 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm off to Andorra in a couple of weeks and I think its about time I bought myself a decent snowboard. The thing is I don't really know where to start...there seems to be hundreds of different makes and models out there to choose from, many of which I've never heard of. I would say I'm intermeadiate level i'm looking to get a decent 'all-round' board. I wouldn't say money is no object, but I'm willing to spend the cash to get the right board for me. Does anyone have any suggestions,i.e....do you get what you pay for?, what brands are recommend...what brands I should avoid....also has anyone tried those K2 step in bindings?....they seem a resonable price, but are they as responsive and as durable as the normal strap type bindings?...and are they as easy to get into as the flow bindings?
One last thing....I've been to Andorra before and the prices over there seemed to be quite a bit cheaper than in the UK, so i'm considering buying whilst I'm out there. I know the is the obvious benefit of saving money but are there any disadvantages?
Thanks in advance,
Rich
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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as a proud and happy owner of a Ride Timeless, I would say that it is a fantastic board but that it is probably a little stiff unless you want to ride hard all of the time and have good technique. To be totally honest, the board was probably beyond me when I first got it and initially I would have enjoyed a less full-on board a bit more. Now though...
In recent years the Timeless has supposedly been made more forgiving, without losing its edge grip and power. Not sure how they do that but then I'm not a board maker...
Anyway, my view is that I wouldn't buy a Timeless unless you know that it is the board that you want. If you know that it's for you then you are probably ready for it.
So for board advice, I would say that you would be hard pushed to buy a bad board unless you mistakenly go for something that is pure freestyle or pure freeride or totally hard-core stiff (Nitro Darkhorse anyone?). No single make stands out - look at Ride, Burton, K2, Nitro, Rome, Salomon, Option...the list goes on. Anything stocked by Ellis Brigham is a safe bet.
Decide whether you prefer charging around the mountain or playing in the park. Assuming that it is the former then good boards that are above the average could be Ride Decade, Burton Custom, Nitro Suprateam, Rome Anthem. These are certainly not beginner boards and would be perfectly suitable for top end riders, but they are not hard to ride and they will allow you to have fun. The other makes will have similar boards too.
The Ellis Brigham catalogue has a good way of rating boards for their various characteristics so that you know what type of board you are getting (the Snow & Rock catalogue gives you zero information in comparison)
For bindings, I hate the look of those K2 cinch bindings that you mention (see the thread on this topic on the boarders forum) as they seem to be overengineered and try to solve a problem that isn't there.
In my view, your choices are straps or Flow. I use Flow and love them. Others hate them, usually on principle rather than because they have tried them. If you want straps, there is an incredible choice these days and even low range models now are as good as the top of the range models 4 or 5 years ago.
As for buying abroad, my own preference is to decide at leisure rather than be rushed into a decision. I would rather decide what I wanted and then try to get hold of it rather than find myself at a resort having to buy something and ending up buying something that was not exactly what I wanted. At this point in the season, popular sizes of popular boards will be selling out and so you may need to source it from elsewhere in the country - give yourself time to do that.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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joydivision, I couldn't put it better than Tony Lane! There is an alternative and that's finding out when and where the manufacturers are doing the next season board tests, write to all of them and ask to be included. You don't HAVE to be a journalist - but it helps. The big retailers do the same and if you're in resort at the time and you convince them you're a punter for their shop, you can ride a lot of kit to help you make your choice.
It has to said though . . . to be able to differentiate between the nuances of similar boards from most manufacturers requires skills and sensitivity well beyond any of our limits, but you may discover one board that makes you feel and ride like a god . . . If you find it, buy it! And not a new one . . . the one you’re riding. I’d say do it even if you have to steal it, but that’s a bit insensitive given another current thread. I’ve two unbranded boards that were laid up in the same moulds, with the same cores and autoclaved at the same time . . . one’s a complete dog on anything, the other’s an ice master with enough acceleration on a hard piste to flip a carved 360 on just the back foot. Sometimes it’s just luck in finding the right plank.
But have as much fun as you can while looking.
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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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joydivision, oh, and welcome to snowHeads!!
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