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Should I buy this board?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Does anyone know anything about 5150 snowboards, specifically the Sect and the Velour? Shop near us is offering these boards plus bindings for 195€, at which price I might finally consider learning to snowboard this season. The Velour is described as specifically a women's board, and the Sect seems to be designed for the park, as far as I can tell.

Me: female, 167cm, 64kg; never boarded before; skied for a long time; will be in 2Alpes/Alpe d'Huez all season. Not interested in the latest fancy brand names, just something to learn on.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Lizzard, If it's just to learn on, no probs. Give all the straps a really violent few bends and tugs and if there's no whitening of the plastic or visible cracks at the bends or around the holes and bolts fixings . . . be aggressive, it should take it without any visible signs of failure . . . it should last you while you're learning the basics. Also try feeding the straps through the ratchets a few times, they should feed easily, lock securely and release positively at the top of the movement NOT just as you lift the release lever.

You won't be going fast enough or carving hard enough to worry about the nuances of torque response and board-flutter.
Use it to learn on and put it on eBay before next season and you'll recover at least 50%.

If you out-grow it over the season you might be able to sell it on in resort and you'll still be able to buy new kit for a better price there (as a season worker) than you can get at home . . . plus, the on-line board shops will deliver to any address if you want new kit mid-season.
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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?
Ta. I read that a softer board is best for a beginner - how do I tell? Just bend the things in the shop? And how much difference does it make?

The Velour is listed as a women's board - is there any real difference, or is it just an excuse to put pink graphics on it?
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Lizzard, to be brutal, it's not going to make a gnat's gnuts worth of difference while you're learning to stand-up, fall over, side-slip, falling leaf and link turns. Once you get past that and start picking up speed before you chicken-out and lean back then a soft board will bend and put lesser forces through your ankles and knees as you rag-doll down the hill Twisted Evil
You're quite tall and not a waif (however I phrase that it's always going to put a foot in my gob . . . just do it gently I'm trying to keep the teeth), but you'll be ok with a good ladies board but once you progress to putting some force into your riding a normal symmetrical board (mens) will probably suit you a little better than the noodles that are flogged to the girlie market . . . there are plenty of ladies out there who can out-ride most sac-draggers but you need a board that will handle the forces.

Bending a board in a shop will give you some sense of stiffness but the type of riding you want to do is probably more important. I like very stiff boards because I'm heavy (and not just fat) and I like something I can lever against . . . but that does make it difficult to do even some of the simplest tricks like buttering . . . the board just doesn't bend and I end up doing a nose ollie 180 . . . that I'm supposed to land and stick . . . from that I can tell where I am in a number of resorts just by the taste of the snow. As a beginner you want a board that will allow you to push against it when you want to recover and still be flexible to let you learn simple tricks. For your height and weight, I'd probably go for the blokes version of the board you're looking at and it will carry you right through season's end.

I'm sure the rest of the crew will be along soon with more info.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:

You're quite tall and not a waif (however I phrase that it's always going to put a foot in my gob . . . just do it gently I'm trying to keep the teeth),

Laughing Laughing Laughing

Fortunately for you I don't do all that 'does my bum look big in this?' garbage. I've always weighed a bit heavy for my height, which is down to all the muscle and nothing to do with excess intake of Delia's coffee and walnut cake, no indeed.

I did think that possibly 'women's' boards might be aimed at the Posh Skellington (sorry, Spice) end of the spectrum, since the others are all listed as 'adults' rather than 'men's'.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
Right, I have embarked on snowboarding, a strange move for a person my age but there you go. Acquired a Crazy Creek Eccentric 52 with bindings for 149€ - it's a women's board and I'm at the top end of its weight range, so will have to lay off the cake. Masque, I would have taken your advice and gone for the non-girly option, but the price difference meant I could spend more on a decent pair of boots (discounted Salomons vs Decathlon cheapo own brand). I suspect boots are probably important.

Anyone have anything to say about Crazy Creek? Seen them before but can't find anything on the web at all.

Next .......... a lesson! After Christmas, probably.
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