankles. whatever for bindings, probably cheaper ones. Be nice for the boots to tie well as my laces always seem to come undone no matter if i'm wearing shoes, boots, whatever. And also something a bit tighter maybe help with me ankle problems (tore them up when I was younger). I don't know much about bindings... I have size 8 feet in shoes (womens, sometimes smaller), so I'm not worried about board width. Thanks for any input guys!! edit: I was also pointed towards the Rossignol Diva Magtek. Opinions? Similar boards? Last edited by sugar_099; 12-14-2010 at 04:32 PM.

12-14-2010, 12:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
KIRKRIDER Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 2,212	stiff boots should help with your ankles, I would suggest Burton Driver X or similar moddel, but they aren't cheap. GEt a cheaper board, you won't notice much difference while still learning, but a comfy stiff boot will let you ride longer, and learn faster. __________________ 2012/13 -12- Kirkwood days Arbor A-Frame 158 2009-10 Jeremy Jones Hovercraft 156, 2011/12 Burton Driver-X K2-Cinch-CTX Subaru WRX 06

12-14-2010, 12:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
wrathfuldeity Resident poet Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bham Posts: 2,699	Stiff boots, e.g. 32 focus boas, spare no expense...stiff boots = ride a season...cheap soft boots = tweak your ankles...done for a season. Last year my daughter severely sprained an ankle (crutches 4 weeks and rehab) during volleyball season...6 weeks later, the day before Opening Day, she begged the doc to ok her for the hill...he said ski boots only for at least a month but no sb boots....well she skied the season. __________________

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12-14-2010, 01:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
mbesp Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 354	Good boots as others have said, Also go old school and tape those ankles. or i suppose some lil ankle braces might work.

12-14-2010, 04:26 PM	#5 (permalink)
sugar_099 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 8	Thanks for the reply guys, I'm going to invest in good boots for sure now. Don't want to inure myself further or have to sit out!

12-14-2010, 06:13 PM	#6 (permalink)
kls Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 56	Good stiff boots. I've sprained both my ankles three times so I can completely related. I bought a pair of Roxy boots that have a J-bar built in which holds my ankle in place and I love it.

12-14-2010, 06:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
john doe Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,245	Before going and getting stiff boots are your ankles week because of injury or just lack of use? And If you have only used rental boots then there is a very good chance those boots were trashed and had zero support. I just don't want you to by something close to a ski boot when it isn't needed or wanted.

12-14-2010, 07:03 PM	#8 (permalink)
lilfoot1598 Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 799	Boards: Never Summer Infinity, Roxy Eminence, Gnu B-nice Bindings: Rome Madison, Burton Lexa or Escapade, K2 Virtue, Union Milan or Trilogy

12-14-2010, 08:07 PM	#9 (permalink)
sugar_099 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 8	Ankles are weak because of injury. Torn ligaments in both feet when I was younger, and I'm constantly twisting, spraining, etc all the time. I use support during any other exercise and goood shoes, which does help. I've also taped my feet when I went out boarding, but it only did so much. I do recognize that rentals were crap, and anything I get will feel much better. I ride horses, so i'm used to sinking a lot of weight in through my ankles, and horseback ride in great equipment which helps my ankle thing, so I'm looking for snowboard boots that will similarly help.