JamesCLN87

Hi guys, I've been reading these boards the last few weeks and found some very good information so now I'm finally starting a thread asking for some advice

To give you a bit of background, I'm currently working in Portland for 3 months, about 6 weeks into that period (I'm Irish but currently living in the Netherlands but my job means i travel for over 6 months a year) and took the opportunity to take up boarding something I've wanted to do for a long time. I've been boarding 7 times now, the first time I took a beginner lesson, the following 2 times I practiced on the short beginner slope then the 4th and 5th times i ventured up to the green and blue runs. However I felt like I needed more lessons so the last 2 times I took green level lessons and have an absolute blast, learnt a ton and have seen a LOT of the mountain (I board at Meadows on Mt.Hood). I've got to the point where I know I love the hobby and want to invest in my own board/bindings to both further enhance by trips in the next 6 weeks (I intend to get another 6 to 8 trips in at both Mt.Hood and prob somewhere in Washington) and to have for next year when I intend to get more boarding done wherever I am! That and I'm sick of using the rental gear I already have everything else including boots (last time out was my first time in my new boots and it was really nice having no heel lift to deal with!) so I figure why not go the whole hog and get a board/bindings since everything is on sale now! I basically want an all mountain board, a good all rounder, I haven't ventured into a park yet but if I do in the future it won't be too big a part of my boarding I'm more interested in flying down the mountain having fun and enjoying the terrain etc.

I was recommended GNU/Libtech boards by quite a few people (friends and instructors and people I got chatting to) so I was looking at the GNU Riders Choice and the Libtech TRS, both fantastic all mountain boards from everything I read but I'm worried they are too advanced for me, so I started looking at the GNU Carbon Credit and the K2 Raygun which both sound perfect for what I want and are both at a really nice pricepoint in the sales. I'm leaning towards the Raygun as I heard it is more aimed at the mountain than the park whereas the CC is slightly more focused towards the park. I'm about 5'10 and around 170 Pounds (can be a bit lower or higher depending) and wear a US10 in my boots so was thinking of a 156, does this sound about right? I'm not sure on bindings yet either, I've read good things about K2 Formulas though, would they be a good choice ?

Any advice/information on the boards I've mentioned would be great aswell as any advice on any advice on other brands etc. that would be suitable for what I'm after, I've read a lot of threads on here which led me to the above choices and I'm looking for some more advice before I pull the trigger. Money isn't an issue per se, but at the same time I want good bang for my buck and not to get something that's way beyond my skill level, I want a board I can grow with over time that'll last me a long time! I hope I provided enough information about what I'm after, thanks a lot!

schmitty34

I did not read your whole post. But I skimmed it

Both the Raygun and GNU CC are great first boards. I wouldn't say the CC is real park oriented and should perform all over the mountain pretty similar to the Raygun.

The main differences between the two boards is that the Raygun is a flat camber and the CC has C2BTX. When I rode the Raygun I liked the way it felt in soft snow and powder, but didn't like it as much when carving or riding crud. I like the C2BTX for this a little better since I feel like it holds an edge real well. However, I've never been on the CC, only on higher end C2BTX boards like the Riders Choice, Dark Series and TRice (my board).

Both are good boards so the main thing would be if you like what the two different camber profiles give you. Also, if you want extra edge hold with the MTX on the CC.

lo0p

I bought a CC as my first board and I love it. It does well all over the mountain.
It doesn't have C2BTX however, it's just BTX. Anyway, great first board, and MTX is awesome.
Never tried the Raygun, can't comment on that one.

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.lo0p

schmitty34

Oh, my bad...I thought the newer CC had C2.

In that case, the major difference would be if you like the idea of MTX for extra edge hold with ice.

Triple8Sol

Don't overthink it...it's your first board. Pull the trigger.

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14 NeverSummer Proto HD . 13 Never Summer Cobra . 12 Gnu Rider's Choice C2PTX
13 Now IPO . 12 K2 Formula . 11 K2 Formula
13 NB x 686 580

JamesCLN87

Ended up pulling the trigger on the GNU CC, went to 30% off on evo and they had one left in my size figured it wads faith! Can't wait to try it out now!

Triple8Sol

Congrats! Evo is one of my fav local shops, so thx for supporting them haha

__________________
14 NeverSummer Proto HD . 13 Never Summer Cobra . 12 Gnu Rider's Choice C2PTX
13 Now IPO . 12 K2 Formula . 11 K2 Formula
13 NB x 686 580

schmitty34

Ditto. I will be there day one for the March Madness sale to stock up on goodies. Bought my TRice there last year. Can't beleive they had so much good stuff still on the racks in March.

And from the look of your signature, you are one of their fav customers ;-)

pwnedd

Nice. I've been looking into the same two boards myself. Mostly been doing all-mountain, but started venturing into the park a little and doing some of the smaller jumps and rails.

What did you end up going with for boots and bindings?

JamesCLN87

I got K2 Formula Bindings and K2 UFO boots, I basically went into a store and tried on a bunch of boots and picked the ones that fitted best which was the UFOs!