Looking for board advice

[Lodes]

Hi there everyone!

So I have been looking for a new board. This is my second season snowboarding and the board I am currently riding just doesn't feel right for me. What I am currently riding is an older (08/09 i think) forum symbol. Its VERY stiff (do they make 10/10 boards?), aggressive camber and a 160w. I have crazy problems with turn initiation (i'm new), I constantly catch my edge (both ) everywhere on the mountain. I just don't like the board and feel its not my riding style. I'm an all mountain guy. I will be starting to hit natural features this year and trying to catch small air.

So me;
Height: 6'
Weight: 175-190
Boots: 2011 Burton Moto size 11 (im pretty sure they have the reduced foot print tech)
Stance: 15/-15

So what I was looking at for my board, was the Ride Machete. I've had problems on the net finding a decent review. But what I can find, people say its more of an all mountain one board quiver as opposed to a park board as its advertised.

Is the Machete a good choice for me? I want something easy to ride, fun to ride and a skill progression board.

Sizing, recommendations, other boards? any input would be helpful

[Nivek]

Honestly if you're into all mountain, check out the Signal Omni, Flow Drifter, and K2 Raygun. All are better priced decks but ride really well. BA's choice of K2 decks is the Raygun, The Omni was one of the funnest quiver killers I've ridden, and the Drifter is up there the same. Super good. DO IT UP.

[MeanJoe]

I somewhat agree, if you are looking for all-mountain there are better options out there than the Ride. A couple of comments:

Camber boards are great for stability, pop, and hard carving. One of the costs of a camber board is the tips/tails are less forgiving and can easily catch if you are not on top of your game. When you say you are catching edges, a rocker or rocker/camber profile may help you there as they are a bit more forgiving at the tip/tail. A rocker, or rocker/camber profile helps get those contact edges in the tip/tail up a little bit more when not under flex and thus you get less "catches" of those edges. Of course the cost of that is they tend to feel a bit more "surfy". In my opinion, and I'm an old guy who started boarding back when all boards were camber, learning on a camber board is good cause it will force you to be precise in controlling your board and edges. That being said, catching your edges and falling a lot when learning really sucks and if you are not comfortable on your board you are not going to progress. Eventually your board becomes an extension of you, you don't even think about turn initiation and all those fine movements that go into controlling a board. If this board, or camber, is not for you - then switch up to something else.

One other area that may be causing you a problem is your boots. Burton Moto's are really bargain-basement boots with very little support. (Not knocking Burton, I love their boots and rode Moto's before as a price-conscious purchase decision. Moto's just are not very good boots.) For freestyle and park you may prefer a softer boot for easier tweaking of grabs and jibbing, nothing wrong with that. However, softer boots also mean less direct energy from your movements are transmitted to your board. Think of it this way, when you try to turn in a soft boot you lose a lot of that movement/energy to your boots flexing above the binding straps, primarily at the ankle. The binding/soft boot combo will turn the board but it is... a slower reaction at the board to your movements. A stiffer boot will result in a more immediate and direct transfer of that motion of the boot/binding into the board. A stiffer boot can really help you with control. You don't need the stiffest boots you can find, more a mid-stiff QUALITY boot.

MeanJoe