any good snowboarders out here?

[evident]

as a beginner, how do i know what type of snowboard/bindings to get? i'm about 5'8 and 170 lbs. what makes one snowboard "better" than the others, besides the logos which i don't really care about at this point

i found a slickdeal on snowboards here and think it's time to get one. i'm tired of shelling out $50++ to rent board/bindings/shoes everytime i go.

 

[cheezy321]

At about 5'8 that means you should be getting a board around 140 - 152 CM. I ride a 157 and I am 6' tall. How big are your feet? If you are over size 11 you might need to look into boards with a wider "waist". This is the part in the middle of the board. The length of the board is personal preference, but a general rule is that it should be no longer than the bottom of your nose standing up, and no shorter than where your adams apple is. I personally like riding slightly shorter boards and giving myself a wider stance

The differences in the snowboards are all about personal preference. Some boards are lighter and have more "pop" (flexibility). Some boards are very stiff and have more extreme edges. Some are wider for larger feet. Others have a very small waist which allow for easier maneuvering. You should look back at the rental boards you have ridden and figure out which one you enjoyed the most.

I have owned a K2, a GNU, and now I have an Arbor board.

I would say the Arbor has been far and above better than any other board I have ridden. It weights about half what my GNU weighed, and its got pop like a mofo. I can ride big pow/black diamonds then take it to the park and feel completely comfortable doing both.

Me at the park (Im vain like that)

 

[sohcrates]

www.whiskeymilitia.com or www.steepandcheap.com have snowboard deals pop up a lot. end of season is good time to grab some hot deals.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

k2, ride, rome and burton.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
k2, ride, rome and burton.

I've heard good things about Neversummer. I think it's a Colorado brand distributed by Burton.

Anyway, I'm not sure if it's the same with boards, (but construction is similar, so...):

Stiff skis will hold edge better and ride faster on the grooms, but are less forgiving to errors. Flexible skis are better for soft/powder, crud, bumps, sliding and shaky legs.

 

[rasczak]

i have a old burton i barely ride (ridden about 6 or 7 times over the course of 3 years). it's a 157. i don't ride anymore (no time) so if you're interested in that plus boots and bindings pm me.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I was in Durango, CO over the weekend and an irish bar there was giving away a ~$1000 snowboard if you could beat the irish car bomb drinking record. 2.59 seconds or so if I remember correctly.

Just go win a board?

 

[ViviTheMage]

I am also a huge nub...I use a 157 burton ( 6 foot ) with burton bindings and burton boots....work fine for me

 

[Zolty]

I ride a Burton T6, with P1 bindings (love the toe strap) with Moto boots

For your first board I would get something used off ebay
I would also buy the bindings from ebay
For boots I would suggest that you go into a shop and try a few out, boots are going to be the most important piece of gear so spend some extra money on a comfortable set that will last you years.

Can't go wrong w/ a burton custom - there is a used one on ebay for 130 shipped, that isn't a bad deal, you can probably pick up some bindings for around $50-75

I should point out I have no affiliation with this auction. I have bought my last 3 boards off ebay 1 brand new late model for 50% off the msrp and 2 used for 60-75% off msrp.

 

[Funyuns101]

check out sierrasnowboard.com - they're having some decent sales today

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: Funyuns101
check out sierrasnowboard.com - they're having some decent sales today

yeah, that's what im doing. i can't figure out what to buy!!!!