Snowboard Advice

Posted: 09 December 2010 03:30 PM

Hi,

I’m snowboarding for about 6 weeks now over the last 10 years. I"m 184 cm and 71 kilo. My footsize is 43 (europe).

My interests can’t be put in one direction. I like to go fast now and then, like carving a lot, like to go off piste into the fresh snow as soon as it is there and lately I like to butter, make 180’s at the side of the piste.

I would like my board to be stiff enough to make the pace and the carving turns, but on the other hand I would like to be able to do some groundtricks en pistetricks as well. I do not go into the halfpipe and hardly ever into the park.

I guess I’m looking for an allmountain board.

I went to the local snowsport store and they came up with the next 5 boards, all between € 400 and € 499. The prices are ex bindings.

- Salamon Official 2010
- Burton Econico 2010
- Ride Machete 2011
- Bataleon Jam 2011
- Bataleon Goliath 2011

I wonder if the official isn’t too much of a freestyle board for the pace, the carving and the off-piste.

I wonder if the Jam isn’t to freeride/stiff for the jibbing, buttering and other pistetricks.

I wonder if the Goliath has too much flex for the freeriding.

The Machete is a rocker and I don’t know that much about it. I have seen some revieuws stating that it is a rather stiff board for buttering.

I hardly know anything about the Econico but at the store they say it is a quality all-mountain board.

Can you guys give me any pointers, advice of maybe a whole other board.

Inc bindings I have about € 600 to spend. I already have some boots.

Thx.

Wouter

Posted: 09 December 2010 09:49 PM

Hey WouterG,
as you are mainly looking for a board to go fast and carve like crazy the jibbiness of the deck you are looking for surely won’t be perfect!
I’m riding a Amplid Paradigma and it loves carving and never loses an edge (really a quite stiff ride) but I’m really having a hard time doing piste tricks on it- not saying I’m not doing it, though. One just feels kinda beat the day after, hehe.
Might get a really great deal with one of last season’s Paradigmas. They are around 550€ regularly but I already saw some going for like 300€!!

I don’t think the Machete would be too stiff. Again: of course you will be better off jibbing with e.g. the Forum Scallywag but try going really fast on that one..! It has won several awards and it’s really a decent board.

For bindings, check out our binding buying guide here at the website (find the article at our main page).

Hope this helped a little, not much time these days so sorry for the incomplete answer!
Cheers, Tobi

Posted: 03 January 2011 02:44 PM

At the moment I’m thinking of buying the Bataleon Goliath.

Going to try a Bataleon Omni later on this week. Just to check out TBT.

Posted: 03 January 2011 05:38 PM

Hi!

Not meaning to hijack your thread by any means WouterG but I got the exact same specs as you :-)  (size, weight, boot size, experience, also looking for an all-mountain board while still being able to pull some tricks).

I’m considering Lib-Tech boards because of all the reviews I read about the magic magnetraction technology.

- Do you think the T. Rice would be a good pick? Shall I pick another magne board? (I got Burton ambush boots).
- If Yes 157 or 161.5? HP or not?

Thx!!!

Posted: 05 January 2011 05:35 PM

Hi Vinzz,

The Travis Rice is quite a powerful board, great for charging but perhaps a bit of a handful for someone who has been riding 6 weeks. Of course you’ll be able to ride it, it’s just a softer flexing board might encourage faster progression. I’ve gone down the stiffer board route and it definitely held me back from progressing the freestyle element of my riding. I’d look at the Gnu Riders Choice or the Lib Tech Phoenix Jamie Lynn. These boards are a touch softer and have all of the features of the Travis Rice. Tobi’s spot on, if you aren’t so bothered about butters and rails and you want to concentracte on going faster then the Amplid Paradigma is an ace choice, a kind of halfway house between the Burton Custom and Custom X. Hopefully I’ll be testing a 2011 deck in the next week or two.

Posted: 05 January 2011 06:03 PM

Hi Rich!
Thx for the reply!

What if I tell you that my friends are all skiers that all like to go fast (this year I’m buying flow bindings, dammit!) and that I have in fact a bit more experience than I previously stated (out of those 10 years, I didn’t miss a season).

I recently added the 360 to my tricks and can take rails with the board parallel to it (haven’t succeeded perpendicularly yet).

I’d say 50% freeride 30% pow 20% jibbing.

And do you know stg about the size I need?

thxx!

Posted: 05 January 2011 08:50 PM

Oh ok well you can ride the TRice in which case it would be the 157 you’d want.

If you’re doing your first boardslides and want to progress in the park some more then going slightly softer than the TRice will definitely help. The Riders choice is ideal really, I’ve seen a lot of riders on my loacl hill riding the park and then freeriding 2ft of pow in the trees on the Riders Choice.

If it’s the freeriding and general charging you want to push the TRice is a great board for it.

Rich

Posted: 06 January 2011 11:05 AM

Hi,

Just considered your advice and ordered a Phoenix Jamie Lynn. (I really prefer the art over GNU’s board and GNU wasn’t available in 157).

However, I realized right after bidding (ebay seller) that I had ordered a wide board. I asked the seller if he could modify my order but he told me that the wide board made no real difference for that model.

What do you think, really?

Thx

Posted: 06 January 2011 11:27 AM

The seller is right, the width on the 157w Phoenix is only a couple of mm wider than a non-wide board (it’s only 8mm wider than the standard 157 which is on the narrow side, they should call it the midwide. If your feet are any bigger than a US9 you’ll be fine and if your feet are a US10-11 you are on the money.

Posted: 06 January 2011 11:32 AM

and with exactly a US9?

(I may sound picky but I really see this as a long term pricey investment)

Posted: 06 January 2011 11:38 AM

Well you won’t have any overhang. Ideally a board waist of about 25.4 would be what I’d say, I have US 9 boots too. I rode the 157W Phoenix last season and I didn’t find it was unresponsive. It’s not ideal, but it isn’t a problem.

If you are worried try our boot size calculator with your binding angles and stance width.

The waist of the Phoenix is 25.9cm and the sidecut is 8.7m.

Posted: 06 January 2011 11:52 AM

The boot size calculator gives me 9 as the ideal size.
Thanks for your quick insight, I really appreciate!!

I’ll confirm my order then and let people know what I think of the board when I ride it next month.

Now, time to find some good bindings!! ;)

(@WouterG: sorry for actually hijacking your thread) :(