All-mountain board and length suggestions

Posted: 24 January 2012 12:56 AM

Hello,
I am a rather small female rider with intermediate/advanced skills. I have been riding my Burton Twin for 8 years now and am in need of a new board. I ride groomers for speed, but mostly sticking in the trees in fresh pow and hitting natural kickers. I want a board therefore that will respond quickly in tight carves, will be good in powder, and will be able to handle speed. I am currently looking at the Bataleon Distortia and the YES Basic, potentially the Burton Feelgood Flying V. Unfortuntely I will be unable to demo before I buy. Any suggestions on which would be best, or any other boards I should consider?

I also have a board length dilemma. For some reason my Burton I have been riding is a 152. The length was fine when I was not asking much in the way of responivesness, but now it is just too darn long. I am 5 feet, 105 lbs and wear size 5.5 female boots. Any suggestions on size with the above listed boards?

Thanks so much!

Brandi

Posted: 24 January 2012 02:20 AM

The flying V does exactly what you’re asking for.  The one and only drawback is on hardpacked ice, it really underperforms the competition.  But if you’re riding fresh pow in glades, and also want something that is stable while bombing, the flying V fits the bill perfectly.

The only thing I’d worry about is your foot size.  The 140 flying V fits your height and your weight perfectly, but it still might be too wide for a 5.5.  However, if you can get away with it, it’s definitely my recommendation.  I demoed the Flying V a few weeks ago, and it kicks serious tail in the categories you mentioned.

Posted: 24 January 2012 06:58 PM

Hi Brandi

To give you a comparison on the Burton - I am 5’7”, 126lb and ride US size 9.5 boots, and I have been using the 144 Feelgood. You definitely need to size down your board to get something that is going to feel more responsive.
I have the camber Feelgood, which is a few seasons old, but I’ve tried the Flying V, and I don’t like it as much. It’s less stable going fast, and as already mentioned it’s grip in icier conditions leaves a lot to be desired. The upside is that the Flying V is better for floating in powder.
Since you’ve been riding a much longer camber board, this will have been providing you with your float in the powder, and you’ll need to replace that floating quality with something if you want to continue to ride pow as easily as you do now. I can tell you for sure, it won’t be as easy on a shorter board.
If you can afford it, the best thing to do would be to get one board for groomers and normal conditions, and another board specifically for powder. I guess this depends on how much powder you see and what depth you get. In my experience a dual camber board is fine in depths up to about 6-8”. Anything more and you start to bury your nose. Over that depth, it would be good to keep your Twin, or maybe buy something more powder-specific.

Re the Bataleon Distoria, some people find the TBT base a bit squiffy on hardpack and landings. But then again some people swear by it. I think this is something you would need to try before you bought it, just in case you fell into the ‘hate’ camp.
The YES Basic is a good board - you’d probably find the flex on par with your Twin. If you want to try something a bit stiffer, you might want to check out another board.

If you want some more options take a look at the following: Never Summer Infinity, K2 Wolfpack or Ecopop, Nitro Fate, Salomon Idol, Rome Lo-Fi or Blue. You’ve already mentioned the Burton Feelgood.
All of these will provide the pop and speed you’re looking for, but have advantages and disadvantages over each other in flex, profile etc.

I guess the best thing to do is work out what camber you want in the board, and narrow your selection from there.

Kat

Posted: 25 January 2012 04:46 AM

Thank-you both very much! I think I will try renting a hybrid camber to see if that is the way I want to go and then narrow it down from there as suggested.

Thanks again,

Brandi