First good board purchase, need you guys help!

[Berserker26]

Hey all,

Been doing a lot of reading of the forum this last week trying to get my head around options for my next board purchase. Have narrowed it down to 5 and I'd appreciate some feedback from you guys as a lot of you have ridden these boards.

Height - 6'1
Weight - 198
Style - mostly groomers in Australia/NZ (light dusting 5-10cm if lucky each night and ice...), like to jump anything that i come across along the way, don't enter the park.....yet....
Boots - DC Judge 2012, size 11
Stance - +15/-5

Old Board: 159 K2 Titan - Mid Wide. Heavy as truck of a thing

Lib Tech: T.Rice Pro
Lib Tech: Skunk Ape - wide
GNU: Billy Goat
GNU: Danny Kass - mid wide
GNU: Riders Choice

First of all I'm trying to decide if I need a wide/mid wide board any more with the new smaller shape of the boots, or if based on my weight i should still get one...if I do or don't it seems like it'll divide the board options by half

Size - I have a 159 now, I rode a friends Skunk Ape 157 and loved it, I'm thinking of going the smaller size however most of the reading on this forum ppl are suggesting larger for my size/weight/style, just wanting to get some clarification on basis for sizing.

Any help is appreciated guys, being here it's pretty difficult to get a test run on any of the boards so if I don't go a skunk ape I'll be trusting the internet, hence all the questions :-)

Thanks heaps

[freshy]

Your pretty much my size and weight and boot size, I would try to avoid the wide boards unless you have to. I got a wide and wouldent say I regret it, I'm used to it now, but you definetly lose some of the nimbleness of a regular board. Guess what I'm saying is my next one won't be a wide.

[jml22]

I like my riders choice a lot!

[Berserker26]

Thanks guys, been looking more at the T.Rice which is a Mid-Wide i've since found out - lib tech website is confusing....anyway - think that will be the go for me. 157!

Plus I can't find many places in Australia that sell the GNU boards that I like.

[jml22]

Same manufacturer anyways

[oldmate]

Do not buy your board in Australia mate, they are a total rip. even after shipping costs the stores here are usually $100-$200 dearer. Except sometimes for lib tech, they aren't always too steep.

Would you look at a proto ct?

[Berserker26]

Originally Posted by oldmate

Do not buy your board in Australia mate, they are a total rip. even after shipping costs the stores here are usually $100-$200 dearer. Except sometimes for lib tech, they aren't always too steep.

Would you look at a proto ct?

Tell me about it - apparently there is a restriction to companies sending a number of board brands overseas, have had a look on a few US websites and they actually list they cannot ship these brands outside the country....ehhh Otherwise I'd love to buy from overseas.

Pretty set on the T.Rice now, but did check out the proto ct, had not heard of it before.