Looking to buy a new board and possibly bindings

Posted: 12 December 2010 06:25 PM

Hey guys,

Looking for some advice on what board to buy. I’m about a 5’10’‘, 148 lbs., size 10 boot with 7 weeks of riding experience. Current board is a 2005 Rossignol RS, which has been a fine board overall for me to learn the basics on, but I feel I’ve sort of outgrown it now. It’s also a 161, which in hindsight is probably too much, but at the time I was mostly interested in just getting down the mountain with maximum stability and keeping up with my friends, most of which had 1-2 weeks of experience on me. Over the past couple years I’ve realized I like other stuff too, just jibbing a bit along the sides of the piste, hitting the smaller kickers in the park, doing little 180’s and riding switch. Things that my old board is not very good at. At the same time I want a board that I can take on an offpiste run every now and then without feeling completely lost. So I guess I’m looking for something versatile.

One of my riding buddies has a skate banana which I tried out for a little while, but I wasn’t really feeling that too much. It seemed sort of lazy, whereas I don’t mind a board that requires putting in a little effort. I don’t really know enough about the theory to tell if this means I should not get a rocker board at all, or if it’s specific to that model.

Also, I’d definitely rather get a board from last season and save some money to spend on other gear, but I’m not looking to skimp on the board. I’m probably going to be riding it for the next five-ish years, so I’m fine with making an investment there. I’m not really fussy about getting a certain brand. Any suggestions? Need more info?

Also, I’ve got Flow S-FR bindings now. I really like the Flow system for its ease and comfort, despite people telling me it’s no good because you can’t adjust them tight enough. The bindings are pretty heavy, though. Would this be a problem? What are you guys’ opinions on these?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Posted: 13 December 2010 07:53 AM

Define lazy on the Skate Banana…  too slow?  Not enough edge control?

Sounds like you are moving into more of a freestyle mode.  You are probably looking for a directional twin…  designed to be ridden primarily one way but not completely foreign to going switch.

Best deals are at the end of a season but most good stuff is gone by then so buyer beware.

I personally hate Flows, bought a used set and could never get them to feel right.  Sold them to a friend and he loved ‘em.  Personal preference.