wedore

Hey guys, Im looking at buying my first board and cant decide what i should go for. Ive only been 5 times before so id say im beginner-intermediate. Wanting to take the next step and buy instead of rent. I want and all mountain board - more into just cruising round rather than park. something more forgiving like an all terrain rocker (looking at k2 raygun) or i hear the new rage is hybrids camber rocker like the Forum holy moly board...supposedly this is a better board for intermediate-expert riders but i want to keep my board for a while and figure ill get better.

any thoughts?!'

cheers


Will.

Basti

Both camber options are absolutely legit and really a matter of personal preference. If you can't get the chance to demo some boards I'd say go with flat. Others will tell you differently .

I think the Raygun is a very good choice for your skill level. It will help you progress and you will have fun with it for a long time. It's very forgiving and you can take it pretty much everywhere on the mountain.

LTshredTN

consider a Capita indoor survival FK...once i got something other then camber like that board i progressed so much faster!! and it was a awsome board for all over the mtn

phony_stark

The most fun I had last year was on a green machine and on a bataleon whatever.

Out of the two, I'd lean Capita, because it had a sintered base and is easier for a maintenance n00b like myself to wax and edge. Not saying the Bataleon was harder, it was just trickier because of the shape.

Where are you riding?

wedore

I dont know too much about the diff brand etc, just learning about the types of boards now. Im up at falls creek australia today and rode an all mountain rocker style board yesterday with some sweet step in bindings (no more sitting down to strap it). Ive rode in new zealand and wolf creek colorado before too.

Dunno if these new hybrid rockers/cambers with the "wave" shape would be too tech for me. Im not doing any park stuff, just like hammering down the mountain!

poutanen

I second the demo option if possible. Demo as many boards as you can. At 5 times on the hill you're still learning the very basics so the actual board isn't going to make much of a difference at this point.

For what it's worth, even though a lot of people will suggest some form of rocker, riding camber is like learning to drive stick when you first drive a car. Okay so the first day you stall it a couple times (catch your edges) but then you LEARN THE FUCK HOW TO PUSH IN THE CLUTCH!

My GF has learned over the last few years on a camber board, tested out a couple rocker/hybrid boards last year and liked some features but loved getting back on her camber board at the end of the day.

What do ALL of the racers/boardercross guys use? Just sayin...

wrathfuldeity

^This. Learn and master the cambered, if you want something abit more forgiving get a softer instead of a stiffy. Skip the reverse cambered banana shite and then do up the hybrid like a c2btx.

Btw imho there is no such thing as an all-terrain rocker...a rocker/banana board is like using a segway instead of a jeep for all-terrain.

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wedore

lol segway....
i got educated with by:

For Those About To Rocker (We Salute You) - How To Choose The Right Rockered Snowboard

watch that lol

hktrdr

Respect that this is your opinion, but I completely disagree. There is absolutely no need to start on camber and, in fact, there probably is no need for the majority of people to ride cambered boards at all any longer (other than to try/demo/mess around with, of course).
Now, unlike Snowolf I am not ready to declare camber basically dead - I believe that there some applications for which camber is still the best solution (e.g., groomer carving). Problem is that the inherent limitations of camber mean that for most people camber boards are too much of one-trick ponies that do not match the preferred overall riding profile.
Rocker obviously also has its limitations but some of the specific concerns have been addressed through developments in board technology (e.g., edge hold with Magnetraction, Variogrip, etc.) and overall rocker appears to match the desired riding profile of many people quite well. Companies like Arbor make excellent all-mountain rocker boards .
Also, hybrid camber profiles have evolved to the point where they are not just a compromise between camber and rocker but truly the best of both worlds, combining the advantages of camber and rocker without too much of the downsides.

5-10 years ago a soft camber board would have been a good beginner board. It is still not a bad choice, but these days I would almost always advise somebody who is just starting out to go with a rocker or even hybrid board.
For a few people their riding style might evolve in a way that makes camber the best option at some point, but until then and for everybody else there really is no good reason any longer to live with the limitations of camber.

wrathfuldeity

I agree with you, its just two different entry points in to the sport...like learning to drive with an automatic verses a stick and then moving on to paddle shifting. Camber and rocker both have limitations and are both abit of a 1 trick pony...I just like the camber trick of bombing, snaping cross-unders and popping off little nattys better than the rocker trick.

OP just goes to more to whats your style preference, what do you want to learn, how aggressive are you and the terrain you have available to ride. Terrain is a huge part of how you develop...you are what you ride.

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