[retxed]

I am a beginner/intermediate rider in Portland, Oregon riding at Mt. Hood Meadows. I am 5'8 140 pounds and after research, I am leaning towards the Rome Solution 156 and the Rome Arsenal bindings both at zumiez. I wear a size 10.5 sneaker so I am guessing boot size will be around there as well. I want to get a board+binding combo that will last for awhile and help me progress. I ride all-mountain and as my skill improves, I will probably look into some freestyle(jumps, halfpipes, etc). My question is, would my proposed set up meet my needs?

[sedition]

How much $ you have to drop on this whole set up?

[hipbone]

Hold up, your an beginer/intermeditate, but dont know your boot size? Sure it can vary a little bit between different brands/styles, but you should have a better idea than your stree shoe size.

Before you buy at zumiez look online for your board + bindings. You can normally find them for much much cheaper online.

[sedition]

DO NOT, EVER, buy boots w/o trying them on first. EVER.

[retxed]

I can spend 300-350 on a board and 100-200 on bindings. It can go higher if the board/bindings in question are worth it. My boot size is 10.5-11 depending on boot.

[retxed]

bumpppppppppppppppppp

[Froggyste]

just dont get a solution! i had one and its a good all freeride board ye, but if ur sayin u want to progress to half pipes n jumps n so on its a crappy board.
pop is average, shit for half pipe and awful for rails.
plus itll de-lam in about a month if used regularly

[sedition]

Originally Posted by retxed

bumpppppppppppppppppp

The companies I know the most about are Rome, Burton, and Never Summer. Hence, I talk about what I know. There are plenty of other good companies out there. Atomic. Gnu. Ride. Stepchild. K2. Etc. I'll leave others with more knowledge to talk about those.


$300 - $350 is going to put you on the "inexpensive" side of decks, assuming you pay MSRP. You want to get an "all-mountain" board based on what kind of riding you said you do / intend to do.

ROME:
The Rome Solution, an overall inexpensive deck, retails for $390. Other Rome decks in your budget are the Vinyl, Manual (made for people with bigger feet, might be a good idea to look into this one), and the Crail. Rome makes good stuff, and they have great customer service, so don't be put off by these being their "cheap" boards.

BURTON:
Check out the Burton Elite. MSRP $360. It's one of the mid-range All-Mountain decks. I used to to own one. It's a decent ride. The King is wide (for big feet), and can also look into the Clash and the Bullet. You could also check out the Blunt, but that board is a little more geared toward park riding.

NEVER SUMMER:
They make great decks, but nothing is close to your price range.

In getting all this shit, this is the order you should do it in:

(1) Buy boots, FIRST. Make sure you try them on. Wear them for a bit. Make sure the are comfortable.

(2) Buy bindings next. You need to get bindings that jive with your boots. Sometimes Boot X and Binding Y will not be that compatable. This is why you want to buy boots first. The Arsenls are good, and fit with most boots, from what I know.

(3) With the money you have left over from boots / bindings, THEN start looking for a deck.

[sedition]

Originally Posted by Froggyste

just dont get a solution! i had one and its a good all freeride board ye, but if ur sayin u want to progress to half pipes n jumps n so on its a crappy board.
pop is average, shit for half pipe and awful for rails.
plus itll de-lam in about a month if used regularly

To the OP...

Be aware that every "all mountain" board is going to be a Jack of all trades, and an Ace of none. That said, any all-mountain board is going to less than ideal for any place you take it. However, they WILL allow you to reasonably ride everything the mountain has to throw at you. I also know plenty of people who have had the Solution and had no issue with any de-laming.

[livelyjay]

You can get a decent board for less than $350 on closeout. I got my Rome Agent for $230 shipped when it's $470 MSRP. I probably spent $440 on all my new gear back in March/April. It's an all-mountain board too, but geared towards park. I can't comment on it though since the snow was gone before I could ride it. I bought it because I knew I would be doing about 50/50 freeride/park, and my park riding will be jumps, rails, and boxes ... no half pipe for me, at least not yet.

Follow sedition's advice above, buy your boots first as that's the most immediate part of comfort. I mean if your feet hurt your not going to want to use the rest of your gear any ways. You get what you pay for just like anything else, spend a little extra and get some nice comfy boots. I bought bindings made by the came company that made my boots, so there wasn't any concern with fitment there.

I have Ride bindings and boots and the company is great to deal with. I emailed them about the boots and bindings, what sizes I should consider, etc. Also when my dinging lock washers got destroyed from me tinkering they sent me new ones free of charge. I can't speak for quality since I haven't used my gear from them yet, but their customer support is amazing.