Snowboard Recommendations

So....what is a "rocker" board? I've heard that a couple of times now and haven't been able to figure it out by the context....

 

For boots I really like the heat-moldable liners like what ThirtyTwo makes. You buy the boots and they put liners in the oven, then you put them on with boots while they're still hot and it sets liners to conform to your feet. Do not ignore uncomfortable boots, it may lead to long-term damage to your toes and toe nails that you can do nothing about but wait for a year or two.

 

Recommendations? Wear a helmet and stay on the runs.

Snowboarders' deadly month puts focus on safety

 

A rocker board has a different sidcut and flex so that a shorter board has more edge to hold a turn but the over all length can be shorter so its more manuverable. Different companies have different rockers never summer has the best one that I have tested. It hold an edge better and you can ride a much smaller board because of the way the board holds an edge. It also rides really well in powder. Also check out union bindings. I don't like burton bindings because they have way to much forward cant for my tastes. Union is top quality and much more comfortable. Where are you located there are demos at the mountains where you can test all the boards before you buy.

 

never skimp on boots. so crucial to a happy day of riding. if you have cheap boots your feet will hate you.

salomon malamute boots are amazing. super light, yet stiff and comfy. moldable liners with heel lock.

i'm also a fan of northwave boots.

burton ions and rulers are good too, along with the upper end thritytwo boots. get a boot with a quick lace system. so much nicer than having to crank on the laces and worry about them coming loose when you have all of your gear on....

if riding in michigan as well as out west once in a while, you should look in to lib tech's magne traction boards. much easier to ride on hard packed snow and ice. they make a few boards with this type of edge.

http://www.lib-tech.com/snow/snowboards/skunk-apes/

 

I'm 6', 160lbs and ride a 161cm K2 Turbo Dream with Union Force bindings and Burton Ambush boots. Love the board and bindings. The boots could be better. Boots' high points are they're super light and perfectly comfortable down to 0 degrees with toe warmers. My boots work the best when I'm wearing the thinnest pair of nylon dress socks imaginable. I found this out when my girlfriend and I forgot to pack the "right" socks. I almost killed her until things started working out really well. What I don't like about them is they're a size 11.5 and I have to crank my L/XL bindings all the way down to the last notch to get them tight. Some of Burton's boots run a little small.

I live in Colorado. We get powder, hence the longish board. I started going this season and got pretty good at it really fast all by myself. I like the back bowls at Copper and Breck when it's nice. When it's crappy up top I like to do laps through the park and bomb through the trees.

Strange bit of advice I've heard more than once: Ski companies make better boards than snowboard companies by and large.

 

I'll check out the lib tech magne traction. There's one on Ebay right now, actually. What I do need is exactly what you mentioned...something that works well on hardpack and ice, but will still ride ok out West.

I lived in Colorado for 6 years, and still go out there all the time (although not to ski / board! - WTF?!?). I used to ski back bowls at Vail and such. Copper was prolly my favorite place, although Winter Park / MJ was pretty close.

 

AR1 - you should try to find a cheap used 165-168 or so for the big pow days. you will love life. 161 is not long for someone 6' and 160. especially for out there.

at copper, take the sierra chair up and when you get off cut waaay left and keep heading riders left. try to stay as high as you can while traversing. you'll end up in the trees west of the 'far west' run. the higher you can stay while traversing the better. super good tree riding up there just out of bounds. when you cut back in you can hit the 'timberline' lift and get back up kinda quick.

for days with no fresh snow, you can always find fresh lines up at the top of far west out of bounds. for days with snow it's epic up there.

 

If you want a dedicated powder/trees board, do yourself a favor and get a Burton Fish. Big boards just don't do it once you've tried the Fish.

 

My suggestion is don't rush the purchase and buy your gear around May when everything goes on massive sale. trusnow.com has killer prices/gear.

I rented a good setup in Park City last year right from a shop at the base of the mountain. It was about $80 for 4 full days. Depending on who you fly with, you may pay close to that in luggage fees anyways.

Don't discount Flow bindings b/c everyone says they're crap. They got a bad wrap in the past, but have come a long way, and if you're looking for simplicity and just cruising the mountain, a nice new set are totally worth looking into. Several pros use them, if they're good enough for them, they're good enough for any casual rider. I use the 2010 Quattros and have never came out of them or had problems. I'm constantly waiting on friends sitting on the ground to strap up coming off the lift. I now know why skiers get irritated waiting for a boarder. The more time getting up and down to mess with bindings is more energy wasted not riding. my 2c.

 

Other answer missed it. Its not a sidecut change, its a change in the camber of the board. Board is shaped more like a smile, opposite of a cambered board that rises in the middle.

Benefits are a looser and more playful feel. Tend to float better in pow. Negatives are less feel in regards to ultimate edge grip.

Like anything though, these are generalizations There are a ton of variations on the theme and they all ride differently. Making another generalization, I tend to ride rocker boards when I want to have fun dorking around and there is some decent snow around but not enough to warrant a full on pow stick. If its hardpack/groomer/high speed day, then I'll ride a stiffer cambered board.

 

THAT is the answer that I was looking for....thanks!

mountainlion...I've got the info for the shop you're talking about - I think there are actually two at the base of the mountain. And you're right...baggage check fees are likely to be close to that $80 any way. I might just do that while figuring out a set up to use to messing around here in MI and the occasional winter trip to CO.

 

I was the Ride rep for years and sold a bunch of other stuff, northwave, dc, twist, scott and others for over 15 years.

Forget the stuff about labels, any of the top companies make good stuff, ride, k2, burton, lib, etc..They all have something different but if you buy a new board in the 400 to 450 price range you'll get a setup that will do all you need from any of them.

Forget the specific size stuff as well, it's personal preference, but as been said the general guildline is long=quicker and more for bigger hills, deeper powder etc.., smaller is easier to throw around, smaller hills, etc.

Quick size up: if the board is above your nose (eye height) its too long, below your chin it's too short. In between is the terrain/personal preference part. Of course if your very tall this needs to be adjusted but @ 6-2 & for anything outside of out west all the time, I'm going to guess you'll ride a 163-4ish board for all stuff everywhere. But do the test.

It's already been said, get good boots and size the board with them. if you have big dogs, size 11 or more, you might need a wider board. but regardless of the board and bindings you get if the boots suck, the board sucks.

 

I run a Rome Anthem 156, Burton Bindings and Burton Boots. The biggest thing for me was not my height for the board i'm 6' but the weight range. I went for a board that my weight was in the middle of it's range. That way the board isn't too soft or too firm. The board I got is a perfect mix between the terrain parks and mountain/powder runs.

 

finally someone who knows what their talking about!

 

remember also that the board has no idea how tall u r. buy a board based on ur weight range.

 

Depending on what I plan on riding that day is what board I use.

I have a 147 Gnu danny kass edition that i use in the park. great pop and flex and small enough to really spin and flip good.


and If im just riding trails or deep powder i have a 155 burton supermodel. super nice board to just cruise around on.

 

I agree...I'd have a hard time believing that any of the top names actually make a board that sucks. I'm looking at a couple of possible set ups...I've seen a couple good looking options semi-locally, but the boards have been in the 147-152 cm range, and I need something above 160cm.

I've come to the conclusion that I don't want a rocker board, and that I better get some damn good boots. Hopefully I can find something here in the next day or two to take advantage of the 10" of snow we just got!

 

Decision!

I think I've finally decided which way I'm gonna go...thanks for all the good advice.

Looked at Burton - obviously great stuff. Looked at Ride - more good boards. Looked at Gnu - same. Looked at stuff that clearly was crap (two piece construction like NIDUS).

Considering that most of what I'm going to be doing will be mountain cruising with the occasion tricks (assuming I don't crash my shoulder right out of my body), I don't want a rocker board.

After going to a local, highly regarded board shop, it became clear that, considering I'm gonna be boarding in MI 3/4 of the time, with a trip or two out west, I need to get some sort of Magne Traction board.

Of the ones I looked at, the Rossignol One magtek is my choice. Cool design that looks to be just what I need. That combined either with Burton Custom or Ride bindings and Ride or K2 boots will be it!

Thanks again for all the advice! :up:

 

i will say this...i have a custom x now, with cartel EST bindings...i have ridden for many years and after a few years off, i got back into it. i bought a low end sims board and bindings, then moved up to the burton a yr later...

the bindings are a HUGE step up, but the board...not as much as i had thought it would be. i like my board, but for the price difference...not worth it IMO. (except for the bindings, they rock)