InfiniteEclipse

My friend is trying to decide between the Pandora and the Infinity... Based on her riding (no park, all mountain) I'm recommending the infinity, but she hates the topsheet and is in love with Pandora's.... and is somewhat stubborn

For those who have ridden it, how will the pandora handle?
She rides from blues to some double diamonds this year (east coast - icy/choppy), and I might be able to convince her to learn jumps and presses next year

Also what size would you recommend, the 146 or 149?

Stats:
125 - 130 pounds
5'3 1/2 to 5'4
shoe size - 9


Thanks for the help

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ecks

I'm getting my girl the 147 Infinity next year and she has almost identical stats to your friend except a size 7 boot. If she's not heading into the park anytime soon I would stick with the Infinity. Next year's models look pretty sick if she wants to wait that long.

Swarley

Sorry if I'm hijacking the thread, but I'm actually in a similar situation. I want to grab either the Pandora or Infinity for my wife. She's riding a 139cm Burton Feather right now, and looking at the sizing, the smallest Pandora is 140cm and the smallest Infinity is 145cm. There's also a 1 yr warranty on the Pandora vs. a 3 yr warranty on the Infinity.

She might be interested in some park stuff, but I think her riding will be 80% mountain and 20% park at most. I'm leaning toward the Infinity due to the longer warranty, but will the size difference be an issue? Her stats are 5'0" 100lbs, size 5.5 boot.

cocolulu

I'm 5'1", 108 lbs, and I ride a 145 Infinity, 2011. It's on the long'ish side if you care about height (it's almost up to my eyes with no shoes), but I'm on the heavier side of its weight range.

The board handles great... I have no problems turning it. Your gf is a tad smaller than me though, so I dunno.

Lilfoot, who probably has closer physical characteristics says she feels like the Infinity is a bit too long for her, but I think it's perfect, not too stiff, not too noodly. It's a bit on the heavier side.

I've never tried a Pandora.

Funny, because I'm not a fan of the 2011 Pandora's topsheet It doesn't matter I guess, but if it's worth anything I think the Infinity looks more 'girly/cute' in person than in the pictures. It has a white line around the edge, and when you mount white bindings to it, it looks cute. Still not swirly/glittery/flowery though The 2012 Pandora looks cool to me.

lilfoot1598

The Infinity really is an all-mountain dream. It is damp and stable, but still poppy and torsionally soft. The Pandora is much softer and thus not as stable on all-mountain conditions. However, it is VERY damp for a park board, so I found that it handles all-mountain riding much better than any other park board I've ridden (Gnu B-street, Capita SMF, Ride Rapture). I take my board down West coast black diamonds, through powder, over chop and ice and it does just fine. For a smaller rider especially, the Pandora is a good alternative to the Infinity.

Both boards would be good on jumps, the Pandora is much easier to press.

@Infinite: She could go with either size, depending on her preferences. Does she go for shorter boards or longer ones? If she's all-mountain and gaining speed, perhaps the 149 would be more appropriate.

@Swarley: With a 5.5 boot, she may have a harder time turning the Infinity and she is a bit small for the 145. However, she could certainly do fine on it as well - personal preference comes into play. I weigh about 105 and wear a size 4 boot. I didn't enjoy the 145 Infinity because I couldn't turn it very well. I think my foot size is the main culprit and may be a factor for your girl as well.

@Cocolulu: You are NOT on the heavier side of the weight range for that board. No way. In fact, a 145cm board is on the long end for a 108 pound rider. Regardless, NS does not publish suggested weight ranges.

cocolulu

Ah you're right. I think it was a weight guide that the seller drew up for the board. Still, I'm loving the board, and I picked it with your help. Luckily I've had no problems turning it.

I've been looking for a park board, shorter (like say 138 or 140) but that's just my stupid silly shopping habit

InfiniteEclipse

Awesome, thank you all for the discussion, its been informative. I'll pass it along

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Swarley

Thanks for the advice and info everyone. FYI I ended up pre-ordering a 2011/2012 NS Pandora 140cm board for the wife. It's a surprise for next season, so I hope she likes it!