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Buying a snowboard - Advice?

timosyy

timosyy

Golden Member
Because I trust ATOT more than randomly Googled websites with no timestamps 😀

Since I actually make money now and it doesn't make financial sense anymore for me to keep renting boards... I'm looking to buy a new (well, new for me, board can be used) snowboard (boots, bindings etc.). Unfortunately, I have no idea what to look for! Maybe ATOT can help me out?

I'm 5'8", 140lb, shoe size 10. Relative beginner (comfortable on blue runs), I go maybe 3-5 times a year (perhaps more when I have my own board?). Never tried a terrain park. Basically looking for a beginner board that's easy to handle.

It'd be great if I could narrow the field a little, get some names to look for and price ranges and that sort of thing. So... what kind of boards/brands should I be looking at, and how much can I expect to spend? Also, where's the best place to buy?

Thanks ATOT!
 
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i'm not an expert. I was in the same boat as you two years ago at the end of the season.
stopped renting, finally got a board. too bad i was gone all last winter and haven't even used it yet, and it's still sitting unused. hopefully this year will be different.

get one that matches your weight and height. a good shop should be able to fit you to one. I got mine from sierrasnowboard.com (they might of changed their name now) but they have pretty good customer service and have season end clearances.
 
Location? East/West Coast? Midwest? Rockies?

I'd get fitted at a shop and then wait for better gear deals after the New Year. Not counting SNIAGRAB, I know that around here Sports Authority (and presumably other shops) starts having some decent snow gear deals towards the middle-end of January, through the end of the season.

The best deals will come at the end of the season at ski swaps and whatnot.
 
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Boards are made across a range of stiffness, from freestyle to freeride. Freestyle boards are meant for the park, and are very flexible. However, they aren't the best for downhill riding. Freeride boards are more stiff and therefore are more stable at high speeds going down the hill, but arent the best for the park because they dont bend very well. Get a stiffness that fits your riding style.

Also, don't get any of those "quick snap in" bindings, like Switch. I bought Switch bindings when I first started riding and quickly realized they suck. Ratchet is the way to go. Also, Flow bindings are pretty neat, and work pretty well actually. The only downside is that if you get snow in the binding, you have to scrape it out to get your foot in securely. http://www.store-flow.com/products/mens#mens/bindings
 
OOBradm said:
Also, don't get any of those "quick snap in" bindings, like Switch. I bought Switch bindings when I first started riding and quickly realized they suck. Ratchet is the way to go. Also, Flow bindings are pretty neat, and work pretty well actually. The only downside is that if you get snow in the binding, you have to scrape it out to get your foot in securely. http://www.store-flow.com/products/mens#mens/bindings
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I'm just gonna put it out there that, as a skiier, one of the most annoying things is waiting for my boarding friends to bind-up after getting off the lift. 😛
 
Gooberlx2 said:
I'm just gonna put it out there that, as a skiier, one of the most annoying things is waiting for my boarding friends to bind-up after getting off the lift. 😛
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They suck then .. it takes me 15-20 seconds when I get off the lift now, and i've gone boarding 4 times now.
 
Gooberlx2 said:
I'm just gonna put it out there that, as a skiier, one of the most annoying things is waiting for my boarding friends to bind-up after getting off the lift. 😛
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As a boarder, one of the funniest things is watching my skier friends try to gather their poles and skis and try to get back into their bindings after wiping out mid-run.

Then again, they probably think it's hilarious when we lose momentum on the flats and I have to release my back foot and skate while they push on ahead.

🙂

OP - there's some good advice here. Definitely wait for the end of season sales if you can - 40-60% off gear is pretty common. If you're able to find a resort hosting a 'demo day', that's a great time to go try out all kinds of gear from different companies to get an idea of what you like. If you have an actual snowboard/ski shop in the area, get fitted... generally, the Sports Authority and Dick's employees don't really know their stuff, but if you don't mind them pressuring you to just load up on Burton gear then at least you can try on some stuff.

Transworld snowboarding has some good buyer's guides you can take a look at. From what I see, people usually buy a nicer board and skimp on the boots and bindings. I'd do the opposite - buy the nicest, most comfortable boots and bindings you can afford and then just try to find a good deal on a decent brand board since you don't really know what you want out of a board yet. Ride the one you get for a year or two, figure out what you'd like to change, then invest in a nicer board that has the qualities you're looking for.
 
<shameless self promotion>
Well I am sort of biased towards our own brand (see sig). You can at least login to the ConfigurEIGHTor and see what we recommend for shape/size. Feel free to contact me if you need any help customizing a board!
</shameless self promotion>

Check out your local shop too if you can (I mean specialty store, not big box warehouse). If you are just getting into it, you may be able to get a used deck for cheap.
 
Booty said:
As a boarder, one of the funniest things is watching my skier friends try to gather their poles and skis and try to get back into their bindings after wiping out mid-run.
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As a skiier, the worst is when you bail but your skis don't. Instead they decide they're gonna meet you a mile down at the bottom of the run. Have fun walking!

Booty said:
Then again, they probably think it's hilarious when we lose momentum on the flats and I have to release my back foot and skate while they push on ahead.
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*grumble* I don't find it hilarious at all, 'cause then I'm on the hook for towing them.

Booty said:
I'd do the opposite - buy the nicest, most comfortable boots and bindings you can afford and then just try to find a good deal on a decent brand board
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110&#37; this. Your feet will make or break your day, every time.
 
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This thread has given me a lot to read up on @ work!

@ Goober, East Coast.

Also, Booty, interesting point about Boots/Binding before Board.

Still doesn't narrow down the ridiculous number of choices for Boots/Binding/Boards though! Haha. I took a look at Transworld Snowboarding but I don't really see any "Buyers Guides"... and all the reviews seem to be about a sentence long 🙁

I suppose I should try to find a local shop around my area. How much do you all think is reasonable for a beginner to spend on boots/binding/board? I'm not quite sure what my "budget" should be on this.

Also I'd read about Freestyle vs. Freeride, but, although I don't spend much (at this point, none) time on terrain parks etc., I also read that Freestyle may be better for beginners because they're easier to maneuver?
 
timosyy said:
@ Goober, East Coast.
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Well Sports Authority runs SNIAGRAB. I assume there's some of those out East. While SNIAGRAB is mostly a West Coast thing (around labor day anyway, so it's a moot point), I'd imagine their Eastern stores still overstock product for the season.

I know the SAs, Dicks and REIs in and around Denver usually have some serious discounts at the end of the season, in addition to some smaller shops, all trying to unload on past year models.

It's kinda strange (but very advantageous from a consumer standpoint) how yearly fashion drives snow wear. From a functionality standpoint, the gear tech doesn't move much. I've seen brand new skis+bindings, $1000 when originally released, sell for ~$350 after one model year.

Another thing to consider is that if you were to take any ski trips out West in Spring, you could bargain hunt there and bring your gear home.
 
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The Slickdealer in me wants to wait until the end of the season, but I have two trips coming up in January and I'm not sure the $$ saved will be more than the money spent on rentals.

Are big-box stores (SA, Dicks, REI, etc.) legitimate sources for snowboard equipment? As far as price & selection go... Or should I really try to hunt down a "local" shop (I don't really know what that means haha, I assume most of them are chains.)

@gregulator I took a look at the site, but... maybe in a few years when I really know what I want 😀
 
A local shop for me is like ... The House.

I still suck, but got a $100 board of CL + some mediocre bindings and nicer boots. Spent about $250?

Recently got a Burton Hero + Cartel ES bindings and much better Forum boots for $400 all together...the Burton Hero was used a handful of times, but the thing was in mint shape.

As others have said, don't skimp on bindings/boots. You'll want to try on lots of boots.

My feet still get numb after about 2-3 hours, so I might need to look for different bindings next time ... or stop carving one direction, haha.
 
timosyy said:
Are big-box stores (SA, Dicks, REI, etc.) legitimate sources for snowboard equipment?
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As a place to purchase, sure. A K2 or Burton board sold at REI won't be any different than the same model at a specialty shop. Go to a specialty shop for fittings and advice though. Small shops have the same incentive to clear old inventory too, and probably more bargaining latitude, so YMMV. I got an incredible deal on my old model Volcom jacket at a small shop. $300+ jacket for ~$70 since it was an 02/03 model and the 04/05 season was starting.
 
Example of the Transworld reviews I was referring to:

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000100835/featuresobf/2010-good-wood-mens-boards-under-399/

There are TONS of good snowboard brands out there. I mean, let's face it - look at all the sponsored riders out there. Dozens of brands - and all those riders are WAY more demanding on their boards than I would ever be. So I have trouble pointing someone to one brand or another because I don't know if I could really justify my preferences. That said, I've owned K2, Burton, Never Summer, and Unity snowboards and the NS and Unity are my favorites. It's somewhat easier for me to choose, though, because I have big feet (13's) so my options are already limited.

Bindings are a little easier... there's always Burton, of course, but companies like Technine, Union, Rome, etc are all pretty popular. Some ski companies that jumped into snowboarding the last 10 (?) years or so are making some really nice stuff too... Salomon comes to mind. Someone else mention Flow - when those first came out they were a joke, but they've stuck around and are about the only respectable alternative to traditional strap bindings. I haven't personally tried them, though.

Boots - same thing. You still have the big box names like Burton and K2, then there are popular choices like ThirtyTwo, DC, Vans (lots of skate shoe companies)... ski companies (again Salomon, Rossignol)... even Nike is making some nice boots. Comfort is #1 - try on as many boots as you can. Seriously. Do NOT buy boots online without trying them on first in person. Your size can vary from brand to brand, specialty shops should be able to tell you how much they'll pack in/form to your feet after use, etc.

So - I probably didn't narrow things down much for you, so... I guess FWIW... I mentioned the boards I've owned. I've also ridden some other random friends boards here and there... Ride, Forum, whatever. I like my Unity and Never Summer, but there wasn't really anything *wrong* with the other boards. I did NOT like the K2 I used to own, once I tried a friend's NS (which led to me buying my own), but it was also too short for me. My wife has a Morrow - her first board. It was cheap and pretty.

I've owned Raichle and Burton boots. I'm due for a new pair. My wife has Salomons - when we bought her setup, I tried on the mens version of hers and loved them. Had finances allowed, I would have bought them. I've also tried on some ThirtyTwo boots that were REALLY comfortable, and my buddy has a pair of DC's that are nice but a touch on the heavy side.

I have pretty standard bindings - Burton Missions. They do the trick. I can't even remember what my old pair were, but they sucked. I got the Missions at about 75% off at an end-of-season sale plus my employee discount (used to work at a resort). Nothing wrong with them, but next time around I'll probably buy something different to support a smaller brand...

So, uh - yeah. I'll emphasize again (with Goober's support) - sore feet = bad day. For my wife we bought boots first... I drug her around to about 6 shops before I let her buy anything, and did my best to make her ignore whether they matched her pants and coat. She hated me for it at the time but thanks me for it now.
 
Boots - I LOVE my burton freestyles. I prefer boots with actual laces, I dont like the ratcheting boots. Not a true fan. With the laces, you can keep the boots a little loose if you prefer that.

Board - I have an arbor element. That board is the SHIT. Love the thing. Hardly anyone has Arbor boards, so if you want it to stick out, buy one. Getting a burton board is like getting the honda civic of the mountain. Everyone and their mom has one. I seem to find that the ones that ride burton customs also seems to be the least experienced on the mountain. DO NOT GET A BURTON CUSTOM, for the love of god.

Bindings - I have Flows. All of the people I ride with seem to hate flows, but i love mine. The only difference is I now bind in while on my knees, instead of sitting on my ass.

Heres what my board looks like
bigbear.jpg
 
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