 Poster: A snowHead
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Pretty simple idea, just post reviews of your snowboard equiptment 
I'll start it off. I'm a student, so curently I'm riding a super-budget setup:
EDIT: nobody wants to hear about my old budget-gear-of-crap, so I'll update with what I'm currently riding:
05/06 Rome 390 bindings:
Awsome bindings so far. Only 4 days of riding, but at the momement they're looking as good as new. No fuss at all - haven't even had to tighten a screw (they put some weird blue stuff on their screws - not screw lock per say, but seems to keep them from loosening while still beig able to unscrew them if you want). Bindings are super-comfortable and pretty responsive. Very thick baseplates too, so nice if you have big feet. Love the cap straps - they felt way tigherter/more responsive on my feet than the bindings with Burton cap straps I tried on, which felt a bit sloppy (could just be my boots though). They're fairly heavy, and quite bulky even when folded down, but I don't care. Great bindings, I'd recommend them to anyone so far.
04/05 Never Summer Premier 159:
Really liking this board too. Super-smooth through basically any kind of terrain. Awsome float in the powder even without bindings set back, and even though it's only a 159 and I'm 6 foot/175 pounds. Pretty decent pop, though of course not as good as a FS board. Loves long turns, but I can carve short turns easily enough as well. Nice and snappy out of carves, though again not as snappy as something like a Custom X or some such stiff FS board. Great on landings, very solid. Nice for straightlining - doesn't feel at all like it'll catch an edge, though I have detuned my tip and tail. Heavy and very directional, so not for freestyle, though I find it is still quite rideable switch (with that being said, my switch riding sucks!). Quite stiff, though by no means the stiffest (a good bit softer than something like an Option Signature). Pretty forgiving/easy to ride for a high performance freeride board. 3 year warranty. Definitely recommended any freeriders out there give it a try.
04/05 Vans BFBs:
Love em so far. A teeny amount of heel lift, but really basically none. Very comfortable. Seem very durable. Nice medium stiffness. Obviously boots are very much a personal thing, but for me these work quite nicely. Pretty heavy compared to 32 boots or other such super-light ones, but my board and bindings already weigh as much as a small car, so who cares  Worth trying on when you go shopping for sure, especially if you have wider feet.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 1-12-05 18:17; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Board: Ride Timeless 161 (2001/2 I think)
A great board. Was initially a bit too stiff (I kept getting caught out and bitten by it) but either I've got better or it's got softer. It still rides best if you want to push it and so it is not a board for the lazy. If you get down low and do proper clean turns, it will grip in the steepest and icy-est of slopes. It still surprises me how much edge grip it has. It is pretty agile and can be turned quickly. The nose is a bit too stiff for it to be a great powder board and I had initial reservations in this area, but again, either it has changed or I have got used to it as I have had some great powder rides. I'm not much good in the air and being stiff you cannot be too sloppy about the landings. For flatland tricks it is again a bit too stiff but it does have plenty of pop in the tail. I can do nice nose and tail pivots and ollie-180s but it is not suited to proper buttering. It is designed for going forwards fast and so is not the best board for riding switch (I am sure it also has a progressive sidecut) but, heh, that just forces you to have good technique! If I can ride it switch smoothly and confidently, anyone can do it. It is semiwide and so is good for people that have large-ish feet but don't want a proper wide board. In short, I love this board. My next board will be a bit more freestyle orientated but that's just because my directions have changed.
Bindings: Flow FL-11
Not the most attractive bindings and pretty heavy BUT they are super comfy as they have no pressure spots and you have full circulation in your feet all day long. They probably are less responsive than straps but I've never felt much of a problem. The instructor for my freestyle lesson was disapproving and was selling the idea of cap strap bindings - mainly because they are better for flexing the board torsionally as you get more leverage (good if you "pedal" your toeside turns). I'll try and demo some next year.
Edit: Bindings: Burton P1
New purchase for this season, prompted by the desire to have more control when doing flatland tricks but still having a comfy binding for all day riding - will let you know when I get back after new year.
Boots: Vans BFB
Stands for "Best F**king Boot". And they are. Not stupidly stiff but stiff enough. Superbly comfy and real good foothold. No problems with heel lift. The one drawback is that the sole seems to like collecting snow and so you need to wipe the base of the boot before putting it in the binding.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 21-12-05 11:30; edited 2 times in total
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Boards:
2000 model Rossignol Levitation 160:
My first board and as the kind shopkeeper in Pas sold me it back in 2000 (then a still a nervous intermediete) after struggling to handle the monster for a few years I later found out it was Rossi's top end freeride weapon. Ta very much. Anyway a stiff board with a sandwich construction with a turning circle of an oil tanker and a slow base made it interesting riding. However it excelled in powder (guess it's in the name) and was a dream to ride in a few feet of the soft stuff.
2003 model Ride Timeless 161:
As per Tony's description. Stiff nose is susceptible to diving in powder, just requires more concentration. It does have a progressive sidecut so not ideal for switch. It is designed for caning it down a piste fast and hard ( it has to be amongst the fastest soft binding boards out there). Great edge hold. As I rode a monster before the I was a bit prepared for this board. Next board - a flexy 158/159 all mountain/freestyler for some fun.
Bindings:
Flow Pro S-FS:
The kit that divides the snowboarders. Some luv em others hate em. I had persistant ankle ache with my Drake strap bindings to the point of ruining my trips. Tried flows and problem solved. I need a comfort fit for my feet as I can't suffer cramps and aches. These are the freestyle versions of flows. I don't miss the strapping in at the top of the piste either!
Boots:
Salamon Dialogues :
Decent entry level boots , comfy, stylish but now worn out and ready for replacing for next season.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Boards:
Burton Balance 56 (Terje Haakonen). 1999 I think! Probably a bit knackered now, but my first board and could cope with anything I or the mountain threw at it. Stiff enough for piste bashing and the odd jump, just about wide enough for powder (but I weigh <10Stone so less of a problem).
Burton Fish (powder board). 2003. Rules in powder, lousy in anything else.... but then for days in the Lake Louise bowls, or Kicking Horse, it's all you'd ever need.
Bindings: Switch step-ins. Old, but simple & bulletproof, and still going strong. No longer have "bunny rabbit's bum".
Boots: Axle F (?) to suit the bindings. Still comfy, still warm, still firmly attached to the bales (for the bindings).
At the end of the day, it's how you go down that matters, not what you ride....
ta ta,
h.
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Board: Burton Custom X (04/05). Picked it up in the end of season sales this year, so I haven't used it yet. However, it has X in it's name, so that means it's an awesome board in my books.
Bindings: Burton Cartels (05/06). Haven't used these yet either. Will update this after Christmas when I will have used them.
Boots: Northwave APX 5 (04/05). Used these at Cas Xscape. Really comfy, responsive boots. Got proper laces (none of this BOA c**p). They come with heat mouldable liners, so really nice boots overall.
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Board: Burton Custom X 156 ... Very nice board, although a touch fragile. I don't ride that hard and found I had edge chips by the end of my first day ... Nothin serious but enough for me to feel a little disappointed. Still an awesome board. Light, black, fast and glossy like a australian swimmer in a conga eel swim suit ...
Boots: Burton Missions. Again, light black, not quite stiff enough but good in every other respect ...
Boots: DC Shoes Judge ... A lot of nice features, but after 2 seasons, I still don't feel like they a as comfortable as they could be. Still experiencing a lot of pain after the first run and at the end of the day. Love the Boa system though ... Get this! Allows you to adjust your bindings very quickly without ungloving ...
Overall: Pretty happy with the set up and the price I paid for it... Especially after the grief I went through to get it all ... 
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FAQ
