Varza

Hi everyone!

As the lengthy threat title says, I've been almost drowning in the multitude of options available these days. First, a little about me:

I am female, 5'6" and 140 lbs. I ride skateboards goofy and it seems to have transferred over to snowboarding. I just started out during Christmas week by taking three days of lessons. It was the best thing I could have done. In 3 days, I only properly faceplanted... twice. Impressive record, no? But seriously, I am working on improving my turn linking and I have a dumb tendency to catch edges, which I would like to lose.

I've been doing some research, as I would like to get my own gear as soon as possible. But that won't be until around spring this year, I am on a tiny student budget and thus waiting for the sales is a requirement for me.

Some boards I've been looking at (and drooling over):

GNU B-Nice 148
Ride Compact 147 or 150 - this one has no weight specs on their site and when I checked evo... the weight limits on it seem to be extremely low.
K2 Sky Lite 148 - not sure I want a completely flat base
Burton Social 147 - not quite as good reviews as the others. I dunno...

A local shop still has a K2 Lunatique on sale. Not sure of the size though. Worth jumping on?

I've seen the GNU B-Street recommended on here. It looks good, but I think it's almost out of my price range. If it's really amazing and totally worth it, I might pony up. I've also looked into Never Summer, but they are a tad on the pricey side and might be a bit stiff for a nooblord like me. Or should I just look for a pure cambered board? Suggestions?

Basically, I would like a twin (or near twin) board, as I looove riding switch and would like to learn spins and butters soon. For the moment I enjoy just going down the slope at a comfortable pace (no, I won't race you), but I think I would like to try some park at some point (jumps mainly, they look like tons of fun). I'd like a board that will work for me as a beginner but that I can stay with for a while - again, due to budget concerns.

I know about extruded vs. sintered (will the difference really affect me?), and about the different board profiles. I read my brains out on the internet

Bindings - I am completely lost here. What are some good binding companies/models? I looked at stuff like Burton Stilettos, GNU B-True and Union Flite and they all seem like they would work equally well for me. Those and more! What am I missing?

Boots - I know, I know: the most important piece of gear I plan to go to the local stores and try a bunch on until I find something I like. My guess is they will be on the softer side.

That's it! Sorry for boring you with such a long post!

stealthyc

Can't comment on the other boards you are looking at, but the B-Nice is a great board for what you say you want to do...it butters well and the rocker will help you catch fewer edges. It's also a pretty flexy board so it would serve you well starting out in the park. Magnetraction helps you keep an edge cruising around. It's an all around solid choice.

blockay

magnetraction is the shit ^ i would definitely consider looking at boards with magnetraction. bindings are a key part of your board, there are different sizes of bindings, make sure you find the one that fits your foot right. and depending on the board you get, i recommend getting a binding with an equal or very similar stiffness rating. pretty colors are always fun too =]

poutanen

And it seems like you've done your research!!! Main thing is for a beginner to get a proper sized board, and one that's not too stiff, too soft, too rockered, too cambered, or any other "too"... With all due respect you're not really going to be able to tell the difference in most boards until you've got a lot more boarding under your belt.

Every noob wants to buy good equipment, and that makes sense, but take your own advice and focus on the boots. Get boots that fit WELL, then get bindings that work WELL, and then get the board. Chances are you'll want something different in a year or two anyway so no need to go crazy on a board now... you can move good boots and bindings to another board down the road.

Enjoy!

Oh yeah, just to keep the forum drinking game going: my GF started on a K2 Luna 149 (the predecessor to the Lunatique) and she's about 5'6" and 145 lb. She just bought a Prior Brandywine camber 153 and she's STOKED!!! But she has about 50 days of riding under her belt, about 6 lessons, and is ready for a more focused board.

Varza

Thanks a lot for the replies and advice, guys!

@poutaten - I know very well that I don't know anything and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I'd never take offense at someone saying that. Thanks for the advice! I have it hammered in that I'll be getting my boots first, but didn't know about bindings coming in second.

So I guess then I'll be on the lookout for a cheap board and practice and save up over a year or two for a more specialized one. Makes perfect sense to me. And heck, I am even having fun on RENTALS for now! The rental boots are significantly less fun tho :P

poutanen

Perfect plan! Yeah I didn't mean to sound harsh but so many people focus on the board and end up with cheap bindings, only to replace both parts a year later. If you get some good mid-price bindings (Burton Scribes are a nice binding that should last), and go for a cheaper board, you'll be excited to be able to get a great second board when you know more about yourself, and the bindings can go with you...

Welcome to the sport!