Neliz

Hey guys, so I'm going to buy new gear for this season. I've been riding for one season, progressing fairly fast, and now that I've got some money in my pocket I felt like it was time to get my own stuff instead of hiring!

The thing is, I'm not 100% on what to buy. I've looked into TBT and it sounds really awesome, even though I've never ridden it it sounds like my kind of board.
I'd say that I'm an all-mountain rider, focusing on pow and park. I haven't ridden a lot of park yet, but I'm going to spend a lot more time there this season since it's great fun! I want a mid-soft board that you can jib around, doing butters and what not, but one that doesn't get unstable in pow or in the pist.

The ones I have looked into is the Lobster Park Board 2013, Lobster Freestyle Board and the Bataleon Airobic 2013. I did look into the Bataleon GW, but it's a bit more expensive than the other ones and I'm not sure if it's worth the extra money. Would be great to get your opinion on this!

I am also going to buy a new pair of bindings. I haven't looked into any specific ones, but I have heard good things about Union, Flux and Switchback so that's what I'm thinking about getting. As with the board, I want an all-mountain binding that's nice to ride on on the whole mountain. I don't really know if I should get a soft or a stiff binding, since I've never owned one before.
Sorry for the long post (and the bad English), but any help on the matter would be very appreciated!

Edge

I'm in a similar boat to you. I've pretty much settled on the Parkboard 2013 with Eiki's Switchbacks. Still looking for boots and the rest of my gear though!

From what I've learned so far, boots are the most important piece of your equipment, and you need something with the perfect fit for you, so make sure you take a look at some of the new releases and old favorites.

Wiredsport

Hi guys,

Stoked to see that you are both getting ramped up this year with your first setups! That is when the fun starts and your progression can go into overdrive.

There is a lot of advice given about what component is the most important: board, boots or bindings. In truth, your gear is only as good as the weakest component. A great board and boots on poor bindings, for instance, are going to come down to the level of the bindings. This does not mean high priced components, just ones that are well designed for your style, well built, well adjusted, and that are a perfect fit for you.

You will get some great advice here. If you could both post up your weights and foot sizes we will all get you some suggestions.

STOKED!

__________________


Gnu | Rome | Bataleon | Flow | Electric | Roxy | Arbor | Flux | Dragon | Neff

http://www.wiredsport.com/?snow
http://www.wiredsport.com/blog/

Neliz

Wow, your post just put a big big smile on my face! Nice to see some cool people around here!
I do realize the importance of having good boots. The reason I didn't mention them in the first post is because boots are so personal that it's hard to give any advice on what boot would be good on my foot.

I weigh about 176-180 lbs, I'm about 6' tall, and I have a size 9.5 on my shoes. The thing about my feet though, are that they're not 9.5s in length, but i need to use that size since I have quite wide feet. The length of my feet are more like 9s, but I guess that doesn't make much of a difference.

Refer to my first post as to what kind of a board and bindings (and boots) I'm looking for! Thanks a lot to everyone that will give advice and help me with this

Wiredsport

Surpisingly, it does make a big difference. All of your foot dimensions will be useful for getting the right size boot but only the length of you foot will help with board sizing. For that reason we suggest that you use foot size not boot size when searching for a deck.

Please measure your foot using this method:

Kick your heel (barefoot please, no socks) back against a wall. Mark the floor exactly at the tip of your toe (the one that sticks out furthest - which toe this is will vary by rider). Measure from the mark on the floor to the wall. That is your foot length and is the only measurement that you will want to use. Measure in centimeters if possible, but if not, take inches and multiply by 2.54 (example: an 11.25 inch foot x 2.54 = 28.57 centimeters).

Thanks again!

__________________


Gnu | Rome | Bataleon | Flow | Electric | Roxy | Arbor | Flux | Dragon | Neff

http://www.wiredsport.com/?snow
http://www.wiredsport.com/blog/

Edge

Thanks for the awesome reply man!

I'm at 140lbs (5"8), and my foot size is 25cm using the method you described! Having some difficulties deciding which Parkboard size I should go for(148 or 151 I'm guessing), and I have no idea where to start with boots.

I'm going to be quitting my job and doing an instructor course over in Canada next season (I live in the UK currently), so I'm looking for some perfect fitting gear to break in this season

Neliz

My feet are according to that method 25 cm long!

Nice hijack of my thread Edge

Wiredsport

Hi, and thanks for the additional info. The Parkboard (even in 148 cm) is over a centimer wider (at the center inserts) than your foot is long. If you then add in normal stance angles you are going to be 2-3 cm inside of the boards edges. I would not suggest that. Are you looking purely for a park board or will this be used for riding trails and pow as well?

__________________


Gnu | Rome | Bataleon | Flow | Electric | Roxy | Arbor | Flux | Dragon | Neff

http://www.wiredsport.com/?snow
http://www.wiredsport.com/blog/

Edge

Hehe my bad dude xD



Damn that's a lot wider than I expected. I'll be using it all-mountain, but focusing on the park. There will be times I'll be taking it into pow (only getting one board for now), but I'll also be buttering around and hitting parks hard.

Neliz

Yea, I'm about in the same situation as he is!