 Poster: A snowHead
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Snowboard hire kit - why... is it so hard to hire good stuff ?
I jumped on a board for the first time in a while and hired it from a local resort hire shop. Their ski's seemed pretty good but after trying 5 pairs of boots I ended up with all things soft !
Hire binding system - super flexy, Boots super soft, wellington like, Board - some sort of Burton soft 'rocker' thingy.
Still I had a good day and the rocker board was OK. I just wish hire shops took boarding kit a bit more seriously.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Was it in France? The French regard snowboarding with complete and utter disdain.
I also think snowboarders tend to maul their hire kit in a way that skiers don't quite so much. I've hardly ever seen a good set of rental bindings, even atop fairly reasonable boards. That said, Piewife's board is ex-rental and the bindings (rear entry Salomon things) are actually pretty good.
Boots are guaranteed to be poor unless you luck out and get brand new ones. They're just big trainers really, and are bound to degrade more quickly than hard plastic ski boots.
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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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Mr Piehole, Spanish Pyrenees. I think the rental binding system mount is the biggest fail. Super wobbly.
I've not seen the rear entry Salomon bindings - I'll check those out. I keep threatening to swap my flows for a pair of k2 cinch or similar.
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| AndAnotherThing.. wrote: |
| I've not seen the rear entry Salomon bindings - I'll check those out. I keep threatening to swap my flows for a pair of k2 cinch or similar. |
They're just Salomon branded. I think the bindings themselves are generic and franchised out. But I've had so many rental boards with completely broken ratchet systems that we felt quite pleased to get an ex rental board with solid bindings that actually worked!
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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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AndAnotherThing.., my experience of board hire in the Pyrenees is that you're better off fashioning your own setup out of chipboard and slippers. With the honourable exception of the main hire shop at the gondola in Soldeu.
That said, my mate got hold of a Libtec Skate Banana in Esterri (of all things and of all places) at the end of last year, which had clearly only been rented out a couple of days, and he somehow negotiated buying it plus bindings for €150! Mind you, he's one of those people who always manages to do stuff like that.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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That is actually a real problem.
As I got my board down from the loft yesterday, I saw and remembered how much damage my last trip caused. Nothing critical, mostly chunks off the top sheet, but it got me thinking about my next purchase.
Up to now I was a real newbie to snowboarding after about 25 years on skis, so my current board was just an all mountain one with good reviews. But as I am now starting to get a better technique I am more conscious of my next board being something I like riding rather than buying it off the catalogue because of a good review/price/look.
But there is no real way for me to test boards... so who knows what I'll do next...
AndAnotherThing..,
If you're considering rear/dual entry bindings, you may want to check out APO Team bindings. They're not the lightest things but they work well for me and so far they have been very solid.
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Kruisler, looks like a rejigged K2 binding, works well for me too.
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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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Kruisler,
Ditto your comments re the APO bindings..........
Mitch
AndAnotherThing.
If your interested I'm looking to sell the K2 cinch I have...pm me & see if we can do a deal.
Mitch
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It's an odd one, but I think half the problem is that snowboarders don't tend to hire kit; it's just not the done thing. So there's not that huge a market for hiring out decent kit. That said, there are some notable exceptions - One of the shops in Monetier had a decent stock of Jones Flagships for hire last season, for example.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
I think half the problem is that snowboarders don't tend to hire kit
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Chicken and the egg???
I bought my own stuff ASAP as the only kit available to hire was CRAP on about 4 consecutive trips.
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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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| kat.ryb wrote: |
| Quote: |
I think half the problem is that snowboarders don't tend to hire kit
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Chicken and the egg???
I bought my own stuff ASAP as the only kit available to hire was CRAP on about 4 consecutive trips. |
Ditto.
The hire kit was so poor in most resorts that I almost went back to skiing. I bought my own kit instead.
The hire kit in Andorra (Pas de la Casa) was by far the worst of anywhere. Chamonix was the best, other than chalet companies own rental kit.
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