darkmoone

All right. I've been reading a ton on these forums and elsewhere. I am looking to get myself a board and would love any feedback/input the forum members here have. What I would like to keep in mind is I want a board I'll be excited about 2-3 years down the road when I've got more skill, even if that means it takes some getting used to and is not as comfortable in the shorter term. Ideally I would demo them all, but 1. There aren't local shops that have demos for all of these and 2. I'd love feedback on boards that may not feel ideal now but I can grow into.

About myself:
This is my 1st year snowboarding. Have been skiing for around 20 years and decided to give it a try since my son's doing it and have been hooked . I've been up maybe 4-5 times so far this season so I'm boarding blues fine and will likely be going down blacks by end of season.

Ride style - I'm more of a freeride all-mountain boarder. Groomers, Powder (when its here), some off-piste eventually. I have fun with jumps and such but so far not doing a ton of tricks. May try the part one day but not a top priority of mine. Directional twin may be ideal, but I'm open to true twins or directionals as well.

Physical - I'm 6', 195lbs, with size 10 feet. (Already bought myself some Jackson BOA snowboard boots).

Location - Seattle Area. Mainly good old PNW heavy snow

Boards I've Been Considering:

• Never Summer Heritage - Snowwolf's reviews are fantastic. Seem's like it could be a great board. Quality seems super. Camber/Rocker/Camber setup seems like it has some good advantages and Snowwolf rides in this neck of the woods. I'm also curious around the Legacy/SL boards if they may be better suited. Tough call.
• Capita Black Snowboard of Death - Great reviews across the board from what I've seen. The Rocker/Camber/Rocker seems like it may be more suited for my level, but again I want something I'll love in the long run. (That's not to say this setup could't be that)
• Arbor Element CX - I actually demo'd this board and really liked it. I also demo'd the Rossignol Angus and preferred the Arbor. Only boards to compare with though are the cheap rental Burtons.

If you have one of these boards I'd love your input/feedback based on what I stated above.

I'd also be interested in other suggestions I am maybe not considering. Next time I'm up I'll likely be demo'ing a LibTech TRS so I may throw that into the mix too.

Regards,
Darkmoone

WasatchMan

If you're in the PNW, I'd go with the Element RX as opposed to the traditional camber.

I also think the SL would be a better match for a beginner than the Heritage. You'll have a lot more fun as it's more playful.

The TRS is also a great board for PNW conditions, I'd also check out the Ride Berzerker.

darkmoone

Wasatchman,

Thanks for the input. I'll have to see if I can try the Arbor RX (was wondering about that), and maybe the Ride Berserker as well. Now I'm looking more forward to trying the TRS this weekend too

Nolefan2011

Just rode the TRS today. Solid board, but came away disappointed. Pretty squirely. I keep trying to find a better board than the T Rice, and continue to fall short.

Nobody on here will tell you what you want. You need to demo. For instance, do you like a loose feel, or stable flat basing. Do you want extra edge tech, or do you prefer boards that arent grippy. Do You like camber between the bindings, rocker, or have you considered flat like K2 likes to utilize. How damp do you want your board? How important is torsional flex?

Go demo. Try different profiles, try different edge tech. Nobody can tell you what your riding style will be.

For first year riders, I always generically suggest Never Summer. Super damp, super stable, very good edge tech. Will get you comfortably through the chop in the afternoon, plow everything, super stable for combo profiles, and are built like tanks.

Off the little info I have, try and SL. Gives you room to grow freestyle wise, can bomb a hill, and plow through chop and crud better than most.

hawaiinboarder

I have an arbor roundhouse. Basically same board just the wide. I live it, super stable and fast.

darkmoone

Nolefan,

Thanks for the reply. I do understand feedback here won't replace demo'ing a board. I'd love to demo them all but unfortunately can't.

I've had a friend mention the flat profile from K2. Perhaps I'll try that as well.

It's good to hear your comments around NS boards. Maybe that's a place to start. I'll try a few more this season and then make a decision. That said, I love hearing people's feedback so I appreciate that.

Basti

One of my boards is a NS Heritage and what I can tell you is this: I love it a lot because it is very damp and stable but still light and more playful than some other sticks in that category. It also jumps absolutely fine, even though there are better boards for that, of course. The camber sections could be a bit tricky for a beginner but you seem more like an intermediate and after de-tuning the edges a bit you will love it. Quality is prime and the black top sheet looks good. It's one of the less ugly boards in NS's line-up. If you want a freeride board with some freestyle in it, I'd say go for it. If you want a freestyle board with some freeride in it, consider the SL. It's a bit more playful but also less damp.

darkmoone

Basti,

Thanks for the feedback on the NS Heritage. I think I'm leaning that direction but now it would be between the Heritage or SL. Or perhaps I wait for the 2013 Cobra I saw Snowwolf start to cover.

I'll be trying either the TRS or T-Rice tomorrow. We got some snow recently so may go for the T-Rice. We'll see.

Anyone with experience on the Capita BSOD? I see a ton of good reviews on Evo.com but don't see much on these forums.

linvillegorge

The BSOD is a great bombing board, but I think the RC'ed Heritage would be more versatile for you.

IMO, if you're going with a one board quiver, I'd consider going with the SL over the Heritage. The SL is Never Summer's do it all stick. Despite NS labeling the Heritage as a "big mountain freestyle" board, I still consider it to be a little more freeride biased.

If you want to go everywhere and do it fairly well, it's hard to beat the SL. If you plan on being a little more freeride/powder oriented, go with the Heritage. That's just my two cents.

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jdang307

I have to agree with NS being a great beginner board. Not just for beginners of course, but the dampness really helps you build confidence. I went from a stiff cambered Technine board right into the SL and my confidence to go fast jumped big time. I moved to a softer Evo this season and while less damp, it still handled speed surprisingly well. I started jumps on the SL and it was very stable on landings for me. I'm a novice there of course, and my jumps are speed bumps compared to everyone else but it instilled confidence.

After my Denver trip I found myself wanting to go faster and jump more so I picked up a Coda, just to see what the fuss about System is all about, but the never summer sticks still rank high in my opinion for damp, fit and finish, and build quality. That evo base took some pop shots and I didn't even find evidence of it after.

I think the SL would be a good board to start with. One thing I did was beveled the edge to 1/1, and detuned the tip tail, and slightly detuned the contact points on my last Evo (I've had two). made a subtle but noticeable difference. It was definitely hooky out of the box if you get lazy or sloppy.