TRice vs Cobra vs Custom vs…. Been out of the game for a while

Posted: 17 November 2012 04:20 PM

I’m from the good snow of the Rocky Mountains but been living out East for a while and thus out of the game for quite some time. Last board: Burton Custom 7 years ago. Needless to say, could use some recs…
I enjoy riding steep chutes, through the trees, all-mountain type of riding. I don’t do much of the park and only the occasional jumps and slightly more often cliffs.
I’m looking at Lib Tech T Rice, the Never Summer Cobra or Heritage or the always dependable Burton Custom again (although I’d like to switch it up a bit).  Any opinions amongst these boards? Any others I should seriously consider given my interests?
Also, I’m 5’9” and 150 lbs. I’ve been riding a 157. Seems like many people are converting to smaller boards. I’m thinking this may be worth it given the improved maneuverability, but I don’t want to give up the ease in powder or the speed of longer boards. For my style, should I stick with a 157ish board or go down to 153?

Thanks a lot everyone

Posted: 20 November 2012 01:39 AM

Here’s a list of boards you should consider: Lib tech Horsepower
Lib tech machete GT
Never Summer Heritage
Burton Custom X
The custom X would be difficult if you’ve been out for a while though. 

Posted: 21 November 2012 06:56 AM

157 T.Rice or a 155/158 Cobra sounds good for you. The T.Rice has a pretty wide waist width for it’s size 258mm, so if you have size 9 or below foot size the Cobra might be a better choice.