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Weight range on snowboards - naked or with gear

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Anyone know if the weight recomendations for snowboards are your 'naked weight' or 'gear on' weight?

I want a snowboard but its a mans and weight range 130lbs to 220lbs. I weigh just under 130 lbs, but with boots and gear etc I guess you could add 10 lbs. So does it work like that? Or am I too light for it?

Looking at GNU billy goat btw for a bad ass off piste machine and am attracted by the reviews which say its a dream to turn and v responsive, as well as being super floaty in the pow and able to carve well and hold an edge on ice well. Worried if I am too ligfht for it then I will loose some of the awesome responsive turning that gets raved about so much.

Not that I can find it for sale in the UK tho anyway Sad

I generally find womens snowboards don't come quite long/wide enough - I'm tall with size 8 feet!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
kat.ryb, are you a strong and aggressive rider? If so, you can handle a bloke's board but it's going to need you to work it at your end of the weigh scale. As you are tall you will be able to put more leverage into it so you should enjoy it. It may well feel a bit harsh when you're tired and not working it.

If you just want to pootle around the piste looking all girly . . . it'll just feel like you're riding a railway sleeper. The wild graphics are another thing altogether Shocked

$540 is not a cheap board Shocked
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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?
Without pictures I cannot judge.
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kat.ryb, We could do with some pics in both states of dress to give an informed opinion (damn phablet second again)
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
kat.ryb, I'm being a grownup . . .
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Quote:

are you a strong and aggressive rider?


Yes, I would say so. Current board was not good in reasonably deep powder last week, although it was fun in the soft snow and trees. I'm looking for something that will ride off piste lines hard but will also be fun to ride in the trees. I don't want a 'straight line everything' board. Would prefer twin tip directional so I can ride traverses switch. However I also want something that will carve nicely and hold an edge well as I'm quite partial to bombing around carving nicely on groomers too (and will be limited to this at best when away with friends rather than off piste weeks).

I will be keeping my old board for the days when I want to pootle around looking all girley like. Plus my old board is pretty. The graphics are HORRIBLE on the billy goat.

Quote:

$540 is not a cheap board


None of the boards I've looked at have bene cheap! Can you suggest something else that ticks the above criteria as well as the billy goat seems to do? I was considering the Jones twin sister but not sure the longest length is suitable despite weight range being ok and reviews not quite as raving as the billy goat either.

Been riding 12 years, go away 2 weeks a year on average, used to do loads and loads of dry slope/snowdome time when I was younger so fairly competent. Now like riding off piste or carving on piste. Was away last week with UCPA off piste grand traces in Serre Che and routes were not scary or particually difficult. 5 ft 9, 128 lbs, size 8 feet. Current board 155 Weekend Snowboards Heikki Sorsa http://www.dogfunk.com/weekend-snowboards-heikki-sorsa-snowboard which I DO enjoy just looking for somethign a little more challenging and off piste specific.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Cynic, ha ha you can have a snowboarding photo if I knew how to upload them.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Actually I see that my weekend adventure island weight range is 155lbs to 195lbs. so I don't think I need to worry about weight, I just need to worry about actually finding the ugly billly goat.
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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.
Maybe this.
Jones hovercraft 152cm will do it if 256mm waist and the torsional flex is ok, the price is and they will rail but slower edge to edge via the width vs your 155.
Which is often a powder board thing anyway on piste.

You have to trade something but what you get in pow an on piste is the goods.

They do feel bigger I got on a 56 which is the smallest lenght brd Ihave ever tryed but did,nt know it.
I thought it was a 160 for the limited time Iwas on it, at the time swapping from a 160 tapered setback stick.
As for piste a swiss guy won a GS race on one so the net says.
Its specs would agree with that though.

If you want piste an pow you could do worse than a known board in europe, the goat is unknown and mervin.
Mervin have new powder wonder boards next season as does burton like every year.
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I discounted the hovercraft as it looks impossible to ride switch when required? I ride switch pretty well and like the flexibility to change over on a long flat traverse to rest, or to choose to do a steep heelside traverse in frontside. Also worried about tail edge hold if I found myself on something very steep and very icy where more extreem magnatraction (or whatever its called!) would help. Nice looking board tho and does get great reviews Very Happy

I thought about the Jones Flagship which still comes up in reviews as good on the pow as well as being able to ride switch, but there was much talk of straight lining things rather than carving and it not beeing super 'flashy' and turn initiation only ok. Keen to be confident of flicking my board around no trouble.

In terms of what I'm going to be riding, hopefully will be doing 2x off piste weeks plus another week on piste with friends each year.

Or maybe I should just not worry about this untill Autumn and buy a next season board seeing as I won't hvae anything sorted for my next trip anyway...? Tirol 164,
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Check out the Amplid Creamer: http://www.amplid.com/en/Snowboards/Creamer.html

Currently loving mine; deep, deep powder here at the moment.

It's a twin(ish) shape, with a nice, mid-stiff flex. For float, it has a big rocker in the nose, flat camber in the tail. Works really well. Great float, but handles really well on hardpack, loads of grip and no worries to ride switch.
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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.
That sounds a good board I tryed a earlier amplid model.

Another to add to the possible short list is the Rossi Krypto 156cm ?
The net says a ladies hovercraft for 2014 is coming .


Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Sat 9-02-13 18:10; edited 1 time in total
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
It's a women's board but:

www.familyshred.com/never-summer-infinity

The Billy Goat is supposed to be a beast.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Snow Hound wrote:
The Billy Goat is supposed to be a beast.
That's not helping to get us pics . . .
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Snow Hound, the Never Summer Infinity and also Lotus both look interesting. Those board are actually available to buy, which is nice, and the 154 and 157 look suitable.

stevomcd, can't find too many reviews on the Amplid?

It is quite tricky choosing a new board!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
kat.ryb, are there any snowboard reviews out there worth reading?

I've been riding it in epic conditions for about 2 weeks now. It rocks.

Come to Sainte Foy and you can try it...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
stevomcd wrote:
Come to Sainte Foy and you can try it...


Easy Tiger!
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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?
fatbob, I do run a snowboard demo centre of sorts!
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On the OP... I'd be wary about any board where you're the extreme end of the weight range. I'm an aggressive rider and I ride piste boards relatively stiff/ long, but for powder it's not quite about how aggressive you are, as the powder will only support a certain amount of force.

So for example I'm right at the bottom of the weight range for the smallest big-mountain T Rice Pro board. On piste I'd kick that floppy glass board around, but on piste the tail is just a fraction too stiff, so I have to fight it trying to push me out of the powder. I've better things to do, so those boards are no use to me because of my weight.

If you're riding helicopters your weight is calculated with gear so they can compute the fuel load, but for snowboards it's without, as far as I can tell. So I weigh 62Kgs and the best shot [for powder] is a board I'm in the middle of the range for. For on piste or resort powder the equation's a bit different as you have a base of hard pack down there somewhere. In bottomless, the board flex is key.

=> I'd say you're too light for that board. Try one against something you're in the middle of the range for and compare.

Any board which claims to be good in powder and good on ice is probably more marketing than reality.

If you're too light for a board it will still turn, it's just that you will have to push it hard to make it do that. So learners would probably not manage it; others would just find it hard work. So you may not, for example, have the energy to kick it into a turn at the end of the day. In powder it would ride like a plank: unresponsive, hard to subtly vary your speed, a nightmare in trees as you need tail flex to brake around them.

In my experience no board is particularly any better than any other at turning. You can either turn a board or you can't. After that we're arguing just about how tiring the process is, how much fun it is, and how much control you have over it. If the board size is wrong, you lose out on all those points.

Quote:

... I don't want a 'straight line everything' board. Would prefer twin tip directional so I can ride traverses switch. However I also want something that will carve nicely and hold an edge well as I'm quite partial to bombing around carving nicely on groomers too (and will be limited to this at best when away with friends rather than off piste weeks).

My experience is mostly North American off piste. Most people ride boards which are good in trees. "Apline" (above the tree line) is easy compared with trees. Some people buy very large boards for the Alpine, but they tend to struggle with them in the trees (they're too fast and slow to turn). I'd recommend "a tree board" as then you can do all of it.

Switch... At risk of telling the customer they don't want what they say they want.... I think that's a mistake, no one cares which way you're facing in the back country. You'll soon learn to ride traverses either way - it's not much of an issue once you get the hang of it (tip #1: if you're unsure then let skiers go first and cut a line). Some powder boards claim to be "twin", but in fact: (a) they're mostly not; and (b) you will need to ride those that are slightly back anyway. So most back country riders choose not to compromise forward riding for switch.

If you want something which will work well both on and off piste that's asking a lot, although anything will work. You'd probably want to avoid the more extreme designs (Fish style boards are ridable on piste but I wouldn't). My current favourite powder board (for my weight) is a Joystick - that's a park board. I'd never ride anything so soft and wussy on piste, but it would work ok at low speeds as it's not hugely powder specific.

I rode with one guy on a Jones (Niedecker) board this season, he could ride, nothing wrong with it, but those are heavily marketed and not that common. I'd not get too hung up about brands, try a few boards, buy the one you like best.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
stevomcd wrote:
fatbob, I do run a snowboard demo centre of sorts!


Sorry thought it was a reference to the nekkid wink I do have to try to stay with you some time, can't guarantee I'd be boarding though as I feel my skills are getting more distant.
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philwig, thanks that is some really really good info. Food for thought.

stevomcd, I could defo do with actually trying some nww boards rather than trying to buy off internet reviews alone!
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
fatbob, we do accept 2-plankers too. We charge a supplement though, of course... wink
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