I’m looking for a snowboard that can handle the mountain just as good as it can handle the park. I’m not looking to spend more then $500 on a board. I’m 5’9 170 lbs and boot size 11.5 and my boots have shrinkage. Any suggestions on which board I should get?

What the heck is shrinkage, lol.  Your foot is 11.5 so your boots are 10.5?  If so you might need a wide board, but I was rocking 10.5 boots last season and was fine with no major overhang.

If I was going with one board it would probably the new Rossi AmpMag (dunno if that’s the official name, Rich will know).  I rode a OneMag last season and it was wicked fast all over the mountain, the Amptek will make it behave better in pow at a shorter length and give your leading edges some clearance in the park.

Maybe the K2 Darkstar as well?  Dunno how well Flatline tech would be all over the mountain but it might be the ticket.

When talking about park riding are you more into like doing the big kicker lines or also sliding down the gnarliest rails?
That would be an important thing for me to know as those two things can require pretty different grades of stiffness.

im not that good in the park but im going to be in there this year but i dont think i will hit the huge kickers but i will be doing some nice rails

I do not really know how much the Rossi Angus will be next season or how much it will be in your country but I think the Angus would be a better fit than the OneMag as it is a bit more freestyle-ish, I think.
The design of the coming season’s Angus is a bit of a matter of taste, though. Check the ISPO 2011 article on our frontpage to check the design of it. Kinda’ creepy!

next-day-edit:
Sorry for the short reply, I just didn’t have much time when I wrote the above, yesterday.
As Reloaded already mentioned, the K2 Flaline tech is worth a look, too. I’m actually not too much into those K2 techs but you are welcome to check former buying advice threads to find out some more about it!

In case you are planning on focusing on park riding but still want a board that lets you charge down to the lift, you should definitely check out the 2011 NeverSummer Evo-R. Our team reviewed this already, check out the snowboard-review.tv section and look for the park board test (the Evo-R was the winner!).

Let me know what you think, cheers

Yeah the Evo is a good call, there’s a slightly wider version called the Revolver. it has exactly the same graphics, just an extra cm on the width. This board is a really good park board that excells on jibs and booters but can ride the lot. Get ahold of a Never Summer and you’ll see what all of the fuss is about, they look like they’ve been made by a furniture, chunky and rugged… do you a good couple of season, probably why they have a 3 year warranty.

We were also feeling the Artec Pop Rocker and Academy Propaganda for nice easy and versatile park boards. Of course there is always the K2 Parkstar with Jib Rocker, this is a very easy board to ride and ideal if you intent to spend a fair bit of time learning in the park. If you want a snowboard with a little bit more versatility than the Parkstar and a little bit more life, there really aren’t many boards that are better than the 2011 Fastplant… such a lively and fun board.

Rich

Hello Rich,

I have read and seen your review of the K2 Fastplant. Your response in this thread seems to reinforce your enthusiasm for this deck. You claim it to be more versatile than the Parkstar. Do you think this thing could get into some powder? The site is just looking so great. I am finding it to be very entertaining as well as an excellent resource.  Well deserved momentum fellas!

Ice Age Now

Welcome ice age now (nice name),

The Fastplant has the same profile as the Parkstar.  I have an 2010 Parkstar and I found it very versatile all over the mountain.  However I never got into much powder with it, but I would imagine it would be good as most rocker profiles have the nose and tail rise up higher then a cambered one so that will help with float.

Personally I like the pop that the Parkstar has, but I would totally check out the Fastplant as bamboo has crazy flex and pop compared to maple core (learning that from longboarding).  Plus bamboo is a very eco-friendly building material and I dig that stuff too.

Hi IAN (like what I did there!)

THanks for the kind words on the site. Big props to Reloaded and Zoryfl though, those guys are helping a lot with the site, especially with the forum.

To your question on the Fastplant. As far as I can tell, it’s exactly the same shape as the Parkstar. Reloaded is right, the Jib rocker profile (early rise nose and tail and flat between the bindings) helps with float becasue you haven’t got camber working the nose into the snow. To be honest, the Fastplant is a park snowboard, it works great on the pistes if you want a board to hit jumps on the sides of the groomers or blast off into a bit of pow off the side but it’s not a freeride board. If you want a bit more freeride capability, perhaps you should look at the Turbo Dream or Zero from the K2 range, or have a look at something like the Rossi One Magtek or Atomic Alibi.

The thing that sets the Fastplant apart from the Parkstar is the core and the construction.. nearly everything else is the same, including the sidecut. Insetad of using a Poplar core, K2 use Bamboo ply laminates layered one on top of another they then wrap the core in glass. This is called uni-body construction, Salomon used to use it back in the day with Cap construction, but far as I’m aware, using it with sidewall is quite unique (maybe Rossi use it with their TWK3 core which they use in the JDUB). Combining the bamboo and glass unibody construction with the Carbon torsion forks makes a board that is pretty flexible like the Parkstar, but that just pounces out of carves, pops with great energy and just feels sooo lively. It’s kind of like the difference between when you ride with a hangover compared to post an 11 hour sleep, it’s just more fun. The Parkstar is a great board, the Fastplant is just incredible.

I’d say if your spending anymore than 20% of your time riding powder you should look for something a bit more versatile. You could always bag the Fastplant and then look at something like the Atomic Banger or Burton Malolo to rip off piste… there are some great deals on last years Banger on the net at the moment. The fastplant will definitely work well off backcountry kickers, I had a couple of tail heavy landings and even with the jib rocker, the core made sure it didn’t washout.

Hope that helps,

Rich

Reloaded and Rich,

Thanks so much for the detailed responses. Reloaded - loved the desciption of the Parkstar and its capabilities. I’ve actually been considering that board as well, and it is good to know how similar in shape and form it is to the Fastplant.

I would love to spend more than 20% of my time in powder but truthfully, as a resort rider I usually only get into the powder when mother nature blesses us, so just knowing that it could deal with a little bit of it gives me piece of mind. The video review shows Rich ripping up the jumps and spining and carving. It looks like such a fun board in the park and on the trails. My weight usually fluxuates from 64 to 66 kgs and I have small feet. Rich was riding the 154 and he is not as light as me. I plan on using this board everywhere, and was guessing the 154 was the right size. Does this seem like the right size for me? I really couldn’t see going down to the 151 as I will not be jibbing 100% of the time, and the 157 may be little on the long side of things.

Thanks again guys,

Ice Age Now

To me, 154 sounds perfectly alright for you. Compared to the 151, it will give you slightly more float in pow and increased edge hold so it seems like the right call!

As long as your feet aren’t any smaller than 8US (maybe 7 at a push) and you’re no shorter than 5’6” the 154 will be fine. 65+Kg is fine. I felt I sat perfectly in the middle of the specs. 75Kg, 5’9” and US9 boot size.

Thanks to everyone for the great information. I think my decision is made. I will snag the 154 when they become available. I’ll also be sure to throw up a review once I’ve used it enough to make some decent critiques. Now all I have to do is sit around and wait on winter. The calendar is laughing at me.

Oh cruel cruel calender!

I expect K2 stuff will be in the shops early september so it’s only a month to wait. But definitely be on the ball, I’m certain the Fastplant will sell-out by November. It’s going to be huge.

Sorry to bother guys, but just out of curiosity, how much stiffer is the Believer than the Fastplant (10 being stiffest)? How “playful” is the Believer? Thanks!

Rich, Reloaded, Tom,

I searched the forum for more info on the K2 Believer and found the board mentioned many times, and was able to get a great idea of what to expect from it. Tom’s reviews of the 2010 and the 2011 combined with repetitive forum descriptions convinced me that this deck is more of what I have been looking for. Tom explained (and Rich also explained on Tom’s behalf) that the Believer would help a rider progress in the park and on jibs, while still being a little more all mountain focused. The Fastplant is probably a blast all over the hill, but it may be a little too park specific. In the end I had to decide if it was worth $500 to take a chance on a park focused board. Based on my needs and the fact that the Fastplant - like most snowboards is ugly as hell, I have decided to go with the Believer. And since Tom explained that there wasn’t much of a difference between the 2010 and the 2011 versions, I was able to get a pretty good deal on a 2010 model through an internet vender. Thanks guys for all your insight. Through the forum and the reviews I was able to research so many boards. When reading a review it was so helpful to see the list of similar boards. That would lead to more research and more questions, and then more forum searches. A wealth of information really. I kind of feel like I just finished a college level course on snowboard design and function. I’ll let you know how it all works out on the snow - in about 4 months.

Ice Age Now