Advice for an enthusiastic, heavier rider..

Posted: 27 October 2010 01:01 AM

Hi all,

I am 6’11 ish and weigh 105kgs with size 11 UK boots (currently Vans). I’ve been on a board for 6 weeks since 2005 and I’m currently riding a 2006 Burton King 162W. I don’t spend much time in the park yet, most of my time is spent on the pistes or hunting out the fresh off-piste though I do fancy myself on the odd small jump ;)

I am really looking to progress to the next level and increase in speed and confidence and also getting more involved in freestyle. One area I have always struggled is on flatter, narrower cat-track routes incase that is of any use? I am also concerned that riding a wide board is possibly also making me work harder and slowing my progression to some extent.

So.. can anyone offer any buying advice or recommend a board that would suit all my needs? I am quite interested in the rocker tech thats everywhere and am also interested in the boards that Ride, K2, Stepchild, etc offer and am quite happy to move away from burton and wide boards (I quite like the Ride Machete and Control actually.) Are Santa Cruz boards any good?

Any advice greatly appreciated!
Steven

Posted: 27 October 2010 08:31 AM

Welcome Steven,

First off your a big boy!  To increase in speed for yourself you need a very long board and one that will fit your size 11 feet on too.

Right off the bat I’m thinking The Flagship from Jones Snowboards in a 168W.  It is a directional board, in stance and in it’s rocker profile so it’s not a twin which most freestyle riders prefer however you can set your stance slightly forward to make it more like a twin in that regard.

Burton.com has a nifty little board finder on their website.  Plugging in your stats revealed the CustomX 164 and Custom 169W.  Looking at those 2 I would lean towards the 169W…  gives you the length for speed and the width for you feet.

Hopefully those suggestions get the ball rolling for you.  Keep the length up near 169 though in my honest opinion.

Posted: 27 October 2010 10:11 PM

Thanks for your advice Steve, I’ll definitely be checking out the Burton tool. My next trip is end of Jan so I think I’m on a strict diet till then too ;-)

On the subject of wide boards.. with size 11s is a wide board a ‘must have’? - does it make a board more difficult to turn? Other than the very first board I rode I have only known wide boards so wondering if its worth having a bash on a normal or possibly even mid-wideboard.

Posted: 29 October 2010 07:04 AM

For you it’s pretty much an automatic yes…  at 6’11” you have a high centre of gravity and will put a lot of leverage on a board, the added width will help deal with that.  You are tall, heavy and have big feet…  you need the extra width for support and stability.