Coming back to snowboarding after 6 years - getting gear

Posted: 16 November 2010 11:36 PM

Hi, first off thanks for your help and putting together this site.

Basic background:
I rode 6 or so years from 7- 12th grade, but stopped riding once I hit College (cost to much etc) and havn’t been riding for 6 years. Now that I have a job and can afford to snowboard, I am looking into getting all my own gear. I enjoyed mostly freeriding / groomers (I could ride blacks pretty easily) and a little bit of park (mainly jumps, never really did anything else). I will be mainly riding Northstar in Tahoe, Ca, but I may go to some of the other resorts (Mammoth).

Height: 6 feet
Weight: 180 Pounds
Shoe Size: 10 in Burton boots (already got them)
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate (probably a beginner, since it’s been 6 years)
Looking for: Board/Bindings
Board size according to Burton is 163

Mostly interested in freeride style riding, however I would like a board with the ability jump/grind a little. I guess basically an All-Mountain board with a little freeride lean (not sure if it matters at my skill level)

A friend said “if I were to get new bindings they would be the Burton Cartel EST” so, that has me thinking Burton is the way to go.

But, I have no idea if the EST “feel” is worth limiting my board choice to only Burton. Or if I should just get traditional Burton Cartels and get a board outside the Burton brand.

The Burton Process v-rocker sounds like it would be a little soft for what I want (More Park oriented), but the Burton Sherlock description sounds like what I am looking for.

So I guess my questions are:

1. Should I worry about getting EST bindings, is the “feel” really that amazing. I was told that you are about a .5 inch lower and that makes a large difference.
2. If the answer to 1 is no, which boards should I look into from: Arbor, Burton, Gnu, Jones, K2, Ride, Rossignol MagTek, Solomon Sick Stick (Limited to these brands because it’s what REI carries and I have $200-$300 in gift cards to REI)

I am looking for a board that might be a little harder at first, but will stick wtih me for many years.

Thank you for your time and advice

Posted: 19 November 2010 11:49 PM

Hi Mack,
after finally finding the time to read through your post, here comes my delayed post:

I have never ridden EST bindings myself but as far as I heard, the only real difference to regular bindings is the ease with which you can change your binding-settings like stance. I personally wouldn’t look out for an EST system but then again everyone does have different preferences.

The Rossi MagTek you listed surely is one great ride, definitely check out it’s reviews here on the site. I just think it’s not the best for doing rails in the park..

The GNU Riders Choice would be an other good choice. Sintered base for speed, Magnetraction for edge hold even on the hardest pack, C2 banana rocker for carving and riding park.

Can’t really find any Arbor deck suitable for you. The Formula probably is a bit too much for the beginners for you, the other models are probably too freeride-ish.

Definitely also check out the K2 Darkstar, our head of testing Tom absolutely loved the ride! Took it out everyday for like 9 months or so and was completely stoked how the board handled everything he threw it at.

The Salomon Sick Stick is like absolutely not what you are looking for.

Hope this helped a little for the beginning, Cheers Tobi

Posted: 20 November 2010 01:13 AM

Hi, thank you for the response it helps a lot. Sorry I am going to ask two more questions.
Is there a specific reason why you didn’t recommend any Burton boards? Should I stick with Burton Cartels or is there something better (Union?)

Thanks again

Posted: 20 November 2010 10:34 AM

‘morning Mack,
I didn’t recommend any Burton board because I feel like Burton has a board for every single type of rider in their lineup.
So you could just use their board finder or browse their website and you will definitely find a ride that is suited for you.
They do not make bad boards, gosh no, their rides are mostly really good. but I personally am more into supporting smaller brands, so I am just not too much into burton. That’s just my personal thing, though!

The Cartels are fine, solid allround/allmountain binding. From the UNION lineup, the Force is what you should be looking at. I can’t tell if there is any major quality difference between those two bindings, so just go for whatever you feel like.
You might want to check out our binding buying guide (link on the main page of our site) for more information on bindings!

Cheers, Tobi

Posted: 20 November 2010 10:42 AM

Thank you for the comment. I am leaning more towards supporting the smaller brands also. For now, leaning towards the Gnu Riders Choice with Union Force bindings. I should be getting a board in the next couple of weeks and I can post a review.

Thanks for your help, this website is awesome.