buying of the first board

[evilfeline007]

Hey guys!

I've been trying to research to buy my first board but there's sooo much information and it's a little overwhelming so I thought you experts could help me out.

I'm a female, 5'9 and 172 lbs with a size 9 burton boot. I've been 6 times but I go at least once a week and plan on taking the occasional lesson if I feel like I'm stuck. I've been renting the burton LTR and have learned to smoothly link turns and change edges and do various size of turns but cannot carve or do anything dynamic.

I really don't see myself as a park person. I think once I'm better I'd probably enjoy going off smaller jumps for fun but generally I just want to get to the point where I can just comfortably cruise down most slopes and eventually get into some powder and double blacks, etc.

My budget is around 600 for bindings and board but that's flexible. Should I buy a cheaper board and nicer bindings until my riding improves? What's the deal with the gender-specific boards?

My ideal board would be easy to maneuver and control on groomers but not start chattering on steeper blues (I figure once I'm riding black diamonds, it's probably time for a new board, am I right?)

Or is it too soon to buy a board? Renting is so expensive and it doesn't take an expert to know those bindings are crap

[JRZBoarder]

Since you won't be in the park you would want to get a board meant for freeriding which wouldn't have any of the chatter problems even flying down double blacks. I'm not familiar with female boards so I can't recommend any, but I'd say if your going every week than it's worth it to buy a board because it will pay for itself after awhile and boards last a long time. If you know your riding style and have an idea of the type of board you want than get the best board you can for your budget. I wouldn't get a really cheap board and need to buy another board later unless I was unsure of what type of riding I would want to do.

[Wiredsport]

Hi Feline,

Great post!

First off, renting is a necessary evil but you should try to get off of rentals as soon as possible. Two major reasons.

Consistancy - when you are learning being on the same gear that is set up the same way is crucial.

Setup - setting up a board and bindings perfectly takes time. Rental guys do their best, but they do not have the time to really tweak each setup to perfection.

Next up Female specific boards. YES!

You are a classic example of why. A size 9 female boot is a size 7.5 Men's. That is mighty small and requires a very narrow board.

OK now, brace yourself for the sales pitch (and please realize that there are many other boards that will work for you). Flow Venus 155 2011. Convex bottom helps roll from edge to edge. EZ rocker offers simple turn initiation with great edge bite. The 155 has the ideal width, flex, contact area, effective edge, and sidecut radius for your needs. Couple this board with Flow Flite 2 Women's bindings and we will see you on the pro tour in no time.

Happy riding!

[evilfeline007]

those bindings look comfortable! the rental bindings suck so bad...lol

not sure if i like the look of that board... is that shallow? lol. I was told by someone to stay away from those convex edges by all means... but was never told why. But overall it sounds like a good board for me. I want something that's going to be easy enough to use but that I won't grow out of too quickly.

I went around to each website of brands that i see a lot on the mountain and tried to guess which ones might be suited to me but again i know very little and am really going by descriptions... I know what a camber and a rocker is... but what's a reverse camber and what the heck is a banana? lol

okay so boards i picked out:

ROME jett
K2 lunatique or moment
NITRO mystique
RIDE... i got kinda confused... lol
CAPITA... also confused
FORUM star
BURTON feather or lux v-rocker

feel free to shoot me down on any of those...like i said... no idea lol

[evilfeline007]

on a side note... I rent the Burton LTR board and going through all these reviews and stuff i heard that those boards actually can inhibit you're riding after the initial learning stage. I'm reading all sorts of crazy awesome reviews on the Burton Cruzer which i don't see on the website but is the other rental board used on the mountain.

[tdg1x07]

if i were u i would stay away from the cruzer. This is my opinion and i dont know what year the one i used was but fairly old. It sucked! like really im not just sayin tht. It is possibly the worst board i have ever ridden. It was like riding a brick! no pop or flex or anything and actually wore my knees out after 3 hours of heavy riding on shitty surfaces. Honestly if you can find one in the right size for you, guys boards have a lot of possibilities. You could get something a little smaller thats not so wide and be perfectly comfortable. I know abt 2 years back all the girls i know that ride didnt like the idea of riding a mens board, because they didnt have as good of girlish graphics. One of my better friends told me that she didnt wanna ride a mens board. I said y? she said id feel like a man. I said well in my opinion a girl snowboarding is pretty sexy no matter what board they use. Once got on a short flexible mens board she just wouldnt step off of it. She later went out and bought a mens 152 mens forum youngblood and loves it. Still hot riding it too! haha anyways if you want a girl board go ahead. Also a lot of girls in my area like the K2 VVV. Its a womens version of the world wide weapon i guess. seems like a real nice board. I have the WWW and love it. just do enough research before you buy so that you wont buy the wrong thing.

And also check out the flow bindings like people were sayin. I use rides but pretty much every1 else i know uses flows and k2 autos. Bindings and boots are the most important so make sure that you are comfortable with that before getting a board.

[evilfeline007]

ultimately, i may very well run into the local ski and board shop and rent a demo. Those are pretty steep prices to regular rentals though so I want to be a "let's make sure this is the board" rather than a "let's rent til we find"

The problem is I don't understand what makes these boards "easier" (and is a forgiving board going to teach me bad habits?). I don't want to go in there being able to say what i'm looking for.

For example, "Hi, yes, I'd like a _____ flex board for _____ purpose on _______ terrain. I'm looking for the range of ___ to ___ cm and I'd like it to be a (rocker/camber/banana thingy/whatever the heck else there is)"

Well maybe not that specific but if the sales person says "oh this rocker is great" then i need to know whether a rocker is really great for me... you know?


I have boots btw... Burton CoCos... they fit the best out of the selection I had. I know bindings are important and that's why i'll head over to the bindings forum now

[lilfoot1598]

My take (very subjective):

ROME Jett: Eh. You'll be happier on the Rome Vinyl. It'll grow with you.
K2 Lunatique or Moment: The moment is made with park beginners in mind. It would be pretty unstable on the rest of the mountain. The Lunatique is a very popular board for progressing riders and would be a great choice for you.
NITRO Mystique: Don't know much about Nitro, but this looks like a good option
RIDE... i got kinda confused... lol
CAPITA: Space Metal Fantasy is a very soft, fun, popular board. Stable enough for all-mountain riding.
BURTON feather or lux v-rocker: Stay away from the Feather. It is overpriced and you're likely to outgrow it quickly, especially if you ride often. The Lux is a better option. Also consider the Lipstick.

"Easier" boards are softer and easier to flex. They aren't as responsive so you can make mistakes and not eat it as a result. Reverse camber boards are more forgiving because it's harder to catch an edge with them.

Tell the board shop your size, your level of experience, and your interests. Have a few boards in mind. Know what questions to ask.

[evilfeline007]

From that list, I really like the K2 Lunatique and the Nitro Mystique with the Captita SMF coming in third (. I will call around local shops and see if they're available for demo.

[evilfeline007]

apparently none of these are being demoed and only the k2 lunatique is being sold.I can find it for cheaper on the web. Is it a bad idea to buy a board you've never tried off of the internet? I'm not sure if I demoed one that I'd be able to say "oh, uhm, i need something with more flex" or anything since I've only ever ridden the Burton LTR. Any board would probably seem amazing in comparison. lol.