looking for a new women’s snowboard and gear

Posted: 26 September 2010 07:19 AM

Hey guys,

It’s been awhile since I’ve hit the slopes, so I need a new gear this winter. I am 5’1” (yeah, I’m short I know >.<), I weigh about 105 lbs and my shoe size is a woman’s 6. Because I haven’t snowboarded in almost 6 years I am probably a beginner. I like the Salomon 2010 Lily board but I am open to advice and tips. I don’t know too much about bindings and shoes either. I’ve been looking at some discounted bindings and shoes but I’d like your guys input before I drop some $$ in this hobby.

Thanks!!

Posted: 27 September 2010 09:04 AM

Hi there xiuxiu, welcome to the SBR forums!

First of all, let me ask what type of a rider you are- more like someone who never misses a rail and is constantly trying to get those flattricks looking perfect or maybe someone who loves charging down the groomers and hits the pow wheneever possible?

The Lily you suggested is a pretty soft freestyle deck which will probably great in the park, especially for your weight and heigth but I think it might not provide you with too much fun charging down the hill.

Anyway, try to answer my questions so we can go into further discussion =)

Cheers, Tobi

Posted: 28 September 2010 02:37 PM

I reckon the Lily would be a fun board for you, as Tobi said, it’s quite park focused, but I think it will be forgiving enough for someone picking up a board again after a long break from riding.

You could also look at the Salomon Radiant, it too is pretty soft, but it uses a slightly directional shape, a quadratic sidecut along with Wingtips camber. I’ll just explain these features. A directional twin shape means there is a touch more nose than tail, this means when the snow gets a little deeper the nose will ride higher than the snow line, if the board was completely twin it would mean shifting more weight to the back of the board to keep the nose up. Wingtips camber is an early rise nose and tail, by raising the nose and tail early, the board will be a little less catchy (you won’t catch edges quite as easily) but you still get the grip of camber and a board that pops you out of turns. A quadratic sidecut is a number of turning circles (radii) blended together, by using a bigger turning circle at the front and back of the sidecut the board is designed to enter and exit turns slightly easier. The radiant is also cheaper than the Lily and has an extruded base, so you won’t need to worry so much about maintaining the board between trips, a wax before you go and a wax afterwards should do the trick.

So yeah the Lily is a nice board and would be a pretty good choice, but I think the Radiant would make a wise choice until you’re back in the swing of things. Plus this years graphics are really nice… in my personal opinion.

Rich