Buying a new board soon… need opinions!

Posted: 13 October 2010 11:57 PM

Hey!

I’ll be buying a new snowboard on Friday and I’ve done a whole bunch of research. I think I have this one narrowed down to 5 boards. Here is some info about me…

Experience: 14 years, advanced rider, Live in the east, but make a trip out west once/year

Style: Love going fast, mostly groomers when local (unless im lucky enough to get some powder) occasional park, but no rails really… just kickers and pipe. I like to lay out nice big carves, and when I’m out west, I’m on the hunt for steep bowls, powder and good tree lines.

Boot: Size 8
Weight: 180-185
Height: 5’8
Stance: 15, -10 or -15

It’s been 8 years on the same board, and I’m very excited to upgrade. Here are my candidates, if anyone has any info, opinions or experience with these boards, it would be greatly appreciated!

Yes. Optimistic 154: $540, 24.9 waist

Yes. The Dudes 156: $529, 25.1 waist

K2 Turbo Dream 156: $479, 24.7

K2 Slayblade 156: $549, 25.0 waist

Rome Anthem 157/159: $499, 24.7/8 waist

Posted: 14 October 2010 10:52 AM

All very nice boards, just got a couple of questions:

* Firstly, what board are you riding at the minute? What is the flex like on it, and apart from the fact that you’ve ridden it for a while and want a new deck, what are your reasons for an upgrade?

* Are you looking for a firmer flexing board than your last snowboard?

* I noticed that none of the boards you have listed are cambered? Are there any reasons for not picking a cambered snowboard?

* Do you have a limited number of brands available at the shop you’re buying from?

* Is carving power and stability more important than the board being nimble or are you after a halfway house?

* what’s your budget?

* What kind of conditions do you find yourself riding most of the time?

Cheers

Rich

Posted: 14 October 2010 03:34 PM

Hey Rich, thanks for the response…

- I’m currently riding a 2002 Option Sansalone 154.5 with 2007 Cartels and 2010 Rulers.  I guess I want to switch to something that’s a little lighter and more playful.  My board is very stiff, and while it’s great at bombing it, it’s not very playful and not so great on powder.  Also, after 8 years, I know that boards have come a long way, so I figure that I could invest in some new gear this year and spoil myself a little :)  Also, I’ll be going to Revelstoke this year and doing some cat boarding, so I want a board that can handle it nicely.

- I guess the Rocker Camber hybrids really intrigue me… I like the idea of having a board with some flex and float in powder combined with stability and edge hold.  I have been on cambered for 14 years and I kinda want to see what some of the new techs bring.

- I’ll be going to the Toronto snowboard show tomorrow, so I should be able to find just about anything I want there.

- Carving power and stability is very important, but whenever I go west, I always find myself doing full days of trees and bowls, so it needs to be nimble as well.  Throw in the odd park run when I’m boarding locally…

- budget is probably $700 CDN or $600 USD

- I live in Toronto, so when I’m local, I need to deal with lots of hard groomers and ice most of the time… When I go west, it’s the best riding I do all year and I’m constantly looking for good powder through the trees.  I also try to make it to my local hills whenever we are lucky enough to get some good snow.  It really is pretty variable where I live.

At the moment, I think I am leaning towards the Slayblade, since I like the idea of zero camber.  I want to see how the other boards stack up too though. 

Thanks,
Josh

Posted: 15 October 2010 03:29 PM

Sorry for the delay on a reply, been out on the town for the last couple of evenings. I hope you get this before your shopping excursion.

I know at the end of your last email you were suggesting that the K2 slayblade is at the top of your list, but I kind of think a hybrid rocker camber board would give you more of the characteristics you are after. If you go with a snowboard with Camrock / Amptek (I’m going to have to come up with an abreviation which means I don’t have to write every brand acronym down) profile you’ll have a the torsional flex of a firm board between the bindings for carving hard and and the forgiving tips for butters and smooth landings, you’ll also get the extra float. Obviously, the board that you’ve listed with these characteristics is the YES Optimistic, which as it goes just won a Transworld Good Wood award for park riding. You might also consider the Jones Mountain Twin which is lightening quick between edges and has mellow magnetraction on the edges for grip on hard Pack. You could also check out the Rossignol One or Angus. Of course, if you end up with a Slayblade or Turbo dream, you’ll love those too!

I remember that Sansalone… as stiff as a door.

Posted: 15 October 2010 03:46 PM

Great!  I’ve been reading some really good reviews on the Optimistic lately.  I’m going to the show tonight, so I’ll check those out.

And yes, that board is super stiff… Even when I weighed 190 +, I couldn’t get any flex from it.

Love the site… keep it up!