Need new board, got big feet

Hey everyone i need some serious advice. Im lookin to buy my first board. One major problem tho, I have size 14 feet, which can only make for huge boots. I have been off the hills for about a year, but before that, my toes and heels were causing some nasty lowside wipeouts on hard turns because of their dragging and even lifting the edge off the snow. Here's a little about me. I've been snowboarding since i was about 9, all rentals up till now. Im 19, 6'2" and 200 pounds. Like i said i have 14 feet, and i was wondering if anyone had advice on how to fix the problem, wider board suggestions, binding risers, anything. I like to ride a 50 50 mix of speed carving runs and getting some grabs in the park and pipe. Right now im getting into snowkiting cuz at college here in east north dakota, there are no hills lol. But my point is, im already on a tight budget and i honestly dont want an expensive board because i know im going to nick it up on stumps and rocks in the fields already. I can use all the advice you have on size estimates, binding types, foot size solutions, and maybe a company that is know for their wide boards. Thanks for your help.

[schmitty34]

So are you buying all new stuff? If so, the best way to start is with boots because fit is very important and boots are the worst thing to rent.

With size 14 feet you just need a wide board and should be fine without risers. There are a ton of wide options with 2009 boards and a pretty good selection from 2008 if you can still find them.

How tight is your budget? If you are willing to spend $300-$400 on a board you will have a ton of options for wide boards from all of the major companies. If you need to go lower than that, you may want to look for last year's boards or you are looking at more of a beginners set from some of the cheaper brands. As for boots, get the boots that fit best and feel good. You don't want to go cheap there and will probably need to spend between $150 and $250 depending on what type of boot you want (i.e. normal laces, boa, or other lacing systems).

A little more info about price for the board and I could give some more specific suggestions for a starting point.

P.S. I have size 12 feet so I have been looking at wide boards a ton over the last year.

Hey thanks! my budget is pretty tight, I was hoping for a board and maybe bindings under 300. I really have to say that this board is going to get the crap beat out of it. Until I get around more hills, all I am doing with it is snowkiting across all types of farm fields filled with dirt chunks, rocks, stumps, you name it. Im really ok with basement bottom equipment. This will not be my hill board, just something that wont break in half. I could use some advice on board size too. However, like you said with the boots, I would like to sink some well spent money into boots, those I can transfer. let me know if you have any more questions, thanks again!

if u whant a cheep board that should last for a while get a zuma or snowjam there decent they should have somthing there for you

[schmitty34]

Hmmmm....I'm not sure I can help you there because I never looked at realy cheap boards and have no idea what type/size board you want for what you just described. Are you even hitting a mountain with this board or just messing around on a farm?

If you were looking for a board for normal purposes I would suggest a wide board in the 160-165 range for length...but that also depends on what you will use it for.

[lisevolution]

I got a board for you... I have an Avalanche Classic 168W that is definitely too long for hill riding but would be fine for what you are trying to do. I'll sell it to you for $50+ shipping. For bindings look into TechNine as I believe they may be the only ones who even make bindings that can actaully hold a 14 boot. I'm 6'3 250ish and wear a size 13 so I know your issues. The avalanche I have was ridden maybe 4X since I bought it.

If you get some boots with a low profile like my Burton Ruler's then you can knock your boot down to the footprint of a 13 which every little helps. I have size 12 US and it has helped loads on my 260mm wide board.