 Poster: A snowHead
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Hope someone can give me a little advice on the size of board I need.
Had some lessons last year at castleford then 10 days in banff. I hired a board but now decided to invest in my own. Bought boots last year just need board and bindings. Can't remember what size board I got in banff but they gave me a 155 in castleford.
I've looked at a couple of board length guides and these recommend more like a 157. I am female by the way, about 5'8" around 78 kg and starting to improve just past beginner. Can link turns but lack a little confidence now and again! Think I'm wanting an all mountain board.
Have seen a k2 luna which I quite fancy but it's a 154. So the question is does three cm really matter? Haven't seen a lot of ladies boards longer than a 154 anyway. Should I be looking at mens boards aswell? I've heard its only the graphics that are different anyway especially for a heavier girl like me!
Any help would be really appreciated. Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A 154 will be fine, you could look at mens boards if you start to go past intermediate level but a 154 luna will suit you pretty well at the moment really.
I'm 5" 10' and weigh about 75Kg I rode a 157 most of last season pretty aggresively (to the point I broke it), since I am going more and more freestyle my replacement is a 154 and although it is pretty stiff I am hoping it will cope well with some pretty high speeds...
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks a lot mista. Really appreciate the advice 
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personally i would tell you not to get a short board, you'll only want to get a longer one in a years time.
i am 5'4f and i ride a 156 or 155 board, my 152 is much to small and i struggle with it in pow, its fine in the park but shite on the mountain.
I would go fot the longer board if i were you. and i'd recomend a sapient solstice, it is the bees and ees!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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3 cms won;t really make much noticeable difference but like snowAngels says it's probably better to go longer rather than shorter (assuming you'll be riding mountains more than snowdomes).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I agree that 3 cms will not make a huge difference. I am same height as you and weigh 68kg normally (currently much heavier as 6 months pregnant!) and have ridden my 155 palmer for 2 years happily. I aim to replace this in a season or two but would not look to increase length I don't think. Just a higher performance board.
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I would say the only real need to go longer would be for a dedicated off-piste rider, I have been off-piste on a 147 before and enjoyed myself, though i did weigh about 10Kg less at the time... But a 154 whilst not perfect would be fine for off-piste, most of my off-piste last season was on a 157 with full park set up so the nose and tail were both the shortest possible and both the same length (i.e. moved bindings to give a wide stance), with this I was doing cab 360s, the odd cab5 and lots of bouncy jib type tricks in nice floaty powder - lovely.
If I remember right the Luna is a pretty good ladies board and fairly rigid so should be a good board for development as it may be slightly too advanced for your current ability (something to grow into), the fact that it is a touch on the short side will make it more manageable though. Thats why I reckon it is a good board for you. After about 5 weeks of riding you will probably start to get more comfy with off-piste if you give it a try, at this point if you decide to dedicate yourself to off-piste (probably not too likely unless you are a rugged outdoors type, cos cruising the pistes once you have control at speed is so nice) then it would make sense for your next board to be longer than 157, maybe closer to a 162. You would notice the difference between a 162 and a 154, especially if the 162 is a dedicated powder board with a directional setup and a very rigid core. However, the difference you will notice between a 154 and a 157 is really very minimal if any.
So in answer to your original question a Luna 154 would be fine whether you want to cruise around the pistes or hit the snowdomes and I reckon would probably be well suited to you, I'm sure the sapient solstice is also a perfectly good board though.
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you can place too much importance on a cm here and some stifness there (oh sorry i thought i was on the playboy site!!) ..
well i am 6' 1" and pack in at 14 and a 1/2 stone of solid muscle (plus a modicum of beer inflated lard)..
after various hire boards as i learnt .that made no difference to me at all . i eventually bought a 165 burton option board from snow n rock
as the guy there recommended it and it looked quite cool and was wide enough for my size 11's
it was a revelation to the hire cack i had used before and i really loved the thing..
anyway it got nicked last year after 2.5 seasons of loyal service ..
i had decided that speed was my thing not the park.. my option board chattered a lot at pace over the crud , especially on the heel edge ..
i invested in a donek freeride wide at 169 after a tip from here.. no its not cheap but it turned up in top nick.. i got the slightly rised bindings i wanted n set off ..
this board is a lot stiffer, it feels longer (but thats the stiffness) so 4 cm is nothing (as any good woman will tell you) its a tad narrower at the waist than the option and is sooo very much better at pace..
only in a step move like this will you notice any real difference (unless your really good)..
in know my old board was better on jumps and was great on fast paths.. i realy enjoyed the controllability of the old board..
but when i did the speed run i know very well in obertaurn my p.b. on the old board was low 70 kph.. on this baby i broke 80 kph without trying
its horses for courses, i then did a couple of my fave paths and hated it, it felt like trying to turn an oil tanker..
i wish i still had both boards.. i may buy a fat soft sucker for gooning around.. but as you get better, longer n stiffer is best unless your a park fiend!!  ...
im hoping to be able to control the new beast with as much ablomb as i managed with the old beginner board.. but would i give up the high speed rip past skiers uber cool carved turns er no ...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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CANV CANVINGTON,
"but as you get better, longer n stiffer is best unless your a park fiend!!"
You see thats where I would disagree, if the board is rigid enough and good enough it doesn't have to be that long for control at speed. comparing pretty much anything to an option once you get half good is going to lead to the same conclusion, it sucks. When going really fast it is always a good idea to have some flex in your knees though, especially in slush...
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i'll give you an idea of how the length of a board once you can ride wont make any difference at all.
2 years ago when my son was 12 he was at mk and they wanted to show him he can handle a bigger board than the one he was on.
his was a 137, then he rode a 145 street dweller, then he rode a 158 with p1 bindings (and was doing rails and kickers on it) then they got him a hire 162, just to prove he could ride it. And he even managed a whole rail on it.!
last year i borrowd a mates board just as i was too lazy to walk down and then back up to the half pipe. It was a 162, despite the massive stance i rode it lovely and jubly! ( i have a wide stance anyway but it was a little too big)
once you can ride, you can ride anythin!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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CANV CANVINGTON, you bought a Donek in the end then
I think one thing that hasn't been discussed is sidecut radius - I think that this has quite a bearing on how easy it is to ride a longer board.
I have a Donek 160 and had a Lib Tech 159 and the 'turning circle' of both boards were very different due to the side cut.
The Donek has a much larger sidecut rad than the Lib Tech and is is very noticable.
The Lib Tech was great when traversing moguls when quick (hairpin style) turns were needed.
The only way down a mogul field on the Donek is (virtually) straight down the fall line.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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yes to everything you have all said.. the donek is a 'tanker' but its a beaut on the crud and at pace.. mista, what i was trying to say is that stiffness is far more important than the length of the board.. and there is nothing better than straight lining the slush n' bumps on the way back home at 4 pm and taking the 'slap' on your legs.
stephen bleakley, yup .. the first run out i didnt think i would make a turn before i ran out of mountain.. its a totally different kind of 'feel' .. and what you gain ripping down reds you lose trying to keep the pace on, on an icey path..
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Thanks for all the advice everyone. I think I'm going to buy the luna 154 because its a really good deal in the sale. Hopefully it'll see me right for a couple of years till I progress.
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You know it makes sense.
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