 Poster: A snowHead
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beginning of this year i decided that i wanted to snow board after contemplating trying it for a while, but i broke my ankle so couldnt start to learn. Now i have fully recovered from it i am definetly looking to start lessons at the chill factor in Manchester. However i am a little bit worried about my weight. i am 21 and weigh just above 19stone and have size 13 feet, i regulary do exercise and am used to falling on my back bottom and getting back up as i am a goalkeeper for a hockey team but have a bit of a beer belly. i am worried about whether i will struggle to get a board that will fit, after researching and asking people i will need a board about 168cm or bigger i have been told.
basically im asking wether i will find it hard to get a board for my size??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No. Go for a big board - perhaps not the biggest as that'll be harder to learn on - but at the same time, don't pay heed to all this "well, you're 5'9" so you should have a board x length". Your board does not know how tall you are. Boards come in width as well as length sizes - so you'll want something fatter - also for your feet as you don't want them at angles which make you look like you're limbering up for Swan Lake! 
It's all about surface area dude. <--- you've got to conquer the lingo. Radical. Gnarly. Dude. etc.
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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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NorthernPompey
Hey mate, welcome..........
As said the board you learn on and the one you progress on are unlikely to be the same. You will probably start on a smaller board, though still relatively a "big" board compared to the average, and when you get out of the fridge into the mountains, naturally progress onto a bigger board.
You've obviously done your homework, but don't get too concerned about absolute size just yet, as it's not the crucial factor. If they put you on anything less than mid 160's initially, it may be worth mentioning, but I doubt they will. Have a chat with your instructor prior, but a lot may depend on what they have to hand.
Once your blasting around the hills showing the lightweights how it's done, 168 probably won't even cut it.
Good luck, and stick at the learning............
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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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Im 15.5 stone 6'2" and size 11 feet.
I used to go for stiff 165s and even went as far as 168.
But im now on a 161 wide freestyle board (hatchet) for 99% of the time mainly as the big boards are a bug to turn in trees, bumps and technical terrain.
Im considering shorter yet.
I just put the bindings back on a powder day and go as fast as I can 
I do have a burton canyon 169 for those really big bottomless powder days (rare with few weeks a year in mountain)
Having big feet you really have to have a full wide board not mid wide.
Being 21, im sure you will have a duck stance which eases this a bit, but make sure there is no more than an inch overhang heel AND toe.
If you are hiring, make sure they set this up right with even overhang back and front. I have seen so many big feeted people with 2 inches of toe overhanging and the heel flush unable to sideslip on the heel edge.
Personally I would not buy a board until you have at least a couple of weeks on the mountain.
Beginners boards are hyper flexy and short to aid learning, but strange as it seems I see more and more experienced boarders also riding short flexy boards. They are fun on the piste, bumps and in the trees when the snow isnt so fresh.
Tux
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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As everyone else has said, dont worry too much about length at the start, just make sure you get a board that is wide enough so your heels and toes dont catch in the snow.
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thanks for the responses, appreciate it. really excited now to start learning.. only a couple of weeks left... just wondering where i can get a decent pair of size 12/13 boots from?
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NorthernPompey, they will be part of the hire package at the Chill Factore, so don't worry about it for the short term.
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