Having just got back from my 3rd boarding holiday (Val Thorens…….soooo much fresh powder 😀 ) I think I’m ready to get a new board (have been learning on a hand-me-down).

Can anyone recommend some good brands? I only know of K2 and Burton. End of season seems a good time to try and nab a bargain. Dont really want to spend more than 400 notes

I think I’m after an “all mountain” board (marketing peeps must love that phrase!), This holiday I’ve ridden mostly slack-country (when conditions allow), piste (obviously) and a tiny bit of park (boxes etc).

Have heard about these “rocker” boards and twin tips, but dont know much about them.

At 6’2 and size 12 feet I’m pretty certain I’ll need a fairly long / wide board.

Any recommendations?

I’ve been riding 18 years and I don’t think Rocker boards are for everyone, I personally don’t like them.

a Normal cambered Board or flat in the middle with rocker from outside the bindings is nice for All Mountain.

I’d be after a Signal OG if I were in the market for that sort of board. Salomon make the lovely boards as do pretty much every other manufacturer Capita are well worth a look. available in wide.

ride timeless ?

Malolo

Rather than worrying too much about brands you might want to go to somewhere like bluetomato and see what’s actually available for your height/feet size. I needed a wide board for my feet size and ended up getting a Flow that I love but I suspect that an AllMountain board from any other manufacturer that was wide would have done. I avoided rocker as well

i always liked Nidecker

And I’ve used Morrow and Salomon boards that I loved as well. Too much choice 🙁

Usually a few good deals to be found here;
http://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/C/SNOWBOARD_Package_Mens_Womens_Kids_Used_Wide_Discount_Cheap_Sale-(1).aspx
With size 12 feet I’d be looking at a wide board.

Your weight is far more important than your height.
I ride a never summer sl. They do a wide version “legacy”
Great boards but everyone will recommend whatever they ride but may not be for you.

Weight – 85kg ish, so prob need a stiffer board?

If you want a fast All Mountain board that can handle pretty much everything then the K2 Slayblade is an awesome choice (if you can still find one). It’s a flat base board so a good compromise between camber and rocker. I weigh 85kg too, am 6′ 1″ and went with a 158 which is ample.

I’ve ridden one for the last 3 years and nothing else I’ve ridden comes close for ability and fun. Very fast base on the board which will mean that you will cruise over most flats with ease. Stable at speed, easy to run fast and flat and a real weapon off piste.

Downsides are that it’s a fairly stiff board so not that easy to butter, boxes are fine, rails okay but not as good as a flexible park board. But if these are the only issues and you mostly ride All Mountain then I’ll happily live with that. No board will do everything well – there’s always a compromise somewhere.

Also heard from asking around this year that the YES ‘The Greats’ is an awesome all mountain board and comes highly rated. Batallion Omni also a good board, a bit cheaper than the other two but also a good ride with the Triple base tech. More of a directional board than the other two though so great for the powder but not one for riding switch.

How about a Libtech NAS?

😉

Very impressed with my burton process Flying V (slight second) nothing wrong with it. Bought from we love mountains, who are local to me, after recommendation when full price but a steal at £216
http://welovemountains.com/burton-process-flying-v-2013-2nd
Great on and of piste, and great grip on ice at a cheap price

I bought a Slayblade at the end of last season. I’ve had a mix of stiffer freeride boards and softer freestyle boards in the past. The Slayblade is a very good balance, stiff enough to hold an edge, with a twin shape and flat profile to keep it versatile. It depends what way you want to go, if you want to learn more park then get something more forgiving. If you want to ride switch all over the mountain go for added stiffness.

where are you based? some of the domes have demo nights/days that may help with your choice. any one board will be a compromise just like any one bike.
i recently obtained a rossignol krypto magtek from a friend who works for rossignol, first day on it was glen coe zero vis, icy, crusty, rocky and hated the board so much went home at lunchtime and went back to an old palmer and k2 fat bob. tried it again in feb in glenshee in near alpine conditions what a diffrence, take the speed and agression up a few clicks and the board is amazing, takes everything you can throw at it and the harder you ride it the better it feels which inspires confidence to keep going harder.

demo boards in diffrent conditions, borrow friends kit even this seasons hire stuff may be better than what you have already and dont forget boots, bindings and socks do make a diffrence to your enjoyment.

Not that I know much about snowboards but after years of boarding and suffering years of hire boards I bought a Raven board. Cost me £199 complete with bindings! Can’t argue with the value….

If you haven’t already got a pair, I’d say buy boots first. Go into a shop, try them all on and get the pair that fit, considering most of the boot is overed up, it really doesn’t matter what they look like, too risky buying boots online I think.

Absolute snow is a wicked shop, be sure to take advantage of their board bag deal (ie halfprice), but pay for something, the one that comes free is just a very cheap sleeve. Get a big bag with wheels on, you won’t regret it.

Boards are a very personal thing with respect to their shape, I’ve got both a stiffer traditional camber and a softer reverse camber. I lvoe both, though I find the reverse camber board more forgiving towards the end of the week (though that could also be due to it being a softer board.

If you’re still learning I’d suggest a softer board, with your feet you’ll need a wide board and the length is more determined by your body weight, and the space between your feet is more to height.

But some good info here

http://www.evo.com/how-to-choose-a-snowboard-size-chart-and-buying-guide.aspx#length

basically all manufacturers have their board designs nailed.

Then you’ll also be looking into bindings as well. Personally, I’d say go for the traditional ratchet type. Its a proven design and if things go wrong then spares can be quite easy to go by in the resort. But I swear by Burton bindings nowadays, I had used K2 before, the binding strap broke and there wasn’t a K2 dealer in Val D’Isere or Tignes. Luckily I borrowed a mates Burton Cartels for the rest of the trip and promptely bought a set once home. The following year, a screw popped out (my fault) and I wnet to a Burton retailed and they promptly took a screw off a brand new set of bindings and gave it too me. Every resort has a burton shop 😉

Burton custom, the Orange five of the snow world!!

I’ve got a YES Basic, which I picked up for £240 brand new and still sealed off gumtree. Like you I’d done 3 weeks on terrible hire boards and wanted something better – best decision I’ve made boarding wise. I think YES are ex Burton designers and the boards are made by Nidecker, so good background to them.

It’s a camrock profile and I really like it, feels way better than any of the camber or rocker boards I’ve hired. I’ve only done 5 weeks so can’t give any more input than that, would def recommend buying rather than hiring based on my experience though.

Oh and if you need bindings too, I really like my Salomon Relays – having the front strap cupping the toe of the boot is a breath of fresh air after over the toe bindings.

At this point in the season you should be able to get a decent full setup (board and bindings) within budget. I’ve been impressed with both my Ride and Nitro boards. Ride seem to put some good technology into their board for the money, Nitro seem to make boards that are fairly bombproof. Lots of boards are made in the same few factories so you might get something nice in a less well known sister brand like GNU/Omatic/Capita

I’m a size 10 and about 92 kg so I’m can just about get away without using a wide board. Wide boards come up a little bit stiffer than the normal equivalent and you can get away with something a little bit shorter. (Nitro is only a 155 and is fine in everything apart from the really deep pow)

There’s lots of choice – check out the stores in the back of whitellines (SS20, S2AS etc.)

I’d avoid personally Burton bindings like the plague – for one thing you can’t leave them on the board in most board bags – hideous design. Conventional Ride and Rome style bindings are just so much nicer.

I’ll repeat what two Canadian dudes told me.
Buy decent and well matched boots and bindings, and then “nail the bindings to a door”.

ie: a board is a board. You’re paying for brand and paint.

The only genuinely clever thing anyone’s done with snowboard design recently is Burton’s TBT, as you like to run pistes and park it might be a good idea as it runs well going flat and straight, handy for those dropins/landings.

Burton Custom X Wide. Depending on your weight 162W or 164W. I’m around 6’1 and 82kg in the buff and I ride a regular 164, but I have smaller feet than you. I’m super impressed with mine.

I test rode a Custom Flying V this season too and I have to admit I was impressed. It was very forgiving and not as fast to loose an edge as I expected. But when pushed hard it doesn’t hold an edge like a camber board.

And sorry to take issue with oliverd1981, but Burton make the best bindings available.

Burton’s TBT,

That’ll be Bataleon – or sister brand Lobster.

I’m around 6’1 and 82kg in the buff and I ride a regular 164 Burton Custom X Wide

I’d say that’s at least 2 sizes too big

Burton make the best bindings available

for Burton boards, and I’m highly dubious even then. I seem to recall a lot of the burton team riding debadged Rome 390’s. I’ve seen lots of broken Burton bindings, I think that’s why everyone carries spares. YMMV,

I’d urge the op to take a good look at a few set of bindings and look at the way they fold when mounted to a board as well as the weight and the quality of the plastics before making a choice.

I’m a big fan of my constant rocker board. Its not the best at powering down solid smooth runs but great from for general pissing around and floating around in powder. I use Burton Cartel bindings with Salomon F22 boots which is a fairly stiff combo but very comfortable.

Pretty sure it’s not burton who has TBT on their boards?
I’ve snowboarded for 16 or so years. In that time I’ve have stiff full on free ride boards to soft noodle park boards.
Stiff boards = good but hard work and need 100% attention. Not something you want to ride with a hangover!
Soft boards = good fun for messing about with. Not so good at speed (flappy) or when laying it on an edge (pencil line carving)
IMO boots are the most important purchase. As long as the binding are the right size for the boots all is well.
The flex and length of the board is what you want to get right, but because the flex/length changes in each board, a 156 burton custom may feel similar to a 152 NS proto.

Bargain Slayblade Wide!

Had to pay full price 3 years ago as they were always impossible to find on sale… Good on hard packed ice, great off piste, stable at speed and the base is not only fast, it’s incredibly tough, mine’s still like new after 3 weeks use and lots of rock strikes…

EDIT: I’m 5’10/size 9 and ride a 158 (standard width) you’ll definitely need a wide with size 12 boots, length is more personal choice but a 163’s prolly bout right

I had one of burtons first v rocker boards. Not the newer Flying V and hated it. Used it for a week and ebayed it.

I’d say that’s at least 2 sizes too big

You’re kidding?. At least 2 sizes too big for what?

Regarding Burton bindings. I’ve ridden nothing but their bindings for 15+ seasons. (Except Spark R&D, but they use Burton straps). In all that time I’ve only snapped 1 strap on a super cold day, and a conservative estimate would be that I ride 50+ days a season. I admit Burton aren’t the coolest brand, like say Forum or Rome, they are the Specialized of snowboarding. But then all 4 Rome boards I’ve owned have broke – either cracked rails or delaminated.

Even Cheaperer!

Do Elan do anything decent? I’ve got an old one that I absolutely loved, though it hasn’t had any use for a while…

I ve only had one pair of burtons. Est cartels that I bought to go on the custom.
Seemed solid but had to sell along with the board. I think the lower end burtons are of less quality.
164 is pretty long unless your out in the back country?
75kg on a 155

I ended up buying a Nitro Team Gullwing hybrid camber board, having only ever used standard camber before. Very happy with it – floats nicely in powder and feels almost impossible to catch an edge, but still feels able to hold a line and go fast etc.

What are people’s thoughts on magne-traction btw? 🙂

Never rode anything with it. But it a bit like rocker. Love it or hate it I have heard.

I’ve been riding Amplid boards this year (got a UNW8, Creamer & Dopamine) – http://www.amplid.com , some bargains to be had at the moment.

Been really pleased with them, rocker has been a bit of a revelation for me (I was very anti until recently!). Maybe not so great for carving, but it’s fun, fun, fun!

Best board for you from their line-up would probably be the Paradigma.

The Amplid bindings are good too, but I’ve had no hassles with Burton bindings – still riding 2 sets that I brought out to France with me and I’ve been here 6 years!

Love my K2 turbo dream… fast!!

I’m not into doing tricks etc, just fast carving on steep stuff. It seems perfect for that.

Never Summer SL all the way. I ride a NS Raptor as I mostly stay off piste and it’s amazing. Do a search for the SL and tell me if you find a bad review of it?

i’ve got a wide Slaybide, 163cm. Burton Cartel bindings and Nike vapen boots.

Seems like a good combination for what i’m riding here in Finland. Lots of park, and twisty powder routes through the woods. Would like a bit of flex when it’s icy, though.

The board sizing question is an interesting one. I’d say 6’1″ and 82kg is about right for a 164. I’m 5’10”, 79kg and ride a 161 Palmer. If there’s a golden rule I’m all ears.

I am 95kg with size 11 feet and I am living now in the Austrian Alps. I have an Arbor Roundhouse RX 162 which is a great all mountain board. Really love it off piste and the griptech is great on ice. The top sheet is also pretty scratch resitant as it’s been knocked around a lot and is in great condition. I picked one up for 330 end of last year.

I also have recently bought an Amplid Paradigma 164W. I love this board too. Probably perfect for what you describe because it can handle everything.