buying my first board - Snowboarding Forum

11-16-2008, 10:21 PM

Hello, I have been riding for many years, and have been on rental equipment for way too long.
For this coming season, i have decided to finally shell out the money for my own stuff.
I'm gonna need a complete set up with board, bindings, and boots, and would like to keep it around 500$

first off: is this a reasonable price for a decent set-up? and if not, what should i expect to pay?

secondly: what size board do i need? I'm rather tall and skinny at 6'3" and about 155lbs. and should i go wide? my shoe size is a us12.
...i usually only get to the snow about 12 days out of the season, and when i do, conditions aren't always optimal. I prefer speed and carving and haven't spent much time in the park. however, as i said, conditions aren't always great and i often find myself stuck with icy or man made snow, unable to find powder.

Third: with this information in mind, what boards would you guys recommend?

any help and advice you could give is much appreciated.
thanks.

arsenic0 · 11-17-2008, 01:00 AM

Personally if it was me i would spend 2/3rds of that cash on boots/bindings and the remainder on board. ~200ish on boots, 125-150ish on bindings and the rest on board. Your best bet is to buy a good pair of fitting boots, then find a good burton or some other larger brand board/binding combo package..or buy used on craigslist/ebay. You can get some killer deals off those sites if you arent looking for a specific board...

I wouldnt recommend used boots though, unless they have only been ridden a few times..

legallyillegal · 11-17-2008, 01:33 AM

Never ever ever ever ever buy used boots. Ever.

Boots become worthless as soon as you do anything in them (other than putting them on).

11-17-2008, 02:51 AM

yeah, used boots are okay to have around as spares once you've gone through them,
but definitely not something to buy.
try on lots of pairs and wear any pair you intend to buy for a good 5 or 10 minutes..
even strap into your setup if possible.

as far as pricing goes,
i've made the habit of buying equipment from the year before.
this means plenty of extensive reviews are available,
and you get things upwards of %70 cheaper.
(average savings probably around %40 off, in my experience.)

now is a good time for this, because everyone is getting their new stock in, has had their new stock in, and they're trying to get rid of old shit.
i always get past season clothes, too.

my bindings were $90,
this years model is like 140 if you get a good deal on em.

my first boots were originally worth $220+ and i got them for $129 the next year.

my board was $280 and cost 5-something last year.

old stock is the way to go if you don't have a problem not getting the newest thing.
saves a lot of money, allowing you to buy top notch stuff from the previous year.

as far as actual equipment goes..
i've got a similar build to you, at 6'2" and about 165-175, and i'm happy with a 156, but i'm also a boot size 10. considering your foot size, you could consider a mid-wide board, but know that such a decision would mean increased stability at the expense of response speed.

other than that,
i can't get terribly specific about what equipment you should look into.

11-17-2008, 01:36 PM

Thanks for all the help guys, one last thing.
where would you recommend buying? I will most definately get boots locally, but is there a preferable website for boards/bindings?

Also, while I realize just about anything will be beter than rental gear, is there any particular brand which I should really avoid?

Thanks for the help.

11-17-2008, 01:58 PM

Quote:

is there any particular brand which I should really avoid?

as far as brands go, this is subjective.
regardless of the company, exercise extreme caution around anything one might perceive as gimmicky.

Flick Montana · 11-17-2008, 04:43 PM

Brands are subjective, but I would recommend you stay away from cheap brands of boots because they are usually uncomfortable in my experience. Cheap bindings also tend to break. I broke a friend's 5150 bindings that I borrowed in just 2 runs and I'm not even that aggressive.

I believe in spending more and getting the best experience. If it is all you can afford, go for it. You'll still have fun, but with the cheap boots I used I had to stop every hour or so and take them off because they hurt.

11-16-2008, 10:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
GreatBallsOfire Guest Posts: n/a	buying my first board Hello, I have been riding for many years, and have been on rental equipment for way too long. For this coming season, i have decided to finally shell out the money for my own stuff. I'm gonna need a complete set up with board, bindings, and boots, and would like to keep it around 500$ first off: is this a reasonable price for a decent set-up? and if not, what should i expect to pay? secondly: what size board do i need? I'm rather tall and skinny at 6'3" and about 155lbs. and should i go wide? my shoe size is a us12. ...i usually only get to the snow about 12 days out of the season, and when i do, conditions aren't always optimal. I prefer speed and carving and haven't spent much time in the park. however, as i said, conditions aren't always great and i often find myself stuck with icy or man made snow, unable to find powder. Third: with this information in mind, what boards would you guys recommend? any help and advice you could give is much appreciated. thanks.

11-17-2008, 01:33 AM	#3 (permalink)
legallyillegal -LIFETIME MEMBER- Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: fuck Snowboarding Posts: 4,448	Never ever ever ever ever buy used boots. Ever. Boots become worthless as soon as you do anything in them (other than putting them on). __________________ THERE ARE SPECIFIC REASONS AS TO WHY I AM MORE LOCAL THAN YOU GOD IS DONUT

11-17-2008, 02:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
Loricybin Guest Posts: n/a	yeah, used boots are okay to have around as spares once you've gone through them, but definitely not something to buy. try on lots of pairs and wear any pair you intend to buy for a good 5 or 10 minutes.. even strap into your setup if possible. as far as pricing goes, i've made the habit of buying equipment from the year before. this means plenty of extensive reviews are available, and you get things upwards of %70 cheaper. (average savings probably around %40 off, in my experience.) now is a good time for this, because everyone is getting their new stock in, has had their new stock in, and they're trying to get rid of old shit. i always get past season clothes, too. my bindings were $90, this years model is like 140 if you get a good deal on em. my first boots were originally worth $220+ and i got them for $129 the next year. my board was $280 and cost 5-something last year. old stock is the way to go if you don't have a problem not getting the newest thing. saves a lot of money, allowing you to buy top notch stuff from the previous year. as far as actual equipment goes.. i've got a similar build to you, at 6'2" and about 165-175, and i'm happy with a 156, but i'm also a boot size 10. considering your foot size, you could consider a mid-wide board, but know that such a decision would mean increased stability at the expense of response speed. other than that, i can't get terribly specific about what equipment you should look into. Last edited by Loricybin; 11-17-2008 at 02:54 AM.

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11-17-2008, 01:00 AM	#2 (permalink)
arsenic0 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Hillsboro, Oregon Posts: 2,106	Personally if it was me i would spend 2/3rds of that cash on boots/bindings and the remainder on board. ~200ish on boots, 125-150ish on bindings and the rest on board. Your best bet is to buy a good pair of fitting boots, then find a good burton or some other larger brand board/binding combo package..or buy used on craigslist/ebay. You can get some killer deals off those sites if you arent looking for a specific board... I wouldnt recommend used boots though, unless they have only been ridden a few times..

11-17-2008, 01:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
GreatBallsOfire Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks for all the help guys, one last thing. where would you recommend buying? I will most definately get boots locally, but is there a preferable website for boards/bindings? Also, while I realize just about anything will be beter than rental gear, is there any particular brand which I should really avoid? Thanks for the help.

11-17-2008, 04:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
Flick Montana Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Beech Grove, Indiana sigh Posts: 4,168	Brands are subjective, but I would recommend you stay away from cheap brands of boots because they are usually uncomfortable in my experience. Cheap bindings also tend to break. I broke a friend's 5150 bindings that I borrowed in just 2 runs and I'm not even that aggressive. I believe in spending more and getting the best experience. If it is all you can afford, go for it. You'll still have fun, but with the cheap boots I used I had to stop every hour or so and take them off because they hurt.